St. Petersburg, Russia, Jun 4 (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a possible ceasefire in Ukraine on Thursday, arguing that peace can be negotiated while fighting continues.
»There is no need to suspend hostilities to start negotiations on Ukraine,» Putin said during a meeting with representatives of major global news agencies, including EFE, at the Constantine Palace on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
He emphasized that Ukraine is interested in a truce due to alleged Russian territorial advances, although both Kyiv and Western analysts believe that Moscow has barely gained ground in the last six months.
Putin estimated that the Russian Army has recently occupied 2,500 square kilometers and that Ukrainian monthly casualties stand at 40,000, the same figure that Western intelligence estimates for Russian troops.
He also drew attention to the chronic manpower shortage in the Ukrainian Army, with some 20,000 deserters per month. EFE
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