source: AFP in La Presse, April12, 2022
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
War in Ukraine: The Russian offensive continues "calmly", according to Vladimir Putin
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin
(Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin said tuesday that the Russian offensive in Ukraine was continuing "calmly" and minimizing casualties, refusing to set a timetable.
The Russian head of state also criticized the "lack of coherence" of the Ukrainians in talks with Moscow, accusing them of constantly changing their position, which "creates difficulties" in reaching an agreement.
On the ground, "our task is to accomplish the objectives set by minimizing casualties, we will act harmoniously, calmly, in accordance with the plan proposed from the outset by the General Staff," Putin said at a press conference at a cosmodrome in the Russian Far East.
Putin, who was in Vostochny with his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko, brushed aside the notion that the Russian military was struggling in the face of Ukrainian resistance and had had to give up taking the major cities and the capital Kyiv to focus on Donbass region in the east of the country.
"Our actions in some parts of Ukraine were only intended to lure the (Ukrainian) forces away from the Donbass, deliver a blow and destroy military infrastructure," he said.
The president also implied that if Russian forces were not moving faster, it was to avoid too great losses. The Kremlin admitted last week that the Russian military had suffered "significant" losses itself without quantifying them precisely.
"I often hear the question, can we do it faster? Yes, it is possible, but it involves intensifying military operations which unfortunately would have an effect on losses," Putin said.
Russia has consistently denied killing civilians, accusing Ukraine of using its population as a human shield.
Asked about the massacre of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Butcha, which Ukraine and the West blame on Russian forces, which occupied the Kyiv suburb, Putin brushed aside the subject.
Comparing these accusations to those concerning the use of chemical weapons by the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Putin said: "We are up against the same 'fakenews' in Boutcha."
Mr Lukashenko saw it as "a special psychological operation on the part of the British".
Earlier in the day, Putin called the Russian military offensive "noble," saying once again it was aimed at saving Russians and Russian-speakers in Donbass from genocide orchestrated by Ukrainian "neo-Nazis."
"There is no doubt (that the Russian objectives will be fulfilled), they are absolutely clear and noble [...] The main objective is to help the people of Donbass," he reiterated.
Putin also mocked the United States on Tuesday, saying it was ready to fight Russia "to the last Ukrainian."
The Russian president finally considered that despite the "current tragedy", the Ukrainians were still a "brother people".
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