Mitt Romney was upset Vladimir Putin on Sunday as a “wild” and “evil” man as the Russian leader continues his attack on Ukraine as President Vladimir Green reaffirmed that the nations are ready for peace talks.
“John McCain was right. He said he had looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and seen the KGB, “Romney said of a previous description of the Russian leader by the late Senator John McCain.
“This is what we see – a small, evil man with wild eyes, who is trying to shape the world in the image in which Russia will be an empire again,” Utah republican the senator added.
Zelensky said Kiev and Moscow will hold peace talks on the border with Belarus – even when Putin ordered the forces in charge of Russia’s nuclear deterrence to be vigilant amid boiling tensions with the West.
The Ukrainian president’s office has announced that his delegation and Putin’s delegation will meet “without preconditions” near the Pripyat River, north of Chernobyl, in a deal reached during a telephone conversation with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
“Alexander Lukashenko has taken the responsibility to ensure that all aircraft, helicopters and missiles stationed in Belarus remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travels, talks and return,” the statement said.
Republican Sen. Rob Portman warned that Ukraine “must be careful” in Belarus’ talks.
Senator Mitt Romney pitted Vladimir Putin on Sunday for being “a small, evil man with wild eyes”
Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) burns to the body of a soldier during a battle between Russian and Ukrainian ground forces in Kharkov, Ukraine on Sunday, February 27
“Belarus is the place where the Russians wanted to hold the meeting,” he told NBC Meet the Press on Sunday morning. “Belarus is helping and supporting the Russian attack.”
Romney sat down with The Atlantic for an interview published Sunday and said: “President Zelensky is one of the bravest people of our century. He is the face of good, and Putin is the face of evil.
In a televised address, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said peace talks had been convened after Belarus prepared its forces to join the Russian invasion.
“Today we were so close to the entry of the Belarusian armed forces into the war. That is why President Zelensky and President Lukashenko spoke today, “he said in a statement.
“We need to defend our northern flank and we need to minimize the threats coming from there. That is why we agreed to send a delegation to the place on the border between Ukraine and Belarus and go there to hear what Russia has to say.
“We are going there without prior agreement on what the outcome of these negotiations could be. “We are going there to say what we think about this war and Russia’s actions,” he added.
Vladimir Zelensky (left) reaffirmed that talks between Kiev and Moscow on Sunday would take place on the border with Belarus – as Vladimir Putin (right) ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces to be on alert amid heightened tensions with West
Kuleba said Belarus had assured Ukraine that Belarusian military force would not be used against Kiev while negotiations were under way, but he insisted that the Ukrainian military would continue to “fiercely defend” the country from Russian attacks in the meantime.
“I think the fact that Russia wants to speak without any preconditions or ultimatums, without any demands on Ukraine, is already a victory for Ukraine,” he added.
This came when Putin announced in his own televised address that he had ordered troops to act with nuclear deterrence to introduce a “special duty regime” in light of “aggressive statements” by NATO leaders and “hostile economic action”.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit against Russia in The Hague, with Mr Zelensky asking the UN International Court of Justice to order Russia to stop its attack on Ukraine and launch trials soon.
Earlier today, in a speech marking Russia’s Special Forces Day, Putin thanked soldiers for “heroically fulfilling their military duty” in Ukraine before reiterating his propaganda line that his armies were helping the People’s Republics of Ukraine. Donbass “- targeting two rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine that Russia recognized as independent states before the invasion.
“I want to thank the command, the personnel of the special operations forces, the veterans of the special forces for their loyalty to the oath, for their impeccable service in the name of the people of Russia and our great homeland,” he said.
Russian forces stormed Ukraine’s second-largest city, Ukraine, today after failing in a night-long effort to take control of the capital, Kiev.
However, reports in Ukraine show that troops have successfully repulsed a Russian offensive near Kharkov, which is close to Russia’s border, with a British reporter on the ground confirming that the city remains under Ukrainian control despite the attack this morning.