Moscow is ready to negotiate with the leadership of Ukraine on the neutral status of this country and the refusal to place weapons on its territory, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“The President ( Putin – IF ) formulated his vision of what we would expect from Ukraine in order for the conceptual” red-linear “problems to be resolved. This is a neutral status, this is a refusal to deploy weapons,” he clarified. “Here is the question, Is the leadership of Ukraine ready for this?
To a clarifying question whether Russia is now ready to talk with the leadership of Ukraine on this topic, Peskov said: “If the leadership of Ukraine is ready to talk about it.”
Putin announced the start of a military operation in Ukraine, the purpose of which is to liberate the people of the country from the “anti-people junta”. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia.
Peskov explained that it is not a war that is going on in Ukraine, but a special operation, the purpose of which is the denazification of the country and demilitarization in the interests of Russia’s security.
Lithuania and Moldova — two countries bordering Ukraine — are introducing a state of emergency, their presidents said Thursday.
“Today I will sign a decree on introducing the state of emergency, which will passed by the Parliament in an extraordinary session,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said in an address on Thursday morning.
He called Russia’s actions “unprovoked military aggression” which threaten “millions of innocent lives and undermines the foundations of international order.”
The president has reiterated that “Lithuania is safe” as a part of NATO and said the Baltic state would consider further sanctions on Belarus over its involvement.
Moldova, which is not a part of NATO, is ready to accept the thousands of people feeling from Ukraine, said President Maia Sandu.“We will help people who need our help and support,” she said on Thursday.
