The day of the war at a glance
Russia withdraws troops around Kyiv – the West remains suspicious
03/29/2022, 11:29 p.m
Today’s negotiations end with a rapprochement. Ukraine makes a concrete offer to Russia. In return, Moscow promises to reduce hostilities in the north. This is evidently already being felt in Kyiv, but fighting is continuing elsewhere. Meanwhile, Macron and Putin are on the phone again. The 34th day of the war at a glance.
Ukraine offers neutrality against security guarantees
So far, talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have been largely fruitless. However, today’s negotiations in Istanbul give hope for a turning point towards de-escalation. Because Russia announced that it would reduce its combat operations on the northern front. After the approximately four-hour negotiations, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said that “in order to strengthen confidence”, the “radical” reduction in Russia’s military activities near Kyiv and Chernihiv had been decided.
The background to the decision is Ukraine’s push for a new system for security guarantees. They should be worded similarly to article five of the NATO treaty. Accordingly, the members of the military alliance are obliged to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack on one of the partners. Turkey is seen as one of the possible main guarantors for Ukraine. Other countries that could provide security guarantees could include Israel, Poland and Canada. If such a system is in place, Ukraine will agree to neutral status and not join NATO. This would also mean that there would be no foreign military base on Ukrainian territory.
In return for the concessions to Moscow, Ukraine wants to negotiate the possibility of EU membership, according to Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. “The Russian Federation has no objections to Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union.”
On the other hand, there was hardly any agreement on the issue of the cession of territory. For Kyiv, these are “still out of the question,” said Ukrainian delegation member David Arachamija. “We only recognize Ukraine’s borders, which are recognized by the world as of 1991.” But it was proposed to hold consultations with Russia on the status of Crimea over the next 15 years.
Meanwhile, response from the West to the talks was muted. “I haven’t seen anything that suggests this is moving forward in any effective way because we haven’t seen any signs of real seriousness,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “There is what Russia says and what Russia does,” he added. “We’re concentrating on the latter.” The reaction from Great Britain was similarly skeptical. A government spokesman said: “We will judge Putin and his regime by his actions and not by his words”.
Withdrawal around Kyiv – shelling in several parts of the country
In fact, shortly after the negotiations, it seems as if Russia would put its announcement into practice: the Ukrainian general staff announced that the withdrawal of individual Russian units was being observed in the area around the capital Kyiv and the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. Great Britain also sees a decrease in the bombing of the capital. US circles said it was a “regrouping, not a deduction.” Rather, the world must prepare for further major Russian offensives in other parts of Ukraine.
Elsewhere, hostilities continued unhindered. At least seven people were killed in a Russian rocket attack on an administration building in the southern Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv, according to President Zelenskyy. 22 people were injured.
The Russian side also said that in the north-western region of Rivn, a large fuel depot belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces had been destroyed with cruise missiles. There was a similar report from western Ukraine: the military airport in the city of Starokostiantyniv had been attacked and the fuel stores there had been completely destroyed. The city’s mayor, Mykola Melnychuk, said: “We have been under rocket fire since the first day of the war, but today (…) the attack was very serious and caused significant damage.” As a result, the city’s entire fuel supplies were destroyed.
In the heavily contested port city of Mariupol, the Ukrainian army continues to hold the center of the port city, according to British military intelligence. In several areas northwest of Kyiv, the Ukrainian army also managed to push back Russian troops. But there is still the danger of shelling the capital. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation on the ground seems to be getting worse. The human rights organization Amnesty International denounced war crimes in the city. Russia is “specifically” attacking civilian facilities and turning escape routes into “death traps”.
Putin and Macron talk about Mariupol and gas supply
According to the Kremlin, President Putin and his French colleague Emmanuel Macron also exchanged views on the situation in Mariupol. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the city, Macron had insisted on the need for a ceasefire to supply and evacuate the population, according to the Élysée Palace in Paris. Putin listened and promised to think about the move and get back to Macron. In addition, the conversation was about paying for gas deliveries in rubles. According to the French Presidential Office, Macron made it clear to Putin that this is not possible.
Chechen leader Kadyrov is said to be in Mariupol
The notorious Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov is said to be in Mariupol. This is allegedly confirmed by a photo published by the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. It shows Kadyrov with around 20 Chechen fighters. Russian television also showed footage allegedly showing Kadyrov meeting with Lieutenant General Andrei Mordvichev in Mariupol. This is one of the generals killed in the fighting, according to Ukrainian authorities. According to the ntv verification team, the recordings are of Mordvichev, but the time cannot be verified.
Killed Kickboxing Champion Kagal
Former Ukrainian kickboxing world champion Maksym Kagal has apparently died in the fighting in Mariupol. His coach confirmed that. Kagal defended the city as part of the Azov regiment and fell on Friday, Oleh Skyrta wrote. The 30-year-old Kagal came from the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk and had won the ISKA Association’s Kickboxing World Championship in 2014 – as the first Ukrainian.
Western heads of state on the phone
Meanwhile, Chancellor Scholz again exchanged views on joint action in a conference call with US President Joe Biden, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. They reiterated their intention to continue supporting Ukraine and again called on President Putin to withdraw his troops. Russia must also allow humanitarian aid in Ukraine. At the meeting, it was also agreed what message Macron should send to Putin immediately afterwards.
Many Germans are afraid of World War III
In Germany, however, the fear of war remains great. Almost half of Germans fear that the fighting could escalate into a war between Russia and NATO and lead to a “third world war”. 48 percent currently share this fear in the RTL/ntv trend barometer, 44 percent do not.
More articles on the Ukraine war
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