Russia refutes Zelensky assassination claims
Moscow denies that it is planning to assassinate Ukraine’s president.
Russia has no plans to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or to remove him from office, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has stated that
“No, this is not true,” Peskov replied, when asked on Wednesday to comment on speculations that Moscow wanted Zelensky dead, during an interview French broadcaster LCI.
He also said that regime change in the neighboring country wasn’t among the goals of Russia’s ongoing military operation.
Zelensky “is the President of Ukraine,” Peskov noted, and what Moscow wants from him is to agree to the demands that the Russian delegation has put forward during peace negotiations.
“Through those talks, we hope to put an end to the military operation,” Peskov said, adding that Moscow’s recent decision to withdraw its troops from areas near Kiev was a show of good faith aimed at facilitating a positive outcome.
The most recent round of face-to-face negotiations between Moscow and Kiev took place in Istanbul, Turkey, a week ago.
Following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the 2014 Minsk agreements, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics in Donetsk and Lugansk, Moscow launched an attack on its neighbor in late February. The protocols negotiated by Germany and France were intended to normalize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state.
Russia is now demanding that Ukraine formally declare its neutrality.