long time Russia reporter. ex Daily Telegraph moscow bureau, ex Banker/Euromoney contributing editor, 15 yrs freelance. founder & editor business new europe
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Zelenskiy says he needs tools for talks with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned Washington not to lift sanctions on Russia before a three-way leaders' meeting and hardened his position on what he is prepared to give up to do a deal, saying Kyiv must not face Vladimir Putin "without tools".
"Sanctions were imposed for aggression, not for an opportunity to have a chat," Zelenskiy told Alla Mazur of 1+1's TSN Week in an interview broadcast on October 25. "I do not want us to find ourselves at a meeting with Putin without tools - without sanctions, without money, or without frozen assets. Because then, as Mr. Trump said, we really would not have too many cards in our deck.”
Zelenskiy is pushing back as the most serious talks to bring the war to an end get underway, since the Trump team got the 27-point peace plan (27PPP) done in December.
But it is not going well. The Trump administration has throttledUkraine’s access to satellite intel and squeezed his access to interceptors; Zelenskiy said yesterday Ukraine has received a total of 24 missiles in the last three months. That is one every three days at a time when Russia can fire 50 a day. Obviously, he has got more from Europe, but this is also coming in dribs and drabs.
More interestingly, some have speculated that Zelenskiy is trying to derail the peace talks before they get going. Zelenskiy has dug his heels in on two key points: no return to neutrality and no ceding territory of any kind. These are both deal breakers before the talks begin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also dug his heels in on exactly both these points as well.
So, the current effort to find a breakthrough looks doomed to fail. The fact that the effort has restarted and there is a concrete suggestion for a trilateral meeting on November 4 or thereafter is very encouraging, but Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy advisor was already playing down expectations saying the Dynamic Envoy Duo didn’t put much on the table at Witkoff’s meeting with Putin last week.
Zelenskiy says he needs tools to work with but despite his bravado, his tool box is pretty empty. No missiles, no money, no men. The money part is going to be as big a problem as the missiles part. We are developing the IntelliNews Lambda analytical tool that is tied into 20 years of our archive and extensive statistical database. I used it to do a side-by-side analysis of Russia and Ukraine’s economies in a deep dive into “war and money.”
Ukraine and Russia are badly mismatched on the battlefield, but they are as badly matched in the economic war as well. Russia massively out guns Ukraine in terms of fiscal fire power. It’s taking hits of course, but even the effect of the attacks on the oil refineries is starting to wear off as they slowly come back online and the fuel crisis has already faded. We also have a piece today on Russian state-owned corporations buckling under the war costs and high interest rates, but it’s not a crisis yet.
I think Zelenskiy's patience with Trump has run out and all he can hear from Washington is that he needs to capitulate and accept Putin’s terms, which is pretty much on the money as that does seem to be Trump’s position.
Zelenskiy has turned to the EU, but it has taken itself out of the game. Brussels doesn’t have the weapons Ukraine needs and doesn’t have the additional €70bn for next year he is now asking for. As for men, no one in the EU is remotely contemplating sending troops to fight with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as they are mostly too busy fighting their citizens who are now in open protest at the decaying standard of living that is in part due to the war and sanctions.
In the meantime, both Putin and Zelenskiy are playing a bit of theatre, portraying themselves as “open to talks” and “not the problem” as the dancing continues.
Finally, Zelenskiy's biggest fear is that sanctions will be eased further and those on gas lifted. The White House is clearly very interested in taking over control of the disabled Nord Stream gas pipeline and restarting sales of “US” gas from Yamal to Germany. This is starting to look more likely, simply as those blocking it are on the way out and it would fix a lot of Europe’s economic problems. But it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Brussels is frustrated as Trump proposes to have talks over their heads again, but the search for an interlocutor got nowhere when it was tried earlier this year and it's going nowhere again. The Daily Telegraph named five possible European representatives: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Moreover, the Kremlin has ruled out any European participation in the upcoming talks, so the effort to find one looks pretty pointless. But it will be very interesting to see what happens if Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping come to some sort of agreement next month – nominally the leaders of three biggest powers on earth. Zelenskiy will probably ignore any deal they suggest. Europe will be powerless to intervene, but won’t be able to do anything about it – other than continue its slow collapse and continue to pay for the war.
