(VOVWORLD) - Russian President Vladimir Putin assured Friday that Russia “has no ill intentions” towards its neighboring countries and urged them not to escalate and not to impose any restrictions.
 Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The Kremlin said what happens next in the Russia-Ukraine peace process will depend on Kyiv's response to the just concluded bilateral talks.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed on Friday that this military alliance is not a party to the current conflict in Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference ahead of an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member states, Stoltenberg said NATO allies have taken unprecedented sanctions on Russia and supported Ukraine, but NATO is not a part of the conflict, adding that NATO is a defensive alliance and do not seek war or conflict with Russia.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Friday after Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant in Ukraine, was on fire but was fortunate to be extinguished. Military operations around nuclear sites and other critical civilian infrastructure are "unacceptable", UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council meeting.
Ambassador Vassily Nebenzi, Head of Russia's Permanent Mission to the UN, denied the accusations of Russia's attack on the power plant in Ukraine, saying the misinformation is against Russia. Nebenzi said that Russian and Ukrainian forces had a fight in the area of the nuclear power plant, but Russia did not fire at this plant.