Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
Moscow, Russia:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated members of special forces on their professional vacation and said they fought “heroically” in Ukraine, while the Kremlin insisted it was ready for talks with Kiev.
“Special thanks to those who are today heroically fulfilling their military duty during a special operation to provide aid to the people’s republics of Donbas,” Putin said in a televised speech.
The Russian president ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Russian ground forces have penetrated Ukraine from the north, east and south, but have encountered stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, the intensity of which likely surprised Moscow, according to Western sources.
Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies on Sunday that Russia was ready for talks with Ukraine, adding that a delegation from Moscow had already arrived in the Belarusian city of Gomel.
“We will be ready to start these talks in Homel,” Peskov said.
Ukrainian authorities have refused to hold talks in Belarus, allowing Russian troops to travel to pro-western Ukraine.
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