There is no possibility of making diplomacy talk in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Over the weekend, many declarations from various quarters show a rigidity that increasingly distances dialogue.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator of the White House National Security Council in an interview about the use of Western weapons to strike Russia, told the press on June 1: “We don’t tell them where to strike, we don’t tell them where don’t strike, we don’t tell them how to run their trades. We equip them, we train them, we give them advice and guidance. Heck, we even do drills with them to help them plan what they’re going to do, but in the end, President Zelenskiy and his military leaders decide what they’re going to do militarily, and they decide what they’re going to do with the equipment they were given and which they now own. With all of this, we have made it clear that we do not support attacks inside Russia, nor do we permit or encourage attacks inside Russia.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on June 2: “The United States welcomes any initiative that brings Russia to the negotiating table; the United States will support the participation of China, Brazil or any other country in the negotiating process on Ukraine; the United States is not an enemy to the Russians; the doors of NATO remain open to new members; Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has not weakened US attention to the Asia-Pacific region.
The words of the Chinese emissary for Ukraine are on the same wavelength: “Russia, Ukraine and EU countries have expressed their desire for a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis. The Ukrainian parties to the conflict are experiencing difficulties in negotiations, it is important to create the conditions, Beijing is ready to do so”.
Even the French premier, Emmanuel Macron from the Eurosummit in Moldova said he did not rule out the possibility of new conversations with Vladimir Putin.
On June 1, Italian President Sergio Mattarella also assessed the situation in Ukraine and the Balkans, stating that “The conflict in Ukraine, the growing tensions we have recently seen in the Balkans, require courageous solutions”, reports ANSA.
On the defense side, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview with the Washington Post that the other allies of the United Kingdom and Ukraine are running out of weapons they can supply to Kiev. News later confirmed by the declarations of NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg who invited the countries of the Alliance to increase the production of ammunition. He reminded that stocks are depleted from deliveries to Ukraine.
On the Russian front, both the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and statements by the President’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke over the weekend. Zakharova said: “Denmark and the Netherlands are likely to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine; The United States, promoting any kind of “tank” or “fighter” coalition, is primarily concerned with expanding its presence on the European arms market; Moscow says Zelensky has turned Ukraine into a new Afghanistan; attempts to steer Kiev towards further confrontation with Russia are doomed to failure; neo-Nazi sentiments and the desire to contribute to the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict right now in Europe are stronger than ever; The West openly supports Kyiv’s policy of eliminating ethnic Russians.”
Dmitry Peskov declared in the press conference: “The Russian Federation does not see the conditions for a dialogue with Ukraine; Zelensky’s words about Ukraine joining NATO speak of Kiev’s inability to resolve issues at the negotiating table; the Russian Federation will try to ensure its own security, this excludes Ukraine’s accession to NATO; Russia considers taking into account its interests a key priority for resolving the situation in Ukraine; the potential expansion of NATO has been irritating for many years, many countries in Europe understand this; Russia continues contacts with OPEC+ members, but does not express expectations from the Vienna meeting; the Russian Federation needs to study the experience of developing the economies of different countries, but there can be no question of blind copying; the experience of China’s economic development deserves the most in-depth study; negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States on strategic security are needed, but there are no plans yet to hold them. There are no prerequisites for a dialogue on Ukraine, although there are more and more abstract discussions, but on the peace process around”.
In Moscow, senators are preparing proposals for the creation of an international tribunal for Ukraine. The news was given by the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev.
From Russian sources it becomes known that the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC – OAK in Russian) has delivered another batch of Su-34 front-line bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Russia now has an advantage in the sky: “Ukraine does not have the air assets capable of resisting the Russian armed forces” A petition appeared on Zelensky’s website calling for the development of a bill to provide Kiev with access to NATO tactical nuclear weapons within five years.
Also Russian sources claim that thanks to partial mobilization, more than 280 military units and subunits were formed in the Russian army. “There hasn’t been a mobilization of this magnitude since the Great Patriotic War,” said General Yevgeny Burdinsky, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. According to him, in the fall of 2022, as part of the mobilization in the LPR and the DPR, 79.8 thousand people were recalled, about 2 thousand vehicles were handed over.
