The recent developments reinforce a growing sense of confidence in Kyiv that it would be able to force the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, to the negotiating table
Smoke rising from an oil refinery in Moscow after a Ukrainian drone attack on Thursday, in an image obtained from social media.Credit…via Reuters
Assessments that Ukraine has reached a turning point in the conflict with Russia may well prove premature. But the towering dome of black smoke that hung over Moscow this week after a Ukrainian drone onslaught showed that Kyiv still has plenty of cards to play, no matter President Trump’s earlier appraisal of its prospects in the war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hand was made clear as he moved to seize the initiative both militarily and diplomatically.
The strikes on Moscow on Thursday left part of the city’s biggest oil refinery in flames. An immense blast sent the top of a fuel storage vessel soaring into the air — and blew the roof off the idea that Russia could continue to shield Muscovites from the war.
At the same time, Mr. Zelensky was securing a statement of “unwavering support” from the Group of 7 industrialized nations during a summit in France. It was a rare unified expression of backing for Kyiv that came even after Mr. Trump signaled at the summit that ending the war was no longer among his top priorities, saying that the United States had “nothing to do” with the conflict.
The remark by Mr. Trump, who has been seen as favoring Russia in peace negotiations, may actually have been a source of relief for European officials who have discussed taking a more active role in trying to halt the war.
The G7 delivered its message of support just as negotiations officially began for Ukraine to join the European Union. By Thursday, as part of Moscow burned, the bloc reaffirmed that a loan to Ukraine of 90 billion euros ($103 billion) approved in December would begin to be disbursed this month. The country’s defense minister also announced $4 billion in new pledges of Western military aid.
It is far from clear that Ukraine’s expanding campaign of long-range strikes on Russia and its solidified support from European allies will push the war closer to a conclusion.
But this week’s developments reinforced a growing sense of confidence in Kyiv that it would be able to force the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, to the negotiating table, even as Russia continues to pound the Ukrainian capital with missiles and drones, exploiting Ukraine’s air defense shortage.
“Ukraine is strong — everyone absolutely agrees on that,” Mr. Zelensky told journalists in a voice message late Thursday. “Putin does not want to stop. And everything he says about wanting peace is a lie. All partners, all Europeans, feel this. But they are also convinced that together we will stop him. The key is ‘together’ and ‘we will.’”
The New York Times
