Zelensky cautiously optimistic – heads of government have arrived in Kyiv

Kyiv An end to the fighting in Ukraine is still not in sight. Alarm was reported from several cities in Ukraine on Wednesday night. Negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine on an end to the war were also adjourned on Tuesday and are due to resume on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed cautious optimism about the talks with Russia. The negotiating positions sounded more realistic, he said in a video message published on Wednesday night. But it will still take a while before Ukraine can be satisfied.

“We all want peace and victory as soon as possible,” said the President. “But it takes effort and patience. There is still fighting and work to be done.” Every war ends with an agreement. “The meetings will continue.”

Both sides negotiated in a video conference at the beginning of the week. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said on Tuesday evening that talks would continue on Wednesday.

Ukraine demands an end to the war and a withdrawal of Russian troops. Among other things, Moscow is demanding that Kyiv recognize the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian and the Ukrainian separatist areas as independent states.

Ukraine: Russian army lost up to 40 percent of units

According to the Ukrainian general staff, the Russian army has already lost up to 40 percent of the units that have been involved in fighting since the Russian invasion on February 24. These troops were either completely crushed or had lost their combat effectiveness, the general staff in Kyiv said in a situation report on Wednesday night. He did not give a specific number. The information cannot be independently verified.

The worst situation continues to prevail in the area around the embattled port city of Mariupol, it said. Here the Russian army is trying to blockade the city on the western and eastern edges. However, she suffers significant losses. According to the authorities, around 20,000 people from the city on the Azov Sea, which was surrounded by Russian troops, were able to get to safety on Tuesday.

Altogether almost 30,000 civilians were able to withdraw from embattled towns and villages across the country on Tuesday, Zelenski said. However, a column with relief supplies for Mariupol is still being blocked by Russian soldiers. In the Odessa region, the coast was shelled by Russian ships, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said. But there was no attempt to land.

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“You are not alone”: EU heads of government meet Zelensky in Kyiv

The heads of government of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia pledged their solidarity and support to the Ukrainian President Zelenskiy at a meeting in embattled Kyiv. “Here, in war-torn Kyiv, history is being made,” emphasized Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. “Here freedom fights against the world of tyranny. The future of all of us hangs in the balance here,” he said on Twitter.

According to Ukrainian media reports, Selenski described the visit as a big and courageous step. At a time when many foreign embassies had left Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, “these leaders of independent European states” would show that they were not afraid. “They are here to support us. I’m sure that we can really win with friends like this, countries, neighbors and partners like this.”

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:

The politicians from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv by train. According to a Polish government spokesman, the visit was planned in the strictest secrecy in consultation with the EU and NATO. The Ukrainian capital is repeatedly shelled. It was considered possible that the three politicians returned shortly after meeting Zelenskiy. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced a briefing at the Prague-Kbely military airfield for Wednesday morning.

>> Read about this: Arrived in Kyiv: Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia send a strong signal of solidarity

That will be important on Wednesday

After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, NATO is considering a significant and permanent reinforcement of the eastern flank. At a meeting of defense ministers on Wednesday, a discussion about the long-term strengthening of security in all areas should be started, explained Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, an international court will rule on the attack. The highest court of the United Nations in The Hague will rule on Ukraine’s emergency lawsuit against the neighboring country on Wednesday.

The Council of Europe is preparing to exclude Russia because of the Ukraine war. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted to exclude Russia after an emergency session in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening. The Committee of Ministers intends to hold a special meeting this Wednesday to prepare for the exclusion.

International efforts to end the fighting are also continuing: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is traveling to Moscow, Polish President Andrzej Duda to Turkey. Ukrainian President Zelensky himself delivers a speech before the US Congress via video transmission.

More: “Putin wants to drive up the blood toll” – international law experts warn of further escalation