We are on the 35th day of the war in Ukraine: the morning after the new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine did not start under the best auspices. Ukraine, the USA, Great Britain and Europe do not trust Moscow's promise to focus on the eastern part of the country: in the night hit by the Chernihiv bombing, more fighting was reported today in the surroundings of Kiev.

But this afternoon Ukraine made it known that Moscow is moving troops from Kiev and Chernihiv to the east, while other troops are moving towards Belarus. The great battle for the definitive conquest of the Donbass is therefore prepared. There is also an opening by Moscow to a ceasefire in the most devastated city, Mariupol: Russia is ready for a temporary truce "if Kiev accepts certain conditions".

Today Mario Draghi heard from Vladimir Putin: a conversation lasting over an hour in which the Russian president reported on the developments of the negotiations and on Moscow's request to obtain payment for gas supplies in rubles, the Kremlin said. "I am calling you to talk about peace", began the prime minister.

On the negotiation front, the "most difficult" question is that of the status of the Donbass, on which Zelensky and Putin will have to deal directly, explains Ukrainian negotiator David Arahamiya. A demonstration of an uphill negotiation comes the clash between Moscow and Kiev in the disputed territories. First, Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov, speaking of "progress" in the talks, said that by now Ukraine "is understanding that the Crimea and Donbass issues are definitively closed". The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko replied, "The issues of occupied Crimea and the Donbass will be definitively closed after the restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty in these territories".

On neutrality, Ukraine is ready to make concessions, but it wants "reinforced neutrality", so it asks to continue to have its own army. It also calls for guaranteeing countries "obliged" to intervene in the event of a Russian attack.

In short, the road is still long and paved with pitfalls. This morning Putin had everyone frozen, on the other hand, saying that "no breakthrough" came from the negotiations.

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The Russians are withdrawing from Chernobyl

Russian forces in Ukraine have begun withdrawing from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area. The Pentagon said so.

According to American defense sources, "the area of the nuclear power plant, occupied by the Russians since February 24, is one of the areas that the Moscow forces are leaving to reposition themselves in Belarus".

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Moscow ready for a temporary truce in Mariupol

Russia is ready to declare a temporary ceasefire in Mariupol starting at 10 am on March 31st and to open a humanitarian corridor to Zaporizhzhya on condition that Kiev fulfills certain conditions. This was announced by Russian military sources, reports Interfax.

Russia will open the corridor only if Ukraine formally agrees in writing to respect several conditions and confirms the effective ceasefire. "We ask the Kiev authorities to strictly comply with the following conditions for the creation of a humanitarian corridor: to guarantee unconditional compliance with the temporary ceasefire within the established time frame, about which the Russian side and the representatives of the Office of the High must be informed United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by 6:00 am on March 31, 2022, "said Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center. In addition, Kiev must provide safe passage for evacuation buses on the agreed route, particularly between Mariupol and Berdiansk, he said.

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Putin's popularity at the highest

The Russian approval rate for President Vladimir Putin has jumped to 83%, a high in recent years, after the start of the war in Ukraine, while 69% believe that Moscow is heading in the right direction with the so-called 'special military operation' in the neighboring country. This was revealed by a survey by the independent statistical institute Levada, also designated by the Russian authorities as a "foreign agent". In February, the approval rate for Putin was 71% and those who believed the country was moving in the right direction were 52%.

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Some Russian troops moved from Kiev to Belarus

"We have seen in the last 24 hours a repositioning of a small percentage of Russian troops in the Kiev area, we believe that some of those, less than 20%, are repositioning themselves in Belarus". Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing. "But only a part and this is an important point, because if the Russians were really retreating they would have moved all of them," he stressed.

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"Even today fighting around Kiev"

Heavy fighting was also reported today on the outskirts of Kiev, despite the announced withdrawal of the Russians from the areas around the Ukrainian capital. The CNN detected it on the ground, reporting continuous shots of bullets fired from both fronts near the northwestern suburb of Irpin. In addition to several intermittent rocket launches near the last checkpoint between Kiev and Irpin, as well as sporadic small arms fire.

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"Moscow moves troops to the East"

"Russia is transferring part of its military forces from the Kiev and Chernihiv area to eastern Ukraine." This was stated by the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Alexei Danilov, according to Ukrinform.

