Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Nov. 17 that Russia would continue its war against Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation,” because of Ukraine’s "unwillingness to negotiate."
“First they negotiate, then they refuse to negotiate, then they pass a law that prohibits any kind of negotiations, then they say they want negotiations, but public ones,” Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters.
The statement came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Western countries had given “signals” that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought direct talks with Ukraine. Instead of typical negotiations held behind the doors, Zelensky said that he had proposed public talks with the Kremlin since “Russia is waging a public war.”
Ukraine and Russia held peace talks in the early stage of the full-scale war, but no results were achieved. Ukraine said negotiations with Russia are impossible until a complete military withdrawal. Zelensky said he would only be open to the idea if Putin is no longer in power.
Earlier on Nov. 15, Russia launched its largest missile attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing emergency power outages across the country. According to the Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces launched around 90 missiles at targets across Ukraine in one day.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure since early October, admitting that the country's energy facilities are its primary goal. Attacking vital public infrastructure is a war crime, according to the Geneva Conventions.
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