Kyiv [Ukraine], September 26: The US has warned that President Donald Trump is losing patience with mediation efforts, while the conflict in Ukraine continues to take a new turn.
Fierce frontline
The Kyiv Independent news site quoted a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force saying that it shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet in Zaporizhzhia province in the early morning of September 25. Accordingly, the Russian plane was shot down at around 4:00 a.m. (local time) in the frontline area, after attacking Zaporizhzhia city with a guided bomb. The Su-34 is a medium-range fighter-bomber, developed from the Su-27 in the 1990s. In mid-September, the Russian military received a new batch of Su-34s from the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of the state-owned defense industry corporation Rostec.
Also on September 25, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR) said it had destroyed two Russian An-26 transport planes and two radar stations in a drone attack on Crimea. The attack was part of a continuing effort to destroy high-value Russian assets on the peninsula, according to HUR. The An-26, a Soviet-era twin-engine propeller plane, is typically used for short- and medium-range transport missions and is capable of carrying 40 troops or 5.5 tons of cargo.
Meanwhile, Russia said its forces have made some progress in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine. TASS news agency on September 25 quoted Russian official Igor Kimakovsky in Donetsk as saying that Ukraine is trying to send reserve forces to the town of Siversk and fierce fighting is taking place there. "Siversk is surrounded by a pocket of fire. Russian forces are encircling it from the north, south and west," he said. In addition, Russian forces said they launched Iskander missiles to attack a Ukrainian training ground in Chernihiv province, causing the enemy to lose about 300 soldiers. Ukraine and Russia have not commented on the above information from the other side.
Deadlock solution
AFP on September 25 quoted US Vice President JD Vance as warning that President Donald Trump "is becoming extremely impatient" with Russia, as Washington's stance towards Moscow hardens after diplomatic efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine fell into a stalemate. In a previous meeting on September 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared tense with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, demanding "an end to the killing" and Moscow must "take real steps towards a sustainable solution".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov objected and "stressed the unacceptability of plans promoted by Kyiv and some European countries to prolong the conflict," according to a transcript of the conversation provided by the Russian side. However, the two diplomats affirmed their readiness to seek a peaceful solution to the Ukraine problem. Speaking at the UN on September 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on countries to help end the conflict in the country, which could spark a dangerous arms race.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
