Eurotopics.net

Three weeks after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Kremlin leader Putin repeated his justifications for the war in a televised address, saying Russia must defend itself against the attacks of the West. He said the "special military operation" to demilitarise Ukraine was going according to plan. Commentators see the repetition of untruths as a sign of instability.

Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia are preparing for direct negotiations between Zelensky and Putin, the Russian state agency Ria Novosti reports. According to the Financial Times they are working on a 15-point plan in which the top priorities are Russia's demand that no Western military forces be stationed in Ukraine and that it remain neutral, and Ukraine's demand that the Russian troops withdraw. Europe's press discusses the prospects of success.