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Putin enhances security cooperation with Belarus and the European Union warns China against arming Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin announced – today, Thursday – that his country will continue to strengthen the security system with Belarus. On the other hand, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against supplying weapons to Russia. In a speech during the meeting of the Supreme Council of the State of the Belarusian Russian Federation in the capital, Moscow, with the participation of his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, Putin stressed that they had begun to develop the concept of security for the federation state. Putin made it clear that Belarus is his country's largest trading partner, noting that the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries increased by 35% in 2021, reaching $30 billion. He pointed out that the volume of bilateral trade increased by 12% in 2022, reaching $45 billion. And he added, "Russia and Belarus are strengthening cooperation in the fields of defence, security and military technology, and will continue to do so, and this meets the fundamental interests of our countries and peoples." For his part, Lukashenko stated that the West is besieging the two countries economically. He added that due to the failure of these attempts, pressure began in the military field, as the forces and vehicles of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meet on the borders of Belarus and Russia. [embedded content] Wagner losses For his part, the head of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, acknowledged that his fighters are suffering increasing losses in the Ukraine war. And Prigozhin appeared in a video clip published by Wagner on the Telegram application, standing in front of dozens of cemeteries, each of which is topped with crosses, and wreaths of flowers were placed on them, and he said, "We continue to bury Wagner fighters here, and there is no problem with that until today. We will work to improve this cemetery and make it a memorial for future generations." ". "Yes, the cemetery is getting bigger. Those who fight are sometimes killed. This is how life goes," he added. Russia does not talk much about the losses it has incurred in Ukraine since the start of its attack on this country in February 2022. The last official death toll issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense dates back to September 2022, in which the death toll reached 5,937 soldiers, and this toll does not include Wagner fighters who do not officially belong to the Russian army. According to Western estimates, the losses of the Russian forces combined (the Russian army, Wagner units, and pro-Russian separatist Ukrainian forces) could reach more than 150,000 dead and wounded. Wagner's elements have been fighting, especially on the front line, in the battle that has been raging for months to control Bakhmut, the city in eastern Ukraine, in which the Russian and Ukrainian sides suffered heavy losses. [embedded content] European warnings Politically, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against supplying weapons to Russia in the war in Ukraine. "Arming the aggressor is against international law, and it will severely affect our relationship," von der Leyen said after a meeting with the Chinese president. Regarding ending the war in Ukraine, von der Leyen said the EU is counting on China "to play its role and promote a just peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." In her talks with President Xi, the European Commission President also stressed her support for the peace plan put forward by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and welcomed China's warnings against the use of nuclear weapons. Bryansk offensive In a related context, Russia announced – today, Thursday – that it had repulsed a group of Ukrainian "saboteurs" who tried to infiltrate its territory through a border area. Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region, stated, via the Telegram application, that "the border guard force of the Russian Federal Security Service in the Bryansk region thwarted an incursion attempt by a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage group of 20 members near the village of Sluchovsk." Earlier today, Bogomaz indicated that one of the border villages with Ukraine was bombed with mortar shells fired from the Ukrainian side, stressing that only material damage occurred. And Russian media sources reported that this bombing came a day after the authorities in Bryansk announced the crash of a Ukrainian light-engine plane in the Klintsy region, and the arrest of its pilot, who tried to flee to Ukrainian territory. [embedded content] ambiguity in Bakhmut On the ground, ambiguity still surrounds the fate of the strategic city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as the country's president said that Russian forces do not control this city at the present time. During his visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, Zelensky revealed that his forces sometimes face a shortage of artillery, missiles and ammunition in battles, acknowledging that they are facing a very difficult situation, but he indicated the possibility of taking "proportionate" decisions to protect these forces if they risked being completely surrounded by Russian forces. Zelinsky added – in a press conference in Poland – that the Ukrainian forces sometimes advance slightly in Bakhmut, but soon the Russian forces force them to retreat, and that they are still inside the city, "and the enemy does not control it." Bakhmut is witnessing in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, one of the longest battles of the war, which entered its second year, and the Ukrainian forces withstood a Russian attack there, but the two sides suffered heavy losses that they do not deny. In what appears to be a reference to the idea of withdrawing from the city, Zelensky said, "For me, the most important thing is not to lose our soldiers. Of course, if events flare up more than that at some point in time, and there is a danger that we will lose our soldiers because of the siege, of course the military commanders will take There are the right decisions." [embedded content] Aviation Alliance In a matter related to military aid to Kiev, Zelensky signed an agreement with the Polish Prime Minister to supply a new defense package that will protect what he described as the freedom and independence of Ukraine, Poland, Europe and the whole world. Zelensky stressed the need for an "aviation alliance" in favor of Ukraine, similar to the Tank Alliance, which announced its formation months ago by providing Kiev's allies with a number of combat tanks to help it repel the Russian attack. [embedded content]
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