The Russian Government has been forced to conduct peace talks because the war is “not going according to their plan”, a Ukrainian journalist has said.
Earlier in the week Ukrainian officials briefed journalists that the Russians had become “more realistic” as the talks progressed. However, British foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that she believes that the talks are merely a “smokescreen” while Russia continues to bomb and murder Ukrainians.
“I mean, if a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn’t indiscriminately bomb civilians that day,” she told The Times of London.
British intelligence has concluded that Russia “has failed to achieve its original aims” and instead moved to fighting a war of attrition.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 19 March 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/iXd9G8IiA0
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/6fYJwelqMP— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 19, 2022
For journalist Volodymyr Solohub, this explains why Russians have doubled down on the peace talks.
“It’s a complex matter,” Mr Solohub told The Anton Savage Show.
“First of all Russians do have to engage in these ‘peace negotiations’ because obviously their war - or as they call it ‘special military operation’ is not going according to their plan.
“Their plan was to take over Kyiv in 72 hours and change the Government and institute their own puppet government. That hasn’t happened.
“We’re already three weeks into the war and Kyiv is still standing.”
Listen and subscribe to The Anton Savage Show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
However, he was also clear that whatever the state of peace talks, the Kremlin has not stopped targeting civilians:
“There’s video evidence where we see the Russian military targeting and killing people who are clearly identifiable as civilians,” he continued.
“And that’s happening all across Ukraine. The besieged city of Mariupol that has been under heavy, heavy bombardment since 1st March is the most vivid example of these horrific crimes of the Russian Army in Ukraine.
“A bomb was dropped on a maternity hospital several weeks ago because Russians claimed it was a military base.
“And just a few days ago another bomb was dropped on a theatre - which was housing hundreds of women and children in their basement as a bomb shelter - and the theatre had written on the pavement in huge letters ‘CHILDREN’ - still it was not sufficient for Russians and they bombed that theatre.”
Main image: A captured Russian soldier is questioned by Ukrainian Soldiers. Picture by Justin Yau/ Credit: Sipa USA/Alamy Live News
