Hours after Trump made an unexpected turn in his stance on the Ukraine war, Kiev troops launched an attack on energy infrastructure in the Russian region of Volgograd, as denounced by the governor of that territory, Andrey Bocharov. Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 70 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump addressed the UN General Assembly with a speech that did not bring any new developments regarding Ukraine, reiterating his plan to impose sanctions on Russia only if European countries stop buying Russian oil and gas, something only a small group does.
However, after meeting bilaterally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump seemed determined to break ties with Vladimir Putin. "Ukraine has a great spirit, growing stronger. It will be able to reclaim its country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further! Putin and Russia are facing serious economic problems, and this is the moment for Ukraine to act," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Ukraine attacks a petrochemical complex in central Russia
Ukraine's internal security service carried out a drone attack on the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant in the Bashkortostan region in central Russia, a security source informed Reuters on Wednesday.
The attack, which caused a fire, was the second against a major industrial facility in the Russian region within a week, according to the source.
Russia appoints Igor Krasnov as the new president of the Supreme Court
The Russian Federation Council or Senate appointed Igor Krasnov, 49, as the new president of the Supreme Court, previously the country's Attorney General, reports Efe.
Krasnov's appointment, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was unanimously approved, as reported by the Senate press office.
Earlier today, the Kremlin chief relieved Krasnov of his position as Attorney General and appointed Alexander Gutsan as his replacement, who was previously his representative in the Northwest Federal District. Yesterday, during his appearance in the Russian Senate, Krasnov stated that he saw the reinstatement of the death penalty in Russia as "impossible."
Russia says it has "no other choice" but to continue its offensive in Ukraine
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that it has no choice but to continue its large-scale offensive launched in Ukraine in February 2022 to ensure its "interests," reports Afp.
"We continue with our special military operation to ensure our interests and achieve the objectives that (...) the president of our country set from the beginning," declared the Russian presidency spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, to radio RBC.
"We act for the present and future of our country, for the generations to come. We have no other alternative," emphasized Peskov.
The Kremlin says the outcome of the rapprochement with Washington was "practically nil"
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that the recent rapprochement with the United States has yielded a "practically nil" result, the day after President Donald Trump said that Ukraine could regain all its lost territory from Russia, reports Afp.
"This path is moving slowly, very slowly," said the Russian presidency spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to radio RBC, referring to Trump's attempts to reactivate the bilateral relationship, which in August hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska. According to Peskov, "the result is practically nil."
The Kremlin responds to Trump, saying Russia is a real bear and "there are no paper bears"
The Kremlin responded today to US President Donald Trump, who compared Russia to a "paper tiger" yesterday, emphasizing that Russia is not a tiger but a real bear and "there are no paper bears," reports Efe.
"Russia is by no means a tiger. Russia is generally associated with a bear. There are no paper bears, and Russia is a real bear," said the Russian Presidency spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in an interview with the digital RBK.
"Europe must increase its support for Ukraine"
European countries must intensify their support for Ukraine, stated the German Foreign Minister on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's statements that Ukraine could regain all its territory occupied by Russia, reports Reuters.
"We can achieve much more; not all European states have fulfilled what they promised to Ukraine for a long time. We need to analyze what other financial and military options we have," declared Minister Johann Wadephul on the Deutschlandfunk radio station.
Russian Finance Ministry proposes raising VAT to finance the war in Ukraine
The Russian Finance Ministry announced on Wednesday that it will propose increasing the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 20% to 22% starting in 2026 to finance military spending in what would be the fourth year of the war in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated last week that he was open to raising certain taxes to balance the budget during the war, recalling that the United States had raised taxes on the wealthiest during the Vietnam and Korea wars.
The Finance Ministry, stating that the tax increases would be "primarily aimed at financing defense and security," mentioned in a statement that it also proposed other increases, including those applied to gambling companies.
Lavrov to hold talks with Marco Rubio on Wednesday
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Wednesday, reported the Interfax news agency, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Salavat petrochemical complex in Russia attacked by Ukrainian drones
The Salavat petrochemical complex, controlled by the energy giant Gazprom, in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, was attacked by Ukrainian drones, announced Governor Ruslan Khabirov through his Telegram channel, according to Reuters.
Emergency services are taking measures to extinguish the fire caused by the attack, added the governor.