Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of employees on Sunday hit again at remarks by Emmanuel Macron by which the French president stated it was necessary to not “humiliate” Russia over the struggle in Ukraine.
In an interview with French regional newspapers on Saturday, Macron stated sustaining dialogue with Vladimir Putin was essential “so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means”.
In a put up on messaging app Telegram on Sunday, as Russian air strikes on Kyiv resumed for the primary time since April, Andriy Yermak responded, saying: “Some countries are proposing not to ‘humiliate’ Russia. At the same time we are being shelled: our cities, people.”
“They are trying to take away our territories . . . And the responsibility for crimes, for the genocide of Ukrainians should be as strict as possible. The aggressor’s responsibility is not humiliation, but justice,” Yermak added.
The French president made related remark in Strasbourg final month, saying a peace settlement would ultimately need to be negotiated between Moscow and Kyiv.
France has been enjoying a go-between position since earlier than Russia’s invasion with Macron holding frequent calls with leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and different international locations. Working with European allies, France’s place has been to help Ukraine militarily and financially, again sanctions in opposition to Russia, and to pursue talks with all concerned.
But Macron has repeatedly stated that any negotiated resolution must be reached between Moscow and Kyiv “by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
The Elysée declined to answer Yermak’s feedback on Sunday. Elsewhere within the interview, Macron stated that he believed Putin had dedicated a “historical and fundamental error” by invading Ukraine and that the Russian chief had “isolated himself”, a place that it could be troublesome for him to get out of.
The assaults on the Ukrainian capital, which native officers stated didn’t declare any lives, got here hours after Russia’s president warned in a state tv interview that Moscow would ramp up assaults if western international locations continued “supplying longer-range missiles” to Ukraine’s military.
“We will strike at objects that we do not touch yet,” Putin stated.
Sunday’s assaults on japanese Kyiv and different Ukrainian cities seemed to be geared toward hitting railway infrastructure, a typical goal together with gas depots of virtually every day Russian missile strikes throughout Ukraine within the months for the reason that Russian full-scale invasion started on February 24.
Experts say the strikes are geared toward disrupting the provision of western weapons flowing into the nation in the direction of entrance traces in far japanese Donbas and southern coastal areas.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of Ukraine’s railway operator, stated there had been no tanks on the facility and that it was used for repairing rail wagons meant for use for exporting grain.
Ukraine is unable to export as much as 20mn tonnes of grain from final yr’s harvest, owing to a Russian blockade of its Black Sea ports, and is frantically attempting to make up for among the provide by rail exports to Europe.
“Their real goal is the economy and the civilian population. They want to cut us off from exporting Ukrainian produce to the west,” Kamyshin wrote on Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry stated in a put up on Telegram that it used air-based long-range high-precision missiles for the strike on Kyiv. It claimed that it destroyed T-72 tanks given to Ukraine by japanese European international locations in addition to different unspecified armoured automobiles the ministry stated have been saved in a automotive restore facility on Kyiv’s outskirts. Ukrainian officers didn’t verify the Russian claims, which it was not potential to confirm.
State atomic energy firm Energoatom stated certainly one of Russia’s cruise missiles fired early on Sunday flew “critically low” over South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant. It is certainly one of 4 nuclear crops working in Ukraine, together with Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is in Russian occupied southern areas.
Artillery battles, in the meantime, continued to rage within the Donbas the place Ukraine claimed its troops had pushed again Russian forces inside the important thing metropolis of Sievierodonetsk.
“The Russians [last week] controlled 70 per cent of Sievierodonetsk, but within two days they were repelled — the city is now divided in half,” stated Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk area.
Sievierodonetsk, which appeared near falling final week, is without doubt one of the final essential cities not but underneath Russian occupation in Luhansk area. Together with Donetsk province, it compromises Ukraine’s japanese Donbas industrial coal mining and metal heartland. Russian forces have for months unsuccessfully tried to encircle Ukrainian forces in Donbas, together with in Donetsk province cities west of Sievierodonetsk.
“Over the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have counter-attacked in the contested city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, likely blunting the operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower,” the UK’s defence ministry’s intelligence unit tweeted on Sunday.
Source: www.ft.com