According to Danilov, "the Russian military is heading in the direction of Kharkiv and Donetsk. There, the enemy is now strengthening its troops to try to increase the pressure on our boys who are defending Ukraine in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk regions" .

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Kiev: "On Crimea and Donbass the question is not closed"

"The issues of occupied Crimea and the Donbass will be definitively closed after the restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty in these territories". Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said this, according to UNIAN reports, in response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "Lavrov shows that there is a misunderstanding in the negotiation process - said Nikolenko -. Crimea and Donbass will be permanently closed after the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over them. At the Istanbul talks, the Ukrainian delegation presented proposals to Moscow on ways to achieve this ".

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Draghi to Putin: "I'm calling you to talk about peace"

"President Putin, I am calling you to talk about peace". With these words premier Mario Draghi began speaking with the president of the Russian federation Vladimir Putin, according to the Palazzo Chigi account.

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Lavrov: "Crimea and Donbass closed issues"

In addition to accepting that "the status of a non-nuclear and non-aligned country", Ukraine is "realizing that the issues of Crimea and Donbass are definitively closed". Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov said this, adding that this represents "an important progress" for the negotiations. This was reported by the Interfax agency.

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Draghi and Putin talked about gas and negotiations

In a phone call with Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Russian President Vladimir Putin reported on the developments of yesterday's negotiations in Istanbul between the Moscow and Kiev delegations and on Moscow's request to obtain payment for gas supplies in rubles. This was reported by the Kremlin, quoted by Tass.

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"Woman raped by the Russians in front of her son"

The government of Kiev denounces a horror of war carried out by the Russians. "In Mariupol, the occupiers raped a woman for several days in front of her six-year-old son", the Ukrainian defense ministry said, adding that the woman "died as a result of her injuries", while the child's eyes turned gray. hair in shock. "This is not a horror movie. Rape, violence, murder: this is what the 'Russian world' means," adds the ministry on its Twitter profile.

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Draghi-Putin phone call

According to sources in Palazzo Chigi, there was a telephone conversation in the afternoon between Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The interview, which lasted about an hour, recently ended.

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The mayor of Irpin: "Here at least 200 victims"

At least 200 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Irpin, a northwestern suburb of Kiev. Mayor Oleksandr Markushin reported this, stating that the real budget could be even worse. Half of the city was destroyed, he added. Ukrinform reports it. Two days ago, the mayor announced the takeover of the city by Ukrainian forces.

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"Putin misinformed by his military leaders"

Russian President Vladimir Putin "is misinformed by his followers" on the progress of the war in Ukraine. This was reported by an American official at CNN, arguing that Russian military leaders "are afraid" of telling Putin how "the Moscow armed forces are doing" in the offensive against the Ukrainians. The official also spoke of "continuous tension" between Putin and the defense ministry because the Russian president "does not trust" the military leaders.

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"No Russian withdrawal from Kiev and Chernihiv"

There is no large-scale Russian withdrawal in the areas of Kiev and Chernihiv but only limited movements. This was announced by a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. "The enemy has withdrawn the units that have suffered the greatest losses to supply them", said Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, adding that "the siege of Chernihiv continues, as missiles and artillery shots fired by Russian forces".

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"The Donbass issue will be dealt with directly by Putin and Zelensky"

The day by the hour: The question of the status of the Donbass "is the most difficult". Ukrainian negotiator David Arahamiya underlined this in an interview following the round of talks with Russia in Turkey. Arahamiya explained that the topic remains "in parentheses" and in Turkey it "has not been touched upon". The two teams "did not have sufficient political mandate to discuss it and so they pulled it out before the leaders' meeting and worked on all other issues," he added.

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Kiev proposed "enhanced neutrality" to Moscow

In the negotiations with Russia, Ukraine has proposed "a concept of 'enhanced neutrality', according to which it is necessary to rely on one's own army, as well as to have guarantees" of security. "That is, like Switzerland, or Israel, which have a reserve army that can be mobilized in large numbers and give the necessary response in case of aggression."

The head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation David Arakhamia said in an interview with Rbc. "As they say, trust in God, but don't be wrong about yourself. Therefore, the concept of 'fortified neutrality' is very close to us," added Arakhamia.

