Russia Draws a Line: No Peace at the Barrel of a Gun
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Moscow could only accept peace under pressure, accusing both Iran and North Korea of being “collaborators” in the war his country is waging against Russia.
In a speech he delivered during a special session of the UN Security Council attended by a Russian representative, Zelensky described Moscow as insincere in calling for dialogue.
“We know that some people in the world want to talk to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” the Ukrainian president said, adding, “We can hear from him that he is upset because we are exercising our right to protect our people.”
During the session, the Ukrainian president said, “Russia will not accept peace by force, and this is what we need: to force Russia (to accept) peace.”
He also criticized Iran and North Korea, which Western intelligence agencies have accused of being heavily involved in supplying Russia with weapons, and recently indicated that Tehran has supplied Russia with short-range missiles.
“Russia has no legitimate reason to actually engage Iran and North Korea in its murderous war in Europe, where their weapons are killing us,” Zelensky said.
On Thursday, Zelensky headed to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.
The Ukrainian president is expected to deliver what Biden described as a “victory plan,” while Republican candidate Donald Trump raised questions about continuing American support for Ukraine if he wins the presidency.
Russian attack in Kharkiv kills 3 and injures over 30
At least three people were killed and more than 30 injured in a Russian attack on a residential area in Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv (north-east), according to Ukrainian authorities.
The head of the district administration, Oleg Tsinigubov, said on the Telegram application that “the enemy carried out at least five attacks with aerial bombs in the Kievsky district”, explaining that three people were killed.
For his part, Kharkiv Mayor Igor announced that 34 people were injured.
Sinigubov said an eight-story residential building was damaged and posted photos of a partially destroyed building.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “new Russian attack on Kharkiv” in a telegram.
The Ukrainian president insisted that “Russian bombs targeted a residential building, a bakery and a stadium, i.e. the ordinary life of ordinary people,” calling on the international community to stop “Russian terrorism” and its “aggression” against Ukraine.
The city of Kharkiv is located near the Russian border and was home to more than 1.4 million people before the Russian offensive in Ukraine began in February 2022, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and military personnel.
On the front line, Russian bombing kills two in Pokrovsk (East), towards which Russian forces are advancing.
In the Zaporizhia region (southeast), Governor Ivan Fedorov accused Russia of “expelling civilians” after a Russian drone strike killed one.
Kiev constantly reiterates its Western allies’ demands for more long-range air defenses and missile systems to better defend its cities against daily Russian attacks.