On Tuesday, a fourth round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia resumed in a video format, after three rounds of negotiations in person in Belarus.
Early on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky said that talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations should continue and that it is difficult, but important. He added that the positions of the sides sound more realistic now, but more time is needed.
Previously, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will immediately stop its military operation if Ukrainian authorities amend the constitution to abandon their ambition to enter “any bloc,” and recognise the Crimean referendum and independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR).
On 24 February, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that “demilitarisation and de-nazification” are among the key goals of the special operation. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine, insisting the armed forces only target the country’s military infrastructure.
In response to Russia’s operation, the Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.
Source: Sputnik
