Russia ready to hold talks 'any moment' once Ukrainian Army lays down arms: FM Lavrov
Moscow, Feb 25: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said that Moscow is ready for talks at "any moment" with Ukraine once the Ukrainian military respond positively to President Vladimir Putin's call, end their resistance and lay down their arms.
Lavrov made the remarks following talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Sergey Peresada and Foreign Minister of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) Vladislav Deinego, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties with leaders of DPR and LPR on February 21, recognising the two regions of Ukraine as independent.
We are ready to hold talks at any moment, once the Ukrainian Armed Forces respond to our president's call, end their resistance and lay down their arms. No one plans to attack and oppress them, let them return to their families, and let us give the Ukrainian people a chance to decide their future, Lavrov was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.
President Putin on Thursday launched a multi-pronged all-out attack on Ukraine, casting aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences they had never seen".
President Putin announced in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the head of the Donbas republic, he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation to protect people who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.
Putin said the Russian military operation aims to ensure a demilitarisation of Ukraine. Putin also urged Ukrainian servicemen to immediately put down arms and go home.
The US and its allies have decided to block assets of four large Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction oligarchs close to Putin after he ordered a "special military operation" against Ukraine on Thursday.
Stressing that Russia had always called for negotiations, Lavrov said, "there is no shortage of talks but when talks are replaced with blatant sabotage, while Russia is accused of allegedly failing to implement the Minsk accords, it's effrontery, which is what some of our Western colleagues are famous for, but this time, it just went beyond all limits because it was accompanied by a continuous deterioration of the Russian-speaking population's situation in Ukraine.
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Drug peddler's property worth Rs 1 crore attached in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Property worth Rs 1 crore belonging to a notorious drug peddler was on Saturday attached in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, police said.
A double-storey house on eight marlas of land situated at Wantpora Eidgah, belonging to Basit Bilal Dar, a notorious drug peddler, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, a police spokesperson said.
He said Dar is involved in two cases registered under various sections of the NDPS Act.
During investigation, it was established that the accused had acquired the said property through illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities, the spokesperson said.
Consequently, the property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The attachment proceedings were conducted in the presence of the two independent witnesses, strictly in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, he said.
As per the attachment order, the owner has been restrained from selling, leasing, transferring, altering, or creating any third-party interest in the property till further orders, the spokesperson added.