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Kiev: "Guarantor countries are obliged to defend us"

The security guarantees requested by Ukraine from a number of countries provide for automatic intervention in the event of an "attack in any form". This was stated by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, David Arakhamia, in an interview with Rbc. With the signing of a security agreement, "the guaranteeing countries must be obliged, after consultations whose ceiling is 72 hours, to provide the necessary assistance, in the form of weapons and intervention by the armed forces or other", he adds, stressing that the "legal bond" to intervene in defense of Ukraine would be guaranteed by ratifications by the parliaments of the guaranteeing countries.

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"Referendum on agreement only with the withdrawal of Russian troops"

"The national referendum" on the possible agreement between Ukraine and Russia "will take place only after the Russian troops have returned to their positions prior to February 23". This was stated by Ukrainian chief negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak while meeting the international media in Lviv via videoconference.

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Bombed building of the Red Cross in Mariupol

Russian bombing hit a Red Cross building in Mariupol. A Ukrainian manager reports this.

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Di Maio: "Draghi-Putin phone call in the afternoon"

Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio announced from Berlin that "Prime Minister Mario Draghi will hear from President Putin in the next few hours".

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Russia and China: "Illegal and counterproductive unilateral sanctions"

Russia and China condemn the unilateral sanctions decided by the US, the EU and allies against Moscow for its military aggression against Ukraine, defining them as "illegal and counterproductive": this was reported by a note from the Russian Foreign Ministry released after the bilateral between the heads of their respective diplomacy, Serghei Lavrov and Wang Yi.

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Kremlin: "No turning point from the negotiations"

Nothing "promising" nor any "turning point" in the Russian-Ukrainian talks. This is the Kremlin's comment following the negotiations held in Turkey by the Moscow and Kiev delegations.

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"More than 30 bombings in the Kiev region"

In the Kiev region last night, Russian troops carried out more than 30 bombings of residential complexes and social infrastructure. This was reported by the regional military administration of Kiev on Telegram, quoted by UNIAN. "The Russian army has launched missiles and bombs trying to destroy infrastructure and residential areas in violation of international humanitarian law. The Russian occupiers continue to terrorize the local population," the military administration added.

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UN: "Over 4 million refugees since the invasion"

More than 4 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. This was reported by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), according to which 4.02 million people have left the country. Considering that Ukraine had a population of around 44 million before the invasion, this means that around one in 11 people left Ukraine in these more than 30 days of war.

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Bombings along the Kiev-Donetsk republic front

Russian forces are bombing almost all cities along the front line between the territory controlled by Kiev and the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk, the regional governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, announced on Ukrainian national TV. The Guardian reports it.

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China: "Cooperation with Russia has no limits"

Sino-Russian cooperation "has no limits". This was stated by the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, on the state of relations between Beijing and Moscow after the bilateral held a few hours ago in Tunxi by foreign ministers Wang Yi and Serghei Lavrov.

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Russia: "With China, one voice on foreign policy"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed to "strengthen foreign political coordination" bilateral and "expand bilateral and multilateral contacts": the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement after the today's meeting between the two ministers in Tunxi, China. Interfax reports it. "Against the backdrop of a complicated international situation, Russia and China continue to strengthen strategic partners and speak with one voice in global affairs," the statement also reads.

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Three humanitarian corridors have been agreed for today

For today, three humanitarian corridors have been agreed in Ukraine, all in the south of the country. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshcuk makes it known on Telegram. The three corridors are: ️for the evacuation of Mariupol residents and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city of Berdyansk; ️For the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of people from the city of Melitopol; ️For a convoy of people with their own vehicles from the city of Energodar to Zaporizhia. "Yesterday at the Istanbul talks, the Russian delegation received proposals to organize humanitarian corridors to the 97 most affected settlements in the regions of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Lugansk and Mykolayiv," said the deputy premier, adding that "today we will continue to work to obtain approval for these humanitarian corridors".

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Lysychansk (Lugansk) bombed, there are victims

The eastern city of Lysychansk in Lugansk was bombed this morning by Russian heavy artillery and there are casualties. The attack caused extensive damage to residential areas, the Guardian reported, citing local authorities. "There has been severe damage to high-rise buildings," the governor of the Lugansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, wrote on Telegram. According to Ukrainian media, there are victims, although the number has not yet been clarified.

(Unioneonline)

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