Russian President Vladimir Putin says his forces have captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, calling it a major step in advancing Russia’s military objectives. But Ukraine insists its troops are still holding the northern districts, pushing back against Moscow’s claims. Meanwhile, high-stakes shuttle diplomacy continues. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet President Putin in Moscow, carrying the revised 28-point peace proposal — a version Ukraine has now tentatively signaled support for. The meeting marks a critical moment in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Watch the full update from APT as tensions rise on the battlefield and diplomatic channels intensify behind the scenes.
00:00And let's get more. We are joined by DW's former Moscow bureau chief Yuri Resheto, who joins us from Riga.
00:05As DW is banned from reporting in Russia, also with us is DW correspondent Mario Muller, who is joining us from Kiev.
00:11So, Yuri, you know, we have Russia claiming to have captured the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.
00:18What do you make of the timing of that claim with Witkoff being in Moscow?
00:22Well, sort of this claim from Moscow and the timing may be directly linked to the visit of U.S. Special Envoy Witkoff in Moscow.
00:32The Kremlin is obviously sending a clear message. It wants to show who's winning on the battlefield, even though the war is far from over.
00:43But officials in Moscow hope to convince Washington that concessions to Ukraine are pointless because Russia intends to achieve its goals militarily.
00:51But let's be clear. Ukraine hasn't given up. President Putin cannot claim victory yet, and he knows it.
00:59Still, he needs success stories and an exit strategy. That's why we are hearing talk of progress toward war aims, even if those aims have shifted over time to objectives.
01:10However, Sarah remains unchanged. Control of the Donbass region and the removal of President Zelensky from power.
01:25Well, President Zelenskyy yesterday denied this and said there's still fighting, fighting still ongoing in Pokrovsk.
01:35It's hard, of course, to independently verify these claims by Russia.
01:40But if you look at the map run by Deep State, a group of Ukrainian military experts, it does look like most of the city is now under Russian control, but not all of it.
01:51Pokrovsk was or is of symbolic importance for the Ukrainians.
01:56It used to be a critical logistics hub, and it also lies on crossroads to other important cities in the Donetsk region.
02:05So the fear here from the Ukrainians is that it could open the way to the rest of the region.
02:11Also, Ukraine has heavily invested in the city of Pokrovsk.
02:15They have sent in security, special forces, as you've mentioned before, and also, as Yuri mentioned, the Russians will definitely sell this as a win to the Americans by saying, look, we're winning on the battlefield.
02:29But the Ukrainians will in turn say, look, it took them one year of heavy fighting to take control of Pokrovsk if they actually did that.
02:37Let's take it now to those ongoing negotiations.
02:41And Yuri, I'd like to get the Russian perspective from you.
02:44How realistic do you think it is that Vladimir Putin would accept any peace agreement that doesn't amount to a clear Russian victory?
02:52Yeah, I think Putin isn't looking for a symbolic win.
02:56He wants something practical, pragmatical.
02:58And believe it or not, there is a part of Trump's peace plan that might catch his attention.
03:04At first glance, it sounds crazy, using Russia's frozen money, mostly sitting in Europe, to rebuild Ukraine.
03:12Imagine that, the country that caused the destruction, paying for the reconstruction.
03:17But there is the thing, it could actually work in Putin's favor.
03:22Why?
03:22First, nobody knows how much longer this war will drag on or how expensive it will get.
03:28And second, the G7 already decided back in 2023 that Russia won't see that money again until Ukraine is compensated for the damage.
03:38So, either way, Putin's 300 billion is locked up, 300 billion dollars.
03:44With a peace plan, though, he might get at least part of it back.
03:48And when you are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars, that's a pretty big incentive.
03:53Mariel, as we've been mentioning, Macron warned Ukraine against giving Russia any reward for invading its country.
04:01Now, Witkoff is in Moscow.
04:03Is Witkoff viewed as a genuine broker for the Ukrainians from their perspective?
04:09Well, there isn't a lot of trust left in the Americans from a Ukrainian point of view.
04:17Ever since Ukrainians saw that first draft of the U.S. peace plan, which was basically a Russian wish list and that many here viewed as nothing short of a capitulation.
