Russia Ukraine War Updates: Russia vows to scale back military operation near Kyiv

People displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine wait in line for food and a place to sleep outside the capital of Kyiv. Others who have fled to Poland bundle against the cold after crossing the border. Five weeks into the war, thousands are dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians have left the country. Many residents couldn’t bear to leave their pets behind, despite the risky evacuation. Meanwhile, Russia has announced it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks. Ukraine’s delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations.

Zelenskyy speaks with Imran Khan about Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression

Amid the ongoing tension between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and discussed his country’s “struggle against Russian aggression”.

“Had a phone conversation with Pak Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI. Spoke about our struggle against Russian aggression. The people of Ukraine seek peace. This is our unconditional priority,” Zelenskyy tweeted.

Meanwhile, Khan “expressed deep regret that the military conflict” between Moscow and Kyiv was continuing, according to Geo News.

Explosion occurs near Russia’s Belgorod, no civilian casualties

An explosion occurred near the village of Krasny Oktyabr in the Belgorod region, there were no casualties among local residents, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

12 killed, 33 injured in Russia’s airstrike on Ukraine’s regional administration building

At least 12 people were killed and 33 others injured in an airstrike carried out by Russia’s forces on a regional administration building in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Mykolayiv, the press service of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The airstrike, which occurred at about 8:45 a.m. local time (0545 GMT), destroyed the central section of the nine-story building, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, 18 people were rescued from the debris following the attack.

The search and rescue operation is under way, the ministry said.

Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cities created fastest-growing humanitarian crises: US at UNSC

The United States on Tuesday (local time) said that Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure has created one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises.

“Russia’s ceaseless bombardment of Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure has created one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in recent decades. Russian forces have laid siege to cities like Mariupol, where citizens have been left without food, water, heat, or electricity in the depths of winter,” US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at UN Security Council (UNSC).

Sherman said that the impacts of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war are being felt far beyond Ukraine’s borders, as well – with some of the most immediate and dangerous implications for global food security.

IAEA chief visits Ukraine to discuss nuclear safety support

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi has arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday for talks with senior Ukrainian officials on delivering urgent technical assistance to ensure the security of the country’s nuclear facilities, the IAEA said.

The aim of Grossi’s visit is to “initiate prompt safety and security support to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities,” which will include sending IAEA experts to prioritized facilities and the shipment of vital safety and security supplies including monitoring and emergency equipment, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the IAEA.

“The military conflict is putting Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger,” Grossi was quoted by the statement as saying.

Putin-Zelensky meeting possible only after agreement ready

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are likely to meet only after an agreement is ready for signing, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s negotiation team, said on Tuesday.

Before the discussion of a possible meeting of the presidents, a treaty must be prepared and approved by the negotiators, and then endorsed by the foreign ministers, explained Medinsky, also an aide to the Russian President.

This will be not simple especially because the meeting could be a multilateral one with the participation of state guarantors of peace and security to Ukraine, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Ukraine in talks with int’l partners over fuel supplies: PM

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that his government is in talks with international partners over the supplies of fuel to Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

“We are negotiating with global companies and foreign countries over the supplies,” Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Ukraine has undertaken a series of measures to ensure stable supplies of fuel to the army and to the farmers who conduct the sowing campaign, he added.

Ukrainian President says signals from peace talks ‘positive’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he saw positive signals from the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

“The signals we hear from the negotiating platform can be called positive,” Zelensky said in a video address published on his official Telegram channel.

At the same time, Zelensky said Ukraine is “aware of all the risks” and will trust only “concrete results”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Putin, Macron discuss situation in Ukraine over phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation to continue discussions of the situation in Ukraine, shortly after a new round of Moscow-Kiev peace talks ended in Istanbul, Turkey.

Putin and Macron paid particular attention to humanitarian issues in Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a Kremlin statement.

