By James Orji
The Federal Government has condemned Russia’ s military invasion of Ukraine describing the action as an aggression. Geoffrey Onyema, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated the government’s position on Friday after a meeting with G7 countries, which comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. USA..
Russia’ s President Vladimir Putin ordered what he described as a special military operation against Ukraine and his armed forces have advanced as far as Kiev, the capital, with strong resistance from the Ukraine army.
Analysts insist that Kiev will fall in a matter of days in the face of heavy Russia bombardment by air, sea and land.
In spite of this, President Zelensky has urged his citizens to fight on and refused the US offer of evacuation alongside his immediate family members. Zelensky, who said on Friday that his country has been ‘left alone’ to fight aggressor Russia, said what Ukraine needs at the moment are weapons to defend itself. Both sides have already suffered human casualties, the latest being two children who died after Russia’s overnight bombardment of major cities and military formations.
But the federal government said the military confrontation between the two neighbors can still be settled through diplomatic channels. Onyeama said the federal government will not take sides with a call for peace to resolve the conflict.
The minister said Russia must first pull back its troops from Ukraine urging the two warring nations to priotose diplomacy.
“We support every effort being made to stop the aggression and for Russian troops to return to Russia,” Onyeama said.
In attendance at the meeting were the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard; British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS representative, Samuela Isopi.
Others include the representatives of the Embassies of Japan and Canada.
Meanwhile, President Putin has urged the Ukraine army to overthrow the government of President Zelensky as the military attacks entered the third day. He told the armed force to ‘take power in your own hands”.
Putin spoke on Friday night shortly after US President Joe Biden agreed with other European allies to freeze assets owned by the Russian leader in their territories.
The Russian leader said his country is prepared to negotiate with the army after they have taken over government describing President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials as ‘Nazis and terrorists’.
“It seems like it will be easier for us to agree with you than this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,” Putin said, accusing them of “acting like terrorists all over the world: they are hiding behind people in the hope of then blaming Russia for civilian casualties”.
Putin, on Thursday ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine, claiming that Ukrainian “nationalists” were preparing to deploy multiple rocket launchers to residential areas of Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv in preparation for a military offensive against his country.
