April 7 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Kyiv had presented Moscow with a draft peace deal that contained “unacceptable” elements, but that Russia would nonetheless continue talks and press to secure its own requirements.
The Kremlin has said that peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv are not progressing as rapidly as it would like and has accused the West of trying to derail negotiations by focusing on war crimes allegations, which Moscow denies.
Lavrov said on Thursday that Ukraine had presented a draft peace agreement to Russia on Wednesday but that it deviated from proposals both sides had previously agreed on.
“Such inability to agree once again highlights Kyiv’s true intentions, its position of drawing out and even undermining the talks by moving away from the understandings reached,” Lavrov said, adding that Kyiv’s proposals were “unacceptable.”
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has said that talks are needed but it is not willing to give up its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.
Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions in an effort to force Russia to withdraw its forces.
Lavrov said Russia was now keen to continue with the talks and secure its own demands.
“Despite all the provocations, the Russian delegation will continue with the negotiation process, pressing for our own draft agreement that clearly and fully outlines our initial and key positions and requirements,” he said.
Ukraine was trying to evacuate as many trapped civilians as possible on Thursday as Russian forces pounded cities and towns in the east and south of the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Irena Vereshchuk announced agreement with Russia on opening 10 safe corridors, mostly in southern and eastern Ukraine, but said residents trying to leave the besieged city of Mariupol would have to use their own vehicles.
Multiple attempts to agree safe passage for buses to take supplies to Mariupol and bring out civilians have failed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, with each side blaming the other
Ukrainian officials say Russia has been regrouping for a new offensive in the east and south, and want civilians to leave those areas while they still can.
“Evacuate! The chances of saving yourself and your family from Russian death are dwindling every day,” said Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, adding that Russian troops had not made any significant breakthroughs.
Local officials reported heavy Russian shelling and rocket fire in the southern region of Kherson in the last few days.
Ukrainian Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovycvh said Russian air attacks were now focused mainly on areas of eastern Ukraine, and that Mariupol was holding out.
He said he believed Russian efforts to surround Ukrainian troops in the east would be in vain, adding: “The situation is under control.”
‘PRESSURE ON CIVILIAN POPULATION’
Ukraine’s military says Russia wants to entrench a land passage between two separatist, self-proclaimed people’s republics in Donbas in eastern Ukraine and the southern region of Crimea that Russia seized and annexed in 2014.
Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine, said civilian areas had been shelled 48 times in the past 24 hours to “put pressure on the civilian population of Kharkiv and destroy civilian infrastructure.”
He said three civilians had been killed and many homes destroyed in shelling of Balakliya, a town close to the occupied city of Izyum, from where Ukraine says it can no longer evacuate civilians.
Russia denies targeting civilians in a “special military operation” which it says is aimed at demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine. The Kremlin’s position is rejected by Ukraine and the West as a pretext for an unprovoked invasion.
Mariupol has been under siege for most of the war. At least 160,000 civilians are trapped without power and with little food or running water, according to Mayor Vadym Boychenko, who puts the civilian death toll in the city at about 5,000.
Boychenko, who has left Mariupol, estimated that at least 40,000 residents had been forcibly deported to Russia from areas of the city occupied by Russian forces. Russia has spoken of “refugees” arriving from the strategic port city.
(Reporting By Natalia Zinets, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