The Russians all weekend monitored the advance to Marinka entrusted to the Chechen special forces, Akhmat. Its commander, Apti Alautdinov, said: “It is proceeding well, despite the very serious resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces. If it were easy, we wouldn’t be here.” Alaudinov announced the “liberation” of about 70% of Maryinka in the DPR. Putin called the commander and asked him to take Maryinka, to make every effort towards this goal.
According to reports from the social sphere, soldiers of the Chechen Akhmat forces began assault operations on May 30 in the direction of Maryinka together with units of the Russian Defense Ministry. One post reads: “The assault detachments had the task of pushing the enemy beyond the range of artillery shelling of Donetsk to protect the civilian population, with which the Akhmat fighters are already successfully coping. The battles are not easy, the Ukrainians throw quite serious forces to hold the position.
Videos appeared online on June 2 showing fighting in the ruins of Maryinka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to lose large numbers of their men in the regional center of Maryinka near Donetsk, “but again and again they replace them with reserve ones in an attempt to keep their piece amidst the ruins of the city,” local sources write.
According to the head of the press center of the Yug group, units of the “Southern” group of troops prevented an attempt by the Ukrainian side to conduct reconnaissance in force in the Avdiivska direction. Also the same reported that in the Maryinka direction, the artillery crews of the motorized rifle division of the Russian Southern Military District disrupted the rotation of Ukrainian units on the line of contact. When repelling an unmanned air attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the group’s air defense units destroyed two unmanned aerial vehicles. In the direction of Lisichansk – “Leleka-100”, in the direction of Avdiivska.
According to Volodymyr Rogov, president of the We Are Together with Russia movement: “ As of June 2, it is learned from the social sphere that Ukrainian troops have completed the creation of strike groups for an offensive in the Zaporozhya direction” In the evening of June 2 an attack took place in the center of Mikhailovka, in the Zaporozhya region.
Clashes also continue on the Bachmut flanks. We have also returned to talk about Soledar. This city and the surrounding villages are the flanks of the Wagners, who transfer positions to the fighters of the Ministry of Defense. “The Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway here, on the flanks of Bachmut, at full speed: the enemy is throwing artillery, Grads and mortars at us, leveling the forested areas with the ground, constantly trying to break through the defenses, approaching our trenches to throw a grenade,” says a Russian soldier at the front. Among others, on the outskirts of Soledar, fighters of the “Skif” battalion of the “Terek” Cossack brigade hold the defense. The Scythians have recently replaced the Cossacks of the Siberia battalion: for those three weeks they held their positions, blocking the advance of tanks.
In the South-Donetsk direction situation updated at 2.00 pm on 5 June 2023.
On the border of the Zaporozhya region and the DPR, in the area of Vremievsky ledge, the Ukrainian armed forces resumed the assault on Russian positions. Yesterday, by the end of the day, the Russian Armed Forces recaptured the lost territories, including Novodarovka.
Ukrainian formations (according to some reports, the forces of the the 23rd and 31st OMB are involved in the battles) are attacking in two directions – near Novodarovka and Rivnopol. At noon, Russian units repulsed an attack by six tanks and infantry near Novodarovka. And from the Novoselka direction, the offensive continues: reserves are being brought two kilometers west of Neskuchny.
Also in the morning there was an attempt to storm the positions of the Russian Armed Forces near Neskuchnoye and Storozhevoy by the marines of the new 37th Marine Brigade in several armored fighting vehicles. The attack was repulsed. The main hostilities took place in the Novodonetsk region. On the morning of 5 June, a convoy of 30 AFVs of the 37th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy, including Kirpi and MaxxPRO, attacked the positions of the Russian Armed Forces near the village. As a result, the Ukrainians entrenched themselves on the outskirts of the settlement.
Now the fighting continues under heavy artillery fire. Soldiers of the 36th Army of the Russian Armed Forces are trying to drive out the Ukrainian marines. At the moment, about half of the village is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, a convoy of 20 armored personnel carriers is moving southeast from the Bolshaya Novoselka area, most likely to strengthen positions in Novodonetsk.
Graziella Giangiulio
