Ambassadors of hundreds of countries gathered in Moscow. Can the Ukrainian crisis usher in a turning point?

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the roundtable meeting of ambassadors for Ukraine will be held in Moscow on September 17. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and heads of diplomatic missions from more than 100 countries will attend the meeting.

This meeting was held against the backdrop of the 1297th day of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. On the same day as the meeting was announced, Ukraine dispatched more than 300 drones to launch large-scale attacks on 14 regions including Moscow, Voronezh, Smolensk, and Russia. Russia said it had shot down 221 drones.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has entered its 1297th day, and the battlefield situation is becoming increasingly complex. The Russian army recently successfully destroyed the Ukrainian "hail" rocket launcher system in the direction of Pokrovsky and completed the supplementary shooting using a suicide drone.

In the direction of Khlsun-Nicoliev, the Russian army claimed that it had achieved firepower control over the highway, forcing the Ukrainian army to use alternate routes to Nikolayev through Snigilevka.

Ukraine's side is not waiting to die. On September 12, the Ukrainian army launched a large-scale drone attack, targeting energy facilities in many regions of Russia. The Primorsk oil terminal in the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg, Leningrad Prefecture, was hit, causing a fire to a ship loading with oil.

The Luke Oil Company oil depot in Smolensk was also attacked, with an explosion and a fire ignited.

Luke Petroleum Company's oil depot was blown up

United Nations Secretary-General Guterres expressed high concern about the recent incident of UAV violations in Poland airspace, pointing out that this incident once again highlights the regional impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and its "real escalation risks."

In response to the drone incident, Poland has requested NATO to initiate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Convention, and NATO countries held emergency consultations on September 10. This is the 8th time that NATO has launched this clause so far.

At the same time, 39 countries recently held a special meeting of the Ukrainian Alliance for Security Willingness in Paris. Ukrainian President Zelensky personally flew to Paris to attend the meeting. When he spoke, he said with a solemn expression: "We are injecting substantial content into the safe future of Ukraine."

North Date Venue

Sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia continue to increase. The UK has recently imposed sanctions on 70 Russian Shadow Fleet vessels and 30 companies and individuals that supply Russia with electronic products, chemicals and explosives for missile production.

Japan cuts Russian oil maximum price to US$47.60 and puts 47 Russian companies and 3 Belarusian companies on the sanctions list. New Zealand has also joined the ranks of the upper limit of Russian oil prices, imposing restrictions on 11 individuals and 8 legal entities.

In the face of sanctions, Russia said it has not formulated any retaliatory plans. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said: "When Western partners finally regain their rational thinking, we will not close the door to cooperation to them."

Ship belonging to the Shadow Fleet is seized

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a solemn statement on the recent misinterpretation of Minister Lavrov's remarks. The spokesperson pointed out that Lavrov's profound insights on the evolution of the international landscape were deliberately distorted by some forces, and this practice of taking things out of context seriously violates journalistic ethics.

Lavrov previously said in a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations that Russia will not ignore any country and be open to neighbors that are willing to cooperate in the West, but will consider the past behavior of these countries.

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui previously said at a similar meeting: "The Ukrainian crisis has complex historical circumstances and practical reasons. To completely resolve the crisis, we must rectify the source and treat both the symptoms and the root causes." He emphasized that the core idea of ​​China's position is to "persuade peace and promote talks."

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui

Russian economy has shrunk by 0.6% month-on-month for two consecutive quarters, in line with the definition of "technical recession". The ruble exchange rate has depreciated by 10-12% since mid-July.

However, Kremlin spokesman Peskov still claimed that Russia's macroeconomic situation is "reliable and predictable". Against this background, whether the roundtable of ambassadors on the 17th can bring new impetus to promote a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis has become the focus of attention of the international community.