"Triune": Putin draws attention to the Ukraine statement - Lukashenko raises Bucha allegations against the British

Created: 04/13/2022, 04:48 am

By: Michelle Brey

Putin will meet with Belarusian ruler Lukashenko on Tuesday.

Negotiations in the Ukraine war continue.

The news ticker.

• Putin

  gives press conference with

  Lukashenko

  : The Kremlin boss described reports about a massacre in Bucha as false information.

  The Belarusian head of state raised allegations against Great Britain in the Ukraine conflict*.

• Selenskyj teased

  Germany

  :

  The Ukrainian head of state spoke before the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday and questioned the values ​​​​of the EU.

• Putin meets Lukashenko

  :

  The presidents of Russia and Belarus arrived in eastern Russia on Tuesday.

  Kremlin boss Putin railed against Ukraine.

• This

  news ticker on the diplomatic negotiations on the Ukraine war

  is constantly updated.

  The background to the Ukraine crisis* is here.

"Triune": Putin draws attention to the Ukraine statement - Lukashenko raises Bucha allegations against the British

Update from April 12, 4:15 p.m .:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the planned continuation of the military operation in Ukraine.

"Our task is to fulfill and achieve all the goals set, while minimizing casualties," Putin said at a press conference with Belarusian leader Lukashenko a few minutes ago.

"And we will proceed in a balanced, calm manner and according to the plan originally proposed by the General Staff." He accused Kyiv of not sticking to the decisions of the Istanbul peace talks.

Putin described the reports of a massacre of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha* near Kyiv as false information.

He compared the allegations against the Russian armed forces with allegations against the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad to have used chemical weapons in the Syrian war: "We have the same fake in Bucha."

Lukashenko accused the British secret service of staging the images.

So far, however, there is no evidence of such allegations.

Lukashenko said: "Today we discussed the special psychological operation in Bucha that the British carried out.

If they want the addresses, the identifiers, the meeting points, how they travelled, then the FSB of the Russian Federation can provide them with that information,” Lukashenko claimed.

However, the FSB never answers such inquiries as a matter of principle.

In other incidents in the past where Lukashenko asked for documents to be handed over to the FSB, the public has not heard of the allegations.

Putin Declares West's Alleged "Blitzkrieg" "Failed Naturally"

Furthermore, Putin has declared a Western economic “lightning war” against Russia to have failed.

"Of course, this blitzkrieg, which our benefactors counted on, failed, that's obvious." Russia's economy and financial system are "steady on both feet".

At the same time, the Kremlin chief also acknowledged problems caused by the Western sanctions imposed because of Russia's war in Ukraine - for example in logistics and with billing.

"Of course there are problems," Putin said.

However, the economy is “quite stable”.

According to the RIA news agency, the head of the auditors, Alexei Kudrin, spoke on Tuesday of an economic "shrinkage" of more than ten percent.

According to a report by the Ukrainian broadcaster Nexta, Putin also spoke meaningfully about Ukraine and Belarus: The countries together with Russia formed a "triune" nation, he explained.

Under the given circumstances, a "stronger integration" of Russia and Belarus is also necessary.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (right) meets Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus.

© Mikhail Klimentyev/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa

Poland arrests Russian and Belarusian spies during Ukraine war

Update from April 12, 3:15 p.m .:

Three suspected spies from Russia and Belarus were arrested in Poland in the middle of the Ukraine war.

A spokesman for the Polish secret service released the following information on Tuesday:

• A Russian who has been living in Poland for 18 years "collected information about the preparations for combat by the Polish and NATO forces at the request of the Russian secret service".

• The two Belarusians wanted to spy on strategic objects for the defense capability of Poland.

45 Russian diplomats had already been expelled from Poland at the end of March.

As a result, Russia also expelled 45 Polish diplomats.

A spy network was also exposed in Slovakia.

Selenskyj taunts Germany: EU values ​​ready for the “museum”?

Update from April 12, 1:40 p.m .:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed doubts about Europe’s determination to increase pressure on Russia because of the war atrocities in his country.

"Some EU states cannot decide when they will at least noticeably restrict the purchase of Russian energy sources," said the head of state in a speech to the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday.

The war in Ukraine started by Russia raises a strategic question for Europe.

“Are the values ​​that became the foundation of Europe after the Second World War still alive?

Or have the values ​​already played their role and can only serve as exhibits in museums for tourists?” Zelenskyy said.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (on screen) addresses the Lithuanian Parliament.

© Mindaugas Kulbis/dpa

In his speech, Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of kidnapping hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to Russia in order to silence them over the war crimes committed by Russian soldiers.

“They will be taken to special camps.

Their documents are taken from them, they are interrogated and humiliated.

How many they kill is unknown,” said the Ukrainian president.

There had been similar allegations from the Ukrainian side before.

So far there is no evidence for these allegations.

Ukraine negotiations: Putin meets Lukashenko - and rails against Ukraine: "We had no choice"

First report:

Moscow/Munich - The Ukraine war continues.

A major offensive by Russian troops is expected in the east of the country.

There are reports from Mariupol about an alleged poison gas attack by Russia.

Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin* and the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko* have arrived for a meeting in the far east of Russia.

On the occasion of Space Day, they will visit the planned “Vostochny” spaceport near the Chinese border.

Ukraine war: Putin has “no doubt” about the success of “special operation”

During his visit, Putin once again showed himself confident of victory in view of the war.

The goals of the "special operation" would be achieved, he said, according to the Interfax agency.

"There is no doubt about that." He again defended his decision to invade the neighboring country as having no alternative.

The operation serves to ensure Russian security.

"We had no other choice," Putin said.

The conflict with the "anti-Russian forces in Ukraine" was only a matter of time.

In the past, however, many international experts had accused the Kremlin chief of only using the protection of Russian people in Ukraine as a pretext for the war.

Putin also stressed that Russia does not want to isolate itself from the rest of the world.

According to Putin, the sanctions with which the West reacted to the Russian invasion cannot isolate Russia.

Moscow will continue to expand its technical and technological potential - especially in space, he said.

Ukraine war: Lukashenko calls on Belarus to take part in negotiations again

The Kremlin boss wants to talk to Lukashenko, among other things, about including Minsk in the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv*.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Since then, Russian troops have attacked the country of President Volodymyr Zelenskyj*, also from Belarusian territory.

In March, the first talks between a Russian and a Ukrainian delegation took place in the border area of ​​the authoritarian former Soviet republic.

After another round of negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, Lukashenko recently called for his country to take part in the talks again.

"We are in favor of our Belarusian friends continuing to play a positive role in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations - and Belarus is an excellent platform for the continuation of such negotiations," Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said on Friday (April 8). expressed on the topic.

Without Belarus, no solution is possible, Lavrov said.

Although he did not rule out other venues, he also advocated Belarus as a security guarantor for Ukraine.

However, Ukraine no longer sees Belarus as a neutral mediator.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin speaks during a visit to the Vostochny cosmodrome.

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko listens.

© YEVGENY BIYATOV/AFP

Ukraine war: Putin wants to answer questions for the first time since the invasion

Putin is also scheduled to answer questions from media representatives on Tuesday for the first time since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine began almost seven weeks ago.

Whether the Kremlin boss will answer questions about secured escape corridors for civilians or peace efforts, for example, remains open for the time being.

Most recently, Putin had met with the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer - in Austria there was heavy criticism of the Chancellor's trip *.

You can read all the developments up to April 12 here.