New foreign secretary David Cameron meets Zelensky
Vladimir Putin has spoken at a G20 virtual summit today, repeating the propagandistic line that Russia remains open to peace talks in Ukraine and calling the “special military operation” a “tragedy” despite ordering the invasion.
“Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy,” Putin said. “And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy. By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.”
The Russian leader said the invasion was necessary to overcome what he called a “coup”.
During his brief speech, which was roughly 17 minutes long, it appeared that only a handful of countries tuned in to hear him speak, including Spain, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea and the hosts India. China and the US had declined to attend, according to a report in Bloomberg.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in. Images from the frontline in Donbas, as well as in Kyiv, show that snow has already begun to fall.
