Vladimir Putin said in an interview with conservative American journalist Tucker Carlson that appeared on Thursday night that Russia will fight for its interests “to the end” but is not interested in spreading the war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia . The leader argued that Western leaders have reached a point where they realize that it is impossible to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and are wondering what to do next: “We are ready for this dialogue,” he said. In Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi dismissed the head of the army Valery Zaluzhnyi and appointed Oleksandr Syrskyi as the commander of the Ground Forces. Zelensky called Sirsky “the most experienced general in Ukraine,” noting that he commanded the defense of Kyiv at the start of the Russian invasion nearly two years ago, then the offensive operation in the fall of 2022 that liberated Kharkiv Oblast.

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 716 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

07:20 On Friday, the German chancellor will receive Joe Biden, and it is expected that Olaf Scholz will insist on the urgent need to increase military aid to Ukraine, AFP notes.

Before the meeting with the American president, scheduled for around 14:45 local time (21:45 in Romania), the German chancellor will talk to members of Congress, including Republican representatives, at a dinner in Washington.

On the agenda: Ukraine and the West’s efforts to support this country. The chancellor set the tone before his departure by calling on the EU and the US to “do more”, saying that the commitments made today are “not enough”.

“We must do everything we can to prevent Russia from winning,” he wrote in an editorial for the Wall Street Journal, adding that otherwise the world risks becoming “more unstable, more threatening and more unpredictable than it was during the Cold War.” . “.

Russia will fight “to the end,” Putin said in an interview with Carlson

07:11 Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoigu said on Friday that Russian forces had successfully operated in most of the war zones in Ukraine and called for deeper and more active intelligence, Interfax reported.

The ministry noted that Shoigu made this statement at a meeting with the command of Army Group West, where he spoke together with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. It should be noted that Gerasimov has not appeared in public since the end of last year, which caused many speculations, including that he might have died.

02:04 Putin says he discussed Russia’s NATO membership with Bill Clinton. Vladimir Putin gave interesting information to the American journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview he gave him, which was published on Thursday evening.

01:34 VIDEO Tucker Carlson, interview with Vladimir Putin: Kremlin leader rules out invasion of Poland or Latvia / Spoke with Bill Clinton about Russia joining NATO / “Defeat in Ukraine is impossible”

A brief summary of recent events:

• Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who headed the Ground Forces of Ukraine since 2019, he was promoted to commander of the armed forces Thursday, instead of Valery Zaluzhnyias the war with Russia approaches its third year. Who is Sirsky nicknamed “Snow Leopard” and what are his most important victories to date.
• In his daily video message on Thursday, Zelensky motivated the change in the leadership of the Armed Forces by saying that there is a “sense of stagnation” in the fight against the Russians and that “we need a different approach, especially in terms of rotations.” .”
• Ukraine’s strategy must “change and adapt” to fight Russia after two years of invasion, General Valery Zaluzhnyi admitted on Thursday.
• Zelenskyy has the right to choose who will lead Ukraine’s military, and the United States will work effectively with his new military chief, a senior Pentagon official said in the first U.S. reaction since Zaluzhny was removed from office.
• Republican lawmakers in the Washington Senate rejected a funding package that would have provided continued military aid to Ukraine and Israel, even though it was agreed with Democratic senators by their colleagues in the upper house of Congress.
• Russian and Ukrainian military are fighting in Avdiivka, Ukrainian military say. A large number of Russian troops are attacking Avdiivka from all sides, and the situation is becoming increasingly difficult for the Ukrainian forces defending the city, its mayor said on Thursday.
• A new “iron curtain” has already descended over Europe and that it has probably been happening for some time, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Thursday.
• Donald Tusk sharply criticized American Republican senators after they voted to block a bill on financial support for Ukraine.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Joane touches on the issue of the project of “voluntary military service” for young people and the call of the head of the Romanian army to ask for a law on the preparation of the population for a possible long war, stressing that “we do not see a risk to the security of Romania or the allied countries”, but that “our military leaders are paid and have a job to prepare for the worst possible scenario.”
• The Interpol representative office in the Republic of Moldova informed the Interpol central office in Lyon that fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who was finally sentenced by Moldovan justice to 15 years in prison in the case of massive bank fraud, is in the Russian Federation. the time of sending a request to Interpol of Russia about the detention of the oligarch.
• Boris Nadezhdin, the only presidential opponent of Putin who condemns the Russian offensive in Ukraine, announced on Thursday that the election commission rejected his candidacy for the post of president.

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• Thursday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro