Putin vows to press attack on Ukraine; courts India, China

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to property his onslaught connected Ukraine despite Ukraine's latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes connected the country's captious infrastructure if Ukrainian forces people facilities successful Russia.

Speaking to reporters Friday aft attending a acme of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization successful Uzbekistan, Putin said the "liberation" of Ukraine's full eastbound Donbas portion remained Russia's main subject extremity and that helium sees nary request to revise it.

"We aren't successful a rush," the Russian person said, adding that Moscow has lone deployed unpaid soldiers to combat successful Ukraine. Some hard-line politicians and subject bloggers person urged the Kremlin to travel Ukraine's illustration and bid a wide mobilization to beef up the ranks, lamenting Russia's manpower shortage.

Russia was forced to propulsion backmost its forces from ample swaths of northeastern Ukraine past week aft a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine's determination to reclaim control of respective Russian-occupied cities and villages marked the largest subject setback for Moscow since its forces had to retreat from areas adjacent the superior aboriginal successful the war.

In his archetypal remark connected the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin said: "Let's spot however it develops and however it ends."

He noted that Ukraine has tried to onslaught civilian infrastructure successful Russia and "we truthful acold person responded with restraint, but conscionable yet."

"If the concern develops this way, our effect volition beryllium much serious," Putin said.

"Just recently, the Russian equipped forces person delivered a mates of impactful strikes," helium said successful an evident notation to Russian attacks earlier this week on power plants successful bluish Ukraine and a dam successful the south. "Let's see those arsenic informing strikes."

He alleged, without offering specifics, that Ukraine has attempted to motorboat attacks "near our atomic facilities, atomic powerfulness plants," adding that "we volition retaliate if they neglect to recognize that specified methods are unacceptable."

Russia has reported galore explosions and fires astatine civilian infrastructure successful areas adjacent Ukraine, arsenic good munitions depots and different facilities. Ukraine has claimed work for immoderate of the attacks and refrained from commenting connected others.

Putin besides sought Friday to assuage India's interest astir the struggle successful Ukraine, telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Moscow wants to spot a speedy extremity to the warring and alleging that Ukrainian officials won't negotiate.

"I cognize your basal connected the struggle successful Ukraine and the concerns that you person repeatedly voiced," the Russian person told Modi. "We volition bash each we tin to extremity that arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. Regrettably, the different side, the enactment of Ukraine, has rejected the negotiations process and stated that it wants to execute its goals by subject means, connected the battlefield."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it's Russia that allegedly doesn't privation to negociate successful earnest. He besides has insisted connected the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine arsenic a precondition for talks.

Putin's remarks during the talks with Modi echoed comments the Russian person made during Thursday's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when Putin thanked him for his government's "balanced position" connected the Ukraine war, portion adding that helium was acceptable to sermon China's unspecified "concerns" astir Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Putin said helium and Xi "discussed what we should bash successful the existent conditions to efficiently antagonistic unlawful restrictions" imposed by the West. The European Union, the United States and different Western nations person enactment sanctions connected Russian vigor owed to the warfare successful Ukraine.

Xi, successful a connection released by his government, expressed enactment for Russia's "core interests" but besides involvement successful moving unneurotic to "inject stability" into satellite affairs. China's relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India person been strained by disputes astir technology, security, quality rights and territory.

Zhang Lihua, an planetary relations adept astatine Tsinghua University, said the notation to stableness "is chiefly related to China-U.S. relations," adding that "the United States has been utilizing each means to suppress China, which forced China to question practice with Russia."

China and India person refused to articulation Western sanctions against Russia implicit its warfare successful Ukraine while increasing their purchases of Russian lipid and gas, helping Moscow offset the fiscal restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

Putin besides met Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to sermon bolstering economical practice and determination issues, including a July woody brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed Ukrainian atom exports to resume from the country's Black Sea ports.

Speaking astatine the Uzbekistan acme connected Friday, Xi warned his Central Asian neighbors not to let outsiders to destabilize them. The informing reflects Beijing's anxiousness that Western enactment for ideology and quality rights activists is simply a crippled to undermine Xi's ruling Communist Party and different authoritarian governments.

"We should forestall outer forces from instigating a colour revolution," Xi said successful a code to the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization subordinate nations, referring to protests that toppled unpopular regimes successful the erstwhile Soviet Union and the Middle East.

Xi offered to bid 2,000 constabulary officers, to acceptable up a determination counterterrorism grooming halfway and to "strengthen instrumentality enforcement capableness building." He did not elaborate.

His comments echoed longtime Russian grievances astir the color-coded antiauthoritarian uprisings successful respective ex-Soviet nations that the Kremlin viewed arsenic instigated by the U.S. and its allies.

Xi is promoting a "Global Security Initiative" announced successful April pursuing the enactment of the Quad by the U.S., Japan, Australia and India successful effect to Beijing's much assertive overseas policy. U.S. officials kick it echoes Russian arguments successful enactment of Moscow's actions successful Ukraine.

Central Asia is portion of China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to grow commercialized by gathering ports, railways and different infrastructure crossed an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific done Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and China arsenic a counterweight to U.S. influence. The radical besides includes India, Pakistan and the 4 ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is connected way to person afloat membership.