Putin made his statements in a speech to parliament, which was also broadcast on Russian state television. He also spoke out about possible peace negotiations. “We do not reject peace talks. But those who reject them now should know that the further the (conflict) goes, the harder it becomes to reach an agreement with us.”
‘Not even started’
According to Putin, the West has failed in its “new attempt to subdue Russia” after “decades of extreme aggression against Russia” led by the United States. Putin also threatened that Russia “hasn’t even started yet.”
He called the war in Ukraine ‘the beginning of the transition to a multipolar world’. In other words, the West no longer has a say in the world. This would also be apparent from the effects of the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia. “The sanctions are causing us trouble, but not on the scale we intended.”
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In eastern Ukraine, meanwhile, fighting continues unabated. Several people were killed and injured in shelling yesterday, according to Ukrainian authorities. Three people died in the Kharkiv region, five others were injured. “The enemy is sneaky and targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure,” said a regional commander.
Civilian targets hit
In Kramatorsk and Avdiivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, two people died and eight people were injured, authorities said. Regional Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said the Russians only hit civilian targets. Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk said one was killed and 11 injured in Ukrainian attacks. All posts cannot be independently verified.
Moscow is now focusing on the eastern Donbas region and has focused mainly on the Donetsk region in recent days, with Luhansk almost entirely in Russian hands. Luhansk Governor Sergei Gaidai says fighting continues in the outer districts there, even after the recent fall of the region’s last major city (Lischansk).
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