On February 28, on the fifth day of the Russian military offensive against Ukraine, as armed actions continue and Russia becomes increasingly isolated by Western sanctions, the first negotiation meeting held on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border gave a glimpse of a slight ray of hope, as both parties claimed to have found points of agreement that will allow them to sit down again in a few days.
“We found some points on which we can predict common positions and the most important thing is that we agreed to continue the negotiation process,” said the head of the Russian delegation, presidential adviser Vladimir Medinski, while his Ukrainian counterpart, Mikhailo Podoliakinsisted that “the parties established a series of priorities and issues that require some decisions.”
The next meeting will take place in a few days on the Polish-Belarusian border to seek a cessation of hostilities.
Although no details were given on these points of agreement, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, affirmed yesterday to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macronin a telephone conversation, that the solution of the conflict with Ukraine would only be possible if the “legitimate interests of Russia in security matters are taken into account, including its Crimean sovereignty”, illegally annexed in 2014, the “demilitarization and denazification” of the Ukrainian state, as well as its neutral status.
For his part, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, demands a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops. Yesterday he also asked the European Union (EU) to immediately admit his country to the bloc, but in Brussels “there are different opinions” on the matter, responded the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Both the talks and the conflict on the ground are marked by the threat launched on Sunday by Putin, who ordered the nuclear deterrence forces to be placed on high alert.
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However, the US minimized the risk of a nuclear war with Russia and ruled out a possible change in the alert levels of the US arsenal, although it considered that Moscow’s measures in this regard are “dangerous”.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, yesterday asked the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and reported that he will open an investigation into the situation in Ukraine “as soon as possible”.
Beyond the arsenal of economic sanctions, many countries have also offered weapons to Ukraine, including Finland and Canada, but have insisted that they will not engage militarily.
At a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced the expulsion of 12 diplomats from the Russian mission to the UN and accused them of “espionage.” Russia rejected the move shortly afterward, calling the act “hostile.”
US President Joe Biden also had a call with several European leaders and other G7 and NATO member countries to strengthen unity against Russia.
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According to the White House, the leaders addressed the “severe consequences” for Russia to be “accountable” for the invasion, and discussed mechanisms to “maintain global economic stability,” including energy prices. As a novelty, Japan – which restricted Moscow’s transactions with its central bank and took action against Belarus – joined the discussion.
On the ground, the Ukrainians appear to be increasing their resistance against the Russians, who have yet to announce any resounding victory. Yesterday, the Ukrainian authorities stated that they repelled several assaults against Kiev, where the curfew was lifted.
Long lines formed outside supermarkets in the city. In the streets, brigades of volunteers wearing yellow and blue ties in the national colors erected makeshift barricades.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned yesterday that there are Russian troops near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in the country, and insisted again that military actions that pose a security risk must be avoided.
Ukraine has informed the UN atomic body that its 15 reactors, spread over four locations, are still operating safely.
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The Pentagon yesterday praised the “resistance” of the Ukrainians, but warned that Moscow has not yet mobilized all its forces and asked not to make the mistake of underestimating its capabilities.
“Make no mistake, Putin still has significant combat power at his disposal. He hasn’t moved it all to Ukraine yet,” US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said.
According to the US government, the Kremlin had mobilized around 200,000 soldiers around Ukraine’s border with Russia and Belarus before the start of the invasion launched last Thursday.
According to Kirby, the strong resistance of the Ukrainians has managed to delay “a few days” the plans of Putin, who by now expected to control the capital, Kiev, but stressed that Russia must not be given up.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine has left 102 dead and 304 civilians injured, according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights, although the Ukrainian authorities raise the death toll to 352. In addition, 422,000 Ukrainians have had to leave their country, due to which must be added more than 100,000 internally displaced persons, according to the United Nations Agency for Refugees (Acnur).
*With information from AFP and Efe
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