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#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-04 10:02 PM
... Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in a renewed bid to end the war.
In an open letter to the Russian president, the Ukrainian leader said it would be "wrong to simply wait" until the war in Europe becomes the focus of the US's attention once more, adding peace could only come "through direct engagement between" Ukraine and Russia.

Shrewd move, he is both preempting and "freezing out" more attempts by Putin to put pressure on Ukraine by "negotiating" through third parties and more specifically, his "messenger pigeons" Trump-Witkoff-Kushner et al.

He also knows Putin wouldn't accept it, but he is sending a much stronger message to both Putin and flaky European allies that "times, they are a-changing" and that Russia is in much weaker position to dictate terms of combat and what's acceptable for "peace deal" and ceasefire(s).

From the letter:

"When you led Russia more than 26 years ago, many in Ukraine had a positive attitude towards you. ... That is already in the past.

Now the absolute majority of Ukrainians perceive positively the fact that our long-range drones visited the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, having overcome a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. As you well know, this distance is not the limit of our capabilities.

... Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine.

Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice - a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it.

We often hear that war suits you. Of course, not when it comes to the safety of your residence in Valdai or the parade in Moscow. Your own life is valuable to you.

But now we all see that this finally ceases to suit the Russians...

They do not like our drones and missiles.

They do not like the shortage of gasoline and the constant rise in prices...

They do not like your intention to organize a second wave of mobilization to expand the war...

They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.

Yes, you can still force the Russians to exist like this.

But your resources are significantly reduced.

You will not have enough money and political power to continue buying the loyalty of the Russians, as you have done for 26 years. We will do everything to ensure that the world takes care of this.

It is not that we in Ukraine are worried about the Russians. ... But I care about the Ukrainians.

... You are the first Russian ruler who was forced to turn to Pyongyang for help.

And today you are completely dependent on China - also for the first time in Russian history.

We have seen intelligence documents that you are now considering war plans for 2027 and 2028. We also know that you hope that ballistics will do for you what everything else has not.

Everyone has heard your representatives, smiling, saying that I can come to Moscow. But after such 26 years, there is nothing for the Ukrainian leader in your capital, as well as the Russian leader in Kyiv, to do.

There are countries that traditionally receive leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Turkey... - many can and want to host this meeting.

... If you personally do not agree that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence...

But you will also have to fight much more for your existence - not Russia's, but your own. ... These are facts of Russian history that you know well: when Russia gets tired, changes happen."

We can work on such fatigue. ...

Glory to Ukraine!"
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#4 | Posted by Corky at 2026-06-03 05:16 PM
Also, after the ship hits, the hits on the St Petersburg oil facility are dramatic... and telling; Moscow has tons of air defense systems, cities like St Petersburg have a guy with an AK trying to hit drones flying 80 mph from 500 yards away.

Not really - Moscow and St Petersburg are Russia's only two federal cities, too most significant "historic and cultural centers" and are most defended and best supplied with food and necessities compared to anywhere else in the country, which keeps them mostly isolated economically from consequences of war. St Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad) is also an important industrial hub, and has at various times been a capital of Russia; it's also birthplace of Soviet Revolution and hometown of one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

To give you an idea of how significant and important, in one of the demands in December 2025 28-point "Trump's peace deal plan" that was crafted by Putin to pass to Witkoff-Kushner clown show to hand out to Zelensky, they were specifically singled out:
"10. The U.S. guarantee: ... If Ukraine launches a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg ... the security guarantee will be deemed invalid.

Besides real damage these strikes caused, it was also meant to send several messages to Putin and his guests at scaled down International Economic Forum:
a) increasingly longer range and stealth capabilities and increasing mass production capability of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces
b) Ukraine no longer considers Moscow and St Pete "untouchable" or sacrosanct** as Putin has increasingly targeted civilian structures in Kyiv
c) expect reciprocity as Russia often conducts missile strikes on residential buildings in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown


** May 9, 2026 - Zelensky: Ukraine will hold back "long-range sanctions," strikes on Russian military targets if Moscow continues to avoid launching mass attacks: "Going forward, we will respond in kind."



The latest: June 6, 2026 - "Ukraine just carried out several large-scale overnight drone strikes across multiple targets near St Petersburg, reaching 1000km into Russian territory, ahead of Putin's economic forum finale."
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