Russia has rejected all peace efforts and must be held accountable – Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia rejected all the peace initiatives it was offered and must be held accountable for that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
The head of state reminded that a Ukrainian delegation recently visited Washington. The visit included meetings in Congress, talks with representatives of the US administration, and discussions with journalists and civil society organizations.
The president noted that Ukraine is now counting heavily on strong actions.
"That's what is in short supply right now — and what could make even those thugs in Moscow realize they can't sustain this war. This must be ensured," he added.
According to him, this is why new and sufficient sanctions are needed — primarily from the United States. Clear political pressure is also necessary to enable effective diplomacy.
"There are simply no peace initiatives left in the world that Russia hasn't rejected. They don't like any of them. The only things they like are ruins and killings. They must be held accountable for that," he added.
Russia's ultimatum
Russia previously rejected a proposed ceasefire with Ukraine for at least 30 days without preconditions — an idea put forward by the United States.
This week, Russia handed Ukraine a so-called memorandum that effectively turned out to be an ultimatum.
Specifically, Russia is demanding that Ukraine begin withdrawing its troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as a condition for any ceasefire.
