Ukraine: No prospect of a ceasefire between the belligerents
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine continues to worry Westerners as a ceasefire remains elusive, according to the UN chief. For its part, Moscow has threatened to hit Ukrainian command centers as the United States prepares to deliver 800 million dollars in weapons.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced on Wednesday that he does not see a ceasefire emerging between Russia and Ukraine despite attempts to mediate.
The man who had pinned his hopes on the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the Briton Martin Griffiths, to convince of the need for de-escalation, indicated that the situation currently did not allow these results to be obtained.
A “general ceasefire” for humanitarian purposes “does not seem possible” currently between Ukraine and Russia, Antonio Guterres said.
“This is what we were calling for, for humanitarian reasons, but it doesn’t seem possible,” he told a press conference, saying he was waiting for responses from Russia to concrete proposals for evacuating civilians and sending humanitarian aid to war zones.
For its part, Russia has threatened to target command centers in kyiv if the strikes by Ukrainian forces on Russia continue.
“We are seeing sabotage attempts and strikes by Ukrainian forces on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.
“If such events continue, strikes will be carried out by the Russian military on decision-making centers, including in kyiv, which the Russian military has refrained from doing so far,” he said. he declared.
For his part, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, continues his talks and discussions with the leaders of the major world powers to obtain ever more heavy weapons. On Wednesday, he had a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden for almost an hour.
The telephone discussion was initiated at the initiative of the American president, and according to the White House, it took place “to keep him (the Ukrainian president, editor’s note) informed of the United States’ continued support” for his country.
Volodymyr Zelensky said for his part that they had “discussed a new military and potentially economic aid plan”, in a message posted on Twitter.
The United States should deliver in the coming days weapons including heavy equipment to Ukraine worth 800 million dollars including helicopters.
“Very effective equipment that we have already delivered” to Ukraine, but also “new capabilities”, which includes in particular “artillery systems” and “armored means of transport”, indicated the American executive. .
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