Vladimir Putin has once again rejected a peace plan for Ukraine as the Kremlin claimed the proposals from Europe and the US was “the true axis of war.”Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed the section of the deal that promised to give Ukraine security guarantees is not a concerted path to peace.Tensions are rising between Russia and the West after the United States and Venezuelan authorities seized an oil tanker which departed Venezuela without their approval.The Bella-1, recently renamed the Marinera and registered as a Russian vessel, was seized in the North Atlantic this week.
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The announcement on Thursday from Moscow came as Russia continued devastating strikes on Ukraine, with missiles showering down on Kharkiv.A statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry said: “The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement.”The declaration is not aimed at achieving lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarisation, escalation and further conflict aggravation.”Its core element is the deployment of ‘a multinational force’ on Ukrainian territory that the coalition will have to form to contribute to the ‘rebuilding’ of the Ukrainian armed forces and ‘support deterrence’ following the cessation of the hostilities.”In the early hours of Friday morning, Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile overnight at a target in Ukraine near the border with Poland, in what Kyiv’s European allies described as an attempt to intimidate them from supporting Ukraine.The Oreshnik, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) designed to project power across Europe and which Moscow says is impossible to intercept, can carry nuclear warheads although there was no suggestion it had done so. A senior Ukrainian official said it appeared to be carrying inert “dummy” warheads.It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid a night of air attacks that Ukrainian authorities said also killed four people in Kyiv, knocked out power in the capital and damaged the Qatari embassy there.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM UKRAINE’You know what to do!’ Volodymyr Zelensky urges US to capture Vladimir Putin after Venezuela raidVladimir Putin’s official residence ‘struck in drone strike’ as Kremlin stooge blames Britain’That is NOT a deal, it’s a surrender!’ Ex-Army Major slams Donald Trump’s peace plan for UkraineMoscow said it fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it calls an attempted drone attack on one of Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine denies and the United States has said did not happen.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said a strike close to EU Nato borders posed “a grave threat to security”.He said: “It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake ‘Putin residence attack’ that never happened…Putin uses an IRBM near EU and NATO border in response to his own hallucinations — this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses.”President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike was “demonstrably” close to EU states and warned Ukraine’s neighbours to take note of the dangers.The Ukrainian leader said: “From the standpoint of the use of medium-range ballistics, this is the same challenge for Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, and many other capitals.”Everyone should understand it in the same way, and take it equally seriously.”Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed he spoke this afternoon with representatives of the United States on Saturday as Kyiv and Washington seek to agree on a framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.He said: “We continue to communicate with the American side on practically a daily basis.”This week, Defence Secretary John Healey announced the UK will spend £200million preparing British troops for deployment to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.John Healey was speaking after a one-day visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he discussed plans for the Multinational Force Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky.The money will pay for upgrades to vehicles and communications systems, counter-drone protection and other equipment to ensure troops are ready to deploy.Mr Healey said: “We are surging investment into our preparations following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s armed forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK.”After the meeting Mr Zelensky said he was “grateful” for the UK’s support, adding: “It is crucial that the framework for ending the war includes a clear response from the allies should Russian aggression be repeated.”
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