Peace talks with Ukraine are at dead end, says Putin

Russia-Ukraine War News Live Updates: Russia on Wednesday said that “categorically disagrees” with US President Joe Biden’s description of Russian invasion of Ukraine as “Genocide”, news agency Reuters reported. “Statements such as these are unacceptable from the President of the United States, whose own country has committed high profile crimes in recent hory,” the statement read. Kremlin also said that pro-russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk’s capturing Ukraine did not have any back channel to Russia. On Ukrainian proposal of exchanging Medvedchuk with prisoner of war held Russia, the Kremlin said that Medvedchuk is a Russian and a foreign politican, hinting it would not intiated any deal on this.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday addresed the Estonian parliament and said that Ukraine should get “EU candidate” status. Zelenskyy, who has already spoken to more than a dozen assemblies – including the US Congress, the British parliament and the European Parliament, via video conferencing also asserted that Russia can only be stopped “acting together”. The President also said that the visits of President of Poland and Baltic countries on Wednesday is important signal of support for Ukraine. In his address, Zelenskyy also informed the parliament about Russia use of Phosphorus bomb against the Ukrainian forces.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities announced that they had detained the Kremlin’s most high-profile ally Viktor Medvedchuk, Zelenskyy told Moscow to release all prisoners of war if it wanted Medvedchuk back. “I propose to the Russian Federation: exchange this guy of yours for our guys and girls now held in Russian captivity,” President Zelensky said in an early morning address on Wednesday. However, on the same day, the Russian defence minry said that 1,026 soldiers of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade surrendered in the city of Mariupol, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Russia’s war in Ukraine “amounted to genocide,” accusing President Vladimir Putin of trying to “wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.” Speaking in Iowa shortly before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington, Biden said he meant it when he said at an earlier event that Putin was carrying out genocide against Ukraine.