The city of Mariupol is always at the center of war developments in Ukraine. According to Pentagon sources, Russian troops and troops from the breakaway Donbass Republic have entered the city area, where “Ukrainians are fighting very hard not to bring down the city.”
In fact, Mariupol has been under siege since March 2, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounces that 100,000 people are still trapped in the city under constant Russian bombing. Human Rights Watch, which collected testimony from local sources, describes Mariupol as “a cold, hellish landscape covered with corpses and ruined buildings.” Zelenskyy demanded the immediate release of a humanitarian convoy of 11 empty buses that had been “hijacked” by the Russians 15 km from the city to prevent the evacuation of civilians. The Ukrainian leader again urged Russia to allow safe humanitarian corridors and signaled that civilians in Mariupol were facing “inhumane conditions”. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk announced that nine humanitarian corridors have been agreed for today, but will not leave Mariupol.
Meanwhile, the bombardment of various cities by Russian forces with rockets and artillery continues. Two children and one adult died after a Russian artillery shell hit a residential building in Rubishne, Lugansk district. On the other hand, four civilians were injured in another bomb attack targeting a shopping center and various buildings in a residential area of Kyiv last night.
On the eve of US President Joe’s trip to Brussels, where he will attend the NATO summit with G7 leaders and the European Council, the American media announce that they will impose new sanctions on 300 Duma members . In light of tomorrow’s appointments, Prime Minister Mario Draghi heard French President Emmanuel Macron last night. Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Moscow continue to rise after new statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sparked sharp criticism. “There is strong evidence that the United States is developing biolaboratory programs on the territory of various countries bordering the Russian Federation, including the territory of Ukraine,” said Peskov, who also pointed out how Russia will use its nuclear weapons if it that sees “its existence threatened”. “This is not how a responsible nuclear power should act,” the Pentagon commented. For his part, Ukrainian Ambassador to Italy Yaroslav Melnyk said Peskov’s words were “irresponsible” because “the use of nuclear weapons would be tragic not only for Ukraine but for the whole world,” but added that “we cannot rule anything out.” this situation”.
“In the face of the horrors of war, Italy is resolutely committed to the cessation of hostilities,” said Prime Minister Draghi in his messages to the Chamber before the European Council, stressing that the appointments in Brussels must serve “to reaffirm unity and determination , to support Ukraine, and a joint commitment to the peace, security and democracy” of the EuroAtlantic community. Referring to the various initiatives launched to achieve a ceasefire, Draghi noted that “diplomatic efforts can only can be successful if Moscow really wants it”. In this regard, the prime minister said that he considered it “essential that the EU jointly maintain spaces for dialogue with Beijing” so that China “refrains from supporting Moscow and supports the peace efforts “.
At the same time, however, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made it clear that Beijing supports President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia because Russia “is an important member of the G20 and nobody has the right to expel other countries: The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, bringing together the world’s major economies.