Former U.S. President George W. Bush, who has waged two foreign wars during his presidency, denounced the Russian attack on Ukraine as "the most serious security crisis on the Continent since World War II." In a statement, George W. Bush said, "The U.S. government and the American people must stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they seek freedom and the right to choose their own future." ”
George W. Bush also said, "We cannot tolerate the dictatorial bullying and danger caused by Putin." The former president also called the war "unjustified" and "unjustified," echoing U.S. President Joe Biden's call for unity and accountability Wednesday night. Biden said in a statement that the Ukrainian people were "being subjected to unwarranted and unjustified attacks by Russian forces" and stood with them.
After months of amassion of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced "special military action" in Ukraine on Wednesday night. He said the move was in support of Ukraine's pro-Russian separatist regions, which he acknowledged on Monday as independent. Some Western leaders expect he will use the action to justify the invasion.
Now that the war has lasted more than 48 hours, Zelenskiy angrily denounced the West and the United States, saying he had been abandoned. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Putin was ready to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with Ukraine. The day after Moscow invaded Ukraine, Russian troops approached kiev, the ukrainian capital.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Friday that Putin was "ready" to send a high-level delegation to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to "hold talks with the Ukrainian delegation." Minsk has previously held several rounds of peace talks on the Ukraine crisis. Peskov said Mr. Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, an ally of Mr. Putin, told him he would "create the conditions" for such a summit.
Russia has stationed thousands of soldiers in Belarus, and Ukraine says Russia has been attacked from multiple sources, including Belarus. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for talks with Russian leaders during weeks-long diplomatic efforts, with Western countries trying to prevent Putin from launching an attack.
Zelenskiy made preliminary proposals for negotiations later Wednesday in a speech to Putin shortly before the Russian invasion. As Russian troops approached Kiev on Friday, Zelenskiy issued a new statement urging talks, "I want to address the leaders of the Russian Federation again." Fighting is raging all over Ukraine. Let's sit down and negotiate to stop people dying. Kiev also proposed that in order to end the violence, Ukraine could commit to remain neutral on NATO membership.
Later on Friday, Mr. Putin spoke out again, calling for the Ukrainian army to overthrow the government, calling its leaders "terrorists" and "a bunch of drug addicts and neo-Nazis." Putin also accused "Ukrainian nationalists" of deploying heavy weapons in residential areas of major cities, which would infuriate the Russian military. In a televised address, Putin urged the Ukrainian military to "take power into its own hands." "It seems easier for us to agree with you than with those addicts and neo-Nazis," he said. Here, he is referring to Zelenskiy's government.
According to the latest news, an explosion occurred in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The sound of explosions could be seen and heard in parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and days of fierce fighting and explosions took place on the outskirts as Russian troops approached the city.
Earlier Saturday, footage taken by witnesses showed an explosion in an area northwest of Kiev that houses a military base. CNN said huge explosions were heard Saturday in the western and southern parts of the city. Soon after, Ukraine's State Special Communications Service said there was also a clash in the eastern suburbs.