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Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during his trip to the US capital that the Russian president's move to request negotiations with the US president indicates the Kremlin is feeling pressure. He remarked, "We can already see that Russia is scrambling to restart dialogue immediately after it learns of Tomahawks." This statement referred to earlier comments about providing long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Political Developments and International Reactions

A former American diplomat, Dan Fried, commented, "Putin is trying to derail the momentum toward greater sanctions on Russia." Fried continued, "We'll see tomorrow, but the likelihood of moving toward a ceasefire by pushing Moscow to get serious appear to have decreased."

This development came after the US president had in recent days been hardening his language toward Moscow until the recent call with Putin, which the Russian government described as "extremely open and trustful."

EU Fuel Sanctions and Economic Effects

The European Union have set a requirement for fuel suppliers into the EU to demonstrate their fuels are not sourced from Russian oil, as stated in a document released on recently. This measure is included in the European Union's upcoming ban on imports of fuels made from Russian crude, which is included in its latest sanctions package against Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

Market analysts observed that investment activity appeared to be considering the possible end of India's purchases of Russian crude. Several oil processors in India are getting ready to reduce Russian oil imports, with expectations of a gradual decrease, as reported by sources knowledgeable about the matter.

"This is a favorable turn for the crude oil price as it would eliminate a major buyer of Russian oil," said Tony Sycamore, noting that oil prices were stable on Thursday.

Security Situation and Energy Attacks

A large-scale Russian unmanned aircraft and rocket attack hit energy infrastructure in Ukraine's eastern regions on the same day, resulting in disruptions in multiple regions. Ukrainian officials stated that Russia deployed numerous of drones and dozens of missiles, along with aerial munitions.

"During this fall, the Russians use daily opportunities to strike at our power facilities," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that attacks affected the areas of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, northeastern Ukraine and western Ukraine.

International Political Responses

Kyiv's representative to the United States, the Ukrainian ambassador, stated that Moscow showed its true attitude to negotiations through the "terror" of such strikes. "Russia once again opted for missiles over talks, making this attack into a direct setback to ongoing diplomatic initiatives," Stefanishyna commented.

Meanwhile, the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced that the European Union had little option but to build up defensive systems against Russia. She revealed a "roadmap" to prepare for possible security challenges by 2030, including a new defensive network to be completely functional by the 2027 deadline.

The proposed system, called the "EU defensive program," is projected to start operations in its first phase by the end of 2026 and be completely operational by the end of 2027. EU authorities aims to obtain the support of EU leaders at a meeting in the coming days.