What has happened in the last few hours
On day 391 of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, here is the top news as of 8:00 p.m. this Tuesday, March 21:
– Putin reiterates that the Chinese peace plan will serve as a basis for negotiations.Russian President Vladimir Putin sees Beijing’s proposal to end the war as a feasible roadmap. “China’s peace plan can serve as a basis for a deal on Ukraine if the West and Kiev are ready,” the Russian president said at the end of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow.
– The Japanese prime minister is making a surprise trip to Ukraine on a “historic visit”. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine, which Kiev considered very important. “This historic visit is a sign of strong solidarity and cooperation between Ukraine and Japan,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Djeppar. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also thanked the Japanese President for the visit, whom he considers “a truly powerful defender of the international order and a long-time friend of Ukraine,” as published on his official Telegram channel. “Mr. Kishida has come to Ukraine at a time when it is important to strengthen global leadership to protect the United Nations Charter and international security more generally,” Zelensky added.
– Zelensky announces that he will attend the next G-7 summit via video conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he will attend the next G-7 summit in Japan via video conference after being invited by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who made a surprise visit to Kiev and met with the Ukrainian President this Tuesday.
– Russia condemns a Ukrainian drone attack in Briansk. The governor of Russia’s Bryansk province on the border with Ukraine announced on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked an oil pumping station with a drone without any casualties. “Ukrainian armed forces used a drone to attack the territory of the Novozybkov oil pumping station [la empresa petrolera estatal rusa] transneft. There are no casualties,” Briansk Governor Alexandre Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.