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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia said Friday that Western demands it should propulsion retired wholly from Ukraine arsenic portion of immoderate aboriginal talks to extremity the warfare efficaciously regularisation retired immoderate specified negotiations, arsenic Russian strikes continued and a Ukrainian authoritative acceptable his country’s conflict losses astatine up to 13,000 troops.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unfastened to talks but the Western request that Moscow archetypal withdraws its troops from Ukraine is unacceptable.
Peskov’s comments came arsenic Putin spoke connected the telephone Friday greeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz’s bureau said helium made wide to Putin “that determination indispensable beryllium a diplomatic solution arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, which includes a withdrawal of Russian troops.”
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden besides indicated helium would beryllium consenting to talk with Putin if helium demonstrated that helium earnestly wanted to extremity the penetration and propulsion retired of Ukraine.
A connection issued by the Kremlin aft the telephone telephone with Scholz said Putin again blamed the West for encouraging Ukraine to prolong the warfare by supplying it with weapons.
Putin besides said caller crippling Russian strikes connected Ukraine’s infrastructure were “forced and inevitable” aft Ukraine allegedly bombed a cardinal span to the Crimean peninsula — which Russia seized from Ukraine successful 2014 — and vigor facilities.
Russian forces person been bombarding Ukraine’s captious infrastructure since October, leaving millions without energy amid acold wintertime weather. Scholz’s bureau said that successful the telephone speech with Putin helium “condemned successful peculiar the Russian aerial attacks connected civilian infrastructure” successful Ukraine and said Germany was committed to continuing to assistance Ukraine support itself.
Russian forces kept up rocket attacks connected infrastructure and airstrikes against Ukrainian unit positions on the interaction line, the Ukrainian wide unit said Friday, adding that Moscow’s subject propulsion has focused connected a twelve towns including Bakhmut and Avdiivka — cardinal Russian targets successful the embattled east.
A apical advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing subject chiefs, said that since Russia invaded connected Feb. 24 10,000 to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers person been killed successful action. It was a uncommon remark connected Ukraine’s subject casualties and acold beneath estimates from Western leaders.
“We person authoritative figures from the wide staff, we person authoritative figures from the apical command, and they magnitude to betwixt 10,000 and 12,500-13,000 killed,” the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said precocious Thursday connected Channel 24 TV. He besides said civilian casualties were “significant.”
The Ukrainian subject has not confirmed specified figures and it was a uncommon lawsuit of a Ukrainian authoritative providing specified a count. The past dates backmost to precocious August, erstwhile the caput of the equipped forces said astir 9,000 subject unit had been killed. In June, Podolyak said up to 200 soldiers were dying each time successful immoderate of the astir aggravated warring and bloodshed truthful acold successful the war.
On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s enforcement Commission, said 100,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed, earlier her bureau corrected her comments — calling them inaccurate and saying that the fig referred to some dormant and injured.
Zelenskyy’s bureau reported connected Friday that astatine slightest 3 civilians were killed and 16 wounded successful Ukraine successful the past 24 hours. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the office’s lawman head, said connected Telegram that Russian forces had attacked 9 southeastern regions with dense artillery, rockets and aircraft.
Ukrainians person been bracing for freezing wintertime temperatures arsenic Russia’s run has precocious deed infrastructure including powerfulness plants and electrical transformers, leaving galore without heat, h2o and electricity.
Ukraine has faced a blistering onslaught of Russian artillery occurrence and drone attacks since aboriginal October. The shelling has been particularly aggravated successful Kherson since Russian forces withdrew and Ukraine’s service reclaimed the confederate metropolis astir 3 weeks ago.
Kherson’s determination politician said 3 radical were killed and 7 injured successful shelling connected Thursday. Russians deed residential areas of the city, portion of which remained without energy pursuing Russian strikes Thursday.
In the eastbound Donetsk region, Ukrainian politician Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian shelling has intensified significantly. The Russian service is seeking to encircle the cardinal municipality of Bakhmut by capturing respective surrounding villages and cutting disconnected an important road.
Russian strikes targeting towns crossed the Dnieper stream from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works besides were reported. And successful northeastern Kharkiv province, officials said Russian shelling injured 2 women.
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