Putin informed Macron of measures being taken by the Russian military to provide emergency humanitarian assistance and ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, including from the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Belgium expels 21 Russian diplomats

Belgium will expel 21 Russian diplomats suspected of espionage and involvement in influence operations threatening Belgian security, the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmes has announced.

The diplomats, from the Russian Embassy in Brussels and the Consulate General in Antwerp, will have to leave the territory within 15 days, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ukraine puts indirect losses from conflict with Russia at over $1 trillion

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that the Ukraine’s indirect losses from the conflict with Russia are estimated at more than $1 trillion, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

“The losses, calculated indirectly, taking into account the losses in the coming years, amount to more than a trillion dollars,” Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The cost of direct damage to Ukraine’s public buildings, bridges, roads, civilian and military infrastructure caused by the attacks is estimated at about 270 billion dollars, he said.

Netherlands expels 17 Russian diplomats

The Dutch government has ordered the expulsion of 17 Russian diplomats suspected of being “intelligence officers,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

The Russian ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague and informed of the decision on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Biden not convinced on Russia scaling back its operations in Ukrainian capital

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday appeared to be unconvinced on the Russian announcement that it is scaling back its operations in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.

“We’ll see. I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the Russian announcement on Tuesday that it will fundamentally scale back its military operations near Kyiv and another northern city in Ukraine.

“We’ll see if they follow through on what they’re suggesting. There are negotiations that have begun and continued today. One in Turkey and others,” he said, adding that he had a meeting with the heads of state of France, Germany and the Great Britain.

Russia says it will scale back near Kyiv as talks progress

Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks. Ukraine’s delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations.

Moscow’s public reaction was positive, and the negotiations are expected to resume on Wednesday, five weeks into what has devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country.

Amid the talks, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Moscow has decided to “fundamentally … cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.”

He did not immediately spell out what that would mean in practical terms.

War in Ukraine has implications for Asia Pacific: PM Lee

The ongoing war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia Pacific, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said Tuesday cautioning the international community that there are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in the region as well.

“The war in the Ukraine has implications for the Asia-Pacific,” Lee told reporters during a joint news conference with President Joe Biden of the United States at the White House.

“There are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in our region too, which if not managed well could escalate to open conflict,” he said, soon after holding a bilateral meeting with Biden.

Biden’s point person on Russian sanctions to visit India

US President Joe Biden is sending his top advisor and key person leading his administration’s economic sanctions on Russia to India, which so far has refused to toe the American line and maintained its own independent strategic position. The Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh, an Indian American, will be in New Delhi on March 30 and 31, the White House said Tuesday.

“Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy,” said Emily Horne, spokesperson of the National Security Council of the White House.

UN food chief: Ukraine war’s food crisis is worst since WWII

The UN food chief warned Tuesday the war in Ukraine has created “a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe” and will have a global impact “beyond anything we’ve seen since World War II” because many of the Ukrainian farmers who produce a significant amount of the world’s wheat are now fighting Russians.

David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, told the UN Security Council that already high food prices are skyrocketing.
His agency was feeding 125 million people around the world before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and Beasley said it has had to start cutting their rations because of rising food, fuel and shipping costs.

He pointed to war-torn Yemen where 8 million people just had their food allotment cut 50%, “and now we’re looking at going to zero rations.”

India reiterates call for ‘unimpeded humanitarian access to areas of armed conflict in Ukraine

India on Tuesday (local time) reiterated its call for unimpeded humanitarian access to areas of armed conflict in Ukraine. “India remains deeply concerned at the ongoing situation, which continues to deteriorate since the beginning of the hostilities. We reiterate our call for unimpeded humanitarian access to areas of armed conflict in Ukraine,” India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti said at the UNSC briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Tirumurti said that there is an urgent need to address the humanitarian needs of the affected population in Ukraine.

He continued saying that “in this regard, the initiatives of UN, and its agencies like OCHA and WFP have reinforced ongoing efforts. We also note the decision by the EU countries who have agreed to a permit-free transit of humanitarian carriers to Ukraine.”

News Credit: India TV News