Russian President Vladimir Putin said peace talks with Ukraine were at a stalemate and vowed to continue its aggression.
For days there has been no news of progress in peace talks between the two sides after Ukraine accused Russian troops of committing war crimes including killing civilians in Bucha and other cities in the north of the country.
Speaking in his first public appearance since the allegations of atrocities, Putin initially compared it to U.S. attacks on cities like Raqqa in Syria and later denied the allegations about Bucha as false.
In a joint press conference at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said the attack on Ukraine, which had lasted more than seven weeks, went according to plan.
Putin blamed Ukraine for failing peace talks and said Moscow would not relinquish its ‘special operation’ to stop pressure from the West.
On the other hand, a Ukrainian official told Reuters that although the negotiations faced difficulties, but still continued.
Discussions continued between the two sides via a video link after the last meeting in person in Turkey on March 29. However, there is still no general confirmation of the talks this week.
