The Kremlin assured this Wednesday that negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv would continue despite the accusation of “war crimes”.” in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, which Russia flatly opposes.
(Read: Russia: West to announce more sanctions after massacre of civilians in Ukraine)
“The work goes on. There is still a long way to go,” said the spokesman for the Russian Council Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, at his daily press conference. Peskov recalled the words of the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who said on Tuesday that Bucha’s “gathering” was taking place just as “some light” finally appeared in the negotiations with Kyiv.
(He’s interested: Zelensky calls on the world to act to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine)
Nevertheless, the Kremlin spokesman assured that the work is going on, even if it is developing “slower” than Moscow would like. Peskov also reiterated that the Russian withdrawal from some areas of northern Ukraine, including the Kyiv region, is a step towards creating more favorable conditions for the negotiation process.
The Kremlin assured this Tuesday that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin agreed to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyystressed, however, that “such a meeting will only be possible after agreement has been reached on the final document of the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.”
Zelenskyj also advocated continuing the talks despite the events in Bucha. “The easiest thing would be to interrupt the negotiations,” said the Ukrainian head of state.
New sanctions package
After everything we have experienced in Ukraine and what the Russian troops have done, I cannot tolerate indecisiveness.
Western countries announce new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday following the discovery of numerous civilian bodies in Bucha, although punitive measures remain insufficient for the Ukrainian authorities preparing to defend the east of the country, which has become Moscow’s main target.
After several packages of measures in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the United States, in coordination with the European Union and the G7, are planning new sanctions against Russia aimed in particular at preventing new investments in that country.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ireland’s parliament on Wednesday that some EU leaders were “indecisive” and called on the EU to take even tougher action.
A Ukrainian soldier stands next to a body lying on a street in Bucha.
Photo:
EFE/EPO/OLEG PETRASYUK
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian President called on the UN Security Council to act “immediately” against Russia over its “war crimes,” which he said Russia had committed. “They dismembered them, cut their throats, raped the women and killed them in front of their children,” Zelenskyy told the UN.
Ukraine is hoping that the Europeans will impose stronger sanctions on energy supplies, although the effects of the measures already decided are being felt in Russia.
The European Union will “sooner or later” have to impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas, said EU Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday.
Ukraine will also be on the agenda of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, where they will discuss the needs of Ukraine’s armed forces.
“I don’t want to give details but the supply of anti-tank weapons and air defense systems is under consideration“, said the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg. Although Ukraine is not a member of NATO, nothing prevents it from providing assistance.
The Russian refusal
Russia has denied any allegations of abuse and accuses the Ukrainian authorities of preparing “stagings” to condemn and punish the Russian government.
The Kremlin denies killing civilians and claims that the images of Bucha and other locations are montages made by Ukrainian forces or that the deaths occurred after Russian troops withdrew.
This version “is untenable,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebesrei, given the fact that the satellite images support it. Satellite images taken when the city was under Russian control appear to show bodies lying on the streets, where they were later found by Ukrainian forces and journalists.
“The latest news about the war in Ukraine (…) shows new atrocities, such as the Bucha massacre, [muestran] appalling cruelty, Pope Francis said Wednesday. For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the civilian deaths in Bucha “do not appear to be far from genocide”.
“This is a targeted campaign of killing, torturing, raping and committing atrocities,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The information and images about Bucha “are deeply disturbing,” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian.
The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday on a motion by Western countries to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.
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