Zelensky allies reveal their colours

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5 March 2022

Ukraine’s president has attacked Nato leaders in a fiery speech over their refusal to implement a no-fly zone around the country.

Speaking from Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky said the West’s reluctance to intervene has given Russia “a green light” to continue bombarding towns and villages.

NATO does not seek a war with Russia, but has a responsibility that the conflict will not spread beyond Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.

“We have a responsibility to ensure it does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine. Because that would be even more devastating and more dangerous. With even more human suffering,” he said adding, “NATO is not seeking a war with Russia.”

Stoltenberg said that the alliance remained committed to keeping de-confliction channels with Russia open.

CEASE-FIRE

Meanwhile, the Russian military initiated a temporary cease-fire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate, Russian state media reported Saturday, the first breakthrough in allowing people to escape the war.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for the strategic port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern city of Volnovakha.

The vaguely worded statement did not make clear how long the routes would remain open.