“No one has submitted any proposal. This matter is not on the agenda,” Russian presidential (Kremlin) spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after being asked about the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Peskov pointed out that the main task of the Russian armed forces is to “protect” the people of the occupied territories, and recognized that the situation in Donetsk region (in eastern Ukraine), one of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow now claims, is “difficult”. on its own.
“The special military operation continues,” the spokesman said, using words used by Russian officials to describe the invasion, which began on February 24 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the other hand, the Kremlin guaranteed that if the ‘Patriot’ missiles associated with anti-aircraft systems, which Kiev has been asking the US for months, are sent to Ukraine, they will become “legitimate targets” of Russia. armed forces.
“Of course,” Peskov said when asked if he agreed with the statements of Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, who said in late November that if ‘patriotic’ missiles reach Ukraine, they will become – iam “immediately a legitimate target of the Russian armed forces”.
Peskov, for now, indicated that he would refrain from further comments because, for now, the possibility of the US supplying Ukraine with ‘patriotic’ anti-aircraft systems has only been reported in the press without official confirmation from Washington.
The US administration led by President Joe Biden is finalizing preparations to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, and an official confirmation could happen this week, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Ukraine asked the United States for this anti-aircraft defense and attack system, capable of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles, as Russian bombing intensified, which destroyed essential Ukrainian infrastructure, including power stations.
However, the amount of anti-aircraft batteries sent to Ukraine is unknown.
A battery typically includes a radar that locates and tracks the target, computers, generators and a control station, and eight small missiles with four missiles ready to fire.
Today, a Kremlin spokesman declined to put forward a date for Vladimir Putin’s traditional annual press conference, which has been postponed to 2023.
At a time when Moscow suffered some setbacks in its military campaign in Ukraine, the Russian president postponed a regular annual press conference without explanation.
Russia has denied it can withdraw its armed forces from Ukraine and has vowed to continue fighting.
Even today, Denis Bushilin, a senior official of the Russian occupation of eastern Ukraine, promised in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency that he wanted to liberate the two southern Ukrainian cities of Odessa and Chernihiv, respectively. North, away from the current front line.
Asked about these statements, Dmitry Peskov insisted that the priority was “protecting the people of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions” in eastern Ukraine.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already displaced more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally and more than 7.8 million to European countries – according to the latest UN data, which is classified as The refugee crisis is the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At this time, 17.7 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance and 9.3 million in need of food assistance and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and militarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. Political and economic barriers.
The UN says 6,755 civilians have died and 10,607 have been injured since the start of the war. confirmed, underscoring that these numbers are much lower than the actual numbers.
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