Russian leader Vladimir Putin has “achieved zero of his strategic goals” and “really takes control of only a small number of population centers,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. It comes as US officials say at least 24,000 Russian troops have completed their withdrawal from Kyiv, but there are still fears that they are now being repositioned and resupplied as part of preparations for future development in Ukraine. “The threat of a (ground) invasion (of Kyiv) has disappeared at the moment … but it is not clear what their long-term goals are,” said a US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Troops leaving the area were withdrawing to Belarus and Russia for reunification, but it was unclear how many would eventually be sent back to Ukraine,” they added. Russia launches “mass terrorism” campaign in the south. Big new attack “possible” within days – Ukraine last Key developments: • US says it will boycott “certain G20 meetings” if Russian officials attend • More than 5,000 civilians have now been killed in Mariupol, says the mayor President says civilian killings in Bucha were “very likely war crimes” Speaking hours after the announcement of US sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Ukraine’s resistance remained strong. “Of course [Ukraine] he can win it, “he said. “If you look at what they have been able to do so far, Mr. Putin has achieved exactly zero of his strategic goals inside Ukraine. “It did not take Kyiv, it did not overthrow the government, it did not remove Ukraine as a nation state. Image: The city of Borodyanka, near Kyiv, continues to be pounded by Russian bombing. Photo: AP “It has really taken control of only a small number of population centers and even these are not what it was looking for.” “The proof is literally in the results you see every day,” Kirby added. “Absolutely [Ukraine] he can win “. Image: Sky’s Mark Austin to interview Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peshkov tonight Russia has been hit by more sanctions In addition to imposing sanctions on Putin’s two daughters, the United States has stepped up sanctions against Russian banks and banned new US investment in Russia on Wednesday. At the same time, the United Kingdom pledged assets to Russia’s largest bank, sanctioned eight more oligarchs and promised to cut off Russian oil and coal imports by the end of the year. The EU had planned to announce a carbon embargo and a ban on Russian ships and road operators, but diplomats failed to approve the measures on Wednesday, as technical issues need to be addressed. Image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western leaders to ban imports of Russian oil “quickly and in principle.” Photo: AP Zelensky calls on Western leaders to “borrow a little determination” In his overnight speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the spectrum of new sanctions had a “spectacular appearance” but that was not enough. Welcoming the moves affecting Russian banks, he said he would not calm down until “there is a complete exclusion of the Russian banking system from international financing.” Image: The corpses are identified in Bucha before being sent to a morgue. Photo: AP And he called for faster action on an oil embargo from the EU, whose leaders have not yet reached an agreement. Germany is reportedly leading a resistance to a permanent ban, as it relies heavily on oil imports from Russia. Hungary, meanwhile, has said it was ready to break with the rest of the EU and agree to a Russian demand to pay for its gas in rubles. “Some politicians are still unable to decide how to restrict the flow of dollars and euros to Russia from the oil trade so as not to jeopardize their own economies,” Zelensky said. Picture: A family passes in front of damaged Russian tanks in the city of Bucha. Photo: AP “But that’s why people go into politics. To solve such problems, difficult tasks. To solve them quickly and in a way that starts. If you are not capable, then you should not have started political activity. “The embargo on Russian oil supplies will be implemented anyway. The form will be found. “The only question is how many more Ukrainian men and women the Russian army will have time to kill, so that you, some politicians – and we know you, can borrow some determination.”
