Russia is open to negotiations to end the war with Ukraine if its interests are taken into consideration.
"There can be no negotiations until our interests are taken into consideration," Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.
However, the head of Moscow's diplomacy added that "the West does not want negotiations".
But he does not close the door completely: "The media - he declared - have said that I will meet" the US Secretary of State "Antony Blinken, they also asked him. If we received a request of this type from America we could evaluate it ".
"Unfortunately, the West does not have a constructive attitude" on the war in Ukraine "starting from Washington: they do not want to see rivals in the international arena. They show hostility towards countries that have an independent policy. The Western parties ask everyone to obey the rules set by the United States Washington has made many announcements but these declarations will not serve to end the war", explained Lavrov, according to whom "the West wants the resurrection of Nazi ideology in Ukraine".
The Russian foreign minister compared the West to Nazi Germany, saying that Western countries try to provoke Russia in the same way.
"They do this to weaken Russia",
For his part, Cavusoglu stressed that "the war" in Ukraine "should end through dialogue and negotiation, and Turkey expects this".
On the other hand, the British Ministry of Defense, in its daily intelligence update, reported that in recent days, Russian forces have regained momentum in the battle for Bakhmut and "most likely" are now in the city center and have captured the west bank of the Bakhmutka River.
Since the end of last month, the report posted on Twitter recalls, the Russian advance towards the besieged city in eastern Ukraine "had largely stalled".
However, with the progress of the last few days, the main supply route of the Ukrainian forces - the 0506, west of the city - "is probably seriously threatened".
According to London experts, Russian regular forces - including airborne troops - have likely strengthened the area and Russia is again using artillery more effectively in the sector.
Against this background, the ministry believes it is likely that at the local level, the top leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry and the Wagner Group have ended their feud and improved cooperation.
Meanwhile, in its daily update on Facebook, the Ukrainian military command informs that its forces yesterday rejected over 40 attacks by Russian forces, who continue to concentrate their offensive operations in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka, in the Donetsk region (East):.
"Yesterday the enemy launched 5 missiles, 18 air raids and fired 53 rockets with multiple launch systems against the positions of our troops and civilian infrastructure", the report also reads.
For its part, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 6 strikes against Russian bases and destroyed 3 enemy drones (an Orlan-10, a Supercam and a Lancet-3), as well as three guided aerial bombs.
Missile and artillery units hit, among other targets, two fuel depots and an electronic warfare station.
Three civilians were killed and 17 others were injured in yesterday's Russian attacks in Ukraine, which hit nine regions of the country: the Defense Ministry announced, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
According to the ministry, Russian forces have struck a total of 114 settlements with mortars, tanks, artillery, S-300 missiles, multiple launch missile systems (MLRS), drones and tactical aviation.
Overall, 32 infrastructures were targeted.
In the same bulletin, the Kiev military denounced that Russian forces are involving the residents of occupied Crimea in the construction of fortifications and, when they refuse, they force them to dig trenches.
“In the populated areas of the Dzhankoy district of the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Russian invaders involve the local population in the construction of fortifications. It is known that men are mainly involved in engineering work, most of whom are drug addicts and people with addiction to alcohol,” the report reads.
The Russians, the Army continues, promise to pay the residents in exchange for their work, but often this does not happen or they only receive part of the money.
"Cases have been recorded where deceived people refuse to cooperate further,
