Ukraine: Russia says it will cut back military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv "to increase mutual trust" - live updates
Tuesday, 29 March 2022 (18:15 IST)
General Alexander Fomin, Russia's deputy defense minister, told reporters that Russia would reduce its military activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv in light of the ongoing negotiations with Ukraine.
Fomin said Russia's Defense Ministry agreed on the decision "in order to increase mutual trust and create necessary conditions for further negotiations."
Russia-Ukraine talks conclude in Istanbul
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, with the Ukrainian side saying that there have been enough developments to have a meeting between the presidents of the two countries.
Russia said the talks were "constructive," raising hopes that there could be progress toward ending the war.
However, Russian top negotiator Medinsky said a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is possible only if a deal has been approved by the foreign ministries of both countries.
Following the talks, Ukrainian negotiators told reporters that Kyiv would agree to a neutral status if a security guarantee system is put in place. They said, under the new system, Israel, Poland, Canada and Turkey could be among Ukraine’s security guarantors.
The neutral status would include not hosting any foreign military bases on Ukrainian territory.
There needs to be full peace across Ukraine for any final agreement with Russia to come into force, the Ukrainian side stressed, adding that a referendum would be needed in Ukraine on the terms of any final deal.
They also proposed holding consultations with Russia on the status of Crimea.
The talks on Tuesday lasted around four hours with occasional breaks. It is unclear if the discussions will continue for a second day.
Russia says rules for gas payments in rubles will be ready in days
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was working out practical arrangements for foreign companies and governments to pay for Russian gas in rubles.
Peskov said the plan would be ready by Thursday, in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin's set deadline.
"No one will supply gas for free, it is simply impossible, and you can pay for it only in roubles," Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
He added that "all modalities are being developed so that this system is simple, understandable and feasible for respected European and international buyers."
Peskov's remarks came a day after Germany said the G7 nations rejected Putin's demand to pay for Russian gas in rubles. Berlin said the demand was a breach of the pre-agreed terms and conditions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Danish lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that the EU must tighten sanctions on Russia. He urged European countries to cut off all trade with Russia, including a ban on Russian energy supplies.
Speaking via video link, Zelenskyy said of the Russian invasion that "the brutality is more violent than what we have seen during World War II."
The Ukrainian leader has so far made online speeches to lawmakers in several countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan, among others.
Russian rocket hits Mykolaiv government building
A Russian rocket strike on Tuesday destroyed a regional government building in the southern city of Mykolaiv, local authorities said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the missile strike killed at least seven people and wounded 22.
"We're clearing the rubble. Half the building was destroyed. My office was hit," local governor Vitaliy Kim said in a video statement.
Mykolaiv, a key port, has been under heavy assault for weeks, along with other southern port cities like Kherson and Mariupol.
Peace talks focusing on security guarantees, cease-fire, says Zelenskyy adviser
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that the ongoing talks in Turkey between Ukraine and Russia are focusing on security guarantees for Ukraine and a cease-fire.
"Only with this agreement can we end the war in a way that Ukraine needs," he said. Podolyak added the two sides were also discussing alleged breaches of the rules of war.
Russia says the military's main task is now to 'liberate' Donbas
Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Ukraine's military capacity had been seriously degraded, the Interfax news agency reported. "The combat potential of the Ukrainian armed forces has been significantly reduced, which makes it possible to focus the main attention and main efforts on achieving the main goal — the liberation of Donbas."
Shoigu's assertion came despite Ukraine's unexpectedly strong resistance since the war began last month, which has seen Russia fail to take any major cities, and stall in advancing along multiple fronts.
However, Shoigu reiterated statements made last week by officials that the Russian military had completed the main objective of the first phase of its invasion.
The minister also stressed the change in Russia's war aims, underlining that the main task of the Russian military is now to "liberate" Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, part of which has been under the control of Russian proxies since 2015.
Furthermore, he warned the West that Moscow will respond appropriately if NATO supplies fighter aircraft and air defense systems to Ukraine.
Russia resumes LNG exports through the Sea of Azov
Russia on Tuesday resumed exports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) through the Sea of Azov, with a Comoros-flagged gas tanker expected to be loaded at the port of Temryuk, the port operator said.
The tanker, bound for the Bulgarian port of Burgas, would mark the first time since the start of Russia’s Ukraine invasion that LNG is exported through the waterway.
Russian authorities had banned ship movements in the region following the outbreak of the war.
IAEA chief in Ukraine to talk about nuclear safety
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Ukraine to hold talks with senior officials on how to ensure the safety of the nation's nuclear facilities.
"The military conflict is putting Ukraine's nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger," Mariano Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
He added that "there have already been several close calls. We can't afford to lose any more time."
Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors at four active power plants, and also is home to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Russian forces have taken control of Chernobyl and of the largest active power plant, at Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine says it's resuming evacuations from conflict-affected areas
Ukraine said Tuesday it was reopening humanitarian corridors and evacuating civilians from war-scarred regions after a one-day pause over what Kyiv called possible Russian "provocations."
