WASHINGTON — Russia may have retreated from Ukraine’s capital city, but they are not done in Ukraine itself as they plan to ramp up attacks on the Donbas region of the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the plans as Russia looks to take control of the region they have recognized as the independent territory from Ukraine. Ukraine’s president says he is not willing to give up any territory to Russia in the name of ending the fighting.
“Overall, we are not ready to give away our country. I think we’ve already given up a lot of lives,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky on 60 Minutes. “So, we need to stand firm for as long as we can.”
Zelensky added that he is tired of diplomacy, referring to diplomatic efforts from NATO and the EU to get Russia to back off.
Though Russian leaders appear to remain confident in their plans to keep up the pressure on Ukraine, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations committee tells All Indiana Politics that he doesn’t think the Russian people are as confident.
“I don’t think it’s sustainable for Russia to have Vladimir Putin in power for a long period of time,” Young said. “But, I think the Russian people will be the ones to effect change.”
Young said Russia is becoming more and more of a “pariah state” and that will continue to make life more difficult for regular Russian citizens. He added that Russia’s war crimes committed in Ukraine are “horrific.”
President Joe Biden is meeting virtually with India today to try to get them to stop buying Russian crude oil. India has bought over 13-million barrels of oil from Russia since their invasion of Ukraine began.