Russian President Vladimir Putin offered an opportunity to negotiate with his country if Ukrainian Army takes power.
According to Russian media reports, Putin gave a suggestion to Ukrainian army to seize power of Ukraine and overthrow Zelensky government in order to negotiate with Kremlin.
Putin accused Zelensky of using people as “human shields”. He also requested Ukrainian army not to do the same.
The Russian leader believed it was easier to negotiate with the army rather than “a bunch of drug-addicts and neo-nazis”, alluding to Ukraine politicians.
Mean while European Union finance ministers were meeting to agree new sanctions, expected to include asset freezes directly targeting Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the first time.
U.S. officials believe Russia’s initial aim is to topple Zelenskiy and “decapitate” his government. Zelenskiy said he knew he was “the number one target” but would stay in Kyiv.
An adviser to Zelenskiy said Ukraine was prepared for talks with Russia, including on staying neutral, one of Moscow’s pre-war demands. But Lavrov said no talks could be held until Ukraine’s military laid down its arms.
Putin says Ukraine is an illegitimate state carved out of Russia, a view Ukrainians see as aimed at erasing their more than thousand-year history.
Putin says he does not plan a military occupation, only to disarm Ukraine and remove its leaders. But it is not clear how a pro-Russian leader could be installed unless troops control much of the country. Russia has floated no name of such a figure.
After Moscow denied for months it was planning an invasion, news that Putin had ordered one shocked Russians accustomed to viewing their ruler of 22 years as a methodical strategist. Many Russians have friends and family in Ukraine.
Russian state media have relentlessly characterised Ukraine as a threat, but in hundreds Russians protested on Thursday against the war prompted Russian administration to swiftly arrest them.
Britain on its part has said Russia had failed to achieve its initial objectives.
“Contrary to great Russian claims – and indeed President Putin’s sort of vision that somehow the Ukrainians would be liberated and would be flocking to his cause – he’s got that completely wrong, and the Russian army has failed to deliver, on day one, its main objective,” British defence minister Ben Wallace said.
Wallace said Russians had been pushed from the airport they had tried to take near Kyiv, complicating their plan to attack the capital. They had also failed to break through Ukrainian lines near separatist enclaves in the east.
