Russian Chief of General Staff arrives in Donetsk, Madrid denies 'imposing' peace in Ukraine

The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, has visited the Donetsk front in eastern Ukraine amid the advance of Moscow's government forces in the region.

"General Valery Gerasimov inspected a command post" in the Donetsk region, AFP reported, citing information from the Russian Ministry of Defense on February 22.

The visit by the Russian Chief of General Staff comes at a time when Russia is seeking to gain control of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk, two key frontline strongholds of the Ukrainian army in the east.

Russian general reveals intentions when sending troops in a new direction into Ukraine

Further north, Russia announced on the same day that it had captured the village of Novolyubivka in the Luhansk region, an area largely under the control of Moscow's forces.

The arrival of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces at the front lines came at a time when Washington and Moscow were taking steps to repair bilateral relations, both focusing on the goal of quickly ending the nearly three-year-old conflict.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not released images of General Valery Gerasimov visiting the front lines, and this is a photograph of a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter in the Donetsk combat zone on February 22.

In addition, Russia hopes that the US will lift the sanctions that are causing difficulties for the Russian economy .

However, the prospect of American and Western companies returning to the Russian market will unfold on a case-by-case basis, RT quoted Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov as saying on February 22.

Minister Reshetnikov warned that the Russian economy has undergone many changes since 2022. Therefore, the requirements of foreign companies regarding location, investment, and technology will be vastly different from before, he said.

Also on February 22, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez commented that peace for Ukraine cannot be "imposed," following recent developments regarding the possibility of peace talks.

"Peace for Ukraine and security in Europe cannot be imposed," AFP quoted Prime Minister Sanchez as saying, as he prepared to visit Kyiv on February 24th, as Ukraine prepared to commemorate the third anniversary of the war.

The Spanish leader added that any "just and lasting peace" would require the participation of Ukraine and Europe.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-tham-muu-truong-nga-den-donetsk-madrid-bac-chuyen-ap-dat-hoa-binh-o-ukraine-185250222191400846.htm