At a government meeting, Vladimir Putin publicly commented for the first time on the collapse of a bridge on a passenger train in the Bryansk region, outlining plans regarding peace negotiations.
«Such actions are called terrorism. All actions were aimed at disrupting negotiations. A targeted strike was made on the civilian population. This confirms that the regime in Kyiv is transforming into a terrorist organization. The Kyiv leadership has moved to organizing terrorist acts. And at the same time, they are asking for a high-level meeting. Who negotiates with those who rely on terrorism? And why encourage them? According to generally recognized international practice, the level [of negotiations] is determined by the country they represent. What authority can the head of a thoroughly rotten and corrupt regime have, by whose will the armed forces of Ukraine suffered senseless and heavy losses in the Kursk region. We are dealing with people who lack not only competence but also political culture,» Putin stated.
He also commented on Kyiv's reaction to Russia's proposal for a 2-3 day truce: «As for the latest refusal of a 2-3 day truce on humanitarian grounds, this convinces us that for him it means a loss of power. And power is more important to him than people's lives.» At the same time, he excluded Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day truce.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump stated that today he again called Putin, noting that the phone conversation lasted an hour and 15 minutes, they discussed Russia's war with Ukraine and Iran's nuclear program. «We discussed Ukraine's attack on planes located at Russian airfields, as well as other strikes made by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not one that will lead to immediate peace. President Putin stated — and quite decisively — that he would have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.
We also discussed the situation with Iran and the fact that there is less and less time for a decision on Iran's nuclear weapons. I informed President Putin that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons, and, as it seems to me, we were unanimous on this. Putin suggested participating in negotiations with Iran and possibly helping to reach a solution.»
The US Embassy in Ukraine warned Americans about the threat of Russian air attacks. «The US Embassy in Kyiv urges US citizens to exercise appropriate caution. As always, we recommend that you be ready to take shelter immediately in case of an air raid alert,» the message says.