"Very sluggish"

Kremlin complains: Trump’s rapprochement is “close to zero”

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska - but in reality, the peace efforts are once again coming to nothing.(Bild: AFP/DREW ANGERER)

Rapprochement between Russia and the US is faltering - and drone attacks continue to rage on the front line: while the Kremlin is sobered by the fact that Trump's dialog initiative has so far brought "almost zero" results, Ukraine has once again attacked one of Russia's largest petrochemical plants.

According to the Kremlin, the rapprochement between Russia and the USA initiated by US President Donald Trump has so far achieved hardly any results. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RBC on Wednesday that the process was "sluggish, very sluggish" and had produced "almost zero results" over the past six months.

Trump's next U-turn
The US President took a similar view on Tuesday - surprisingly for many observers. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he took an unusually strong stance on the side of Ukraine and even emphasized that the attacked country could even regain lost territories. Trump also criticized the Russian warfare on his Truth Social platform as "aimless". "Putin and Russia are in BIG economic trouble, and now is the time for Ukraine to act," he continued to post.

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska - but in fact the peace efforts are once again coming to nothing.(Bild: AFP/DREW ANGERER)

The USA would continue to supply weapons to NATO "so that NATO can dispose of them at will". This corresponds to another U-turn by Trump in the conflict. He also advocated the possible shooting down of Russian fighter jets over NATO countries in the event of an airspace violation.

Russia not a "paper tiger"
However, Peskov rejected Trump's assessment of Russia's economic situation. "Russia is maintaining its macroeconomic stability," said the Kremlin spokesman. "Yes, Russia is experiencing tensions and problems in various sectors of the economy," Peskov conceded. But the country's overall economic situation is stable, he added. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Trump described Russia as a "paper tiger" in economic distress.

Moscow has "no alternative" but to continue its military offensive in Ukraine, which began in 2022, Peskov added. The offensive would continue in order to "protect our interests and achieve the goals" that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had set. "We are doing this both for the present and for the future of our country. For many generations to come," said Peskov.

Ukraine hits giant Russian facility again
At the same time, Russia reported new drone attacks by Ukraine on its energy infrastructure. The target was once again one of the country's largest petrochemical plants: the Salavat complex in the Bashkortostan region. Governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed the attack on Wednesday. Rescue workers were deployed to extinguish the fire. This is the second attack on the plant within a few days.

The plant is controlled by the energy company Gazprom and produces petrol, diesel, kerosene and liquefied gases.

Ukraine hits plants deep inside Russia
According to the authorities, there was also a large-scale drone attack on energy and fuel infrastructure in the Volgograd region, but this was repelled. There were no casualties, explained regional governor Andrey Botsharov. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a total of 70 Ukrainian drones over various regions during the night.

Ukraine has intensified its drone attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities in recent weeks. According to traders, this has already led to shortages of certain types of fuel in Russia. At the beginning of September, facilities in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan around 1400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, were also hit.