Ukraine

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/59524776

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/35051968

In an interview with Fox News on March 23, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff discussed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, expressing his optimism about Russian President Vladimir Putin's commitment to peace.

Witkoff, who brokered the now broken Jan. 15 ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, has become a leading figure in negotiations regarding Russia and Ukraine.

When asked whether he was convinced that Putin was seeking peace, he responded in the affirmative: "I feel that he wants peace," said Witkoff.

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/49748

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/24399065

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“They come highly motivated, much more so than the average recruit today,” says Valentyn about the former prisoners. There are hundreds of them, although he doesn’t reveal the exact number. In routine training, at least 50 huddle among the trees of a dense forest of bare branches on the outskirts of Kramatorsk. Some receive instructions to simulate an assault, others practice with their rifles, and others learn how to provide first aid to a wounded person.

Not every prisoner benefits from the new law. Those convicted of treason are excluded, as are drug traffickers, rapists, pedophiles, or those convicted of murder. The final say on release always rests with a judge. “There are mainly thieves and those convicted of assault,” Arey believes. Garik, a 28-year-old professional middleweight boxer, ended up in prison over a fight. He broke several bones in a man’s face, and because he was a federated athlete, the judge gave him a sentence equivalent to if he had committed assault with a knife, an aggravating circumstance that also exists in Spain. He received 13 years, but his lawyer managed to get his sentence reduced to eight. “I had been in my cell for two years, with nothing to do, when they asked me if I wanted to come. I didn’t think twice,” he says.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/34877118

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/59160092

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27227073

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26985200

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/7443

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31129928

Archived

[...]

At a briefing in Brussels, a European diplomat emphasized that the EU is working to ensure Ukraine holds a stronger position in peace negotiations.

[...]

[An EU] diplomat [...] expressed the view that during a potential ceasefire, Ukraine should be armed rather than disarmed.

"Fighting is still ongoing, but even if there is a pause, Ukraine must be turned into a 'steel porcupine,'" [another] EU diplomat emphasized.

He added that it is crucial to put Ukraine in a strong position for negotiations. Moreover, it is necessary to prevent Russia from using a "second chance" to regroup and launch another attack.

[...]