Selenskyj: Russia does not want to negotiate – the night update without photos “Intensive exchange” between Xi Jinping and Olaf Scholz in Beijing

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees no willingness on the part of Moscow to negotiate a possible end to the war of aggression against his country. Russia sends tens or hundreds of thousands of people to fight; But if you want to negotiate, don’t let people die in the “meat grinder,” Zelensky said Friday evening in his daily video message broadcast from Kiev.

“We are now ready for a peace, a fair and just peace. We have explained the formula for this many times before,’ says Zelenskyj. Above all, under UN law, Russia must respect Ukraine’s borders and its territorial integrity.

The Ukrainian head of state accused Russia of misleading everyone with the negotiations for an end to the conflict that it recently offered to foreign interlocutors. Moscow has declared that the partial mobilization is over. “But the truth is that Russia continues to gather people in its regions and in our occupied territories to let them die,” he said.

Zelenskyy had repeatedly called for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory as a condition of peace negotiations. Moreover, he now said that Russia must take responsibility for the terror against Ukraine. The country must punish war criminals and compensate the damage, he demanded.

Referring to Russia’s partial mobilization of more than 300,000 reservists and volunteers for the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said the heaviest fighting in Donbass is currently centered around the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region. “We’re holding the positions.” Russia has already lost thousands of soldiers there. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will fight until it fully restores its original state borders. “Ukraine will be free.”

Biden’s national security adviser for talks in Kiev

In Kiev, Zelenskyy thanked Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, for supporting Washington with money, weapons and ammunition in the fight against Russia. Sullivan traveled unannounced to the Ukrainian capital. During political talks, he promised Kiev “the unwavering support” of his country, a spokeswoman said Friday. Accordingly, it also confirmed its readiness to provide further economic and humanitarian assistance.

A new US$400 million military aid package made available to Ukraine on Friday was also discussed. The visit came at an interesting moment: during the US election campaign, Republicans recently threatened that the party could curb aid to Ukraine if it won the Congressional election on November 8 in the US House of Representatives.

The highest-ranking Republican in the House of Commons, Kevin McCarthy, had said so openly. US President Biden then expressed his “concern”: Republicans do not understand how far-reaching and severe such a blockade would be, he warned. “It’s about much more than Ukraine. It’s about Eastern Europe. It’s about NATO,” he said. According to Ukrainian media, Sullivan said during his visit that aid will continue regardless of the outcome of the election.

In his video address, Zelenskyy also thanked the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven Industrial Nations (G7), meeting in Munster, for their support of Ukraine against the Russian aggressor. The group, which includes Germany, the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada, has agreed on a coordination mechanism to help rebuild the country’s energy infrastructure, it said. Russia has recently shot at power plants, among other things, destroying the power supply in many cities.

What will be important on Saturday

In the Ukrainian city of Kherson, which was occupied by Russian troops, authorities again urged people to flee. In Moscow, Moscow Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin said the evacuation of the city of Kherson was necessary so that people would not be endangered by hostilities. “Of course those living in Kherson must now leave the zone of dangerous actions,” Putin said.

According to official figures, 80,000 people have already left the Kherson region. Ukraine speaks of kidnapping people. In the disputed parts of the region, an additional 170,000 people are said to have remained who have so far not been willing or able to flee. According to unverifiable information from the Russian Defense Ministry, about 5,000 people are taken to safety across the Dnipro River in boats and over a pontoon bridge every day. The evacuation is expected to continue on Saturday.

Kherson is the only regional capital Kiev lost control of after the Russian invasion in late March. In September, the area was annexed by Russia after a mock referendum, and no country recognizes this violation of international law. The Ukrainian army has been conducting an offensive to liberate the region for weeks. (sda/dpa)