04:26And then the leaked phone call between Trump's envoy, Witkoff, and also the Putin's advisor of foreign affairs, Ushakov, in which Witkoff basically coached Ushakov on how to win Trump over.
04:40So, yes, Ukrainians have doubts, of course, that the Americans have their best interest at heart in these negotiations.
04:46But, of course, Zelensky and his team, they will play along with the Americans because they cannot afford to lose a strategic partner, to lose American weapons and intelligence.
04:58Mariel, excuse me, both of you, we're going to play a piece now because EU defense ministers have ended their meeting in Brussels with a promise to continue the search for a way to support Ukraine financially.
05:11Kyiv's European allies have been largely excluded from U.S.-led talks around the peace deal proposed by the White House.
05:18I'd like to have a quick listen and then get your reaction thereafter.
05:22Perhaps the consequence of being sidelined out of U.S.-led peace talks for Ukraine, less than half of the 27 European Union senior defense ministers showed up for their meeting in Brussels, many sending junior representatives instead.
05:37The EU backs Ukraine's demands not to have to give up land or shrink its army to the point it can't defend itself.
05:45But it's clear the Europeans know their position is weakened.
05:49I'm afraid that all the pressure will be put on the victim, which is that Ukraine has to make concessions and obligations.
05:58Whereas, you know, in order to have peace, we shouldn't lose focus that it's actually Russia who has started this war.
06:07DW's Terry Schultz pressed the Dutch minister about whether the U.S. is listening to them at all.
06:13Are they taking your concerns into account?
06:16What I've seen over the last week is that there have been a lot of conversations, a lot of discussions, but also a lot of coordination.
06:22And at the points that European countries and the EU have brought up have also been taken seriously by the United States.
06:30That doesn't really answer my question.
06:32But that's my answer.
06:33The most noticeable absentee minister, Belgium's Theo Franken.
06:40His country is under pressure from other EU governments for refusing to release around 140 billion euros of Russian assets held in a financial institution in Brussels as EU funding options for Ukraine dwindle.
06:52And as Russian shelling continues, one of the big concerns for EU countries is that they'll have to shoulder the financial burden of rebuilding the country without having had a say in the terms of any peace deal.
07:08Nothing about the Europeans without the Europeans and we, of course, are going to have a central role in the rebuilding of Ukraine as well.
07:17So the more we are involved, the better of a peace agreement we can achieve.
07:21So our involvement is absolutely crucial.
07:24For EU countries right now, finding a way back into the diplomatic inner circle with the U.S. seems to be the priority.
07:31And still with me at CW is Yuri Rochato in Riga and Mariel Müller in Kiev.
07:37Yuri, is any of this European diplomatic activity in Brussels and Paris likely to have a real impact on the talks in Moscow between the U.S. and Russia?
07:46Well, look, the Kremlin loves to say it doesn't care about the EU, that Brussels' decisions mean nothing.
07:55Instead, Moscow keeps stressing its ties with the U.S.
07:58But here is the reality, and we've just heard it in the report.
08:02Russia has a lot of money parked in Europe.
08:05Out of roughly 300 billion dollars in frozen assets, about two-thirds, that's 200 billion, are sitting in the EU and 140 in Belgium, mostly of that.
08:18Yes, European leaders are still debating what to do with the cash.
08:23But one thing is certain, they are not just going to hand it back to Putin.
08:28And he knows it, Putin knows it.
08:31That's why this money could become a real pressure point, maybe not politically, but definitely financially.
08:37Mariel, how are these efforts by the Europeans being viewed in Ukraine?
08:44Well, especially after losing trust in the Americans, Ukraine heavily depends even more than before on its European partners.
08:52And even though the Europeans weren't sidelined in these negotiations, they are now seen as the only true advocate for Ukraine.
09:00Well, and the best that President Zelenskyy can do is to advocate and to seek as much military support, aid,
09:07and also strong security guarantees from the Europeans that Ukraine maybe cannot get from the Americans,
09:14but that can also not be traded away in some backdoor negotiations between the Americans and Russians without Ukraine's consent.
09:24DW's Mario Mueller in Kyiv and Yuri Rochetto in Riga.
Be the first to comment