Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia hopes to end its operation "in foreseeable future"

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The following are the latest developments:

Russia hopes that its special military operation in Ukraine will end "in the foreseeable future," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

The operation is continuing and Russia's goals are being achieved, while substantive work is being carried out both in the military sphere and at the negotiation table, Peskov said at a daily briefing.

In an interview with the Sky News on Thursday, Peskov said that "our military are doing their best to bring an end to that operation.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hailed the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to Kiev as a signal of support for Ukraine, the state-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

"This is a very strong signal that Ukraine and the European Union are together," Zelensky said at the joint press briefing with von der Leyen and Borrell in Kiev on Friday.

Von der Leyen said that Ukraine is welcomed in the European family and handed over a questionnaire to Zelensky, the completion of which is a necessary step for granting the status of an EU candidate.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it is expelling 45 Polish diplomats in response to the expulsion of the same number of Russian diplomats from Poland last month.

The ministry said it had summoned the Polish ambassador and declared 45 employees of the Polish Embassy in Moscow and of Polish consulates in Irkutsk, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg "personae non gratae" who must leave Russia by April 13.

On March 23, the Polish Foreign Ministry ordered 45 Russian diplomats to depart within five days as part of a coordinated action by Western countries to expel several hundreds Russian diplomats since the start of a special military operation in Ukraine.