Russian Foreign Ministry hopes 'talks bring peace', lambasts US over sanctions

As the second round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are currently underway, Director of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, on Thursday, March 3, said that they hope the talks will bring an end to this situation, restore peace in Donbass and enable the Ukrainians to return to a peaceful life. 

Zakharova said, "Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives are underway on Belarusian territory. We hope that they bring about an end to this situation, restore peace in Donbass and enable all people in Ukraine to return to peaceful life." 

In an official address to the press, the Russian Foreign Ministry director further said, "I don't feel sorry for the military. I feel sorry for the people there who think they are protecting their country...The situation is chaotic."

'Sanctions go against international law': Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Slamming the United States of America, Zakharova added, "Americans are not considering that their own citizens are also present in Ukraine. They are nurturing the ideological successors of fascism. They are proving that they want to nurture the new Nazi ideology and fascism. It can be easily used to brainwash people. It is very convenient to manipulate people via this ideology. You provide people with weapons and people provoke people into this ideology." 

Talking on the sanctions slapped on Russia, she said, "The sanctions go against the international law. These are targeting the people of Russia. It targets the freedom of movement, and violation of various acts. Students are expelled form western universities, artists have to cancel their performance."

'Politics should be kept away from sports'

As the international football associations FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from competing in all competitions, the Russian foreign ministry reacted by saying, "If they don't want to take part in competitions, then it is their choice, but our athletes have been preparing for the same since long. Politics should be kept away from sports. They have been playing for long together with Ukrainian athletes, and they have faced humiliations and discrimination as well. They were bullied and this inhumane act goes on."

'We are doing everything to assist': Russia on foreign nationals stranded in the war 

Assuring assistance to the nationals of other countries who are stranded in the war zone, Maria Zakharova said, "We have received many requests from foreign embassies in Ukraine asking us to help their Nationals, diplomats and staff of international organisations to leave the country safely. We are doing everything in our power to assist them."

Meanwhile, Russia has decided to stop the deliveries of rocket engines it developed for the United States, Russian space agency Roscosmos' head Dmitry Rogozin informed as per Russia Today. Russia has also decided to no longer offer servicing to the rocket engines that it already delivered to the US. This comes in retaliation to the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US. Russia further threatened that it would not carry out all of its international obligations related to the space sector owing to the restrictions.