Russian foreign minister dashes hopes of peace talks progress

THE latest round of peace talks in the Ukraine war have ended in farce with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conceding he had no authority to organise safe passage for civilians let alone a permanent ceasefire.

What was being billed as one of the bloody conflict’s best chances at a ceasefire ended with very little.

Mr Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, faced each other in a sterile conference centre in Antalya in neutral Turkey, for what were the highest-level talks since the war began. But while negotiations were expected to be difficult, no one expected Russia’s top diplomat to admit he had no authority.

The pair attempted to broker at least a 24-hour ceasefire and a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to flee the war, notably in besieged Mariupol but also other cities.

Instead, Mr Lavrov stunned his hosts and opposition, saying he had no mandate to make any deals on anything. Instead he just said Ukraine should surrender to end the violence, and even suggested it was not Russia that had attacked Ukraine but the other way around.

Mr Kuleba said: “I came here with a humanitarian purpose, to walk out of the meeting with a decision to arrange a humanitarian corridor to and from Mariupol,” adding he had failed, with no agreement reached, and said Ukraine would never surrender.

He said the “apocalyptic” onslaught of civilians by Russian bombs, missiles and artillery continued.

“Russia continues to hold more than 400,000 people hostage in Mariupol, blocking humanitarian aid and evacuation; indiscriminate shelling continues,” he said.

So far, 1200 bodies have been retrieved from Mariupol rubble.

Mr Lavrov said he did not believe the conflict would spiral into a nuclear war and dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as “pathetic shrieks” from Russia’s enemies.

The maternity hospital struck by Russian rockets that has revolted the world he said had been seized by far-right fighters as a base and was not a hospital, despite images and videos of the aftermath showing pregnant women and children at the site.

As the foreign ministers met, the Kremlin authorised an advance of Russian troops on the capital, Kyiv, and further bombing of other cities.