Russia Ukraine conflict: Russia’s demands to stop invasion

The Kremlin has demanded Ukraine give up three regions and change its constitution to become a neutral country if the invasion is to end.

The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine recognise Crimea as Russian and Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states if the invasion is to end.

Ahead of peace talks, a spokesperson for the Russian government outlined what Vladimir Putin wants from the invasion.

A Kremlin spokesman called for Ukraine to cease military action, change its constitution to become a neutral country, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that Russia had told Ukraine it was ready to halt its military action “in a moment” if Kyiv met its conditions.

And he insisted Russia wasn’t seeking any further territorial claims in Ukraine.

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“We really are finishing the demilitarisation of Ukraine,” he said. “We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action.

“They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot. They should make amendments to their constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc.

“We have also spoken about how they should recognise that Crimea is Russian territory and that they need to recognise that Donetsk and Lugansk are independent states. And that’s it. It will stop in a moment.”

‘Human corridor’ talks break down

Russia and Ukraine made tentative progress in talks Monday but failed to reach a deal on creating “humanitarian corridors” from pummelled cities, as the bloodshed from Moscow’s invasion mounted.

Kyiv said there had been “positive results” from the third round of negotiations, focused on giving civilians evacuation routes from besieged towns, but Russia said its expectations from the talks were “not fulfilled”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Ozan Kose/AFP

The comments dimmed hopes of a respite for terrified civilians who have been fleeing under a hail of shelling and mortar fire, with women and children among those who have been killed.

Ukraine’s Presidential office says Russia’s latest proposal of humanitarian corridors was “completely immoral”, after Moscow suggested it would allow people to flee Ukrainian cities amid a Monday ceasefire, provided they landed in Belarus or Russia.

“Russia continues to carry out rocket, bomb and artillery strikes on the cities and settlements of Ukraine,” the General Staff said in a statement. “The invaders continue to use the airfield network of Belarus to carry out air strikes on Ukraine.

“They are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine This is one of the problems that is causing the humanitarian corridors to break down.

“They seem to agree to them, but they themselves want to supply humanitarian aid for a picture on TV, and want the corridors to lead in their direction.”

The bloodshed continued on day 12 of the war, with 13 people killed in shelling on an industrial bakery in the town of Makariv and the mayor of the town of Gostomel killed while delivering bread to civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced “murder” as he warned of more shelling to come on Monday, after attempts to evacuate residents of besieged port city Mariupol failed for a second day on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivering an address in Kyiv. Picture: Ukraine Presidency/AFP

“It’s murder, deliberate murder,” Mr Zelensky raged in an address.

“Today, a family of four, parents and two children, were killed in Irpin as they were trying to leave the city. We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war on our land. We will find every scum who was shelling our cities, our people, who was shooting the missiles, who was giving orders. There will be no quiet place on this Earth except the grave.”

He said Russia has announced new shelling Monday of defence targets in Ukrainian cities and denounced what he branded the “silence” of Western governments failing to speak out.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now into its 12th day, has seen more than 1.5 million people flee the country in what the United Nations has called “Europe’s fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II”.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands wounded, with hundreds of thousands of mostly women and children pouring into neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania or Moldova for refuge.

eople who fled the war in Ukraine wait in line for the passport control on the Ukrainian side at the Polish Ukrainian border. Picture: Omar Marques/Getty Images

A demonstrator holds a United Against Putin sign outside the White House in Washington. Picture: Stefani Reynolds / AFP

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has warned Europe to prepare for as many as five million people as Ukrainian refugees cross borders in droves.

If attacks on the nation continue, as many as one in eight of the country’s 45 million strong population are expected to flee west to Europe.

“We must prepare to receive around five million people … We must mobilise all the resources of the EU to help those countries receiving people,” Mr Borrell said.

“We will need more schools, more reception centres – more of everything.”

Russia accused of firing on nuclear facility

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of firing rockets at a facility housing a nuclear reactor in Kharkiv, warning an attack could lead to a “large-scale ecological disaster”.

Emine Dzheppar, Ukraine’s deputy foreign affairs minister, said Russia fired a hail of rockets at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, “where the Neutron Source nuclear facility is located, with 37 nuclear fuel cells loaded into its core”.

Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces. Picture: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on Twitter that Ukrainian security forces and “Azov Battalion militants have rigged a reactor at the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology to stage a provocation and accuse the Russian Armed Forces of launching a missile attack on the experimental nuclear facility”.

Russia has launched an estimated 600 missiles at Ukrainian targets since the war began, a senior defence official has told Fox News and CNN, adding Russia has committed approximately 95 per cent of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine.

The official said the attacks have so far not cut off civilian communications. They added that Ukrainian air space remains contested, noting Ukraine’s air and missile defence has so far been effective and remains in use.

Russia says it has destroyed “practically all” of Ukraine’s combat-ready aircraft and warned its neighbours including NATO member Romania not to host Kyiv’s military aircraft, saying it would drag them into the war.

— with AFP