Zelensky said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not defend Artemivsk at any cost, it is not a big city
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with an Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) will not defend Artemivsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut) at any cost and to the last soldier. The Ukrainian leader explained the refusal by the fact that Artemovsk is not a particularly large city.
It’s not a particularly big city. Actually, like many others <…> in the Donbass. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any cost and for everyone to die. We will fight as long as it is reasonable. The Russians then want further to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, to the borders of Donbass and to the Dnieper, if they can. We resist, and in the meantime prepare the next counteroffensive
Commenting on the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron about his unwillingness to see Russia “defeated”, Zelensky expressed the opinion that the French leader was “wasting time” because “it would be a useless dialogue.”
If they decide to isolate themselves in the dream of restoring the old Soviet empire, there is nothing we can do about it, it is their business whether or not to cooperate with the community of nations on the basis of mutual respect.
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Macron’s opinion
On February 18, French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, said that Paris had never advocated and would not advocate the defeat of Russia.
According to him, some would like to “defeat Russia first” and “attack it on their own territory.” “But this has never been and never will be the position of France,” he said.
The French President spoke about the need for “the Ukrainian offensive to shake the Russian front and force Moscow back to the negotiating table.” However, he believes, “neither side will be able to achieve a complete victory.”
In addition, Macron believes that Ukraine “on its own cannot regain its borders, since none of the allies is ready to send their troops to the theater of operations.”
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Guarantees in Zelensky’s “peace plan”
Also, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Corriere della Serra, said that his “peace plan” provides for guarantees from the United States, China and other “major powers”.
He expressed hope that the international community would support his plan, which “aims for world peace” and includes guarantees from the US, China and major powers. He also hoped that with regard to the Ukrainian crisis, “Beijing is taking a pragmatic position.” “Otherwise, we risk getting a third world war,” the Ukrainian leader added.
Speaking about relations between Ukraine and China, Zelensky recalled that they “have always been very good”, the countries have maintained intense economic relations for many years, “and it is in the interests of everyone that they do not change.” “The global task is to prevent any risk of a nuclear conflict,” the President of Ukraine concluded.
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Russia’s position
In December 2022, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the main component of the “peace plan” for Ukraine is the recognition of four new regions of Russia. It is impossible to resolve the situation without this item, he added.
There can be no “peace plan” of Ukraine that does not take into account today’s realities from Russian territory, with the entry of new regions into Russia
In turn, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Zelensky’s initiative has nothing to do with reality. According to him, Kyiv “always comes up with various extravagant ideas,” and the current ten-point peace plan is one of them.
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