Image under Creative Commons License 4.0 courtesy of Imperial War Museums

John T Psaropoulos at Al Jazeera calls out Putin’s increasing belligerence:

Russia this week rejected the latest United States peace proposal for Ukraine and declared victory in battles over key Ukrainian cities – claims Ukraine has dismissed as propaganda.

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“The brazen statements of the leadership of the aggressor country about the ‘seizure’ of these settlements by the Russian army are not valid,” the General Staff said, decrying them as “propaganda” to influence participants of “international negotiations”.

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Putin’s aide Ushakov told journalists the US-Ukrainian talks had reduced the points to 20, and broken up the list into four separate documents, but that Russia had agreed to nothing.

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The conquest of Pokrovsk, Putin told journalists on Tuesday, was “a good base for achieving all the objectives set at the beginning of the special military operation”, suggesting Russia’s war goals remained unchanged.

He threatened to “cut Ukraine off from the sea,” a clear reference to Odesa and Mykolaiv, Ukraine’s only remaining littoral territory, the seizure of which appears to have been part of the original Russian invasion plan.

Asked about peace last week, Putin told journalists, “We still have proposals coming in about ceasing hostilities. When the Ukrainian troops leave the areas they are now occupying, then the hostilities will cease. And if they don’t, we will make them leave using our firepower.”

Putin also threatened Europe, playing into fears of a broadened war.

“We have no intention of going to war with Europe,” he said. “But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and does, we’re ready right now.”

Slava Ukraine!