Russia relies on mediators for negotiations with Ukraine

published on 2/7/23 10:33 AM

Ukrainian soldiers fire from a position near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, February 4, 2023

Photo: EPA/BGNES

7,155 are the civilian casualties in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, according to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. As of February 5, 18,817 civilians were injured. The majority of civilian casualties were killed by artillery fire, rocket fire and airstrikes, the report says.

On the front line, which has not undergone significant changes in the last 24 hours, Russian attacks have been directed in five directions towards Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdeevka and Novopavlovsk. The attack on Bakhmut on a front of 7 kilometers was particularly massive and fierce, but after more than three hours of battle it was repulsed, the Ukrainian General Staff announced.

The Kremlin is aware that they cannot achieve their goals in Ukraine, that is why they are asking for negotiations, said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov. That is why they are using a whole pool of people willing to become mediators in the negotiations, the latest being Brazil, Danilov pointed out. He recalled that Kyiv will negotiate only if the Ukrainian conditions are met - that Moscow withdraw its troops to the country borders from 2014 and pay reparations for the damage caused by the aggression.

European Council spokesman Barend Leites confirmed that EC President Charles Michel had invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend a "future EU summit" in person. According to the Financial Times, he refers to the extraordinary summit on February 9-10, dedicated to migration.

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