RUSSIA BLOWS UP CHANCE AT PEACE
The latest round of peace talks in the Ukraine war ended in farce as Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conceded 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.
However 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.
“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,” Mr Kuleba said, adding no agreement had been reached and Ukraine would never surrender.
He said the “apocalyptic” onslaught of civilians by Russia 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.
Mr Lavrov said he did not believe the conflict would go nuclear and dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as “pathetic shrieks” from Russia’s enemies.
He said the maternity hospital struck by Russian rockets had been seized by farright fighters as a base and was not a hospital, despite images 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 capital Kyiv and further bombing of other cities.
Their progress was not clear but a Ukrainian military drone captured the moment a column of Russian T-72 tanks and armoured vehicles was caught in an ambush on the eastern outskirts of the city, with some forced to turn back.
Intercepted radio transmissions appeared to reveal the regimental commander of the column was killed.
Meanwhile, Moscow moved to retaliate against Western sanctions with some of their own including the export of medical, auto, electrical and agricultural goods, a ban on foreign ships at their ports and temporarily stopping grain and sugar exports to former Soviet allies.
Mr Putin warned Western sanctions would send world food prices soaring but would make Russia stronger than ever, despite the World Bank saying both Russia and its ally Belarus were nearly bankrupt.
Mariupol residents have become so desperate some have fought each other for food during Russia’s siege of the Ukrainian city, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
“People started to attack each other for food. People started to ruin someone’s car to take the gasoline out,” said Mariupol-based ICRC representative Sasha Volkov.
“Many have no water at all for drinking. All the shops and pharmacies were looted four to five days ago.
“Some people still have food but I’m not sure for how long it will last. Many people report having no food for children.”