The Kremlin called freezing the conflict in Ukraine "impossible".
The conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate as the Kremlin officially rejects the possibility of a freeze in negotiations. At the same time, protests demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov have entered their 10th consecutive day in several major cities.
According to the TASS news agency.On July 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that freezing the conflict in Ukraine is impossible at the present time. This statement was made in comment on an earlier proposal by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Peskov emphasized that Kyiv's current position makes a ceasefire solution unfeasible. The Kremlin representative set a precondition that Russia must achieve all of its strategic objectives.
Earlier, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh leader Tokayev expressed his view on the need to freeze hostilities. He proposed that the parties involved should return to the format of the Istanbul peace treaty. However, President Tokayev also made it clear that he himself had no intention of assuming a mediating role in this crisis, despite differing opinions.
Alongside the diplomatic impasse, Ukraine's internal situation continues to face significant turmoil. Protests against the dismissal of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov have continued for the tenth consecutive day. According to Ukrainian media, on July 25th, a series of large-scale marches erupted across the country. People took to the streets in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhgorod, Dnepropetrovsk, Khmelnitsky, Cherkassy, Nikolaev, and many other cities. The protesters' demand is the reinstatement of Fedorov to his position.
This wave of protests actually erupted strongly on July 16th. At that time, protesters not only demanded the return of Fedorov to his ministerial position but also pressured for the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Faced with public pressure, President Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to concede on the sixth day of the protests.
Specifically, on July 22nd, Mikhail Drapatiy was officially appointed as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. However, this conciliatory move was not enough to quell the protests. The focus of the demonstrators remains firmly on restoring the former Minister of Defense to his position.