This article originally appeared in Editor’s Picks, a free daily email digest of bne IntelliNews’ best stories from the last 24 hours. Sign up for free here.
to989.infusionsoft.com/app/f…
bneeditor.substack.com/p/zel…
BenAris retweeted
The Trump administration has encouraged former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to run for UN Secretary-General, with Russia and China reportedly supportive of a joint candidacy.
Orbán is reportedly interested but reluctant to run without confidence of winning.
Trump and Vance are expected to support him, with a possible announcement after the U.S. midterm elections.
Source: WSJ
BenAris retweeted
I would not want us to approach a meeting of the three leaders – Ukraine, the United States, and Russia – having lifted all sanctions on the Russian Federation. This is an important point. Sanctions were imposed for aggression, not for an opportunity to have a chat. So if we say that this is the end of the war, there is a certain order for lifting sanctions. I told the American delegation this because I have had this feeling for quite a long time: when we talk about Russia’s loyalty, we should not buy it at such a price. Because without sanctions, we could find ourselves in a trilateral dialogue where we still do not know what will happen next, but the sanctions have already been lifted. And who will have the strength we had at the beginning of the war to impose all those sanctions again? To bring people together in such a way that we could secure more than 20 sanctions packages around the world. That is why I am very cautious about this.
I do not want us to find ourselves at a meeting with Putin without tools – without sanctions, without money, or without frozen assets. Because then, as Mr. Trump said, we really would not have too many cards in our deck.
From an interview with Alla Mazur for TSN Week on 1+1, as part of the United News telethon. (3/5)
BenAris retweeted
⚡️Ukraine strikes Russian titanium plant more than 1,400 kilometers from border, monitoring channel claims.
kyivindependent.com/ukraine-…
BenAris retweeted
Reality is finally crashing down on the Kremlin: Trump can't deliver the easy capitulation putin was banking on.
In a telling moment of backdoor realisation, putin’s top aide, Yuri Ushakov, just exposed Moscow's deep desperation. He admits that dealing strictly with Trump and his real estate “diplomats”, isn't working because Trump can't just bully Kyiv into submission. Instead, Russia is finally forced to accept a hard truth: they have to deal with a united Europe that stands firmly behind Ukraine. Desperate for progress, Moscow now wants Europe at the table—proving once and for all that Trump's 'magic wand' has completely failed.
Pavel Zarubin: “Is such an option possible, if Zelensky continues to behave insolently toward the American administration, that the American administration will simply dictate and force him to make the decisions that the American administration considers correct?”
Yuri Ushakov: “Well, you understand, even earlier there was an impression after Anchorage, too, that the American administration could dictate something like that and force Kyiv to fulfill it. But so far this hasn't quite worked out, because it's not enough to talk only with Kyiv; one needs to talk with the whole of Europe, which fully supports Kyiv, and perhaps Europe's position here is of a key character.”
BenAris retweeted
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported:
Overnight, the Russian Armed Forces struck logistics centers, energy infrastructure, Ukrainian ports, and vessels utilized in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
In Olshany, Kharkov Region, a storage facility for long- and medium-range UAVs, as well as components for them, was hit.
In Kharkov, the "Zalyutino" electrical substation—which supports the operation of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex—was struck.
In Kamianets-Podolskiy, Khmelnitskiy Region, the PS-330 electrical substation, which supports logistics facilities, was hit.
Additionally, a dry-cargo ship transporting military supplies to the port of Odessa was struck while at sea.
In the Odessa Region, loading and unloading infrastructure at three berth terminals in the port of Chernomorsk was struck.
BenAris retweeted
Zelensky rejects key Russian demands, which he discussed & accepted at initialed Istanbul peace deal in spring 2022. He states that "restrictions on our army and Ukraine’s neutrality are not up for discussion. The territorial issue is a red line that can only be discussed at the level of leaders."
