War

Thousand one hundred and seventy -second days. The leaders of France, Great Britain, Germany and Poland came to Kyiv. They call Russia to a 30-day ceasefire from May 12 and promise to “strengthen the pressure” in case of refusal

Medusa from February 24, 2022 lives on the Russian-Ukrainian war on the air. In our daily materials, we publish your letters, because we are sure: we must continue to talk about the war. After February 24, 2022, Russian propaganda directly connected the Great Patriotic War with the invasion of Ukraine. Because of this, Victory Day causes complex feelings. Please share them. Look for a feedback form at the end of this article.

Ukraine

Macron, Mertz, Tusk and Starmer arrived in the Ukrainian capital

In the morning of May 10, the leaders of France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland arrived - Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Mertz, Kir Starkmer and Donald Tusk. At the station they were met by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrei Ermak and Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga. BBC News notes that this joint visit can be called a “symbolic answer” that on the eve of Moscow, the leaders of more than 20 countries visited Moscow to celebrate Victory Day. In addition, this is the first visit of the Mercke to Kyiv after taking office of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The main goal of the arrival of European leaders in Kyiv is the call to Russia to stop fire and sit down at the negotiating table.

“Together with the United States, we urge Russia to agree to a complete and unconditional ceasefire for 30 days to create a space for negotiations on a fair and strong world. We are ready to support peace negotiations as soon as possible, discuss the technical implementation of the ceasefire and prepare for a full -scale peace agreement, ”the joint statement of Macron, Merets, Tuska and Starmer, on the eve of the visit to Kiev, said .

Arriving in Kiev, the French president said that a fair and long world begins with a complete ceasefire. According to him, Ukraine agreed to him on March 11, and Russia "hesitates, puts forward conditions, pulls time and continues the war." Macron said that if Moscow will continue to block peaceful efforts, then the “pressure” on it will be increased - from the Europeans in close coordination with the United States.

After a joint meeting, Zelensky, Mertz, Macron, Tusk and Starmer phoned US President Donald Trump. According to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, the conversation was "productive."

“Ukraine and all allies are ready for the complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air and at sea for at least 30 days, starting from Monday on May 12. If Russia agrees and effective monitoring will be ensured, a long ceasefire and measures to develop trust may pave the way for peace negotiations, ”the minister said.

In an interview with Bild, during a trip to Kiev, Merz did not rule out that he could negotiate with Putin. “If there is a need, if this helps to stop the war, I am ready to do a lot,” he said.

British Prime Minister Cyrus Starmer at a press conference after a meeting of the leaders of the Coalition of Wishes said if Vladimir Putin thinks about peace, now is the time to demonstrate it. His words are given by RBC-Ukraine.

“That is why we are here, together with the United States, we turn to Putin, openly: if you seriously think about the world, it's time to demonstrate it,” said Starmer.

He added that we are talking about a 30-day ceasefire with the immediate start of negotiations-without additional conditions and delays.

“Putin wants conditions, instead of a ceasefire, he organized a military parade, once again challenges ... If Putin does not return to the path of peace, we will answer. Together with President Trump, we will strengthen our assistance to the defense power of Ukraine in order to force Russia to sit down at the negotiating table, ”the British prime minister said.

The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov in an interview with ABC News, which was published on May 10, said that Vladimir Putin needs to see the “certain dynamics” on the battlefield before agreeing to a long ceasefire. He also recalled that Russia demands to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine.

“Otherwise, it will be beneficial to Ukraine. Ukraine will continue its total mobilization, bringing new troops to the front line. Ukraine will take advantage of this period to prepare new military personnel and will give rest to the existing ones. So why should we provide Ukraine with such an advantage? ”Peskov said.

War through the eyes of readers "Medusa"

Natalia (Ukraine, Poltava region). My family never celebrated Victory Day. As a rule, on the May holidays (when it was the official weekend in Ukraine) everyone rode in the village or to plant gardens. Mom’s parents bitterly recalled the Holodomor and the war, which they had to survive at a young age. When still a schoolgirl, I asked them about the war and asked to talk about those events, my grandfather looked away, waved his hand in silence and turned away. And he said only one phrase: "Vinna is terrible!" The late aunt Maroussia, grandmother's native aunt, also repeated this phrase: “Hunger is terrible, Ditino, and VIINA - Brown terrible!” When I nevertheless persuaded her to tell at least a little about the war, Aunt Maroussia looked into the distance through the green leaves of apricot branches, tears appeared in clear blue eyes and she, looking into the ground, told something. But in these stories there were no funny and joyful stories. Only bitter memories, crazy fear and unbearable pain from the experience and what he saw. She remembered hunger with pain in her soul, crazy and unfair collectivization and dispossession, and then the war that found her in Donetsk. She went to the Donbass with a young girl to arrange her life, but ended up in the German occupation and, together with other young girls, was taken to Germany for forced labor. Miraculously, she was alive, miraculously returned to Ukraine and miraculously did not get to the Gulag and all her life was afraid to talk about her forced stay in Germany.

What a blessing that they did not survive until today's horror and darkness! What a blessing that my grandfather Jacob died on February 5, 2022 at the age of 94, not having lived to this vile and absurd war for 19 days. His old heart, having experienced so much grief, deprivation, suffering, simply could not withstand new tests and new reality. It is especially difficult to worry all this, knowing that his family sisters after the war of 1941-45 went to live in Taganrog. And the children and grandchildren of his native sister Olga to this day live in Taganrog. And all my father’s relatives are there in Russia. And there is no strength, and there is no possibility, and there are no arguments, and there are no reasonable arguments to prove to them to everyone that the Russian people are brazenly stanned by propaganda and lies and that the Putin war is absurd, unfounded and criminal! The Putin war drags all of Russia and the whole Russian people into an impenetrable abyss! I have no simple human words to tell them all: people, come to your senses! People, stop! People, admonish! You are doing evil, hiding behind vile and false speeches! But people scream from every iron in Russia: "We can repeat!" And suffocate from hatred and anger. And there is no hatred and anger or an extent or a reasonable explanation.

For me today, a man born in the USSR, which has grown in independent Ukraine, having roots in Russia and here in the Poltava region - everything that happens is unbearable pain and bitterness. For me and my family, there was no and there was never a victory. This is the day of memory and sorrow about those millions of innocently killed and dead both then and now. Millions in vain ruined human destinies! Millions of mutilated and deprived of childhood and at home! Millions of missing and turning to dust in a foreign land! There is no victory. There is a triumph of justice. Then, 80 years ago, it happened and the evil was stopped. I sincerely hope that today's evil of the war will also be stopped and justice will finally triumph and the perpetrators in unleashing this war will be punished. And that the long -awaited day of the world will come. Day of peace, sorrow and bright memory of all the dead. And it’s better to say quietly and with sorrow - “never again” than the fetid Putin's glee - “we can repeat” [...].

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