Attempts by Russian troops to encircle the capital of Ukraine and the city of Chernihiv were unsuccessful. To say this is the latest intelligence report published by the General Staff of the armed forces of Kiev. Hole in the water also for the conquest of Popasna, Rubizhne and Mariupol. But for experts, Moscow "will try to resume offensive operations in the direction of the cities of Brovary and Boryspil to block Kiev from the east." which pushes the Kremlin to reintegrate through the training and use of reserve units.

Meanwhile, at the end of the European Council, at the end of a long day of work, the agreement has arrived: the countries of the European Union will proceed with the joint purchase of gas to assert their strategic and political weight on the markets and obtain better conditions . At the same time, in view of next winter, the 27 will proceed to replenish stocks, including the common ones. On the other hand, the issue of the gas price ceiling and the reform of the electricity market remains open.

The EU Council has given the Commission a mandate to study all the options already on the table and to arrive at new proposals next May. The agreement announced this morning by the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden for the import from the United States of 15 billion cubic meters is also part of the actions taken to get out of dependence on supplies from Russia. of LNG in 2022. An amount that will make it possible to replace Russian LNG supplies and is set to rise to 50 billion cubic meters by 2030, an amount equivalent to one third of current gas flows from Russia.

Today US President Joe Biden arrived in Poland: "We are in the midst of a battle between democracies and autocracies, what is at stake is not only the defense of Ukraine but freedom and rights in the world for your children and grandchildren" , is the message he sent to US troops by visiting the 82nd airborne division barracks in Rzeszow, just 70 km from the border with Ukraine, after the three summits in Brussels with NATO, G7 and the EU.

The US president landed there, the first stop of his two days in Poland, in order to thank Warsaw for the massive reception of Ukrainian refugees and to reassure the allies on the eastern flank of NATO against the threat of the Kremlin, which also evoked the hypothesis to use the atomic weapon. A threat that, under the pressure of the allies, has led him in recent days to embrace the idea of promoting the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to the use of conventional weapons or other non-nuclear dangers, as revealed by Wall Street Journal citing US executives. According to the newspaper, the president took a step back from his campaign promises and embraced the "traditional" American approach, effectively leaving the door open to the possibility of using nuclear weapons in "extreme circumstances", as a deterrent against conventional enemy attacks, biological, chemical and perhaps cyberattacks, such as those that the White House fears Moscow may launch. A change of course that further increases fears of a clash between the two superpowers.

Moscow continues to accuse the United States of "supporting Kiev in the development of secret laboratories for the development of biological weapons of mass extermination", with the Russian Investigative Committee now opening an official investigation. All excuses, pretexts used by Vladimir Putin to justify his so-called 'special operation', according to the West.

The attitude of the Russian president, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, only shows that "he does not want peace at all".

The day by the hour:

Green light for the EU plan against food shortages

The EU Council has given the green light to a plan to deal with the food shortage caused by the war in Ukraine, a major exporter of wheat. Inspired by the Covax international program for the distribution of anti-Covid vaccines, this program, called "Farm", aims in particular to increase transparency on world stocks, to guarantee supplies to countries most at risk and to encourage production in fragile regions.

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Draghi: "Let politics be united, no to recriminations"

“Politics today must talk about the present and tomorrow: politics that want peace and the good of the country must stay united and follow the position of the allies who have no doubts about our position. We must not get lost in recriminations and look forward. Then the accounts are done with conscience and with one's own electorate. ”Thus premier Mario Draghi in the press conference at the end of the EU summit in Brussels.

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"Three cruise missiles headed for Odessa shot down"

Today the Ukrainian anti-aircraft shot down three cruise missiles launched by Russian ships in the Black Sea and headed for the Odessa area. This is what the Army Operational Command in Odessa said, explaining that the situation in the area "is under control". "The enemy - add the military - continues to exert pressure on the civilian population of Odessa by attacking the coastal strip". The Ukrainian army does not explain when the three missiles were shot down. Shortly after lunch, however, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft action was distinctly felt in the city districts closest to the sea.

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"Russian commander hit with a tank by one of his soldiers"

A Russian commander would have been purposely run over by one of his soldiers with a tank. This was reported by Ukrainian reporter Roman Tsymbaliuk. Images of Russian colonel Yuri Medvedev, commander of the 37th motorized rifle brigade, transported to hospital in Belarus with severe leg injuries, were disseminated on social media. According to Western intelligence sources, cited by the Guardian, the high officer would have died. Tsymbaliuk estimates that his battalion has so far lost half of the roughly 1,500 dead and wounded.

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Biden: "Democracy is at stake"

"What is at stake is not just the defense of Ukraine but democracy in the world". Joe Biden said this when speaking to US troops in Poland, recalling that "we are in the midst of a battle between democracies and autocracies".

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The US is considering a new recourse to strategic oil reserves

The Biden administration is evaluating the use of additional strategic oil reserves to cope with the surge in oil prices linked to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Bloomberg agency reports, quoting an administration official, according to whom one of the hypotheses is the release of more than 30 million barrels.

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Wsj: "Biden opens to nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances"

Joe Biden does not rule out the use of the threat of a nuclear response as a deterrent to conventional and non-nuclear dangers, effectively leaving the door open to the possibility of using nuclear weapons in "extreme circumstances". The change of course, reports the Wall Street Journal, took place under the pressure of the last few weeks from the allies.

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Moscow: "No progress in negotiations on political issues"

"De facto we are not making progress on major political issues." This was stated by the Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, according to reports from the Interfax agency, about the talks between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, positions are becoming "closer" on secondary issues, he added.

