UK In OSCE: No Signs Of Putin's Readiness For Peace

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Russia continues to attack Ukraine with hundreds of drones and snubs a full and immediate ceasefire, which points to the lack of readiness for peace on the part of Kremlin leader Putin.

This was stated by the UK Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Neil Holland, at a regular meeting of the organization's Permanent Council in Vienna.

It has already been 22 days since Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire, he recalled, noting that Ukraine's only condition was that Russia also agreed to it. Instead of seizing this opportunity to establish peace, Russia has decided to pursue hostilities, resulting in casualties among soldiers and civilians on both sides, the British diplomat said.

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He recalled that just last week, Russia employed over a thousand drones in its attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Instead of seriously engaging in the U.S.-led peace initiative, President Putin is returning to his old tactics – trying to distract and stall, Holland stressed, referring to his attempt last week to question President Zelensky's authority, which was nothing more than an outright attempt to shift focus away from the main issue: Russia's unwillingness to seriously sit down at the negotiating table and commit to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

In this regard, Neil Holland stressed that the UK sees no signs of Putin being seriously preparing for peace. In particular, this is evidenced by his additional demands regarding the agreement reached between the U.S. and Russia on a ceasefire at sea and a ban on the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea. The UK welcomed that important step, but Russia immediately backed down and put forward conditions for the agreement – despite Ukraine's good faith commitments, the diplomat noted.

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According to Holland, the Kremlin leader's order for the largest military draft since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine does not point to any willingness to achieve peace.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ukrainian mission to the OSCE stated that Russia continues to attack civil and energy facilities in Ukraine with missiles, drones, and aerial bombs. This indicates that real pressure needs to be exerted on Moscow to achieve peace.

Photo: UK Government

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