The US Department of Defense has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “barbarism” and “impoverishment” in his country’s invasion of Ukraine. “It’s hard to see what he’s doing in Ukraine,” said John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. “It is the barbarity of the coldest and most corrupt kind,” he said. “I do not think we fully appreciated the extent to which he would visit this kind of violence and cruelty and, as I said, humiliation, of innocent people, of non-combatants, of civilians, with such utter contempt for the lives he took,” he added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that his forces were fighting for their lives as Russia intensified its offensive in the eastern Donbass region. Russia hit the Kharkiv region overnight, according to the regional governor.
“Regular success”
The Ukrainian president expressed hope that his soldiers would rise to the occasion. “The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult. “But our troops and our intelligence are having significant tactical success,” Zelenski said. “The occupiers are doing everything they can to destroy any life on the territory of Donbass. “Continued heavy bombardment, constant Russian incursions into infrastructure and residential areas indicate that Russia wants to make this territory uninhabitable.” Ukraine and Russia have exchanged accusations of unstable talks to end a war now in its third month, as Russia pounded areas in the east of the country and US lawmakers promised a huge new arms package for Kyiv. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Chinese state media that Russia’s demands for lifting sanctions were part of its peace talks with Ukraine. He called the conversations, which take place via video, “difficult”. However, Zelensky told Polish journalists that the chances of the talks ending were “high” because of “Russia’s game book on the killing of people,” the Interfax news agency reported.
