The Kremlin has said President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with Ukraine.
Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, disclosed on Friday, February 25, 2022, that the Russian leader is “ready” to send a high-level delegation “for talks with a Ukrainian delegation” to Belarusian capital, Minsk, which previously hosted rounds of peace talks over the Ukraine crisis.
Russian forces closed in on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on day two of the ongoing invasion.
Peskov disclosed that Putin’s ally, Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, is willing to “create the conditions” for such a summit.
Russia has thousands of troops stationed in Belarus, however, Ukraine has indicated it is being attacked from several sides, including attacks from Belarus.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, repeatedly called for talks with the Russian leader during a weeks-long diplomatic push in which Western countries tried to deter Putin from launching an attack.
Zelenskyy made an initial proposal of talks in a speech addressed to Putin late on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion on Thursday, February 24, 2022.
At the time, Zelenskyy said: “Ukraine’s security is linked to the security of its neighbours. That is why today we have to talk about security in the whole of Europe. That is our main goal – peace in Ukraine and the security of our citizens. For this, we are ready to talk to everyone, including you. In different formats and in any place.”
As Russian troops entered Kyiv on Friday, February 25, 2022, Zelenskyy has issued a new statement urging talks.
“I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let’s sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people.”
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Kyiv has allegedly floated the idea that Ukraine could take a neutral status on NATO membership in order to end the violence.
Putin urges Ukraine army to remove gov’t?
Later on Friday, February 25, 2022, Putin called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the government whose leaders he described as “terrorists and a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.
Putin also accused “Ukrainian nationalists” of deploying heavy weapons in residential areas of major cities, provoking the Russian military without providing evidence. This alleged action Putin claims is the pretext for justifying civilian casualties.
In a televised address, he urged the Ukrainian military to “take power in your own hands”.
“It seems like it will be easier for us to agree with you than this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,” Putin said, referring to Zelenskyy’s government.
According to reports, Russia’s announcement signalling talks with Ukraine in Minsk was made after Moscow called for Kyiv to “lay down its arms” and warned it would never recognise Zelenskyy’s government as democratic.
Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, 2022, while Ukraine was asleep. Putin did so after recognising two pro-Moscow separatist republics in eastern Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk) as independent.
The West has imposed a barrage of international sanctions on Moscow in response, but Ukraine has asked it (NATO) should do more.
During a phone call with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, Putin averred Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is necessary to protect people against “genocide”, an accusation the West sees as baseless propaganda.
The Kremlin said Xi respected Russia’s actions and is ready for close coordination and mutual support at the United Nations, where both are veto-holding permanent members of the Security Council.
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