Russia expects new negotiations on Thursday

Destroyed houses in Irpin near Kyiv

Apparently civilian buildings in Ukraine were also attacked on Wednesday.

(Photo: Reuters)

Dusseldorf So far, the capital Kyiv has been spared major fighting during the war, but the situation there remains tense. Attacks by the Russian army are increasing in many parts of the country. According to the United States, around 82 percent of the troops that Russia had previously massed at the border are now in Ukraine.

Fighting is currently going on around Kharkiv in the north-east. According to a media report, Russian soldiers are said to have attacked a military medical center in the country’s second largest city. The university is also said to have been hit by impacts. The Ukrainian news agency Unian reported that there was a fight with Ukrainian units.

There are conflicting reports about the situation in Cherson in southern Ukraine. The RIA news agency, citing the Moscow Defense Ministry, reported that the Russian armed forces had taken the city. The Ukrainian authorities reported that Cherson was surrounded by Russian troops but did not fall. The city is northwest of Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea is also under heavy shelling. The city council said it was still in Ukrainian hands. Russian military are attacking civilian facilities, including apartment blocks, hospitals and makeshift shelters for people displaced by the fighting.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far confirmed one case in which a hospital has come under fire in the past few weeks. Four people were killed and ten injured. Reports of further attacks are still under investigation. Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has maintained that civilian targets are not being attacked.

Talks possible on Thursday over ceasefire

On Wednesday evening, Russia announced that it expects Ukrainian government negotiators to hold a second round of talks on Thursday morning. Then a ceasefire should be discussed, reports the Russian news agency TASS, citing the Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky.

Military situation in Ukraine

The Ukrainian side gave a low profile on the announced second round of talks in the evening. “It is doubtful that negotiations can really take place without the presence of the other (Ukrainian) side at the negotiating table,” tweeted4 Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podoliak.

As early as noon, both sides had actually announced that they would meet on Wednesday for the second round of negotiations. After the first talks on Monday, both sides named the Belarusian-Polish border as a place for negotiations. The first round had remained without tangible results.

Moscow does not want to make concessions in advance. Kremlin spokesman Peskov made it clear that Russia insisted on the demands formulated by President Vladimir Putin.

>> Read here: The current developments in our news blog

The government in Kyiv must therefore recognize the “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk and Russia’s sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. In addition, Russia is demanding a “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side said they were ready to talk, but not ready to accept Russian ultimatums.

UN General Assembly condemns Russian invasion

In the afternoon, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution by a large majority calling on Russia to stop the attack on Ukraine. The text states that Russia must withdraw its armed forces from the country. Moscow’s decision to put its nuclear land, air and sea forces on high alert is also condemned.

With a record 141 votes in favour, five against and 35 abstentions, the General Assembly voted in favor of the resolution after three days of debate. Twelve nations stayed away from the vote. Along with Russia, only Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea voted against the resolution. In order to be successful, two-thirds of the votes cast had to be in favor. The 141 out of 181 votes are seen as an enormous success: 100 were considered the minimum, 120 as realistic.

The war is currently driving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from their homeland. According to the government, around 500,000 refugees from the neighboring country have now arrived in Poland. “We have an obligation to help our neighbors and we do it. We have established a humanitarian corridor, we have accelerated all procedures that we could accelerate from our side,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

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The EU Commission wants to quickly grant protection to the war refugees in the EU countries. The Brussels authority officially proposed to put in place EU rules in the event of a “mass influx” of displaced people, which would allow Ukrainians to be temporarily protected without lengthy asylum procedures.

Should the rules come into force, Ukrainians would be allowed to apply for protection status in any EU country. The protection is initially valid for one year, but can be extended by a further year in total. The right to apply for asylum continues to exist.

Navalny calls for protests

Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in a Russian prison camp, has called on people in Russia to protest against the war in neighboring Ukraine. There should be protests every day – “wherever you are: in Russia, Belarus or on the other side of the planet,” said Navalny’s Twitter account.

“We, Russia, want to be a nation of peace. Alas, few people would call us that these days. But at least let’s not become a nation of fearful silent people.”

The 45-year-old called for people to dare to take to the streets despite the threat of arrest. The Russian authorities urgently warn against participating in rallies not authorized by the authorities. According to civil rights activists, thousands of people have been arrested at anti-war demonstrations across Russia in the past few days.

“In order to stop the war, we have to fill the prisons and prisoner transporters,” said Navalny’s account. “Everything has it’s price. And now, in the spring of 2022, we have to pay that price.”

EU and USA announce new sanctions

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) meanwhile emphasized during his first visit to Israel that NATO will not intervene militarily in the war. “That would be wrong in this situation,” he said in Jerusalem.

“What we do is support,” added the Federal Chancellor. Specifically, he mentioned financial aid and relief supplies. The sanctions against Russia have already had an effect. This shows that the attitude between consistency and the necessary caution is correct. “I believe these are the right decisions.”

Because NATO supports Ukraine with arms deliveries, Russia has warned of a conflict with the defense alliance. There are “no guarantees that there will be no incidents,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told state broadcaster Rossiya-24 on Wednesday. Several NATO members, including Germany, have shipped arms to Kyiv after the Russian attack on Ukraine.

On Wednesday evening, the US government announced further sanctions against Russia and the introduction of strict controls on the export of high-tech products to Belarus. The new sanctions are aimed at 22 Russian defense contractors, the White House said.

In addition, export controls would be introduced for technologies that Russia would need in the long term for oil and gas refineries. The US and its allies shared a “great interest in weakening Russia’s status as a leading energy supplier,” the White House said. This is attacking “Russia’s largest source of income”.

You can find more reports from the Handelsblatt here:

The European Union announced more sanctions on cryptocurrencies: “In particular, we will take action on cryptocurrencies that cannot be used to circumvent the financial sanctions decided by the European Union,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said online -Special meeting of EU finance and economy ministers.

As early as noon, the EU had decided on new sanctions against Belarus for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The French EU Council Presidency announced on Twitter that the Belarusian timber, potash and steel industries were particularly affected.

The measures will come into force as soon as they are published in the EU Official Journal. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is seen as an ally and military supporter of Kremlin chief Putin in the war against Ukraine. Russian attacks on the neighboring country are also carried out from Belarusian territory. However, Belarus denies this.
With agency material

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