Russia says has not been after regime change in Ukraine
Russia says a power shift in Kiev was not the goal of the military operation it launched in Ukraine late February.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Monday that a change of the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been the goal of the operation that started on February 24.
“Russia is striving to achieve its goals in the special military operation, and these goals can be achieved in different ways,” Peskov said.
His remarks contradicted comments made earlier in the day by Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev, who said a normalization of relations with Kiev could only happen if there was “regime change.”
Ukraine has been at war with Russia since President Putin declared a “special military operation” on that February day. The Russian president said the campaign was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine. Ever since, the Unite States and its Western allies have supplied Kiev with military assistance, despite warnings from Russia that the weapons were being used to strike residential areas of the Russian-held Donbass and prolong the war.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, however, said on Monday Washington is committed to supporting Kiev “for as long as it takes.” Austin said it is “hard to predict how things will evolve and on what timeline, but we’re in this in support of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Citing US officials, CNN said in a report last week Washington is running low on some high-end weapons systems and ammunition available to transfer to Kiev.
The United States has sent Ukraine $16.8 billion in weapons and other aid since the war began.
Also on Monday, Russia warned repeated shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant risked unleashing a grave nuclear accident. It called on "all countries of the world" to pressure Kiev into ceasing attacks on Zaporizhzhia.
The biggest nuclear plant in Europe has been controlled by Russian troops since early March but continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff, with the raging battle between the two neighbors raising fears of a nuclear disaster. The plant has come under fire repeatedly in recent weeks, raising concerns of a potential Chernobyl-style nuclear incident. Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of targeting the facility.
Russia has also taken control of the Chernobyl plant, which was the site of the world's worst nuclear crisis in April 1986.
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