Nigerian Government Urge Russia To ‘Pull Back’ On Ukraine Attacks

The Federal Government has called on the Russian troops to ‘pull back’ from its ‘aggressive’ attacks on Ukraine.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama said this on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja.

The Minister had earlier met with the envoys from various countries including the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Minister also met with the Ukrainian ambassador to Nigeria, Kirdoda Valerii, and his Russian counterpart, Alexei Shebarshin.

He said the Nigerian government during the meeting called for peace and the use of diplomacy in resolving differences between Russia and Ukraine.

“We made it clear that Nigeria does not condone this aggression and urged the Russians to pull back and stop the intervention. We have diplomatic relations with Ukraine. It’s a member of the United Nations, as well as Russia of course.

“We urge that peace be prioritised by the two sides and we are very sad that the diplomatic process that was ongoing before this attack was cut short.

“We support every effort being made to stop the aggression and that the Russian troops return to Russia.

“We recognise the sovereignty of Ukraine and the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Onyeama said.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in the early hours of Thursday, ordered an invasion of Ukraine. The invasion was marked by shelling and rocket attacks on several Ukrainian major cities, including the capital, Kyiv.

Saturday marks the third day of the invasion where according to the Ukrainian Health Minister, 198 civilians including three children have been confirmed dead.

Russia also brushed off the barrage of Western sanctions and said it had fired cruise missiles at military targets.

According to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian forces are putting up resistance and inflicting damage on Russia’s military as it seeks to push deeper into the country.