Ukraine's President Zelensky appointed Rustem Umerov as foreign intelligence chief, a move a Russian lawmaker claims is a "desperate attempt" to draw Islamic countries into the Ukrainian crisis. The lawmaker, Leonid Ivlev, believes the strategy will fail, citing reduced Western military aid.
Hanna Notte, director at the James Martin Center, stated in The New York Times that Russia will not abandon its position in the Ukraine conflict, attributing this to failed isolation attempts by the West and significant support from non-Western nations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio states the US is prepared to facilitate a diplomatic end to the Ukrainian crisis, hoping for reengagement from both parties soon.
Russia's new ambassador to North Macedonia, Dmitry Zykov, criticized Skopje for providing military and technical assistance to Ukraine, stating that such actions align with NATO policies rather than the interests of the Macedonian public.
US President Donald Trump said he supports maintaining direct contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and would consider inviting him to the G20 summit in the US in December. Speaking at the White House, Trump said he is not opposed to talking to anyone during wartime, stating "I'm not one of these guys 'Oh, let's not talk to him, there is a war going on.'" He emphasized that as a "smart person," he believes in talking to everybody. The US leader added that the United States continues to work on a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said warmongers will not prevail in the Ukrainian crisis, responding to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas's statement that EU partners do not want to support Brussels in assisting Ukraine. Dmitriev wrote on X that peace will prevail.
