Poland is negotiating with the US to participate in the NATO nuclear weapons hosting program

Poland is negotiating with the United States to participate in NATO’s nuclear weapons hosting program as a safeguard against growing threats from Russia. The announcement was made by Polish President Andrzej Duda.

On the front, Kiev’s forces have conquered, in a week, four thousand square kilometers of the annexed regions, but the Kremlin claims that it will recapture these territories and that nothing changes Moscow’s plans. They will be with Russia forever, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said.

“They shall be cursed in all the world”

If the Kremlin starts a nuclear war, those responsible “they will be cursed throughout the worldPolish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview. But, he continued, “the biggest problem is that we don’t have nuclear weapons.” There is the opportunity to participate in the nuclear weapons hosting program. I asked American leaders if they were considering such a possibility. The subject is open“, President Duda also said.

On Tuesday, Finland’s president also suggested that his country could host nuclear weapons of some NATO powers, stressing that there is no conditionality for Finland to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary: “We take nuclear weapons or “nuclear saber rattling” by Moscow very seriously. But, I want to state here, we have no indication that Russia is preparing for the imminent use of nuclear weapons“.

Vladimir Putin promulgated the law formalizing the annexation of the four regions of Ukraine

Vladimir Putin signed the law formalizing the annexation of the four regions of Ukraine, which Russian forces only partially control. Putin signed the strict decrees after the so-called referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye, which represent around 18% of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, but in all these areas there are still fights. Ukrainian troops are making progress in three regions simultaneously, in the south and east.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine: “Ukrainian forces liberated several settlements in the Kherson region in the south, forcing the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area. Dozens of settlements were liberated by the fake Russian referendum this week alone in Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions“.

According to the analysis by the American Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces have recaptured 4,000 square kilometers of territory in a week.

Even on the maps presented by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, one can see the advance of Ukrainian troops in the south of Ukraine, but also in the east. Two maps presented by Rybar, one of Russia’s few military intelligence sources, were posted just four hours apart, but the Kremlin says the military withdrawal does not affect annexation plans.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency: “There is no contradiction here. (These territories) will be with Russia forever, we will claim them“.

The recapture of Lîman was a significant victory for Ukraine

The recapture of the strategic city of Lîman in the east was a significant victory for Ukraine. The bodies of Russian soldiers still lay on the road to Lîman, another sign of Russia’s humiliating military defeat in a region Putin claims to have annexed, but the price of victory is bitter for those living in Lîman.

The locals are tried by all kinds of fears, some are afraid of being considered collaborators of the Russians, because they stayed during the occupation. All of them, however, are worried about survival, especially as winter is getting closer.

Every time a military vehicle passes, a man looks on in fear. Above the Russian Z, now, it has the Ukrainian cross drawn on it.

Local: “They fight for territories, but here we have nothing to heat our houses with. We don’t have electricity, we don’t have any“.

People here say they didn’t care about Putin’s referendums, and claim they didn’t vote. They are just struggling to live from day to day.

Woman: “I don’t care who’s in control here, it might as well be the devil. We just want the bombing and shooting to stop once and for all“.

The situation is the same in another settlement in the Donetsk region, recaptured by the Ukrainians, after half a year of Russian occupation.

Boy: “I lived here. This was my home. Now, I almost don’t have a home anymore“.

Man: “My wife is alive and my daughter is alive, but her right leg was broken by the explosion of a “Grad” rocket. And his hand was broken and burned“.

The United States has announced new military aid to Ukraine

On the other hand, the United States announced new military aid to Ukraine, including four more Himars missile systems and precision munitions.

Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia: “We closely analyze the rate at which they consume ammunition to ensure they have what they need to continue the counteroffensive. I think the HIMARS have become quite famous because you’ve seen the Ukrainians use these capabilities to hit critical logistics of the Russians“.

But that raises the risk of a direct war between Russia and the West, Kremlin officials warn.