According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, “who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.”…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he had offered Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his family refuge in the United Kingdom amid Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Johnson told the Sunday Times that Zelenskyy has regular conversations with him and is an “absolutely charming guy but he’s also proved to be an inspiration.”
According to the British prime minister, the possibility of Zelenskyy and his family getting refuge in the UK had been discussed, but “Volodymyr has always been clear, his duty is to the Ukrainian people; he’s going to stay there, he’s going to look after them. I have to say I admire him.”
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In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kyiv forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted – the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, “who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.”
In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, which includes airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting numerous Russian officials and entities, media, and financial institutions.
‘Failure of talks with Putin would mean a World War III’
As Moscow has continued its invasion of Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he is ready for negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but warned that if the talks fail, it “would mean that this is a World War III”.
“I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” Zelensky said while speaking to CNN.
“I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a World War III,” he added.
As the invasion was nearing a month, the President told CNN that “we have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace”.
“And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.”
Zelensky also listed his priorities for the talks, which are; “the end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country”.
The Ukrainian leader further said that if his country was a NATO member, there would have been no war.
“I’d like to receive security guarantees for my country, for my people. If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, then do it immediately. Because people are dying on a daily basis,” Zelensky said, while adding that he was grateful for the aid NATO has provided since the invasion began on February 24. When asked about how he was faring since the last 26 days of war, the President said he was “doing just everything that everyone else in Ukraine is doing”.
“We have made up our team to defend our country, so it seems to me that the person does not need to turn into anyone else. That is important when you can be just yourself,” he told CNN. “So I am holding up quite well.”
Zelensky also admitted that his weakest point was losing people and children in these “huge numbers”.
“I go to sleep with this information about children who were killed and we are continuing to pray in order to prevent new losses of people, but so far we haven’t attained these results,” he said, adding that “we are trying to defend our sovereignty, defend our country.”
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