Ukraine's Advancements in Sumy: Zelenskyy suggests Trump's Role in Putin's Stoppage
Zelensky articulates: "No one has been able to stand against Putin; only Trump could potentially impede him"
Four times this week, the prisoners have been exchanged between Ukraine and Russia, along with the return of hundreds of bodies. President Zelenskyy believes the defense of the Russian offensive in Sumy is progressing well. He believes only one person could completely stop the attacker: Donald Trump.
Ukraine's leader shared his thoughts in a Telegram post, stating, "No one could stop Putin. Only Trump remains." To achieve this, he suggests that the Kremlin's financial power must be weakened, curbing their ability to expand their military sector and army further.
Zelenskyy asked for increased sanctions against the banking sector, Russian shadow fleet, and primary focus on the energy sector. He emphasized the importance of lowering oil price caps, as it is the main source of income for the Kremlin. Current developments in the Middle East have increased oil prices, impacting Europe's security. Zelenskyy believes that sanctions are a powerful tool, and if loopholes are closed, the production of deadly weapons can be considerably decreased.
Russian Offensive in Sumy Stopped?
Zelenskyy again addressed the fighting in the northeastern region of Sumy, stating that they are steady. He reported that 53,000 Russians are stationed there, and the enemy is being held back. According to his statement, the Russians have only advanced seven kilometers across the border. However, military blogs do not see any evidence of the Russians being stopped or Ukraine recapturing territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to create a buffer zone in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Zelenskyy reportedly spoke about this on Friday to journalists, but the quotes were only published today. In eastern Ukraine, the Russian army tries to advance into the unaffected Dnipropetrovsk region with small assault groups from Donetsk. However, Zelenskyy insisted that at the moment, there is no breakthrough into the Dnipro region. The Ukrainian military blog "DeepState" recorded a successful counterattack by the Ukrainians at that point.
Bodies Returned from Russia
The prisoner exchange between the two warring parties continued, with neither side revealing the number of exchanged soldiers. In addition, Ukraine received over 3600 bodies from Russia in three return actions within a few days. Today, another 1200 bodies were handed over, as announced by the relevant coordinating staff in Kyiv.
Bodies are reportedly being sent back with the intention of being identified through forensic examination. Both sides agreed upon these humanitarian gestures during talks in Istanbul in early June. The released group mainly consists of young soldiers, heavily wounded, or ill ones. Ukraine is expected to receive up to 6000 dead soldiers, of which 1212 and 1200 have already been handed over. The Russian side did not receive any dead soldiers back, according to a Moscow official compared to the state news agency Tass.
Zelenskyy questioned whether all the bodies handed over by Russia were indeed Ukrainian. However, he did not provide any evidence to suggest that Ukraine was receiving non-Ukrainian bodies.
- Zelenskyy
- Trump
- Attack on Ukraine
- Ukraine
- Putin
- Kremlin
The European Union has a responsibility to ensure that the EU's foreign policy is fully implemented, especially in the context of the ongoing war-and-conflicts like the attack on Ukraine, where President Zelenskyy suggests that the role of Donald Trump could potentially curb Russian expansion and stop Putin's offensive in regions like Sumy. To achieve this, sanctions need to be increased against the Kremlin's financial sectors, such as the banking sector, Russian shadow fleet, and energy sector, as emphasized by Zelenskyy.
