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Ukraine warns peace talks with Russia in danger of collapse: 10 points
Ukraine war: With the war in its ninth week, Russia and Ukraine have not held face-to-face talks since March 29.
Ukraine has warned that peace talks with Russia were in danger of collapse as a new mass grave was found in Kyiv Oblast, a province near the capital city of Kyiv, according to local media. "The risks that the talks will end are high because of what they (the Russians) have left behind them, the impression that they have a playbook on murdering people," Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted as saying in reports. With the war in its ninth week, the two countries have not held face-to-face talks since March 29. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday hailed the courage of Ukainians as he visited the war-hit nation. "I was moved by the resilience and bravery of the people of Ukraine. My message to them is simple: We will not give up. The UN will redouble its efforts to save lives and reduce human suffering. In this war, as in all wars, the civilians always pay the highest price," he wrote in a tweet.
Here are ten points on the Ukraine war:
1. Moscow is trying to destroy Donbas (a rebel-held region in eastern Ukraine) and "all those who live there," Zelensky said in his latest address on Friday. "The constant brutal bombardments, the constant Russian strikes on infrastructure and residential areas show that Russia wants to empty this territory of all people. Therefore, the defense of our land, the defense of our people, is literally a fight for life," he was quoted as saying in reports.
2. Mariupol, one of the most developed cities in the region, was now a “Russian concentration camp among the ruins," Zelensky said, charging at the Kremlin.
3. Citizens are "begging to be saved in the city of Mariupol," mayor Vadym Boichenko was quoted as saying by news agency AP, as he underlined: "There, it’s not a matter of days. It’s a matter of hours.” The United Nations is trying to broker civilian evacuation in the strategic port city, which has been facing the Russian assault for more than eight weeks now.
4. Amid global punitive measures, Russia's economy is expected to shrink by 10 per cent, its central bank has been quoted as saying in reports.
5. Russia on Friday admitted launching missile strikes in Kyiv during the UN chief's visit. "This says a lot about Russia’s true attitude toward global institutions, about attempts of the Russian leadership to humiliate the U.N. and everything the organization represents,” the Ukrainian president said.
6. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Zelensky would both be attending the G-20 summit in November, Indonesia, the host nation, said on Friday.
7. Explosions were reportedly heard in Russian downtown Belgorod, which is located not far from the border with Ukraine.
8. Kyiv has also dismissed claims by Putin of imperial-style land grab in capturing two eastern Ukrainian provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, which are collectively known as the Donbas.
9. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hopes to pass a $33 billion aid package for Ukraine requested by President Joe Biden "as soon as possible. "I just signed a request to Congress for critical security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to help Ukraine continue to counter Putin’s aggression at a pivotal moment. We need this bill to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom, (sic)" Biden said on Thursday.
10. More than 23,000 Russian troops have been killed in nine weeks of war, according to Kyiv. Meanwhile, according to the UN, over 5 million people have been forced out of their homes.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters, AP)
