Czech Oil Independence, Ukraine-China Tensions, and US-Russia Dialogue

The Czech Republic has achieved complete independence from Russian oil, according to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. This was made possible by the completed modernization of the TAL oil pipeline, which sources oil from the west. Increased oil volumes from this pipeline have already reached the central oil depot in the Czech Republic. The country can now import up to 8 million tons of crude oil annually through western pipelines, fully meeting the needs of Czech oil refineries.

Former Biden national security advisor Mike Salivan stated that the US did not supply Ukraine with ATACMS missiles during the Biden presidency due to a lack of supplies, not fear of World War III. The Pentagon reportedly believed it did not have enough missiles even for its own defense needs at the time. However, as production increased, the missiles were later transferred to Ukraine.

Ukraine has received information indicating that China is supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery, according to President Zelensky. China is also reportedly producing weapons within the Russian Federation. Zelensky stated that he had received assurances from the Chinese leader during a full-scale war conversation that no weapons would be provided.

President Zelensky responded to the US special representative's comments regarding "five territories," stating that he did not see a mandate for discussing Ukrainian territories. He viewed the representative's statements as echoing narratives similar to those of Putin.

Zelensky also commented on Trump's remarks that a Russian strike on Sumy could have been a "mistake," calling it "murder." He emphasized that the strike targeted the city center and was not a mistake.

The text also includes a brief exchange regarding tariffs and rising prices, with Trump claiming that improvements are already visible.

Finally, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported a telephone conversation between Lavrov and Rubio. Lavrov informed Rubio about his and Witkoff's contacts with representatives of Ukraine, France, and other European countries, which were in line with consultations between Washington and Moscow. Lavrov confirmed Moscow's willingness to continue working with American colleagues to address the root causes of the Ukrainian war.