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Post by Admin on Jan 16, 2024 21:40:49 GMT
BERN - Switzerland on Monday agreed to host a global peace summit on Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Neutral Switzerland has previously acted as a broker to resolve conflicts and could now help find a resolution for the war that began when Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. "At the request of the Ukrainian president, Switzerland has agreed to host a summit on the peace formula," the Swiss government said. "Further details are now being worked out." Speaking alongside his Swiss counterpart Viola Amherd at a press conference in Bern, Zelenskyy did not provide an extensive list of the participants of the planned peace summit but hinted about who he wanted to attend. "We are open to all countries that respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity at the peace summit, so draw conclusions about who we invite," Zelenskyy said. "We would like the Global South to be present ... it is important for us to show that the whole world is against Russia's aggression, and the whole world is for a just peace." Neither Zelenskyy nor Amherd provided any details on when or where in Switzerland the summit might take place. They said their teams would begin organizing it starting on Tuesday. Zelenskyy was in Switzerland where he was due to meet other world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Among the dignitaries he could meet would be Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is also in Davos this week. Ukraine said on Sunday that it was vital that Beijing was involved in talks to end the conflict. Zelenskyy said on Monday China, one of Russia's key allies, played "a big role" in the world, and he wanted Beijing to take part. "We would very much like China to be involved in our (peace) formula, as well as in the summit," he said. "But not everything depends on our wishes." Zelenskyy first announced his peace formula at a November summit of the Group of 20 major economies. His peace formula calls for restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, as well as the release of all prisoners and detainees, among other things. The Kremlin on Monday dismissed talks in Davos on Ukraine's peace proposals, saying nothing would be achieved because Russia was not part of the discussions (Reporting by John Revill in Bern; Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk; Editing by Alison Williams)
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Post by Admin on Jan 17, 2024 0:37:17 GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 16th that Ukraine could suffer an "irreparable damage" if the war continues, and said he did not think Russia would be forced to give up its gains.
Regarding Ukraine, Switzerland announced the day before that it had agreed to hold a ``World Peace Summit'' at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Putin rejected the "so-called peace formula" and "extraordinary demands" being discussed between Western countries and Ukraine, adding, "If you don't want to negotiate (with Russia), you don't have to. "Not only has the counteroffensive failed, but the initiative is now completely in the hands of the Russian military. If this continues, Ukraine could suffer a serious and irreversible damage as a nation."
He also said that the peace talk being talked about by Western countries is "an attempt to get Russia to give up what it has gained over the past year and a half," adding, "Everyone understands that this is impossible." Stated.
Putin's remarks were televised.
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Post by Admin on Jan 17, 2024 18:43:51 GMT
During a meeting in Moscow back in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Russia "will fight for [at least] five years" in Ukraine, sources have revealed.
This was apparently Putin's way of summarizing a situation that at the time was not favorable to Russia and assuring Xi that Russia would emerge victorious in the end.
The likely implication was that a protracted war would favor China's well-armed partner.
Recently, The New York Times reported that since at least September Putin has been using intermediaries to signal that he is open to a cease-fire on condition that Russia can keep the territories it now occupies.
But given Putin's words to Xi in March, revealed by multiple sources familiar with diplomatic maneuvering between China and Russia, the Russian leader's reported intentions for a cease-fire should not be taken at face value.
It could be that Putin wishes to merely create the illusion that he is moving toward a cease-fire or even peace ahead of Russia's presidential election in March, believing such an atmosphere would favor him at the polls.
Taken another way, the remark was also a warning to Xi not to change his pro-Russia stance.
The trip was Xi's first to Russia after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It was also the first time Xi visited a leading nation after China lifted its strict zero-COIVD policy.
Whether Xi was convinced, Putin's remark at the summit holds the key to understanding a series of mysterious developments in Russia-China relations, from a Chinese peace mission to Europe in May to China sacking its foreign minister months later.
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Post by Admin on Jan 19, 2024 21:50:57 GMT
Russia suffered a painful blow to Afghanistan during the Soviet era. Just as the United States had repeatedly done in the North and other wars in the Middle East, it carried out carpet bombings, killing many civilians, arousing resentment among the Afghans, and being put on the defensive by a series of guerrilla attacks on the front lines since then. , it was a bitter experience of defeat.
Based on this experience, Russia has avoided direct attacks on civilians, and has focused its attacks not only on immediate targets, but also on the infrastructure behind the guns. Infrastructure includes military facilities, airfields, interception systems, information facilities such as radar, and logistics facilities such as bridges, roads, and railways.
It is true that when we look at Israel's attacks on Gaza (and of course, when we look at Israeli attacks from Gaza), attacks on civilians not only violate international law, but also stir up hatred among people and create a chain of revenge. Although the apparent damage caused by the destruction is great, such attacks create resentment that lasts for generations.
The strategy commonly known as the ``Gerasimov Doctrine'' is exactly this kind of war of attrition. Western armies had been at war with relatively militarily weak regions, and because they were targeting regions with racial prejudice that made killing unavoidable from the Western perspective, they were unable to launch direct attacks. There were too.
This was possible because there was little resistance from the other party. However, between countries with modern militaries and similar armaments, unless a careful strategy is used to reduce the strength of the other party's forces, a large number of people will be killed.
Gerasimov's name is a Russian military number that is rumored to have entered into ceasefire negotiations with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy in October 2023, and that Ukrainian sources say he may have been killed in the recent attack.
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Post by Admin on Jan 19, 2024 22:26:00 GMT
On the 19th, the electronic version of the British newspaper Financial Times reported that the Russian military may launch a large-scale attack on Ukraine as early as this summer. The goal is to take complete control of the four eastern and southern provinces that Russia unilaterally declared annexed in 2022. Some say that they are not ruling out another invasion of the capital, Kiiv.
The four oblasts are Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts in the east, and Zaporozhye and Kherson oblasts in the south. Even after the declaration of annexation, Ukraine continues to control some areas.
The paper points out that Russia has recently been increasing its arsenal by procuring weapons from North Korea and importing military parts made in China. ``President Putin's ultimate goal of conquering Ukraine and subjugating its people remains unchanged,'' the US intelligence agency said.
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