During a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of a new phase of war against Ukraine on July 3 on July 3. According to AXIOS , Putin said that within the next 60 days he plans a new offensive in eastern Ukraine for the full capture of Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
According to sources familiar with the content of the conversation, Putin made it clear that he did not refuse to "return" the occupied Ukrainian territories, which the Kremlin considers part of the Russian Federation. Moreover, the intensity of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages in recent weeks only confirms the Kremlin's intentions to act decisively.
The extent of the threat is evidenced by Donald Trump's comment during a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. The American leader stated that Putin "wants to pick up everything", referring not only to temporarily occupied regions, but also the wider territorial appetites of Moscow.
Against the backdrop of new threats, the US President has decided to change the tone of his policy on Ukraine. Trump has reportedly agreed to hand over to Kiev offensive weapons, including a long -range, as well as Patriot air defense systems. An announcement of a new help package is expected when meeting it with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week.
A key element of the new strategy is that the European Union will cover the costs of American weapons that will be transmitted to Ukraine. The idea of such a model, according to Axios , was voiced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit in the Hague on June 25.
