The Kremlin on Monday lowered expectations that face-to-face talks with Ukrainian negotiators scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday would result in an agreement to end Russia’s deadly, destructive invasion.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that “sadly, we can not say that there have been any significant achievements or improvements so far.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected a recent request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Gelensky for a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin, saying it would be counterproductive until Ukraine and Russia agreed on key issues.
Zelenskyy told independent Russian journalists on Sunday that his government would consider declaring neutrality and providing security guarantees to Russia. The agreement also includes keeping Ukraine without nuclear weapons, he said.
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But within a few months of the Russian troops’ withdrawal – Zelenskyy said, “acceptance of neutrality must be guaranteed by a third party and a referendum must be held on the Ukrainian electorate after the withdrawal of the Russian troops.”
Russia immediately banned Zhelensky from publishing his comments. Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal agency that regulates communications for Moscow, issued the ban on Sunday and said action could be taken against participating Russian media outlets, including “foreign media acting as foreign agents.”
Russia recently passed a law punishing those who publish information contrary to Moscow’s story about the war could face up to 15 years in prison.
Recent developments
Kyiv School reopened for online learning on Monday. Teachers were instructed not to harass students who were already depressed by the war.
Russia, which released its casualties in Ukraine for the first time in weeks, says 1,351 soldiers were killed and 3,825 wounded as of Friday. NATO estimates the death toll in Russia at several thousand, while the actual number is difficult to determine.
தொடங்கி Starting with the tribute to Ukraine-born Mila Kunis, the Academy Awards turned black in the middle of Sunday’s show, and the Oscars for Ukraine were silent for 30 seconds.
A senior Ukrainian official on Sunday accused Russia of trying to divide Ukraine into two countries by comparing them with North and South Korea.
Russian stocks fell on the first day of full trading after the invasion
The Moscow Exchange fell 2.2% on Monday, the first day since the start of the war that all stocks have been allowed to trade. There were some breakers to control the instability.
The war began on February 24, and the next day Russian stocks fell by a third. Since then, trade has been non-existent or limited. Foreigners are barred from trading until Friday.
On Monday, Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, fell nearly 5%. CEO Herman Gref, who has been a close adviser to Putin for decades, was added to the US embargo list last week. Luco, Russia’s largest oil company, fell 1.7%.
Tensions over Russian energy are rising
Germany’s energy minister said on Monday that a group of seven countries had agreed to reject Russia’s request to pay in rubles for Russia’s energy imports. Robert Hebeck told reporters on Monday that “all G-7 ministers (which) fully agree that this is a unilateral and clear violation of existing agreements.”
Russia supplies two-thirds of Germany’s natural gas, half of its coal and one-third of its oil.
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the demand for payment in rubles remained the same and warned that “we are clearly not going to provide free gas.”
Zhelensky is optimistic ahead of the talks
During talks in Turkey this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelnysky called Ukraine’s priorities “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We are looking for peace, in fact, without delay,” Zelenskyy said. “There is an opportunity and need for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. This is not a bad thing. Let’s see the result. ”
David Arakamiya, the parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zhelensky’s faction of the People’s Workers’ Party, said on Facebook that he had agreed to a face-to-face meeting in a video consultation. The two sides met several times and no agreement was reached.
– Selena Deborah
Contributed by: Associated Press
Ukraine war threatens food supply in Arab countries
From Lebanon, Iraq and Syria to Sudan and Yemen, millions of people in the Middle East have already been uplifted by conflict, displacement and poverty, and are now wondering where their next food will come from.
Ukraine and Russia account for one-third of world wheat and barley exports, while countries in the Middle East rely on subsidized bread and barley noodles to feed millions of people. They are also excellent exporters of other grains and sunflower seed oil used for cooking.
Before the war in Ukraine, people across the Middle East and North Africa did not have enough food to eat. Now with the trade-offs caused by the conflict, more and more products are becoming unaffordable or unavailable.
“Simply put, with people in countries affected by conflict and crisis, people cannot afford the quality or quantity of food they need.
Refugees leaving Ukraine
One month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 3.6 million refugees are forced to flee the country, the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
A further 6.5 million people have been internally displaced into Ukraine and more than 12 million have been affected in war-torn areas.
Humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.
“Many are trapped in areas of increasing conflict and are unable to meet their basic needs, including food, water and medicine, as essential services are disrupted,” the company said in a bulletin. “In the absence of secure humanitarian access, providing life-saving assistance remains challenging.”
–Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
“Lifelong social media lover. Falls down a lot. Creator. Devoted food aficionado. Explorer. Typical troublemaker.”