The past two days saw reports of “progress made” in ongoing Ukraine-Russia ceasefire talks, but a Kremlin spokesman shot that down as “wrong” while still affirming that discussions are continuing Thursday.
Wednesday afternoon saw for the first time Presdient Biden when asked by a reporter call Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”. Peskov weighed in on the provocative words, saying this characterization was “unforgiveable”. And according to Bloomberg:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Financial Times report of substantial progress in talks with Ukraine was “wrong” but that the discussions will continue on Thursday. He blamed Kyiv for dragging its feet on negotiations, saying Ukraine’s government was “in no rush.” Ukraine dismissed the Financial Times report on Wednesday, saying significant issues remained.
“I don’t know if they are already underway but they are expected [to take place] on various tracks,” Peskov said of Thursday talks. He said contacts are expected to be held today,” according to state media.
“Our delegation, led by [Presidential Aide Vladimir] Medinsky, maintains contact with experts and government agencies, it’s ready to work around the clock, it has made its willingness clear. Unfortunately, we don’t see similar enthusiasm from the Ukrainian side,” the spokesman added. Zelensky himself acknowledged negotiations as “fairly difficult” while the Kremlin said it’s ready to reach peace but “on our terms” – meaning it’s still seeking a military solution on the ground in Ukraine.
Further Zelensky said the following in a US media interview:
Zelensky says Russia has crossed “all the red lines”: Asked in an NBC interview on Wednesday if a chemical attack by Russia would be a red line that would prompt the US to become more actively involved in combat, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “I believe that Russians have already crossed all the red lines when they started shelling civilians.” Russia has already killed more than 100 children, Zelensky said, adding: “I don’t understand the meaning of red lines. What else should we wait for? For letting Russians kill 200, 300 or 400 children?”
Coming off Zelensky’s Tuesday address to Canadian parliament, and Wednesday speech to US Congress – wherein he urged a no-fly zone in both – the Ukrainian leader addressed Germany parliament on Thursday, delivering a similar message, while invoking Holocaust imagery and references. This also as the Group of Seven foreign ministers hold a virtual meeting to discuss the crisis.
US intelligence is being cited in Thursday reports to say Russia has suffered huge military losses, though the allegation is unconfirmed…
Further Bloomberg details of the battlefield situation that “Ukraine’s military said Russian strikes continued on infrastructure sites and on densely populated areas of cities. But it said the Kremlin’s forces remain bogged down on the ground.” However, “Russia said its troops were advancing through the town of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region in the east.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has castigated Western press reports for what she described as a “distorted picture” of the reality of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. She also said Moscow is not seeking to remove Ukraine’s statehood.
“Let me stress once again what both the Western mass media and the Western establishment refuse to see: this operation is not targeted at the civilian population. It does not pursue the aim of seizing the country’s territory, ruining its statehood or ousting the current president. We keep saying this again and again,” she described to a news briefing.
Interestingly the statement constituted among the clearest denials so far that Russia is seeking full regime change in Kiev, also amid conjecture that it will seek a permanent occupation or even annexation of the country.
“The Western media are forming an absolutely distorted picture of current events. They disinform their own population. They are a propaganda tool in the hands of their politicians,” Zakharova said.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports amid speculation over whether or not Moscow made its dollar bond interest payment in rubles, “Russia’s Finance Ministry said a $117 million interest payment due on two dollar bonds had been made to Citibank in London amid mounting speculation that the country is heading for a default. Russia had until the end of business Wednesday to honor the coupons on the two notes. The ruble gained for a sixth day in Moscow trading, while the country’s stock market remains shut.”
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All Ukrainian forces are surrounded, and just waiting to be finished off, but Putin ordered minimal civilian casualties and infrastructure damage…meanwhile, many US weapons being sent to the Ukraine are being seized by the Russians…. per Col. McGregor
Good source for information not tainted by MSM whores.
The Architects of Our Present Disaster
Throughout Vladimir Putin’s political career he has watched as American foreign policy has run amuck in the world like a bull in a china shop. He has learned how our leaders operate and understands the treachery of which they are capable. Libya is a good example. Colonel Gaddafi had been cooperating with the United States. He shut down his nuclear program, gave up his weapons of mass destruction, and began opening his country and economy to the world. By 2008, U.S. military leaders were calling Libya a top U.S. ally in combating transnational terrorism…
When the Arab Spring dawned in 2011, violent protests broke out in Libya, spearheaded by radical groups covertly armed by the United States and its allies, and the government tried to quell the rebellion and restore order. The restoration of order was deemed heavy-handed by the United States and NATO and thus the pretext for intervention was established. NATO began intervention by establishing a no-fly zone over Libya, which quickly turned into a bombing and cruise missile campaign against military installations and civilian infrastructure.
Colonel Gaddafi’s reward for cooperating with the American government was to be sodomized with a bayonet on the way to his mob execution. Rather than expressing regret or even responding with a modicum of discretion, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton crowed, “We came, we saw, he died.” Vice President Joe Biden echoed her sentiments, “Whether he’s alive or dead, he’s gone. The people of Libya have gotten rid of a dictator. NATO got it right.”…
The message the Libya episode sent to governments around the world was clear: You can do everything the Americans ask but there is still an excellent chance that they will put a knife in your back. It became painfully obvious that American foreign policy had become completely divorced from any rational aims. From that point on, Putin began actively working against American interventionism, most notably in Syria with his support for the government of President Assad in its fight against rebels and terrorist groups like ISIS, many of whom were trained and armed by the U.S. government. As Russia drifted further from the West, the U.S. government’s antagonism towards Russia further increased. The next target for a color revolution would be Ukraine.
Brandon calling Putin a “war criminal” is like Frankenstein calling Dracula a murderer.
Ukraiians don’t need any more help from USA or NATO. All the reports I’ve seen say the Russians are getting their asses kicked and the draftees are on the verge of mutiny. Hell, next week the Ukrainians will be knocking on the gates of Moscow.
You forgot the /sarc. LOL