Talking to Putin achieves nothing: Draghi

ROME, Apr 17 (AFP/ Reuters): Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi complained in a newspaper interview on Sunday that the diplomatic efforts by the West to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the war in Ukraine had so far led nowhere.
"I am beginning to think that those people are right when they say 'It is useless to talk to him, it's just a waste of time'," Draghi told the daily Il Corriere della Sera.
Draghi said he had always felt French President Emmanuel Macron, who currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, "is right to try every possible avenue of dialogue.
"But I have the impression that the horror of the war with its carnage, with what they have done to children and women, is completely independent of the words and phone calls that are made," the Italian leader said.
So far, Putin's goal had not been the search for peace, "but the attempt to annihilate the Ukrainian resistance, occupy the country and entrust it to a friendly government," Draghi continued.
Like many others at the beginning of the conflict, Draghi had thought a quick victory for the Russians was likely.
"This did not happen: the victory did not come and we do not know if it will ever come. The Ukrainian resistance is heroic," Draghi said.
"What awaits us is a war of resistance, prolonged violence with destruction that will continue. There is no sign that the Ukrainian people can accept the Russian occupation."
Draghi's comments came after Italy said it would reopen its Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv from Monday.
The Italian leader said that while economic sanctions against Russia were "essential to weaken the aggressor," they would not necessarily stop the war in the short term.
Nevertheless, the West could help Ukraine directly by supplying weapons.
"We need to help the Ukrainians directly, and that is what we are doing. Not doing so would be tantamount to telling them: surrender, accept slavery and submission-a message contrary to our European values of solidarity," Draghi said.
Russian warship crew 'shown
for first time since sinking'
The Russian defence ministry has published images showing what it says is the crew of the warship Moskva - the first time any sailors from the ship have been seen since its sinking.
A large group of sailors is seen on parade in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, met by Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm Nikolay Yevmenov.
The Moskva was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.
The ship's demise has been described as a huge blow to Russian morale.
The ministry announced late on Thursday that the Moskva had sunk on stormy seas after a fire caused by exploding ammunition. Ukraine said it had sunk the ship with two Neptune missiles.
Russia said at the time that the crew had been taken to Sevastopol, a major port Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. This, however, is the first time any evidence has been offered of the survival of any sailors.
The video shows Adm Yevmenov and two other officers standing on a parade ground in front of about 100 sailors.
It is not clear when the meeting took place.
In an interview shown at the end of the video, Adm Yevmenov says that the officers and crew are currently residing at their base in Sevastopol and will continue their service in the navy.
Russia has not reported any casualties from the fire or the sinking.
However, an unnamed US official quoted by Reuters said Washington believed there were casualties.
Ukraine says the ship's captain, Anton Kuprin, was killed on board, but the BBC has been unable to verify the claim.
Mykolaiv under continuous
attack, says governor
The governor of Ukraine's Mykolaiv region has told the BBC that there have been continuous rocket attacks in the city and surrounding areas since Sunday morning.
Vitaliy Kim said: "Today in the morning there were rockets, which damaged the electricity lines that provide for one of the regions of our city."
A BBC team approaching the centre of town heard explosions in the distance.
The military spokesman for the region says, the Russians are bombing power grids, houses and playgrounds with various types of missiles.
One eyewitness in Mykolaiv said it was hard to pinpoint the location of the strikes.
The military in Mykolaiv has held off Russian forces seeking to take over the south-eastern corner of Ukraine, including the strategic port city of Odesa.
Kim said that despite the recent attacks, the Russians have not yet moved the front line.