Starting tomorrow in Istanbul, representatives of Russia and Ukraine want to directly negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine for the first time in nearly three weeks. There are clear red lines from the Ukrainian side for the talks, which Turkey says will start in the morning. These were specified by President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. At the very least, humanitarian issues must be clarified, and the ultimate goal is an agreement on a ceasefire.
Peter Prantner (text), Akos Heves (image), Florian Zischka (video), Michaela Pichler (editing), all ORF.at
The negotiations are expected to last until Wednesday. According to Zelenskiy, key issues include “security guarantees and neutrality” and Ukraine’s status as a “nuclear-weapon-free state.” Ukraine’s neutrality is one of Russia’s main demands. Zelensky said on Sunday his government would look into the issue “in detail”.
Initial ministerial-level talks on March 10 in Antalya, Turkey, did not bring any concrete progress towards a ceasefire in Ukraine. Since then, conversations have continued via videoconference. Both parties to the conflict recently described it as “difficult”.
“Irpin is freed”
Despite the Russian announcement that it would focus on eastern Ukraine, the governor of Ukraine’s northwest Rivne region reported a Russian missile attack on an oil depot at night. There are also other fights in Kiev. According to the mayor there, the town of Irpen, which has been in dispute for weeks near the Ukrainian capital, is once again completely in Ukrainian hands. The information cannot be independently verified. This also applies to the village of Trostjanets, near Sumy. In this case, according to US information, he was probably also recaptured by Ukrainian troops.
The port city of Mariupol remains heavily contested. “About 5,000 victims were buried,” Ukrainian refugee corridor official Tetiana Lomakina said today. However, no burial was carried out for about ten days due to continuous bombing by Russian troops on Mariupol, which is why the death toll is estimated at around 10,000.
The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders recently reported on dead bodies lying in the streets. In addition, there is a humanitarian catastrophe alert. Among other things, people trapped in the city “have not had access to water and food for weeks”, said the MSF emergency coordinator.
War damage of over 500 billion
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Russian war of aggression has caused damage of 564.9 billion dollars (514 billion euros) so far. 8,000 kilometers of roads and ten million square meters of living space were damaged or destroyed. Among other things, damage to infrastructure, losses in economic output and other factors would be included, said Economy Minister Julia Swyrydenko.
Ukraine denies poisoning report
However, a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) caused a sensation, according to which Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and at least two envoys from the Ukrainian side showed signs of poisoning after peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in early March. According to the newspaper, Abramovich is currently traveling between Russia and Ukraine, trying to mediate in the conflict.
In Ukraine, the alleged poisoning report was rejected. “In the sphere of information there is a lot of speculation, different versions of conspiracies and elements of one or another information game”, says Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak, according to which all members of the negotiating groups continue to work normally.
Debate: What will be the impact of the war?
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues the war in Ukraine despite international appeals and sanctions. How effective are sanctions? Why is Ukraine so alone? What is the best way to help refugees? What effects will the war have?
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