Russian forces began to prepare to face a Ukrainian counterattack that extends from Zaporizhya to a number of other regions in eastern Ukraine. Russian reports regarding these preparations coincided with the publication of American leaks that indicated the upcoming Ukrainian attack.
Statements attributed to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken bore new indications of the West’s determination to support the Ukrainian approach, with fierce battles continuing in Bakhmut.
Leaked US documents described as “top secret”, details of which were published by The New York Times, dealt with the number of Ukrainian forces, the level of supply of military equipment, and what they need for the attack that was planned to launch at the beginning of last month. The secret materials also assume that 6 of the brigades are ready by the end of March to launch the attack, while the other brigades need an additional month to complete their preparations.
In a related context, the Kremlin responded, on Friday, to the “important talks” between Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, but expressed skepticism that China would change its position on the conflict in Ukraine under external pressure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin “closely followed” the talks between the European Union and China, but stressed that Russia had “deep relations” with Beijing, adding that China was a great power and would not change its positions under any external influence.
Observers believe that the Macron-Xi talks did not lead to actual breakthroughs in the Ukrainian file, noting that Macron had urged Xi to “bring Russia to its senses” in order to end its adventure in Ukraine.
Russian preparations to confront a Ukrainian counter-attack, following American “documents” were leaked regarding it
The Macron-Jinping talks did not lead to real breakthroughs in the Ukrainian file