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Cnn: "Emergency landing for President Duda's plane"

The plane carrying Polish President Andrzej Duda to meet Joe Biden in Rzeszów made an emergency landing after returning to Warsaw. CNN reports it.

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Moscow: "The main objective is the control of the Donbass"

The first objective for the Russian forces in Ukraine is to control the entire Donbass region in the east of the country. This was stated by the Moscow Ministry of Defense quoted by TASS.

"The Russian Armed Forces will focus on the complete liberation of the Donbass", reads a note from the ministry. The attacks to inflict casualties on Ukrainian forces in the besieged territories, the statement added, are intended to prevent Kiev from sending reinforcements to the Donbass.

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Kiev: "Russian forces have created Crimea-Donetsk corridor"

Russian forces have created a partial land corridor to Crimea from the territory of the Donetsk region. This was stated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, according to reports from the Guardian. "The enemy has partially managed to create a land corridor between the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and part of the Donetsk region," Ukrainian sources said.

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Putin, "boycott of Russian culture like Nazi burning of books"

Russian President Vladimir Putin today compared the boycott of Russian cultural events and exponents of Russian culture in Western countries to the book burns for which the Nazis were responsible. "The last time - said the head of the Kremlin during a meeting with representatives of the cultural world - it was the Nazis in Germany, about 90 years ago, who conducted such a campaign of destruction of undesirable culture. We remember well the images of the books burned in the squares ".

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Di Maio, in Ukraine fewer than 200 Italians, many want to stay

"At the beginning of this war there were 2 thousand Italians in Ukraine, now they are less than 200, many do not want to leave, but we help them all who contact us". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said so.

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The Pope: "The courage of dialogue prevails over arrogance"

"To Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, we entrust the cry for peace of the populations oppressed by war and violence, so that the courage of dialogue and reconciliation prevail over the temptations of revenge, of arrogance, of corruption". The Pope says this in a tweet on the day the Church celebrates the Annunciation and a few hours after the celebration in which it will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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Xi to Johnson: "Creating conditions for the return of peace"

The international community "should really encourage peace and promote talks, create the conditions for a political solution to the issue and push for a speedy return to peace in Ukraine". This is the "principled position of China" on the war between Ukraine and Russia expounded by President Xi Jinping in a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard," Xi added.

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Moscow blames Biden's son for Ukrainian biological laboratories

Russia says US President Joe Biden's son Hunter may be involved in running biological weapons development laboratories in Ukraine. Answering a reporter's question in his daily briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Of course we will ask for explanations (on possible involvement). And not just us. As you know, China has already asked for clarification." Hunter Biden is on the list of American personalities targeted by Russian counter-sanctions.

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Kremlin: "Excluding Russia from the G20 would not be deadly"

The eventual exclusion of Russia from the G20 would not be "fatal damage". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pescov said this, according to reports from Tass and Interfax agencies. The G20 is "important", but "with the current conditions, in which most of the participants are currently in a state of economic warfare against us, nothing deadly would happen," Peskov said referring to the hypothesis of exclusion of Fly.

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Phosphorus bombs, Moscow denies violation of international law

The Kremlin has denied any violation of international laws on phosphorus bombs in Ukraine. The announcement in an official note.

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The mayor of Mariupol: "300 deaths are feared in the theater"

About 300 deaths are feared in the Russian attack on the Mariupol theater on 16 March. The city mayor makes it known by citing witnesses.

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Russian Ambassador to Rome: "Concerned about the use of Italian weapons in Ukraine"

"The thing that worries us is that Italian weapons will be used to kill Russian citizens. And I want to remind you that the decision was taken when the first stage of the negotiations began: rifles are distributed not only among the military, but also among the citizens and it is not clear how and when they will be used ". This was stated by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Italy, Sergey Razov.

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China: "NATO is a remnant of the Cold War"

China strongly opposes "unfounded accusations and suspicions, as well as any attempt to exert coercion and pressure", recalling that, "as a remnant of the Cold War and the largest military alliance in the world, NATO follows a concept of security obsolete". This is the comment of a spokesman for the Chinese permanent representation to the EU on the extraordinary summit of the Atlantic Pact, in which the leaders called on all states, including China, to support the international order, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. , about the invasion of Russia to the detriment of Ukraine.

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Hit the largest army fuel depot in Kiev

The Russian Defense Ministry reports that Kalibr missiles have hit and destroyed the largest fuel depot still available to the Ukrainian military, near Kiev.

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For Russians, rape is a "tool of war"

Russian forces use rape as a "tool of war", Ukrainian prosecutor Iryna Venediktova said, accusing Moscow soldiers of raping a woman in a house near Kiev. The Independent reports it. The soldiers, Venediktova said, broke into the house in Brovary, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, where they killed the woman's husband and then sexually assaulted his wife in front of her son's eyes.

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For today agreed 2 corridors, also Mariupol

For today, two humanitarian corridors have been agreed in Ukraine, both in the south of the country: one from the besieged city of Mariupol. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Telegram. The two corridors go from ️Mariupol to Zaporizhia and from ️Melitopol to Zaporizhia.

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Moscow could accept Bitcoin for gas purchases

Russia could accept Bitcoins from some countries as payment for oil and gas supplies: the BBC writes, quoting the head of the Duma's energy commission, Pavel Zavalny. The latter also stated that "friendly" countries may also be allowed to pay in their local currencies and mentioned China and Turkey as "not involved in the pressure of sanctions". As is well known, Moscow wants "hostile" countries to buy gas and oil in rubles, a decision aimed at strengthening the Russian currency, which has already lost more than 20% of its value since the beginning of the year.

(Unioneonline / ss)

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