The Russian navy refuses to attack Odessa because the Ukrainian army has shown so many surprises and all of Russia's plans have failed, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna told Newsmax on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Russian navy ships could be seen in satellite imagery approaching the Ukrainian coast. Odessa, Ukraine's major commercial port with 1 million residents, is the country's main entrance to the world.
It would be a strategic prize for the Russians as it would give Moscow full control of the Black Sea coast.
''So far, Odessa is resisting,'' Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, said on ''Eric Bolling: The Balance.''
''Russia thought it would capture Kyiv in two days, but it has failed in all its plans. Our army has shown so much surprises to the Russian armed forces that battalions of navy officers refused to attack Odessa,'' she added.
''We understand plans of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his playbook, but while we resist on the land, it's really important that European and American leaders do not pretend that this is a war far from their house. This is in their house. This is a war against the world.''
Her comments come as both sides are reporting some progress in negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that ''there should be contacts today'' and that negotiators were breaking into working groups.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine is demanding a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and legal security guarantees for Ukraine from a number of countries. Ukrainian and Russian delegations held talks again Wednesday by video.
Another official in Zelenskyy's office, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the main subject under discussion was whether Russian troops would remain in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be.
The official said Ukraine was insisting on the inclusion of one or more Western nuclear powers in the negotiations and on legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine. In exchange, the official said, Ukraine was ready to discuss neutral military status.
Russia has demanded that NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine to the alliance or station forces there.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.