Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine will only get more brutal, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said on Wednesday. “Anyone who thinks logically would not do what he [Putin] is doing, so let’s see…his brutality increase,” the British government official told LBC radio.
“He doesn’t get what he wants, he surrounds cities, he bombs them mercilessly at night… and he will eventually try to break them down and occupy those cities,” Wallace said.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin said Russian officials were ready to hold a second round of talks with Ukraine, but it was unclear whether Ukrainian officials would show up. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was conflicting information about the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia should stop bombing Ukrainian cities before negotiations can take place.
“First we can try to predict whether the Ukrainian negotiators will show up or not. Let’s hope that happens. Ours [negociadores] will be there and ready,” Peskov told reporters.
Peskov also said Moscow needed to formulate a tough, thoughtful and clear response against the measures imposed on Western countries to undermine the Russian economy.
The Russian spokesman said that Russia’s economy is taking a serious hit, but that it is solid and that the country has experience in overcoming crises.
The first meeting, on Monday (28), ended with no agreement on a possible ceasefire for the war, which has been going on for seven days. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told reporters after the first meeting that the representatives would return to their respective capitals ahead of a second round of talks.
“Ukrainian and Russian delegations held the first round of negotiations. Its main objective was to discuss the ceasefire and the end of combat actions on the territory of Ukraine,” Podolyak said.
“The parties determined the topics where certain decisions mapped. In order for these decisions to be implemented as a roadmap, the parties are returning for consultations to their capitals,” he added.
“The parties discussed holding another round of negotiations where these decisions can be developed”, concluded the advisor.
attacks in Kiev
The attack on a television tower in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, on Tuesday (1st) caused at least five deaths. Photos and videos of the attack on the Ukrainian structure posted on social media were geolocated and verified by the CNN. Information on the deaths at the scene was attributed to the country’s Emergency Service.
The Russian military said it would carry out attacks on facilities in Kiev, warning civilians living near the areas to leave. The targets would be the State Security Agency and the 72nd Main Center for Information and Psychological Operations in Kiev.
In an exclusive interview with CNN international and Reuters, the Ukrainian president asked US President Joe Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his State of the Union address today. Zelensky gave the interview from a bunker in Kiev from where he is leading his military’s response.
“It’s very serious […] I’m not in a movie,” Zelensky told CNN. “I am not an icon, I think Ukraine is an icon […] Ukraine is the heart of Europe, and now I think Europe sees Ukraine as something special for this world. That’s why the world can’t miss that special something.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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