Putin can’t dictate peace in war he ‘won’t win’: Scholz
Agencies
DAVOS/KYIV: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be allowed to dictate peace in a war that he “will not win” in Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday.
Putin has “already failed in all his strategic aims”, the German leader told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Russia’s plan to capture all of Ukraine is “further away today than it was at the beginning” of its invasion on February 24 as Ukraine put up an impressive defence.
Putin “underestimated” the “resolve and strength” of allies in countering his aggression in Ukraine, said Scholz, noting that Moscow has also now pushed Finland and Sweden to join the Nato defence alliance.
“Our goal is crystal clear Putin must not win this war. And I am convinced that he will not win it,” said the German chancellor.
Scholz, who has spoken several times with the Russian leader on the phone since Moscow’s invasion, said “Putin will only seriously negotiate peace when he realises that he cannot break Ukraine’s defences”.
And Western allies, who have been arming Ukraine and imposing heavy sanctions on Russia, will continue their backing for Kyiv, he pledged.
“It is a matter of making it clear to Putin that there will be no dictated peace,” said Scholz.
“Ukraine will not accept that and neither will we.”
Russian shelling kills at least seven in Kharkiv
Russian shelling killed at least seven civilians and wounded 17
After taking control of the southern city of Mariupol, Russian forces are trying to surround Ukrainian troops in the east. Here’s what you need to know in the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, local authorities said.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, had been relatively quiet since Ukrainian forces regained territory around it and pushed back Russian troops this month, enabling the authorities to reopen the city metro network.
But Russia appears to have halted its retreat and a Reuters correspondent in Kharkiv said repeated explosions could be heard on Thursday as Russian forces dug in and maintained control of positions in villages north of the city. “It’s too early to relax,” Kharkiv region governor Oleh Synehubov said, reporting heavy fighting to the north and northeast of the city. “The enemy is again insidiously hitting the civilian population, terrorising them.”
115 Russian guards fired for refusing to fight
A Russian court confirmed the dismissal of 115 national guardsmen who challenged their sacking after refusing to take part in Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
The case appears to be the first official confirmation of soldiers refusing to join Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine that was launched on February 24. A military court in Russia’s southern Kabardino-balkaria republic said on Wednesday it examined the “necessary documents” and questioned officials of the National Guard, a domestic security force separate from the Russian army.
Moscow expects Kyiv to meet its demands
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Moscow expected Kyiv to meet its demands, adding that Ukraine needed to have an awareness of the situation for peace talks to take place. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was reacting to comments by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who this week suggested at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Ukraine should let Russia keep Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Moscow is demanding that Ukraine acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise breakaway Russian-backed parts of eastern Ukraine as independent states, among other demands. Ukraine categorically disagrees with Russia’s claims.
Russia ready to help overcome food crisis
Moscow is ready to make a “significant contribution” to averting a looming food crisis if the West lifts sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone call with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
“Vladimir Putin emphasises that the Russian Federation is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of grain and fertiliser, subject to the lifting of politically motivated restrictions by the West,” the Kremlin said in a statement.