Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other after peace talks stalled, with the last known face-to-face negotiations on March 29.
Ukrainian presidential adviser and peace talks negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Saturday that any agreement with Russia cannot be trusted and Moscow can only be stopped in its invasion by force.
“Any agreement with Russia isn’t worth a broken penny, Podolyak wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Is it possible to negotiate with a country that always lies cynically and propagandistically?”
Also read: Ukraine | Zelensky says war getting worse as ‘Russia going all in’: Top points
Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other after peace talks stalled, with the last known face-to-face negotiations on March 29. The Kremlin said earlier this month Ukraine was showing no willingness to continue peace talks, while officials in Kyiv blamed Russia for the lack of progress.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that President Vladimir Putin was the only Russian official he was willing to meet with to discuss how to end the war.
Also read: ‘Impossible to isolate Russia’, Putin warns, Zelensky fears genocide: 10 points
Putin says Russian forces are on a special operation to demilitarise Ukraine and rid it of radical anti-Russian nationalists. Ukraine and its allies call that a false pretext to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24.
“Russia has proved that it is a barbarian country that threatens world security,” Podolyak said. “A barbarian can only be stopped by force.”
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Victoria’s Secret pays $8.3m settlement to sacked Thai workers
Over a thousand sacked Thai garment workers who made bras for a factory supplying lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret have received a landmark $8.3 million settlement, labour rights activists said Saturday. Brilliant Alliance Thai closed down its Samut Prakan factory in March 2021 after going bankrupt. But the 1250 laid-off workers — many of whom had worked at the factory for over a decade — did not receive severance payouts mandated under Thai law.
-
How a Russian billionaire used his wife to protect his wealth: Report
Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko ceded ownership of two of the world’s largest coal and fertilizers companies to his wife the day before he was sanctioned by the European Union, according to three people familiar with the matter. When the war in Ukraine began in February, however, Melnichenko grew concerned that he would be designated under the European Union’s Russia sanctions regime, the people familiar with the matter said.
-
Boris Johnson looking beyond Partygate but more hurdles loom
Boris Johnson escaped without a major rebellion as “partygate” came to a head, with most Tory MPs deciding the illegal pandemic gatherings in Downing Street did not warrant bringing down a prime minister. “Well no, I wouldn’t agree,” he said. Also read: Boris Johnson pictured drinking at party during UK lockdown Yet there are significant challenges ahead, including difficult elections in two parliamentary districts and a deepening cost-of-living crisis.
-
Islamic State’s new chief detained in Turkey: Reports
The Islamic State group’s new leader Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi has reportedly been captured in a recent raid in Istanbul, according to Bloomberg and local media reports. Security officials in Turkey believe they have detained a man who has been leading the jihadist group since its previous chief Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi was killed in a US operation in Syria in February, reported Bloomberg.
-
‘Police made wrong decision…’: Top police official on Texas shooting
Days after the United States was plunged into shock amid mass shooting horror at an elementary school, a Texas police official has said that the local police made the “wrong decision” by waiting nearly an hour to go inside the school. An18-year-old had opened fire and killed 19 students and two teachers. The accused was later killed by the police.