Russian troops mass for new offensive in east Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday thousands of Russian troops were massing for a new offensive in the east, and Russia said it would not halt its military operation in Ukraine for any further peace talks.

British intelligence said Ukrainian forces had already repulsed several Russian assaults in eastern regions.

Russian forces were also pushing to establish control over the southern port city of Mariupol, the lynchpin between Russian-held areas to the west and east and already devastated by weeks of siege and bombardment.

“There are tens of thousands of dead, but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive,” Zelenskiy told South Korea’s parliament by videolink. Reuters could not verify the accuracy of his estimate.

Zelenskiy also appealed to Seoul to provide his country with military aid to bolster its fight against the Russian onslaught.

The invasion – which Russia calls a “special military operation” – has left a trail of death of destruction that has drawn condemnation from Western countries and triggered concern about Putin’s broader ambitions.

About a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million population have been forced from their homes, cities turned into rubble, and thousands of people have been killed or injured – many of them civilians.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would not halt its operation for any new round of peace talks, accusing Kyiv of failing to reciprocate in previous sessions.

Lavrov told state television he saw no reason not to continue with talks. But although Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a suspension of military action during a first round in February, Moscow’s position had changed, he said.

“A decision was made that during the next rounds of talks, there would be no pause (in military action) so long as a final agreement is not reached,” Lavrov said.

Austrian leader Karl Nehammer was due to meet Putin in Moscow on Monday and was expected to call for an end to the conflict. It would be Putin’s first face-to-face meeting with a European Union leader since Russia’s invasion started on Feb. 24.