Kyiv called on Zelensky to make efforts for negotiations on Ukraine

KYIV, Feb. 25 Ukrainian faction «Opposition Platform — For Life» urged Volodymyr Zelensky to be more persistent in organizing negotiations on the situation in Ukraine, including through international mediation. Earlier, Ilya Kiva, a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Opposition Platform for Life faction, proposed creating a negotiating group to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.15:59The aggravation of the situation in the DPR and LPRLukashenko will create conditions for security in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine»We call on all parties to the armed conflict to turn to diplomatic, negotiation tools to ensure a ceasefire. And we hope that Zelensky will have the political will for this. The situation requires President Zelensky to show great perseverance in organizing such negotiations, including through international mediation. We declare our readiness to provide all necessary assistance in the negotiation process,» the party said in a statement on its official website. On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced, that he decided on a special military operation against Ukraine. In a televised address to the Russians, he said that the circumstances «require decisive and immediate action from us, the people's republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help.» According to the Russian leader, the entire responsibility for the bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine. He urged the Ukrainian military not to follow the criminal orders of the Ukrainian authorities, to lay down their arms and go home. stressed that the Russian Armed Forces do not launch any missile, air or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine: military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields and aviation are disabled by high-precision weapons. The ministry assured that the civilian population was not in danger. Approximately two hours later, the Ministry of Defense added that the Ukrainian border guards «do not offer any resistance», Ukrainian air defense systems were suppressed, and the military infrastructure of military air bases was disabled. The military department denied the information of foreign media about the alleged downing of a Russian plane over Ukraine in the military department.