Kyiv must coordinate political, economic and humanitarian measures to end the conflict in Donbass with Donetsk and Luhansk as soon as possible, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He stressed that the settlement process was "stalling", and called on the parties to sit down at the negotiating table in order to prevent the situation from escalating. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Kiev to sit down at the negotiating table with the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass in order to resolve the conflict, which threatens to seriously escalate.

“All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of Donbass and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end this conflict,” Putin said after negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko (TASS quote ).

At the meeting, the leaders again called the implementation of the Minsk agreements the key to restoring civil peace in Ukraine and easing tensions, which requires an open dialogue. “The sooner this happens, the better,” the Russian president concluded.

The process of settling the intra-Ukrainian conflict “still stalls”, and all efforts and contacts at the level of advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Four countries and consultations with foreign partners do not help, he stated. “Kyiv does not comply with the Minsk agreements and, in particular, categorically refuses direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, essentially sabotages the implementation of agreements on amending the constitution, on the special status of Donbass, local elections and amnesty – on all key issues of the Minsk agreements,” Putin stressed.

In Kiev, they still do not agree to negotiate with Donetsk and Lugansk: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky the day before again called the dialogue with the DPR and LPR "meaningless." “They just don't do anything. Why waste time on this? They can shoot and get into kindergarten, school. This is what they decide, ”the politician explained in an interview with RBC Ukraine his unwillingness to sit down at the negotiating table.

Zelensky added that he expects direct negotiations with Moscow and does not want to communicate with "intermediaries". “I am the president of Ukraine, why should I sit down with the militants at the negotiating table?” - he said.

The Ukrainian leader also criticized the Minsk agreements. In his opinion, they were originally "mediocrely composed" and put Kiev in a losing position. He suggested that Russia and the United States develop a "global security document" that would include "three-four-five points on the security" of Ukraine.

Waiting for an "invasion"

Since the beginning of 2022, Western politicians, intelligence and the media have been warning about the impending invasion of the Russian military into Ukraine. US President Joe Biden, during a conversation with the leaders of allied countries, even called the exact date of the attack - February 16. Allegations of a hypothetical attack are still being heard.

“To be honest, I just didn’t pay attention to it, there are a lot of stuffing. Constantly responding to them is more expensive for yourself,” Putin answered a journalist’s question about how he “survived the invasion.”

The press secretary of the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier that the president sometimes jokingly asks to know if the exact time of the start of the war is published somewhere. According to the Kremlin representative, it is impossible for the West to treat such "manic informational madness" with understanding.

Following the talks with Lukashenka, Putin once again stressed that the joint exercises of Russia and Belarus "Allied Resolve - 2022", the period of which coincided with the predicted dates of the "attack", did not threaten anyone. “These exercises are purely defensive in nature,” he said. “At these events, there are a lot of representatives, attachés of foreign countries who are watching the events with their own eyes,” the president added, adding that the plan and goals of the maneuvers were announced in advance.

Back to news » Back to news »

Conflict escalates

The situation in Donbas worsened on Thursday, February 17th. The self-proclaimed LNR and the Armed Forces of Ukraine accused each other of shelling. According to the DPR, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used 82 mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms.

Donetsk warns that Kiev-controlled troops will launch an offensive soon. Since February 18, a mass exodus of the population of Donbass to Russia has been organized in connection with the danger of Ukraine unleashing hostilities.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev is not planning an offensive and is counting on a diplomatic settlement of the situation.

According to the UN, more than 13,000 people have become victims of the conflict in Donbass over the past eight years, and about 44,000 others have suffered.

bbabo.Net