Worrying reports: Russians might have pointed multiple rocket-launching systems in the Russian border village of Popovka towards their own territory. Knowing the barbaric nature of Russian actions we fear a false flag operation might be prepared in order to accuse Ukraine.— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 3, 2022
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Russia Describes “Hot War” With West To Settle “Post-Soviet Space” Once & For All; Zelensky Urges Direct Putin Meeting
Update(1138amET): The second round of Ukraine-Russia talks are underway, with a “ceasefire” possibility on the table - however this is unlikely given what both sides communicated to Macron prior to the meeting as to their demands. On the one hand Zelensky has said he will not negotiate with “a gun to his head” - and on the other Putin has reaffirmed his military objectives of the “neutralization” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Macron expressed dismay after the 90-minute phone call, saying Russia’s objectives appear to be a complete takeover of the country.
“The Russian delegation was led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who said that the Russian delegation was ready to speak with the Ukrainian side for as long as it may take to reach agreements,” according to state-run TASS. While talks were underway, President Zelensky issued a statement saying that he’s willing to sit down to direct talks with Putin. He called this “the only way to stop the war,” according to AFP.
Also on Thursday the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Naryshkin, issued a series of bombshell statements which may reveal Moscow’s broader aims in the war concerning how Russia’s sees its ultimate security aims.
Naryshkin said that “for us this is no longer a Cold War with the West but a hot war,” according to Interfax. He said in the rare statement that “Russia now has a real chance to put an end to the war that has been waged in the Post-Soviet space for the past 30 years” - as also quoted in TASS.
He also repeated accusations against Kiev regarding allegations of nuclear weapons. Here’s what he said according to Russian media:
The head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Naryshkin, has stated that the SVR had obtained intelligence showing that Ukraine was working on building its own nuclear weapons. Naryshkin stressed that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s threats to abandon the Budapest Agreement were “not an empty promise”.
Meanwhile, a US defense official has confirmed to news agencies that the Pentagon does not have “boots on the ground” in Ukraine, while also saying that current satellite imagery gathering attempts have been hampered due to poor weather over the region.
And also underscoring that things already look grim in terms of what’s practically achievable during the attempts to negotiate a ceasefire...