Vladimir Putin has called for immediate talks on granting "statehood" to southeast Ukraine as pro-Russian forces intensify their assault on Ukrainian cities.
Negotiations for a ceasefire between Ukraine and its separatists are continuing in Belarus, with Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urging Ukraine to withdraw troops from its own territories.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Days ago, Putin compared the Ukrainian government to Nazis and warned the West: "Don't mess with us."
Speaking yesterday on state TV, Putin said talks should focus "not just on technical issues but on the political organisation of society and statehood in southeastern Ukraine". He said Moscow could not stand by while people were shot "almost at point blank".
The president's latest intervention comes after pro-Russian rebels last week achieved a string of successes. On Saturday they were accused of killing hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and taking dozens more prisoner. In the first naval attack of what seems to be a nascent civil war, a Ukrainian vessel in the Azov sea was fired on yesterday.
While Russia denies supporting the rebels, Nato insists that the latest gains are on the back of "more and more overt" military assistance, including the deployment of more than 1,000 troops with heavy weaponry and armoured vehicles. Russia is thought by many observers to have supplied the rockets which downed MH17.
BBC news says Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has demanded that Ukraine pull back troops from its own territory in order to negotiate an "immediate ceasefire". He said troops "must leave positions from which they can harm the civilian population".
-
‘The menu’s other highlights smack of the surreal’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Education: More Americans say college isn’t worth itfeature College is costly and job prospects are vanishing
-
One great cookbook: ‘More Than Cake’the week recommends The power of pastry brought to inspired life
-
Europe sets 2027 deadline to wean itself from Russian gasIN THE SPOTLIGHT As negotiators attempt to end Russia’s yearslong Ukraine invasion, lawmakers across the EU agree to uncouple gas consumption from Moscow’s petrochemical infrastructure
-
Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
The $100mn scandal undermining Volodymyr ZelenskyyIn the Spotlight As Russia continues to vent its military aggression on Ukraine, ‘corruption scandals are weakening the domestic front’
-
Trump pushes new Ukraine peace planSpeed Read It involves a 28-point plan to end the war
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
