Ukraine exhibits ‘classic terrorist behavior'
Ukraine is exploiting peace negotiations to extract funds from its Western backers and promote extremism, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
She made the remarks after Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrey Yermak reposted a stylized image of Vladimir Zelensky looking at the iconic Kremlin wall engulfed in flames. 'Nicely drawn,' Yermak wrote under the image, which was captioned with a line from a famous Soviet World War II-era song: 'We have done everything we could to bring this day closer.'
'Talks of a truce from the Kiev regime are a mockery of the efforts made by those who truly seek peace. Their real goal is to exploit the West, spread fear, kill, promote neo-Nazi ideology, and operate in a legal vacuum – classic terrorist behavior,' Zakharova told Russian broadcaster TVC on Sunday. She also accused Ukraine of 'stealing the billions' in foreign aid.
Ukraine has rejected Russia's proposal for a 72-hour truce next week, as Moscow prepares to hold a military parade on Red Square on May 9, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. Foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to attend the celebrations.
Zelensky urged world leaders not to travel to Moscow, saying that Ukraine 'cannot guarantee their safety.' He claimed that Russia could stage 'arsons, explosions, and other steps' to blame Kiev.
The Russian Foreign Ministry argued that Zelensky's statements amounted to terrorist threats. Kiev has repeatedly struck apartment buildings in Moscow with drones, while Ukrainian agents have used explosives to carry out several assassinations in the Russian capital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky refuses talks on territory with anyone except Putin
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has said he will only discuss territorial issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with the Hungarian outlet Valasz Online released on Tuesday, Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation at the talks in Istanbul is not authorized to negotiate territorial issues with the Russian side. 'Our memorandum is a basis for negotiations. Based on it, our delegation has a mandate to discuss humanitarian issues… or the ceasefire,' the Ukrainian leader stated. 'What they do not have a mandate for is to discuss the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.' This is 'our own constitutional matter,' he said. 'It is my job to have a dialogue about territories – and Putin, who stole them. I will not discuss my position on this with anyone else.' Zelensky's remarks follow the second round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul earlier this month. During the latest talks, both sides exchanged proposals for ending the conflict. Russia's road map for peace requires Ukraine to recognize the loss of five regions that joined Russia in referendums, withdraw its forces from these regions, commit to neutrality, and limit its military capabilities. The Ukrainian leader has dismissed the proposal, calling it 'an ultimatum.' Kiev has rejected any territorial concessions, as well as neutrality, and demands a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In mid-May, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Putin and Zelensky cannot be ruled out, and could happen if the talks yield 'concrete progress and firm agreements.' Russia, however, has raised concerns over who would sign a potential agreement, as it considers Zelensky 'illegitimate.' The Ukrainian leader's presidential term ended last year, and he has refused to hold a new election, citing martial law.
Russia Today
10 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russian journalist says Germany seized passports of his wife and daughter
Russia has condemned the treatment of Sergey Feoktistov, head of the bureau for the media company Rossiya Segodnya in Germany, who said that Berlin police seized the passports of his wife and daughter. The EU imposed sanctions on Rossiya Segodnya in 2023, accusing the Russian state-owned agency of spreading 'disinformation' about the Ukraine conflict. Earlier this month, German authorities declined to renew Feoktistov's residency permit and gave him until August 19 to leave the country or face deportation. According to the journalist, he flew to Berlin on Friday to help his family move but was barred from entering the country. 'Police came to the apartment where I used to live with my family — and where my wife and seven-year-old daughter still live — and confiscated their passports. They claimed that my wife and daughter might go into hiding to evade the order to leave Germany by August 19,' Feoktistov told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Germany of 'targeting journalists and media outlets' in an effort to 'eradicate alternative points of view.' Rossiya Segodnya chief Dmitry Kiselyov said Germany was preparing its public for 'a war with Russia.' Since 2022, the EU has banned multiple Russian media organizations, including RT and Sputnik, and blacklisted their staffers. Moscow responded with retaliatory sanctions on several Western journalists and blocked access to certain media outlets, including Germany's state broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Russia Today
18 hours ago
- Russia Today
Moscow and Kiev swap more POWs – MOD (VIDEO)
A second group of Russian POWs has been released from Ukrainian captivity as part of a major prisoner swap agreed by Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday. The ministry did not name the exact number of servicemen returned. It did publish a video with the freed soldiers and said that a group of Ukrainian POWs had been handed over to Kiev. The video released by the ministry shows the recently freed POWs draped in Russian flags and preparing to board buses. Some them can be heard thanking the authorities for their release. The servicemen are currently receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, the statement said, adding that they will be transferred to Russian military hospitals for treatment and rehabilitation. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the exchange and called it 'the first stage' of a swap involving 'seriously wounded… soldiers.' He also praised it as 'an important humanitarian act.' Moscow and Kiev agreed to exchange certain categories of captives, including those who are seriously injured, ill and those under the age of 25, during the second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul last Monday. The Russian ministry did not comment on the categories of POWs included in this exchange. Russia also announced that it would return the bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers in a unilateral humanitarian gesture. On Saturday, Moscow tried to transfer 1,212 of the bodies to Ukraine, but representatives of the latter failed to show up at the exchange point. Ukrainian officials explained their absence by claiming that they hadn't agreed on the date of the transfer and accused Moscow of using humanitarian issues for propaganda purposes. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed Kiev's refusal to accept the bodies by saying that the Ukrainian leadership 'does not need its people, either dead or alive.'
