[ad_1]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly blamed Ukraine and its Western allies for the absence of talks to end a war that has been raging for about 10 months without any end in sight.
What Happened: Putin expressed Russia’s willingness to negotiate with all parties regarding a resolution for the Ukraine war in an interview with the Rossiya-1 state TV, South China Morning Post reported Sunday, citing Tass.
“It’s not we who refuse negotiations, but they are. We are ready to negotiate with all the participants in the process about some acceptable outcomes, but this is their business,” the Russian president reportedly said.
Russia has been striving to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Ukraine since 2014 but has been forced to stand up for the cause of the people living in eastern Ukraine, Putin said.
He also suggested that Russia is merely defending its interests and hasn’t crossed a dangerous line against Ukraine.
Why It’s Important: The Russia-Ukraine war that began in late February has resulted in large-scale casualties for both countries and has hurt the global economy as well. Amid Western sanctions against Ukraine, European countries are staring at a looming energy crisis that could push the economies deeper into recession.
Russia intensified attacks during Christmas. Russian troops on Saturday killed 10 people and wounded dozens more in an attack on the southern city of Kherson, the report said, citing Ukrainian officials. Several cars and buildings were damaged as well.
On Sunday morning, Russian jets, including ones capable of hypersonic missiles, took off from Belarusian airbases but have since returned, the Morning Post said.
Photo via Shutterstock.
[ad_2]
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.