The President of Ukraine thanks Russians who continue to fight for the truth and who are not afraid to protest – and sends a special greeting to Marina Ovshannikova.
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She is the editor of the large, pro-regime Russian TV channel Kanal 1 and stole viewers’ attention when she held up a large poster during a live news broadcast.
The poster read in Russian: “Stop the war. Do not believe in propaganda. They’re lying to you. Russians against the war “, according to Sky News.
President Volodomyr Zelensky referred to the Russian woman in her speech Tuesday night:
– I am grateful for the Russians who tell the real facts to friends close and dear. And personally to the lady who walked into the studio of Channel 1 with a poster against the war.
Zelensky alternates between Ukrainian and Russian in tonight’s speech.
– What are you going to die for? I know you want to live, he says to the Russian soldiers in the country.
The President begins the speech in Ukrainian and addresses “the free people of a free Ukraine”. He calls it another difficult day, but adds:
– We are approaching peace for Ukraine.
He justifies this by claiming that Russian soldiers and officers know that they can not win. That they have been surprised by the opposition they have faced.
– They flee the battlefield and leave their equipment, which we use to protect Ukraine. Russia is now one of the suppliers to our army, he says.
On Monday, the Kremlin rejected claims by US intelligence that Russia had asked China for military equipment. Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the country had enough military resources to “to conduct the operation in Ukraine».
Only hours after the speech was it reported several powerful explosions in the capital Kyiv. Talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives resume on Tuesday.
Adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, Oleksiy Arestovich, said late Monday night that he expects the war to end in May, reports the BBC.
– No later than early May. Then we should have a peace agreement in place, he believes.
Arestovich believes Russia will run out of resources it needs to continue its attack on neighboring countries.
– There will either be a peace agreement very soon – within a week or two. With withdrawal and everything. Or Russia will try to scrape together, for example, Syrians in a second round. When we destroy them as well, we will get an agreement in mid or late April, Arestovich estimates optimistically.
– I know you want to live
During the speech, Zelensky switched to Russian and addressed himself directly to Russian soldiers who are already in the country, or who are preparing to enter.
– Russian conscripts, listen carefully to me. Russian officers, you already know this. You can not take anything from Ukraine, it is life you are going to take. But your life will also be taken. What are you going to die for? I know you want to live, he says.
The president claims that through intercepted telephone conversations they know what the Russian soldiers think about the war and what he calls a shame on his state.
– So I give you a choice. A chance, on behalf of the Ukrainians. A chance to live. If you surrender to our strengths, we will treat you the way people should be treated. Like you were not treated in your army. How your army does not treat ours. The choice is yours, says Zelenskyj.
Zelensky refers to Russia as a country that is about to shut itself off from the rest of the world and become a “very large North Korea”.
– You have to fight. You must not lose this chance, he says.
– The whole world sees what is happening
In his speech, he also spends some time talking about meetings he has had with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish President Andrezej Duda and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
– The whole world sees what is happening. Everyone responsible for helping Russia’s war will be affected, he said, referring to new EU sanctions packages.
He also points to the conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett.
Russia has namely opened for negotiations med Ukraina i Jerusalem.
New talks between the parties to the bloody conflict began on Monday morning.
A Russian delegation member, Leonid Slutsky, said on Sunday according to the Russian news agency RIA that it was significant progress and that the parties hope to reach a common position.
The Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoljak believed on Sunday that the talks could lead to results in a few days, writes The Guardian.
Zelenskyj said on Monday that his negotiating team had said that the peace talks with Russia had gone “quite well”, but at the same time shrugged and added:
– But let’s see. It continues tomorrow.
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