Dmitry Peskov also denied Western officials saying that Vladimir Putin was “disappointed that his soldiers are not making enough headway.” So far, he said, the Russian president has ordered “the Ministry of Defense not to launch a rapid assault on major urban centers, including Kyiv,” in order to avoid heavy civilian casualties.
new negotiations
As a result of the Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk, 17 people were killed, two died from Russian attacks on Kiev. On the 19th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fighting continues to escalate and casualties soar, even as a new round of Russian-Ukrainian talks offers a glimmer of hope.
On Monday, the negotiating session ended with “difficult negotiations,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. It nevertheless took place under a more positive pretext than the previous ones, even if the conflict in recent days has spilled over into western Ukraine, at the gates of NATO.
A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Negotiations continue…
— Mikhailo Podolyak (@Podolyak_M) March 14, 2022
On Monday, Ukraine confirmed that it would demand an immediate truce and the withdrawal of Russian troops. The fourth round of negotiations will resume on Tuesday.
After three rounds of face-to-face discussions in Belarus, as well as a meeting on Thursday under the auspices of Turkey of the heads of Russian and Ukrainian diplomacy, both sides have shown themselves more optimistic in recent days. On Sunday evening, the Russian negotiator spoke of “significant progress.” Leonid Slutsky even mentioned “documents being signed” in preparation.
Another blackout at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
But a new twist this Monday, March 14th. Kyiv on Monday accused the Russian army of once again cutting off power to the Chernobyl nuclear test site, north of Kyiv and under Moscow’s control since the early days of its invasion of the country.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian authorities indicated that they had restored power to the old power plant, which still needs power to ensure optimal safety of the fuel assemblies stored on the site. “But before the electricity supply was fully restored, the occupying forces damaged it again,” the Ukrainian operator of the Ukrenergo website wrote on Facebook on Monday.