"Three humanitarian corridors were agreed for today," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video statement posted on Telegram, a day after announcing their closure citing intelligence reports.
US to deploy fighter jets to Germany to boost NATO posture
The United States is deploying six Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft to the Spangdahlem airbase in Germany to bolster NATO's defense posture, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
This is "to bolster readiness and NATO's collective defense posture and further increase air integration capabilities with our Allied and partner nations," he said during a conference call.
Kirby stressed that the aircraft were not intended to be used against the Russian military in Ukraine, but were intended to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and serve as a deterrent against Russia.
Kirby added that some 240 Navy personnel, consisting of pilots and maintenance crew, will also be stationed to maintain the aircraft.
The aircraft, developed by the US firm Boeing, are used in electronic warfare to counter adversaries by offering tactical jamming capabilities besides offering land and naval defense.
Russia, Ukraine talks begin in Turkey
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators to end the conflict have started in Istanbul. Addressing the negotiators, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said both Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are "valuable friends."
"We have entered a time when talks need to yield concrete results," he stressed, calling for an immediate cease-fire.
"A fair peace will not have a loser and continuing the conflict benefits no one," he underlined.
US says Asia complying with Russia sanctions
The US has said Asian nations and firms are complying with export controls imposed on Russia by the West due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Some companies are even "self-sanctioning," Matthew Borman, US Commerce Department deputy assistant secretary for export administration, was quoted by Reuters as saying on Tuesday.
"The restrictions have been in place for roughly a month, a little bit over a month, and we certainly haven't seen any indication that there's non-compliance, in fact we've seen the reverse," he said.
"I think there's also a fair amount of additional self-sanctioning, if you will, by multinational companies operating in Russia," the official added.
"We know that Russia is quite dependent upon foreign supplies for some key inputs like semiconductors so I think it will be relatively readily apparent if there is non-compliance and the task will be to trace that back to its origin."
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the "small amount of nuclear material" at the Kharkiv nuclear research facility "remained intact" despite shelling.
In a statement, Grossi said, "Ukraine said the building, its thermal insulation and the experimental hall were damaged, but the neutron source, that contains nuclear material used to generate neutrons for research and isotope production, was not."
Australia announces first Magnitsky sanctions
Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne announced the country's first Magnitsky-style sanctions.
The newest sanctions will target "Russian individuals responsible for the corruption that Sergei Magnitsky uncovered and those complicit in his subsequent mistreatment and death."
In a press release, the Australian government explained Magnitsky was "a Ukrainian-born Russian lawyer and tax advisor," who "uncovered widespread corruption by Russian tax and law enforcement officials. He was imprisoned and mistreated, and died in custody in November 2009, after being refused medical treatment."
The Australian Foreign Ministry said, "In this first tranche, the Government will honour Mr Magnitsky and all who defend the rule of law, with targeted sanctions and travel bans against 14 Russian individuals responsible for the serious corruption that he exposed and a further 25 Russian perpetrators and accomplices of his abuse and death."
Zelenskyy: Situation tense despite some victories
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation remains tense despite some Ukrainian victories following Russia's invasion of his country on February 24.
Russian forces have been repelled from the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation published via his Telegram channel.
However, fighting continues in Kyiv as well as in other parts of the country.
Russian troops remain in control of Kyiv's northern suburbs. The situation remains "very difficult" in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Donbass and southern regions.
Zelenskyy added that further tightening of sanctions on Russia to include oil supplies to Europe were only likely to take place if Russia makes use of chemical weapons in its war effort.
"There are no words for that," Zelenskyy said.
Summary of Monday's events in Ukraine-Russia crisis
Ukrainian and Russian delegations are due to meet in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he made separate calls to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin that were progressing in a "positive direction.''
He did not give more detail but added that he would meet Ukrainian and Russian delegations ahead of their talks.
Ukraine's foreign minister Dmtryo Kuleba said a cease-fire was the most his country could hope for from the latest peace talks with Russia.
"The minimum program will be humanitarian questions, and the maximum program is reaching an agreement on a cease-fire," Kuleba said. "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia expected no breakthrough at the talks.
The Financial Times reports in exchange for giving up on its plan to join NATO, Ukraine will be free to join the EU.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
The WSJ report said Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian team, were affected.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian missiles struck another fuel depot in the northwest of the country. More than 1,000 Russian mercenaries connected to the Wagner Group are deployed in eastern Ukraine, UK military intelligence said.
Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper said it would stop publishing until the war in Ukraine ends. The leading independent publication, edited by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, said it was taking the step after receiving a second warning from the media regulator Roskomnadzor.
If a media outlet receives two warnings from the communications regulator, a court can shut it down.
Meanwhile, the G7 rejected Russia's demand for gas payment in rubles.
