Kremlin Confirms Military Autonomy in Response to Ukrainian Attacks
On Thursday, the Kremlin announced that the Russian military would determine the timing and method of retaliation against the recent Ukrainian strikes on Russia's strategic aviation. Dmitri Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian Presidency, emphasized that President Vladimir Putin discussed this matter with U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on Wednesday. Peskov confirmed, "Yes, that was the case," affirming that the military now holds responsibility for planning the response.
This marked the first official statement from Russia following Trump's announcement that Putin warned him of planned responses to the Ukrainian attacks. Trump described the conversation as "good" but noted it did not lead to immediate benefits for peace. He remarked on Truth Social that Putin expressed the need to respond firmly to the airfield attacks, which raised tensions further between the countries involved.
Subsequently, Trump deleted the original post on his social media platform before re-reposting it without changes, leaving reasons for the alteration unclear. During the call, Trump reassured Putin that he had not received prior notice from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the attack against the Russian strategic aviation bases.
Regarding damage from the strikes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Russia would restore the equipment damaged during the weekend attacks on airfields, clarifying that it was not destroyed but merely impaired. He urged caution concerning claims from Kyiv that suggested around forty Russian strategic aircraft had been significantly impacted, insisting, "There is nothing similar, not even close," to that extent.
Despite the escalating tensions spurred by recent attacks attributed to Ukraine, the Kremlin has dismissed suggestions that it might abandon peace negotiations with Ukraine. In a recent meeting, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed the importance of maintaining channels at the technical level, a sentiment echoed by President Putin. Peskov noted, however, that the emergence of what he described as a 'terrorist regime' in Kyiv would not be overlooked in future dialogues.
Additionally, following the derailment of two trains in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, which resulted in numerous casualties, Peskov indicated there was no doubt that decisions of this nature could only be made with the involvement of Ukraine's highest political leadership.
As developments continue to unfold, both internal and international observers will be closely watching Russia's military decisions and diplomatic stance toward Ukraine.
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