RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
West ‘blocked’ Russia-Ukraine peace process – former Israeli PM
Peace might’ve been agreed between Russia and Ukraine shortly after the start of the conflict, but Kiev’s Western backers blocked the negotiations between the two neighbors, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who mediated those contacts, has said.
Bennet, who gave an almost five-hour-long video interview to Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday, claimed that his efforts as a middleman came close to succeeding as both Moscow and Kiev appeared to be ready to make concessions and agree to a truce.
It didn’t happen because “I think there was a legitimate decision by the West to keep striking [Russian President Vladimir] Putin… I mean the more aggressive approach,” he said.
When asked by the host if the US and its allies “blocked” the peace process between Moscow and Kiev, the former PM replied: “Basically, yes. They blocked it.”
“I claim there was a good chance of reaching a ceasefire. But I’m not claiming it was the right thing,” he clarified.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted to the revelations by the Israeli politician on Telegram, saying that they were “yet another confession” that the West wasn’t interested in peace in Ukraine.
According to Bennett, his mediation “was coordinated down to the last detail with the US, France and Germany.” After the conflict broke out last February, there was no unified approach on how to deal with it among Western leaders as “[British PM] Boris Johnson adopted the aggressive line; [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz and [French President Emmanuel] Macron were more pragmatic, and [US President Joe] Biden was both,” he said.
Some 17 or 18 drafts of the peace deal between Moscow and Kiev had been prepared with his involvement, the former PM said. Bennet claimed that, among other things, he managed to secure a pledge from Putin that he was “not going to kill [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky,” who feared for his life. The Russian leader was also ready to retract his demand for the demilitarization of Ukraine, while Zelensky promised to give up on his aspirations to join NATO, he added.
All discussion about peace ended on April 1, 2022 when the Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian military of killing civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, Bennet pointed out.
The claim by Kiev – which Moscow rejected and described as being fabricated – came shortly after the two sides held a high-profile meeting in Istanbul and appeared to have been making progress towards an agreement.
Russian and Ukrainian representatives haven’t met at the negotiating table since then. Moscow maintains that it’s ready to resolve the crisis through diplomatic means but says that the peace proposals being voiced by Kiev and its Western backers have so far been unacceptable.
** Zelensky admits situation in DPR difficult for Ukrainian troops
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has admitted that the situation for Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) where fighting is underway is very difficult.
"We are observing this increased pressure on various front lines as well as the pressure in the information field. It is very tough in the Donetsk Region - the clashes are fierce. Yet no matter how hard it is and regardless of pressure we should stand our ground," he said in his video address to the nation aired on Sunday night.
Earlier, acting DPR Head Denis Pushilin said that heavy fighting was raging in Artyomovsk’s (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) neighborhoods that used to be controlled by the Ukrainian army.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing US and EU officials, that Western countries recommended Kiev stall for time, amass forces and wait for the Leopard tanks it had been promised in order to launch an offensive in the spring, even sacrificing Artyomovsk at this point.
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Ukraine to replace defence minister in wartime reshuffle
Ukraine is set to replace Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov with the chief of its military spy agency, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, in a reshuffle at the forefront of Ukraine's war campaign.
Reznikov would be transferred to another ministerial job and replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR military intelligence agency, said David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker and chief of Servant of the People parliamentary bloc.
"War dictates changes in personnel policy," Arakhamia said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reznikov's reshuffle would be the highest profile government change in a slew of resignations and sackings following a corruption scandal late last month and Zelenskiy's pledge for Ukraine to meet Western standards of clean governance.
Arakhamia said that Ukraine's "force" agencies - like the defence ministry - should not be headed by politicians during wartime, but people with a background in defence or security.
He added that Reznikov would be made minister of strategic industries.
Reznikov, who had said earlier on Sunday that any decision on a reshuffle was up to Zelenskiy, told the Ukrainian Fakty ICTV online media later in the evening that the transfer to the new ministry was news to him.
"If I suddenly received such an offer from the president of Ukraine or the prime minister, I would refuse it, because I do not have the expertise," Reznikov was cited as saying.
There was no immediate statement from Zelenskiy on replacing Reznikov, a former lawyer who became defence minister in November 2021, a few months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Arakhamia did not say when the move would be formalised.
Budanov, 37, is an enigmatic intelligence operative decorated for his role in classified operations who rapidly rose through the ranks to head up Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence.
The shakeup coincides with Ukrainian fears that Russia is planning a major new offensive this month. Ukraine is planning its own counter-offensive but is waiting on Western supplies of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
MILITARY AID OVERSEER
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, when asked on national television Sunday night how likely was a reshuffle, said: "Reznikov was extremely efficient in terms of communication with our partners. And this is a very important component in this case."
As a wartime defence minister, Reznikov, 56, fostered ties with Western defence officials and helped oversee the receipt of billions of dollars of military aid to help Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion.
Podolyak said that Reznikov's "wonderful" personal relations with allies have helped with the military supplies.
"Negotiations are not just mathematical formulae but also personal relationships. And trust. Unfortunately, today we are losing a measure of trust in us," Podolyak said.
Reznikov singled out Ukraine's "de facto" integration into the NATO military alliance as a top priority, even if joining the bloc was not immediately possible de jure.
During his tenure as defence minister, he spoke out strongly about wartime corruption, which he said was akin to "marauding".
But in recent weeks his own defence ministry became embroiled in a corruption scandal over an army food contract that envisaged paying vastly inflated prices. It caused a public outcry.
One of his deputy ministers has been fired, and two other senior officials have also since left their posts.
The scandal prompted Zelenskiy to embark on a major reshuffle that saw the exit of an array of regional governors, deputy ministers and other officials.
Reznikov hosted a news conference on Sunday afternoon, in which he said Ukraine expected a possible major Russian offensive this month, but that Kyiv had the resources at hand to hold them at bay.
He also said that his ministry's anti-corruption department needed to be overhauled and that it had not done what it was supposed to do.
RT/TASS/Reuters
