Ukraine sees possible room for compromise in talks with Russia, while Moscow’s forces step up their attacks across the country on the 21st day of the military campaign.
Turkiye to continue mediator role in Ukraine conflict: FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said Türkiye continues its role as an honest mediator, facilitator despite all difficulties.
“As country that has good ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye continued its role as honest mediator, facilitator despite all difficulties”, he said after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
Cavusoglu also said that Türkiye would continue to implement Montreux Convention.
Lavrov said Russia and Türkiye had different positions on Ukraine, however, “Moscow appreciates Ankara’s balanced position”.
Russian FM declares hope in peace talks with Ukraine
The Russia-Ukraine peace talks are not easy, but there is hope for finding a compromise, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Speaking in an interview with the Russian RBC TV Channel, Lavrov said his assessment is based on the information provided by the Russian delegation at the peace talks with Ukraine.
“They state that the negotiations are not easy for obvious reasons, but nevertheless there is some hope for finding a compromise,” Lavrov noted. Ukraine has also made cautious positive statements on peace talks.
Ukraine talks difficult, but Russia wants peace: negotiator
Talks with Ukraine are difficult and slow, but Russia sincerely wants peace as soon as possible, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky has been quoted by Interfax as saying.
“The negotiations are hard, going slowly. Of course, we would like it all to happen much faster, this is a sincere desire of the Russian side. We want to come to peace as soon as possible,” Medinsky said.
“We need a peaceful, free, independent Ukraine, neutral – not a member of military blocs, not a member of NATO,” he added.
Belarus grid supplying electricity to Chernobyl: authorities
Belarus is supplying electricity to Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power station, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, local Belarusian authorities have said.
“The electrical supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power station is completely restored,” the Belarusian energy ministry said in a statement published on the Telegram page of the Gomel region.
“At the current time the electricity supply is being provided from the Belarusian power grid,” it added.
Leaders return safely to EU after visit to Kiev amid attacks
The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have returned safely back to Poland after a visit to Kiev meant to show support for Ukraine as it faces heavy bombardment.
The leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to send the message that Ukraine isn’t alone and that they support the nation’s aspirations to one day join the European Union.
They went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the EU about the security risks of traveling within a conflict zone.
Kremlin: Neutral Ukraine like Austria is possible compromise
The Kremlin has said that a neutral Ukraine with its own army along the lines of Austria or Sweden was being looked at as a possible compromise in talks with Kiev.
“This is a variant that is currently being discussed and which could really be seen a compromise,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.
Peskov was commenting on remarks from Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, who earlier told state TV: “Ukraine is offering an Austrian or Swedish version of a neutral demilitarised state, but at the same time a state with its own army and navy.”
Ukraine rejects Russian neutrality idea
Ukraine has dismissed Russian proposals to turn it into a neutral state, Kiev’s negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak has said
“Ukraine is now in a direct state of war with Russia. Consequently, the model can only be ‘Ukrainian’ and only on legally verified security guarantees”, Podolyak said.
Swiss slap more sanctions on Russians in line with EU
Neutral Switzerland has adopted more European Union sanctions against Russian individuals and entities published in response to Moscow’s attack in Ukraine, the government has said.
“Switzerland’s list of sanctions now fully mirrors that of the EU,” it said, adding the individuals sanctioned included further oligarchs and prominent business people whose assets in Switzerland must be frozen as of midday.
Ukrainian official sees no big change at front-line hotspots
Ukraine’s armed forces are conducting small-scale counter attacks on several fronts and Russian troops have not been able to gain ground because of a lack of resources, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said.
“The situation … in the main hotspots has not changed, and has no chance of changing as Russia has used up its resources,” he told a video briefing.
Arestovych said Russia continued to fire missiles at Ukrainian targets, with approximately two-thirds of rockets hitting civilian buildings and infrastructure.
Official says 103 children have been killed in Ukraine
The Ukrainian prosecutor general has said 103 children have been killed so far in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian forces have struck more than 400 educational establishments and 59 of them have been destroyed, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook.
The information could not immediately be verified.
Ukraine launches counteroffensives in several areas: official
Ukraine’s armed forces are launching counteroffensives against Russian forces “in several operational areas,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has wrote on Twitter.
“This radically changes the parties’ dispositions,” he added, without giving details.
Train station targeted in Ukraine refugee hub near Mariupol
Russian forces have targeted the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, where thousands of refugees are taking shelter after escaping the besieged port city of Mariupol, regional officials have said.
“Civilian objects have been bombed for the first time in Zaporizhzhia,” the regional governor Alexander Starukh wrote on the Telegram social media platform.
“The rockets landed in the area of the Zaporozhye-2 railway station,” he added, specifying that there were no casualties.
