Russian bombs rained down on Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials, despite talks of compromise between Moscow and Kiev in peace talks after three weeks of fighting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was willing to discuss neutral status for its neighbor while still achieving the operation’s goals, which he said were “on track.”
However, Putin admitted that Western sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its actions were hurting the country.
In Washington, US Vice President Joe Biden referred to Putin as a “war criminal.”
According to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, the US is not seeing Russia take any actions that would indicate progress in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials.
Earlier, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated that talks between Moscow and Kiev were ongoing.
On the 21st day of the conflict, Russian forces continued to bombard besieged cities, including intensified shelling of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
According to Tass, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Biden’s portrayal of Putin as a war criminal “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric.”
Putin’s forces appear to have been deliberately bombarding Ukrainian civilians, which would support a case for war crimes.
