Russia is using peace talks with Ukraine as an opportunity to regroup its forces, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said.
In an interview with The Times, Ms Truss said the talks were a “smokescreen” and that she was “sceptical” about the Kremlin’s aims.
“If a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn’t indiscriminately bomb civilians that day,” she said.
Ms Truss said she was “very sceptical” about the negotiations, and added: “What we’ve seen is an attempt to create space for the Russians to regroup.”
She said: “We don’t see any serious withdrawal of Russian troops or any serious proposals on the table.”
Ms Truss added that “the Russians have lied and lied and lied. I fear the negotiation is yet another attempt to create a diversion and create a smokescreen”.
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02:51 AM
Overshadowed by Ukraine war, Yemen on brink as pledges fall short
The United Nations and aid groups have warned of grave consequences for Yemen after an international pledging conference failed to raise enough money to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn country.
Overshadowed by the conflict in Ukraine, aid-starved Yemen – already suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN – is on the verge of total collapse.
With the country almost completely dependent on imports, aid groups say the situation will only worsen following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which produces nearly a third of Yemeni wheat supplies.
Some 80 per cent of its around 30 million people depend on aid for survival, after seven years of a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, directly or indirectly.
The UN voiced disappointment after Wednesday’s conference raised less than a third of the target to help 17.3 million of Yemen’s needy.
It has repeatedly warned that aid agencies are running out of funds, forcing them to slash “life-saving” programmes.
02:34 AM
Pro-war rally in Moscow’s World Cup stadium
The FT’s reporter Max Seddon says Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, which hosted the World Cup final in 2018, was packed out on Friday as pro-war demonstrators gathered on the anniversary of Russia’s Crimea annexation.
Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, which hosted the World Cup final in 2018, is packed out for a pro-war rally on the anniversary of Russia’s Crimea annexation.
Lots of reports of state employees being bussed in. They’re watching a video with Ukrainian flags being thrown to the ground pic.twitter.com/fIKEzD5WnV
— max seddon (@maxseddon) March 18, 2022
02:22 AM
Xi says improper handling of Taiwan issues will hit China-U.S. ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Joe Biden on Friday that the Taiwan issue needs to be handled properly to avoid a negative impact on Sino-US relations, according to Chinese media.
China says Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be brought back to the fold, by force if necessary, is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States.
His comments come as the war in Ukraine garners broad sympathy in Taiwan, with many seeing parallels between Russia’s invasion and the military threat posed by China.
01:51 AM
Zelensky warns Russia it will take generations to recover from its losses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called again for talks with Moscow on Saturday, saying they were the “only chance for Russia to minimise the damage done with their own mistakes” after invading.
The two sides are currently holding negotiations remotely but so far, like previous rounds, they have yielded little progress. None have been at the presidential level.
“This is the time to meet, to talk, time for renewing territorial integrity and fairness for Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a video posted to Facebook.
“Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such, that several generations will not recover.”
