Spokesman John Kirby grew visibly distraught as he wondered how someone “moral” could condone Russia’s actions. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated he was still open to discussions with Mr. Putin. However, he warned that there was a considerable possibility of their collapsing in the face of a Russian attack. Mr. Zelensky told Polish media that he wanted to see Mr. Putin because “a single guy decides everything” in Russia.
However, the devastation caused by Russian soldiers in occupied regions has made any conversations difficult, he claims. “People want to murder them after Bucha and Mariupol. It is difficult to discuss anything when there is such an attitude” On Thursday, Ukraine launched the search for ten Russian troops suspected of war crimes in Bucha, a district north of Kyiv where at least 400 people were slain. When challenged about Russia’s methods, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby appeared to grow upset on Friday.
“I don’t think we truly realized the extent to which Mr. Putin would visit such brutality and cruelty,” he added.
Mr. Kirby disputed Mr. Putin’s claimed justifications for the invasion, saying, “It’s hard to reconcile that rhetoric with what he’s really doing inside Ukraine to innocent people, shot in the back of the head, wrists tied behind their backs, pregnant women being slain, hospitals being attacked”According to the BBC’s Joel Gunter in Kyiv, there is emerging evidence that Russia has forcefully removed a substantial number of citizens across the border since its February invasion. According to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Moscow has sought to swap Ukrainian civilians for Russian military captives, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention.
Russia announced on Friday that its military carried out an air attack on Ukraine’s capital during the UN Secretary General’s visit. Journalist Vira Hyrch was murdered in the incident, the first of its sort in Kyiv in over two weeks when a missile struck her apartment building. Russia’s defense ministry stated that “high-precision, long-range air-based weapons” were used to strike a missile plant in Kyiv. More than two months into the battle, US President Joe Biden has requested Congress for $33 billion (£27 billion) in military, economic, and humanitarian help for Ukraine, signaling a significant increase in American backing for Ukraine.
The bumper package has been stalled by legislative wrangling over US domestic priorities, but US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that she planned to enact it “as soon as feasible.” Mr. Zelensky described the bill’s victory in Kyiv as “solid proof” that freedom can defend itself against persecution. “I am certain now that the Lend-Lease will assist Ukraine and the entire free world in defeating the ideological descendants of the Nazis who launched a war against us,” he said in a late-night address on Friday. In addition, the United Kingdom announced the deployment of 8,000 troops for drills across Eastern Europe to demonstrate the Western world’s determination in the face of Russia’s continuous aggression.