Suspected strike on Russian-held airport
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by The Associated Press show a suspected Ukrainian strike on the Russian-held Kherson International Airport and Air Base set several helicopters and vehicles ablaze.
The images at the dual-use airfield show thick black smoke rising overhead from the blazes. At least three helicopters appeared to be on fire, as well as several vehicles. At a pad further away, other helicopters appeared damaged from an earlier strike.
The Ukrainian president’s office said that fighting had continued at Kherson airport on Tuesday, with “powerful blasts” rocking the area during the course of the day. Kherson is about 450 kilometres southeast of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.
At least 500 Kharkiv city residents killed so far: Ukraine
The emergency service in Ukraine’s eastern region of Kharkiv region has said that at least 500 residents of the city of Kharkiv have been killed since Russia’s offensive began on February 24.
The information was not immediately verified. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Russia to retaliate against Montenegro over expulsion of diplomat: RIA
Russia will respond to Montenegro’s decision to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata, Yuri Pilipson, director of the Fourth European department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has been quoted by the RIA news agency as saying.
Montenegro cited violations of diplomatic norms for its March 4 action in ordering the Russian diplomat to leave the country.
UK’s Truss sceptical on peace talks over Ukraine
Britain’s foreign secretary Liz Truss has said she is skeptical about peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, adding Russian President Vladimir Putin had to be stopped at all costs.
“I am skeptical about the peace talks whilst Putin is still waging war in Ukraine. He has to implement a ceasefire and withdraw his troops for those peace talks to be taken to be taken seriously,” Truss told BBC TV.
Putin has to be stopped “at all costs”, she said.
20,000 residents left Mariupol in private cars so far
About 20,000 civilians have managed so far to leave the besieged port city of Mariupol in private cars, Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko has said.
Mariupol residents have been trapped in the city by Russian shelling without heating, electricity and running water for most of the past two weeks, Ukrainian officials say.
At least 200,000 are in urgent need of evacuation, according to official Ukrainian estimates earlier this week.
Gazprom meeting Europe’s gas supply requests via Ukraine
Russian state energy giant Gazprom has said it continues shipping gas to Europe via Ukraine, with daily volumes set at 95 million cubic metres, in line with customers’ requests but down 13 percent from 109.6 million cubic metres the day before.
Russian fighting intensifies in Kiev suburbs
A plume of smoke has been seen rising up over western Kiev after shrapnel from an artillery shell slammed into a 12-storey apartment building in central Kiev, obliterating the top floor and igniting a fire, according to a statement and images released by the Kiev emergencies agency.
The neighbouring building was also damaged. The agency reported two victims, without elaborating.
Russian forces have intensified fighting in Kiev suburbs, notably around the town of Bucha in the northwest and the highway leading west toward Zhytomyr, the head of the Kiev region Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Ukraine says Russian warships fire missiles
Russian warships around midnight have fired missiles and artillery at the Ukrainian sea coast near Tuzla, to the south of Odessa, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko has said.
“They fired a huge amount of ammunition from a great distance,” he said on Facebook.
Gerashchenko said Russia wanted to test Ukraine’s coastal defence system. He said there was no attempt to land troops. He didn’t say whether any of the shelling hit anything.
Ukraine says another Russian general killed in fighting
Ukraine has said a fourth Russian general has been killed in the fighting.
Major General Oleg Mityaev died on Tuesday during the storming of Mariupol, said Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko, who published a photo on Telegram of what he said was the dead officer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the death of another Russian general in his nighttime address but didn’t name him.
Mityaev, 46, commanded the 150th motorised rifle division and had fought in Syria, Gerashchenko said. There was no confirmation of the death from Russia.
Ukraine official: Russia takes 500 hostage in Mariupol hospital
Russian troops have seized a hospital in Mariupol and took about 500 people hostage during another assault on the southern port city, regional leader Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Russians troops drove 400 people from neighboring houses into Regional Intensive Care Hospital, Kyrylenko said on the messaging app Telegram. About 100 doctors and patients also are believed to be inside, he said.
The troops are using those inside the hospital as human shields and are not allowing anyone to leave, he said. “It’s impossible to leave the hospital, they are shooting hard,” Kyrylenko said.
Ukraine: Russia lost up to 40% of its armed units during offensive
Ukraine has said that Russia’s armed forces have lost up to 40 percent of their units since launching a military offensive against the country on February 24.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement that as of March 15, “the enemy” had lost up to 40 percent of the units involved in the so-called “operation” on the territory of Ukraine throu gh their complete destruction or loss of combat capability.
Over the past day, seven combat helicopters of the Russian army were destroyed during clashes in the Chornobaivka area of Ukraine, said the statement.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
