‘US has bombed civilians for long, has no right to lecture Russia’

According to reports, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday lashed out at Biden’s “rhetoric” as “impermissible, unacceptable, and inexcusable,” stressing that Washington has no right to lecture Russia after the US’s long involvement in so many conflicts across the world.

“The United States has long bombed civilians and used nuclear weapons in Japan at the end of WW2 – so the US president has no right to lecture Russia,” Peskov said.

Putin announced a “special military operation” on February 24 aimed at the “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, largely populated by ethnic Russians, in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the two regions – collectively known as the Donbas – declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Ukraine’s Western-backed government.

Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of negotiations since the beginning of the ongoing operation with the latest bout ending late Tuesday and Kiev pointing to “fundamental contradictions.”

Russia putting ‘colossal effort’ into peace talks

Commenting on the peace talks between the two countries, Peskov said Russia was putting colossal energy into talks on a possible peace deal with Ukraine that could immediately halt the war.

“Our delegation is putting in colossal effort and demonstrates more readiness towards them than the other side,” he said, adding that “Agreeing such a document, the observance of all its parameters and their implementation could very quickly stop what is happening.”

Russia: Air defense systems for Ukraine destabilize situation

In another development on Thursday, Russia said giving Ukraine air defense systems, as requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an address to the United States Congress a day earlier, will destabilize the situation.

“Such deliveries … would be a destabilizing factor which will definitely not bring peace to Ukraine,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a press conference, adding, “In the long term, they could have much more dangerous consequences.”