Nearly two months since launching its “special military operations” in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Friday the war could end in the "foreseeable future" as its aims were being achieved and work was being carried out by both the Russian military and peace negotiators.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow understood the pressure put on countries that had tried to adopt a balanced approach to vote in favour of the suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). His comments came a day after the UN General Assembly suspended Russia from the UNHRC over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in the east European nation.
The UNGA voted in favour by two-thirds to remove Russia from the global rights body. The resolution moved by the United States had 93 countries voting in its favour, 24 votes against it and 57 abstentions. India was among the countries that abstained from voting on the resolution.
A vote on whether or not to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council had taken place after the US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield made a case for seeking the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council in front of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}A vote on whether or not to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council had taken place after the US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield made a case for seeking the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council in front of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Also read | ‘Russia, an evil with no limits’: Zelenskyy on east Ukraine rocket attack
The war between Russia and Ukraine entered its 44th day on Friday. Dozens were killed after a rocket attacked a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Thirty-nine people were killed, including four children, AFP quoted Ukraine's SBU security service as saying. This is being said to be one of the deadliest strikes of the six-week-old war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 300 people were injured in the strike saying it showed "evil with no limits".
Russia said it was not responsible for the attack. "All statements by representatives of the Kyiv nationalist regime about the 'rocket attack' allegedly carried out by Russia on April 8 at the railway station in the city of Kramatorsk are a provocation and are absolutely untrue," the country's defence ministry said in a statement
(With agency inputs)