Russia ready for talks once Ukraine Army stops fighting, says Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

According to Lavrov, "nobody intends to occupy Ukraine". Despite widespread evidence of damage to residential areas, he denied Ukrainian claims that Russian forces had targeted civilian infrastructure.

Team Newsable

Moscow, First Published Feb 25, 2022, 4:29 PM IST | Last Updated Feb 25, 2022, 5:41 PM IST

Russia is ready for talks once the Ukrainian army ceases fighting and surrenders its arms, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He said, "We are ready for negotiations at any time, as soon as the armed forces of Ukraine respond to our call and lay down their arms". Lavrov stated that Putin's operation's goal was "openly declared: demilitarisation and de-Naziification."

According to the Ukrainian army, Russian forces are approaching Kyiv from the north and northeast. In the early hours of Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a major military operation in Ukraine.

This comes after Lavrov stated that Moscow would like to "Ukraine must be liberated from oppression". Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to launch a "special military operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine so that, liberated from oppression, Ukrainians could freely determine their own future."

On Thursday, Russia announced the destruction of more than 70 military targets, including 11 Ukrainian airfields. "74 Ukrainian military ground facilities were destroyed as a result of strikes carried out by Russian armed forces," said Igor Konashenkov, a defence ministry spokesman. The destroyed facilities included 11 airfields, three command posts, and 18 radar stations for the S-300 and Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems, according to him.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, vowed on Friday to stay in Kyiv as his forces fought Russian invaders who have been advancing into the capital since World War II. Russia launched an invasion by land, air, and sea on Thursday, following President Vladimir Putin's declaration of war. Following explosions and gunfire in major cities, approximately 100,000 people fled. Several dozens of people have been killed, according to reports.

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