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Kremlin spokesman claims Ukraine largely 'demilitarized'

by The Kyiv Independent news desk June 17, 2023 11:35 PM 1 min read
Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov walks after a meeting with African leaders at the Konstantin Palace in Strelna on June 17, 2023, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Kremlin press secretary Dmitriy Peskov claimed that Russia's goal of "demilitarizing" Ukraine was largely completed.

Speaking to RT Arabic, an offshoot of Russia's propaganda media outlet, Peskov said that Ukraine was "highly militarized" at the start of the full-scale invasion but now it was using "fewer and fewer of its own weapons," increasingly relying on weapons provided by the West.

"Demilitarization" and "denazification" were two insincere excuses that the Kremlin used to invade Ukraine in a war of territorial and ethnocidal aggression in February 2022.

Peskov also claimed that NATO countries are forcing their way into the "conflict." He then echoed a discredited notion that Russia is defending the safety of Donbas residents, whom it has killed and ordered to fight in huge numbers.

Russia's own abundance of weapons has been dwindling, with Ukrainian Armed Forces saying that it's been steadily using less and less artillery. Russia's been pulling out older and older vehicles to try to sustain its invasion.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 12 – Ukraine’s counteroffensive finally began. What’s next?
Episode #12 of our weekly video podcast “This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to the beginning of Ukraine’s much-awaited counteroffensive, its early results, and what to expect in the weeks to come. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell. Listen to the au…

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11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
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