In the midst of a violent fight in the east, Zelensky wants "direct talks" with Putin
Key Takeaways:
- On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he is willing to engage in "direct negotiations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Ukraine's fundamental viewpoint is that it has sovereignty over areas occupied by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
As peace discussions have been stopped since March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Tuesday that he is ready for "direct talks" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president was quoted by the news agency AFP as stating, "There was nobody else to talk to but him."
Meanwhile, Russia claims control of 97% of one of the 2 provinces that make up Ukraine's Donbas, moving it closer to its objective of seizing all of eastern Ukraine. Just days after the invasion, Putin signed a proclamation recognizing the independence of two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
On the other hand, Ukraine maintains its primary position that it holds sovereignty over areas taken by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
The most important aspects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict
1. According to a Bloomberg article citing the Ukrainian army's General Staff, Russian forces began their onslaught in the separatist Donetsk area on Wednesday. "Reports of intense bombardment near Izyum (a city near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine) suggest Russia is prepared to redouble its efforts in the northern axis," the UK Ministry of Defense said in a tweet.
2. According to Bloomberg, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated yesterday that Moscow's forces had controlled 97% of the land of Luhansk, one of two regions at the center of Vladimir Putin's campaign. Russia has been attempting to take the whole Donbas, which includes the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk, on behalf of rebel proxies.
3. According to Reuters, Ukraine's intelligence agency announced that Russia returned 210 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, mostly from the once-besieged Azovstal steel complex in Mariupol's harbor city. As Russia attempted to conquer the city, Ukrainians were cooped up in the Azovstal steelworks for weeks. Last month, the Ukrainian soldiers surrendered and were brought into Russian captivity.
4. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal for more armaments to fight invading forces on Tuesday. He told a British daily publication, "We are inferior regarding equipment, and hence we are not capable of progressing." "We're going to lose more people, and that's my top focus."
5. When asked about the suspension of discussions with Russia since late March, Zelensky stated that Ukraine's position has not changed. He stated that he believes the war should be terminated through negotiations. According to the news agency AFP, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also declared that he was ready for direct discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating "nobody else to talk to" but Putin.