For the first time there are cautious signs of rapprochement in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. A verdict by the highest UN court is only of symbolic importance. And it’s still raining bombs and rockets on Ukrainian cities. The situation on Wednesday evening, on the 21st day of the Ukraine war.
It is day 21 of the Ukraine war, and for the first time there is reliable evidence that both sides consider a negotiated solution to be possible. Although a ceasefire still seems far away, the bombing of Ukrainian cities continues with undiminished severity. But unlike the days before, there are increasing positive signals that there may soon be a pause in the murderous conflict.
In the meantime, negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow about an end to the war are becoming more concrete. Documents are being prepared for possible direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podoliak, according to an interview with US broadcaster PBS. Following Ukraine’s lawsuit, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to immediately end military violence in Ukraine.
Russia stayed away from the reading of the decision of the highest UN court in The Hague. The judgment is binding. But experts doubt that Moscow will comply with an order. The court has no power to compel a defeated state to implement a judgment. However, the verdict can have an international signal effect and increase the pressure on Moscow.
Meeting between Zelenskyj and Putin soon?
Commenting on a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin, Ukrainian presidential adviser Podoljak said: “The only way to end this war is for direct talks between the two presidents. That’s what we’re working on in these negotiations.” These documents are currently being drawn up, which the heads of state can then agree on and sign. “It could happen soon.”
According to the Financial Times newspaper, both sides are working on a 15-point plan. First and foremost are the neutrality and demilitarization of Ukraine demanded by Russia and the withdrawal of Russian troops demanded by Kyiv. Territorial issues should therefore only be discussed later.
Selenskyj had already declared in a video message published on Wednesday night that the negotiating positions sounded more realistic. But it will still take a while before Ukraine can be satisfied. “But it takes effort and patience. There is still fighting and work to be done.” Every war ends with an agreement.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Russian newspaper “RBK” on Wednesday that the talks were not easy. “Nevertheless, there is some hope of reaching a compromise.” There are already concrete formulations “which, in my opinion, are about to be agreed”. According to Lavrov, the point is that Ukraine should declare itself neutral. This is now being “seriously discussed, of course in connection with security guarantees”.
Lavrov dampened the prospects for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. Such a conversation should not be an end in itself. It is only possible if concrete agreements are to be sealed, Lavrov said at a meeting with Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavosoglu in Moscow. Zelenskyy has repeatedly offered to meet with Putin.
Selenskyj speaks before US Congress, Putin in Moscow
On Wednesday, Zelenskyi sharply attacked Russia on the public stage, and Putin, in turn, made serious accusations against the West. “Russia has turned the Ukrainian skies into a source of death for thousands of people.” […] “This is a form of terror that Europe has not experienced in 80 years,” said the Ukrainian president in a video-linked speech to both chambers of the US Congress. Zelenskyj made it clear that Ukrainians are not only defending their country. “It fights for the values of Europe and the world,” he said.
Zelenskyj called for more military support and new sanctions against Russia as well as the establishment of a no-fly zone again. Such a zone would make it more difficult for the Russian Air Force to attack targets in Ukraine. The enforcement of a no-fly zone by the USA or NATO is currently considered impossible because it could lead to a direct confrontation between NATO forces and the Russian military and thus to an escalation of the war.
Putin: Will not occupy Ukraine
According to Putin, the “Western protectors” are urging Ukraine to continue the bloodshed. They delivered weapons, information and sent mercenaries to the neighboring country, Putin said in Moscow. However, Russia will not allow Ukraine to become a “staging area for aggression against Russia”. The President assured that Russian troops near Kyiv or other cities does not mean that they want to occupy Ukraine. “We don’t have such a goal.”
According to the Kremlin, it is about “demilitarization” and “denazification” as well as a neutral status for Ukraine. Moscow is also demanding that Crimea, annexed by Ukraine in 2014, be recognized as Russian territory and that the administrative borders of the separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk should be sovereign. For its part, Ukraine wants an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and a ceasefire. Kyiv has shown itself willing to forego NATO membership, but demands security guarantees from other countries.
Stoltenberg sees permanent consequences for NATO
In Brussels, the NATO defense ministers discussed the situation in Ukraine. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in passing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have lasting consequences for the defense alliance. “It will change our security environment and it will have long-term consequences for all NATO allies.” Several department heads have expressed skepticism about Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s push for a NATO peacekeeping mission.
At the same time, Stoltenberg submitted explosive proposals to the alliance states for the permanent reinforcement of the eastern flank. As several diplomats from the German Press Agency have confirmed, plans presented at the defense ministers’ meeting would probably violate the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act from a Russian perspective. Among other things, NATO committed itself to refraining from permanently stationing “substantial combat troops” in the eastern alliance area. Details of the proposals classified as secret were not initially given.
The proposal for a NATO peacekeeping mission, which Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski brought up in the morning, was also discussed on the fringes of the meeting. Accordingly, NATO troops on Ukrainian territory should provide humanitarian aid and be able to defend themselves. However, the proposal met with little approval in Brussels.
Attacks continue, killing hundreds of civilians
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continued. More and more civilians are killed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the deaths of 726 civilians since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24. Among them were 42 children and young people, as the office announced on Wednesday in Geneva. The office also had verified information about 1,174 injured people. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, 103 children have died and more than 100 have been injured.
More background on the Ukraine war
Source: Stern
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