President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian troops’ strikes on Kiev on the day of the visit of African leaders, in his opinion, indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “absolutely” not in control of his army or “inadequate”.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
Zelensky said this at a press conference in Kyiv on June 16.
He does not control his armed forces, including Wagnerite mercenaries, because they are firing missiles at the leaders of other states, who, by the way, after us decided to go to the country that launched a missile attack on them today. Or is this man out of control [армію], or this person is inadequate. Because a person is not ready to see the world. A person wants to completely erase and destroy the state of Ukraine. If a person has such intentions, then I have many questions, what kind of communication and what kind of dialogue [можуть бути] with this person,” Zelensky said.
He also said that, in his opinion, Ukraine should freeze all diplomatic relations with Russia until it withdraws its troops from Ukrainian territories, BBC Russian Service writes.
A delegation of African leaders arrived in Kyiv on June 16 to discuss their peace mission with Zelensky. The delegation was led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. On the day of the visit, Russian troops shelled Kyiv.
After a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Ramaphosa called on the parties to the armed conflict to de-escalate. He offered to hold diplomatic talks, writes CNN. Ramaphosa noted that after negotiations with Zelensky, he would meet with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on June 17.
Countries have developed “confidence measures” designed to cease fire between Moscow and Kiev. They call, in particular, for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the abandonment of the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the suspension of the International Criminal Court’s warrant for the arrest of Vladimir Putin and the easing of sanctions.
On the evening of June 17, a delegation of African leaders presented their plan for peace. It consists of 10 points and provides:
- The war must be settled
- Peace must be achieved through negotiations
- De-escalation of the conflict
- Sovereignty of states and peoples in accordance with the UN Charter
- The need for security guarantees for all countries
- The need for both countries to ensure the movement of grains and fertilizers
- Humanitarian support for those who became victims of the war
- Mandatory exchange of prisoners
- Post-war recovery
- Better interaction with African countries
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.