People in Kherson relish pause
In the city of Kherson, growing numbers of people were out on the streets as the truce held, reports BritPanorama.
Nataliia Myronenko, 42, had a steady stream of customers at her coffee kiosk since early Thursday.
“Now, during the quiet, we have people at lunchtime and in the evening, which we didn’t have under the attacks,” she said. “For a while, people would race down this street because they were afraid to stop.”
The pause has brought a sense of relief, she said. “It’s a breath of freedom, when you don’t look at the sky. You keep looking at your feet because of the mines, but you’re not afraid of dying. It’s so great,” she said.
“It’s such a privilege and a joy, but we understand it will end soon.”
Russian leader Putin says Elon Musk is ‘a genius’
Moscow and Kyiv are keen to curry favor with Washington ahead of possible three-way talks next month between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
American military support is vital for Ukraine, but U.S. President Donald Trump has recently indicated that he is disengaging with Kyiv as he waived sanctions on Russia and publicly chided Zelenskyy.
Tankers carrying Russian diesel are currently sailing to the United States, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the U.S. for a G20 ministerial meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, starting Friday, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
European leaders, on the other hand, have been trying to diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion and what they call a campaign of sabotage across the continent.
Ukraine earlier this month reported sudden and unexpected limits on Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communications.
Putin said that Russia has been in contact with the American tech titan to coordinate their orbiting activities because it is building its own equivalent of Starlink.
“Elon Musk is a genius. Truly, a real genius,” Putin said late Wednesday.
“We and our American partners value this relationship, and despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely together,” he added.
