In a Friday phone call with Germany’s chancellor, Russian President Vladimir Putin flat-out denied that his troops were bombing Ukrainian cities, according to a readout from the Kremlin. Despite the nonsensical logic and the overwhelming evidence to suggest otherwise, Putin told Chancellor Olaf Scholz that reports about “ongoing air strikes of Kyiv and other large cities are gross propaganda fakes.” He reiterated his conditions for a ceasefire which largely mirror his bogus reasons for invading Ukraine: the demilitarization and “denazification” of Ukraine, the recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, the “sovereignty” of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, and the neutral status of Ukraine. Putin reportedly said he was open to a third round of talks with Kyiv if those demands were met.
