May 24, 2024 14:32 GMT
UKRAINE: FM Slams Putin Truce Talk; Claims He Seeks To Derail Peace Summit
UKRAINE
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hits back at suggestions made in a Reuters article that according to its sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to a ceasefire if Russia retains the territory it has taken during the invasion so far. Posts on X: "Why are Russian "sources" suddenly telling the media that Putin is willing to halt the war at the current battle lines? It’s simple. Putin is desperately trying to derail the Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15–16."
- Kuleba: "Putin currently has no desire to end his aggression against Ukraine. Only the principled and united voice of the global majority can force him to choose peace over war. This is what the Peace Summit is intended to achieve."
- The foreign ministers comments comes as the northeastern city of Kharkiv reels from a Russian missile barrage on 23 May, which killed seven, with a further 28 wounded. The Ukrainian military claims that Russian troops have "got completely bogged down in street battles for Vovchansk", the main focal point of the recent Russian military incursion into the north of Ukraine.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the city of Kharkiv earlier today to discuss the situation in the towns and villages close to the border. Ukraine has had to divert manpower from the main frontlines in the Donbas to shore up its defences in the north, risking leaving other areas exposed.
Map of Russian Advance in Kharkiv Oblast
Source: Institute for the Study of War, AEI Critical Threats Project, OSM, AFP
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