Lavrov: Russia not to halt military operation in Ukraine for peace talks

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow has no plans to pause the military operation in Ukraine for subsequent rounds of peace talks and that the halt will take place so long as a final agreement is reached.

Speaking in an interview with Russian state television on Monday, Lavrov said he saw no reason not to continue the talks with Ukraine but insisted that Moscow would not stop the campaign when the sides reconvened for peace negotiations.

Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had ordered to suspend the military action during the first round of talks in late February but Moscow's position had has changed since. “After we became convinced that the Ukrainians were not planning to reciprocate, a decision was made that during the next rounds of talks, there would be no pause in military action so long as a final agreement is not reached.”

Last week, Lavrov accused Kiev of presenting Moscow with an "unacceptable" draft peace deal that deviated from agreements the sides had previously reached.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul last month, but there have been few signs of the conflict abating on the ground.

The Russian leader announced the military operation in Ukraine on February 24. The conflict has provoked a unanimous response from Western countries, which have imposed a long list of sanctions on Moscow. Russia says it will halt the operation instantly if Kiev meets Moscow's list of demands.

Russia warns of ‘direct military confrontation’ with US; Ukraine set to join EU

Russia has warned of a direct military confrontation with the US over its support to Ukraine, even as the former Soviet republic is set to become part of the European Union.

Russia: EU’s S-300 systems given to Ukraine destroyed

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that the military had used cruise missiles to destroy S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems which had been supplied to Ukraine by Europe.

The ministry said Russia a day earlier launched Kalibr cruise missiles against four S-300 launchers which it claimed had been concealed in a hangar on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

“High-precision sea-launched Kalibr missiles destroyed the equipment of a S-300 anti-aircraft missile division which had been delivered to the Kiev regime by a European country," the ministry said.

Russia did not say which European country had supplied the S-300 systems.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said the country’s forces shot down two Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft near the city of Izium and destroyed two ammunition depots, one of which was near the southern city of Mykolaiv.

NATO membership for Finland, Sweden won't bring stability to Europe

The Kremlin announced on Monday that the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call when asked about the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

A senior US State Department official said last week that the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance was part of the discussion between foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels.

UK prime minister visits Ukraine, promises to shower Kiev with military, financial aid

Britain’s Johnson promises to provide Ukraine with considerable volumes of military and financial aid.

Ukraine says Russian attack in the east 'will begin soon'

In another development on Monday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told a briefing in the capital that Kiev is expecting Russia to launch a major offensive in the east "soon.”

"The enemy has almost finished preparation for assault on the east, the attack will begin soon," Motuzyanyk said. "We don't know precisely when, but the preparation is almost over."

After rebuffing a Russian offensive on Kiev, Ukraine has for days said a renewed Moscow attack on its east and south is looming.

"We are predicting that intense fighting will take place in these territories in the near future," Motuzyanyk added. "We cannot predict exactly when this will happen, these are sources from Western intelligence. The Ukrainian army is ready."

The Ukrainian military official also said he believed Moscow planned to create a "land corridor" to the Kherson region, north of Crimea, which it controls.

Motuzyanyk stressed that a renewed Russian attack on Kiev "depends on fighting" in the eastern regions.

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