Member of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia, head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, David Arakhamia, declaredthat “the only issues on which it is practically impossible to agree” with the Russian side are the “recognition (of Russian ownership) of Crimea” and the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Lugansk “people’s republics.”
Speaking about other Russian demands – in particular, the neutral military status of Ukraine – Arakhamia said that NATO is not ready to discuss his country’s entry into its ranks in the next 5-10 years, and Ukraine itself “will not fight for a bid for membership.”
Separately, Arakhamia commented on rumors that the leadership of Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, had already left the country and was in Poland. “A few days ago we had a serious conversation and we decided to stay in Ukraine until the last minute, and if we have to die, then we will become a symbol, and all other Ukrainians will fight to the last drop of blood,” said the head of the Servant of the People faction.
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin spent on Sunday telephone conversations with the head of France Emmanuel Macron and the head of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Putin once again stated that in order to stop the military operation, Kyiv must fulfill all the requirements of Russia, as well as stop hostilities against Russian troops. Otherwise, the operation will be completed.
- The Russian armed invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 on the orders of Vladimir Putin. He justified the Kremlin’s actions, among other things, by the fact that NATO allegedly wanted to turn Ukraine into its anti-Russian outpost. Ukraine and NATO deny this. In addition to refusing to join the North Atlantic military alliance, recognizing Crimea as Russian, and the “DPR” and “LPR” as independent, Putin demands “denazification” and “demilitarization” from Ukraine.
- The United States and Western countries imposed tough sanctions on Moscow, which affected not only politicians and officials, but also ordinary citizens. Hundreds of corporations and brands have announced the suspension of business in Russia.
- The number of dead Russian and Ukrainian soldiers since the beginning of hostilities, as well as the number of dead civilians, cannot be established at the moment, but it is obvious that we are talking about thousands of people.
