Signs of tension after the Istanbul negotiations

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow will significantly reduce its “military activities” in Ukraine near Kiev and Chernihiv. This was put in front of the way the negotiations with Ukraine are going, announced the Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, Alexander Fomin, after the talks in Istanbul. Delegations from Moscow and Kiev met there for peace talks. This was the first statement of a kind of withdrawal from the Russian side.

Ukraine offers neutrality

In exchange for security guarantees, Ukraine offered neutrality. With that, Ukraine would not join any military alliance, negotiators said after the negotiations in Istanbul. In addition, there will be no military base in Ukraine. Before a final agreement can enter into force, peace must be restored throughout Ukraine and a referendum must be held on the terms of an agreement with Russia. Turkey, Israel, Poland and Canada could serve as guarantors of security.

For the first time in almost three weeks, Ukraine and Russia spoke directly to each other in Istanbul. According to the Ukrainian embassy in Turkey, the discussions lasted about four hours, with occasional interruptions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the negotiators to the Dolmabahçe presidential office in Istanbul. The end of the “tragedy” is in the hands of both parties, Erdogan said. An immediate ceasefire would benefit everyone.

Russian media have published photos in which it is seen that billionaire Roman Abramovich was also present at the reception. The businessman is among Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned by the West because of their closeness to President Vladimir Putin. Moscow had confirmed a few days ago that Abramovich had participated in early March in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia as mediators.

Ukraine had asked Abramovich to help mediate when the Russian occupation began. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators had possible symptoms of poisoning following mediation talks in Kiev. However, representatives of the US and Ukrainian governments express doubts about this.

Previous rounds of negotiations have been extremely difficult

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, “guarantees of security and neutrality” as well as Ukraine’s status as a “state without nuclear weapons” are among the main topics. Ukraine’s neutrality is one of Russia’s main demands. Zelenski said Sunday that his government would look into the matter “radically.” The first ministerial-level negotiations on March 10th in Antalya, Turkey, did not bring significant progress towards a ceasefire in Ukraine. Since then, discussions have continued through videoconferencing. Both sides in the conflict described the recent negotiations as “difficult”.

The United Nations is aiming for a humanitarian ceasefire

The United Nations wants to commit to a humanitarian ceasefire. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had asked Emergency Assistance Coordinator Martin Griffiths to “immediately discuss with the parties in question the possible arrangements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine”. The Secretary General again condemned the war of Russian aggression against the neighboring country. This has led to “the senseless loss of thousands of human lives, the displacement of tens of millions of people and the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure” in Ukraine, said Antonio Guterres. “This must stop.”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Zelenski, 20,000 people have been killed in the war. According to UN figures, some 3.9 million people have fled Ukraine. According to these figures, another 6.5 million people are on the run within the country. The Kiev government is particularly concerned about the situation in Mariupol, in the south of the country. According to Ukrainian data, at least 5,000 people have been killed in this city surrounded by Russian troops. The humanitarian situation is described as “catastrophic”.

Amnesty accuses Russia of war crimes

The human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) has denounced “war crimes” in Ukraine. “What is happening in Ukraine is a repetition of what we have seen in Syria,” said Secretary-General Agnès Callamard during the presentation of the organization’s annual report. Russia is “deliberately” attacking civilian installations and turning escape routes into “death traps.”

Eastern Europe Director Marie Struthers said Amnesty’s representatives had documented during a field visit to Ukraine “the use of the same tactics as in Syria and Chechnya”. According to them, Russia also used weapons prohibited by international law. Callamard likened the besieged city of Mariupol to the Syrian city of Aleppo. It was completely destroyed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with the help of the Russian Air Force. Amnesty notes an “increase in war crimes” in Ukraine.

Zelenski: The military situation remains tense

Despite some military successes, the Ukrainian president believes the situation in his country remains tense. This is what he said in his video message every evening, published in the Telegram. Ukrainian defenders have obviously been able to repel Russian units from the city of Irpin near Kiev, he said. However, fighting has continued in this region as well as in other parts of the country. Russian troops have maintained control of the northern part of Kiev. They had been trying to rebuild the dismantled units. The situation also remains “very difficult” in the regions of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donbass and southern Ukraine.

Zelenski again called for tougher sanctions against Russia. Regarding an embargo on Russian oil supplies being discussed in Europe, he said there is now ample evidence that such a tightening of sanctions against Russia would only happen if Moscow used chemical weapons. “There is no word on that,” Zelenski said. “Think about what is happening: waiting for chemical weapons.” He further asked if Russia did not already deserve such an embargo on everything it has done so far.

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