Russia-Ukraine crisis: 10 latest developments
Let us take a look at the latest developments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the worst humanitarian crisis across the war-hit country.
FollowRussia is promising to scale down military operations around the capital Kyiv, while Ukraine for its part is mooting the adoption of neutral status, in confidence-building steps that may help de-escalate the five-week war.
Ukraine reacted with skepticism to Russia’s promise in negotiations to scale down military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv as some Western countries expected Moscow to intensify its offensive in other parts of the country. Talks took place in an Istanbul palace more than a month into the Russian invasion.
Let us take a look at the latest developments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the worst humanitarian crisis across the war-hit country.
Ø Moscow’s invasion has been halted on most fronts by strong resistance, with Ukrainians recapturing territory.
Ø Ukraine reacted with skepticism to Russia's promise in negotiations to scale down military operations around Kyiv and another city as some Western countries expected Moscow to intensify its offensive in other parts of the country.
Ø “Ukrainians are not naive people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday. “Ukrainians have already learned during these 34 days of invasion, and over the past eight years of the war in Donbass, that the only thing they can trust is a concrete result.” Britain’s Ministry of Defence in an intelligence update said: “It is highly likely that Russia will seek to divert combat power from the north to their offensive in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east.”
Ø Meanwhile, Ukrainian negotiators said that under their proposals, Kyiv would agree not to join alliances or host bases of foreign troops, but would have security guaranteed in terms similar to “Article 5”, the collective defence clause of the transatlantic NATO military alliance.
Ø Signing of the Treaty on the Security Guarantees for Ukraine will only be possible after the withdrawal of all Russian armed units to locations as on 23 February 2022. We demand that Russia immediately and unconditionally implement all provisions of the UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/2 “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine” to alleviate humanitarian suffering on the ground
Ø The US state department has issued a travel advisory warning that Moscow “may single out and detain US citizens in Russia” and repeating earlier warnings for Americans not to travel to the country.
Ø Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden Tuesday appeared to be unconvinced on the Russian announcement that it is scaling back its operations in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.
Ø On the other hand, 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.
Ø On the economy front, share markets and global borrowing costs surged on signs of progress in talks. Ukrainian bonds and Russia’s roubles also benefited, while the oil price dropped. Russia retaliated in what it has called an ‘economic war’ with the West by offering to buy back $2 billion Eurobonds maturing next month in rubles rather than dollars.
Ø 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.
