Russian retaliation ‘inevitable'
Russia will 'inevitably' respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on its territory despite continuing diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated on Tuesday.
His comments follow suspected acts of Ukrainian sabotage on railways in Russia and drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields at the weekend. Despite this, Russian officials traveled to Istanbul on Monday for another round of direct negotiations with Ukrainian representatives.
In a social media post, Medvedev addressed domestic calls for a more forceful military response, declaring that Russian retaliation was 'inevitable.'
'Our army is on an active offensive and will continue its push forward. Everything that needs to be blown up will be, and those who need to be eliminated will be,' he wrote.
Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said the Istanbul negotiations were necessary 'for our victory to be most swift and the full elimination of the neo-Nazi authorities' in Kiev.
During the talks, Moscow proposed two possible routes toward a ceasefire and suggested a brief halt in the fighting to allow military units to retrieve bodies from the battlefield.
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky called Russian negotiators 'idiots' for proposing the idea, asserting that a ceasefire should solely serve to prevent further loss of life.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Zelensky's remarks 'awkward' and 'unfortunate,' saying they undermined efforts to move the talks forward.
Moscow also offered to return the remains of over 6,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is leading Kiev's delegation, said Kiev would reciprocate by returning the same number of Russian military casualties. Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential aide heading Russia's team, said Moscow agreed to accept all remains offered in return.
Kiev consented to direct negotiations with Moscow last month under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has expressed exasperation with both parties and warned that Washington could 'walk away' from mediation efforts if progress stalls.
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