BenAris retweeted
Serbia’s student protest movement has gone from demonstrations over a deadly train station collapse to defeating Aleksandar Vučić’s party at the polls. Belgrade residents celebrated the victory after record election turnout. meduza.io/en/short/2026/10/2…
BenAris retweeted
Russian construction companies have started closing down at an alarming rate. Year over year the number decreased by 4,3% but as of August 2026 more than double that were in the process of liquidation with even more having their bank accounts frozen by the Russian Tax Service.
BenAris retweeted
Russia attacked Kharkiv Oblast with Geran-2/4 drones last night.
Targets were hit in/near the Kholodnohirs'kyi, Osnovianskyi, and Novobavarskyi Districts of Kharkiv City; the towns of Vasyshcheve and Krasnopavlivka; and the villages of Bazaliivka and Movchany.
One of the targets hit was the "Zalyutine" 330 kV electrical substation on the western outskirts of Kharkiv City.
BenAris retweeted
Zelensky just reiterated that he will never agree to Ukrainian neutrality, any limits on Ukrainian military capabilities/size or any territorial concessions. His only goal for "trilateral talks" with US involvement is to get Trump to beg Russia to stop striking the Ukrainian power grid and ports/ships. He also thanked the US for "restoring" full Starlink capabilities and intelligence sharing.
Like I said, this whole renewed "diplomacy" thing was theater, a pointless scam of no consequence, just worms wriggling around.
BenAris retweeted
Serbia's Vučić after conceding defeat in election:
What brought us down is this verified revolution, which they carried out with direct support from various European countries, and the deep American state, the one against President Trump.
I congratulate them, even though they are just executors of work. Executors of dirty work, which someone else designed to bring down a sovereign country.
For a moment you have succeeded.
For how long, we shall see.
BenAris retweeted
Zelensky lists what he wants from the US, Ukraine and Russia trilateral meeting. An energy ceasefire, the sea, grain, an all-for-all exchange or a meeting of leaders.
If Putin is just saying he’s ready because he doesn’t want escalation with America before the elections, Zelensky says it’ll be clear very quickly in November whether it was a trick.
He says limits on the Ukrainian army and Ukraine’s neutrality aren’t up for discussion, since that’s about security guarantees. Territory is a red line that can only be discussed at the level of leaders.
He also says public attention helped get Starlink fully working in Ukraine again. It’s fine for now, but he doesn’t rule out new problems.
BenAris retweeted
The American side proposed a ceasefire regime in the Oleshky area starting October 27. Because this cannot be just one day. It will last several days. Humanitarian missions must come there: the Americans, us, and the Russians. The Russians must clear the roads of mines, and we must see this and work on all of it there. I have given the Ombudsman the relevant instructions. We have also spoken with the Security Service and the military.
Of course, Russia will do everything to demine the roads in such a way that these people go to Russia and stay there. They are not going to simply set people free. And some people will be evacuated to Ukraine one way or another – to the part we control. The main thing is to free these people from the blockade so they can live. Ideally, they should be able to achieve their goal and evacuate here, to us, to Ukraine, which will provide them with everything they need and support them.
From an interview with Alla Mazur for TSN Week on 1+1, as part of the United News telethon. (5/5)
BenAris retweeted
Incumbent President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won in the second round of presidential elections and was re-elected as the president of the country for the fourth term, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court reported:
vk.cc/d3gtdp
BenAris retweeted
Russia signals readiness to resume talks with US and Ukraine uawire.org/russia-signals-re…
BenAris retweeted
Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Melitopol, Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Oblast, last night.
According to unconfirmed reports, FPV drones launched by larger mother drones were used in the attack.
BenAris retweeted
Vučić claims that the U.S. "deep state" and forces from EU countries orchestrated the defeat of his coalition in the elections.
Following this, he stated that Serbia should be expected to impose sanctions against Russia in March or April.
BenAris retweeted
🇷🇸 One of the strangest images of SERBIA'S ELECTION NIGHT came after Vučić conceded
Riot police who had been stationed around key government buildings began pulling out of central Belgrade as crowds celebrated the student-led opposition victory.
Police trucks LEAVING while people cheered and waved them off.
GOOSEBUMPS!
For months, those streets had looked like a government preparing for confrontation.
Then the result landed, and the barricades started disappearing.
Writer: Oliver
