Russian independent news agency Interfax reports Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov as saying “no one is planning to occupy Ukraine”.
He added that Russia still does not recognise the current government in Ukraine as democratic and that president Zelenskiy is lying when he says he is ready to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine.
Lavrov said the Russian government wants the Ukrainian people to be independent.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has told citizens to stay at home to avoid military operations in the Obolonsky district.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on possible talks between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy but acknowledged the latter’s willingness to discuss a possible neutrality pledge by Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would analyse the offer and added that Moscow’s expectations of Kyiv remained unchanged, Reuters reports.
Moscow has long demanded guarantees that Ukraine would never join NATO or allow the bloc to deploy troops and weapons on its territory.
There are several lines from the Kremlin coming in on Reuters:
- Putin will meet the UN Security Council today and hold several international phone calls
- Russia will impose retaliatory sanctions on western countries
- Russia recognises Volodymyr Zelenskiy as president of Ukraine
- Sanctions will cause problems but are solvable since the country has reduced its dependence on foreign imports
- Russia expects relations with the west to normalise once people understand it was forced to act to protect its security
- No comment on the duration of the military operations
