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On the 34th day of the Russian war in Ukraine, the delegations of the two countries met in Istanbul, where they held another round of peace talks. Following the talks, the withdrawal of some Russian soldiers to the outskirts of Kiev has begun.
23:00 Zelensky: Positive sign from peace talks, but we remain equally threatened by Russia
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in a statement this evening says peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations were positive, but fears of Russian bombing remain in place.
22:00 Rocket attack on Mikolav, brings to 9 the number of victims, 28 others were injured
As Ukrainian officials arrived in Istanbul to talk to the Russians, the occupying forces on the ground used missiles to destroy their institutions in Ukraine. A government building was shelled by Russians leaving 7 dead and 22 wounded.
20:15 Ukrainian refugees: We will return home
Some Ukrainian refugees are considering returning to their homeland after initially fleeing the conflict.
25-year-old journalist Irina Sushkov became a widow after her husband was killed by Russian attacks. She heard the news of her husband’s death while on duty in the town of Obozrevatel. Irina’s husband, 30-year-old Victor Sushkov, was killed while serving in the Ukrainian Air Force.
18:58 The Netherlands and Belgium deport 38 Russian diplomats
The Dutch and Belgian governments have expelled several Russian diplomats accused of espionage. Dutch security services have estimated that 17 diplomats were involved in espionage, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told Dutch media. They used their diplomatic status to gather information, he said, adding that the Russian ambassador had been summoned to the ministry and informed of the move.
18:56 Withdrawal of some soldiers from Kiev, US official: Russia is simply changing gears
The US says Russia is simply “shifting gears” and the withdrawal from Kiev is not really a withdrawal. A US official has expressed pessimism over Russia’s decision to withdraw some troops from the Ukrainian capital. He said any move by Russian forces around Kiev was a “reset, not a retreat” and that Moscow was simply “shifting gears”.
18:08 Sanctions; Britain suspends first ‘Russian’ superyacht in its waters (photos)
Britain announced today that it has seized the first superyacht in its waters as part of sanctions against Russia. The € 50 million yacht seized is called ‘Phi’, but authorities did not identify the owner, saying only that it was owned by a Russian businessman. British Transport Minister Grant Shapps said: “The individual in question is not among those sanctioned but has close ties to President Vladimir Putin.”
17:15 Russia: Reducing military operations does not mean ceasefire
Russia’s promise to reduce military operations around Kiev and northern Ukraine does not represent a ceasefire, the chief negotiator in Moscow is said to have said in talks with Ukraine.
First signs that some Russian troops are indeed retreating from the Kyiv direction. Large numbers of BMDs with Russian and VDV flags were spotted today on their way from the Ukrainian border to Belarus’ Rechitsa and Gomel where they were loaded onto railway platforms. pic.twitter.com/6B5qTsgFRq
– Tadeusz Giczan 🇺🇦 (@TadeuszGiczan) March 29, 2022
16:50 Russia launches withdrawal of some military forces from areas around Kiev
Two senior US officials said Russia had begun withdrawing some forces around the Ukrainian capital, according to CNN spokesman Jim Sciutto. They said the US was seeing this as a “big” strategic change. Officials added that this is being hailed as a long-term move, as Russia has acknowledged its failure to advance north.
16:33 Make phone calls to European leaders
US President Joe Biden is holding a phone call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine.
Joe Biden was in Brussels and Poland last week where he attended a NATO summit and met with leaders in person.
16:30 Innocent ‘angels’ sleep in basements, Ukrainian children sheltered amid Russian bombing
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkvicius has called for further sanctions against Russia by posting a photo of three Ukrainian children sleeping in a basement to escape further Russian attacks. He urges that it is time to open our eyes and stop counting money from this situation that is getting worse.
14:35 First details from the meeting in Turkey, Russia: Ukraine to join the EU, but not NATO!
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky on the Istanbul talks, gave some details from the meeting. He said there had been “intensive consultations” on a number of issues, the main one being the agreement on international security guarantees for Ukraine. Discussions also focused on the ceasefire and the resolution of all humanitarian problems that the country is currently facing. Forbes on the other hand writes that Russia is also ready for some concessions. Thus, according to him, the Russian negotiators are weighing an agreement which dictates Ukraine’s neutrality and prohibits it from joining NATO, or maintaining foreign military bases, but does not prevent it from claiming security guarantees from other countries and aiming membership in the European Union.
14:24 Russia “ultimatum” Europe: Without rubles, there is no Russian gas! We did not go out for charity!
The Kremlin is not backing down from its position, but continues to push for the idea that other countries will pay for its gas in rubles, otherwise Moscow will cut off supplies. Speaking to the American public broadcaster, PBS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear what will happen to those states that refuse to pay in rubles. “We will not do charity and send free gas to Western Europe,” he said.
Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin stated that Russia would significantly reduce military activity outside Kiev and Chernihiv. Russia has indicated that talks could pave the way for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
State emergency services in Ukraine have announced that three people were killed in an airstrike that took place this morning in the city of Mykolaiv in Ukraine. So far they have managed to bring to life 18 people who were in the ruins of the southern port city.
12:19 Russia-Ukraine talks, Ukrainian minister “warns”: Do not eat or drink anything at the table
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba advised Ukrainian negotiators who would sit at the table with the Russian Federation not to consume food or drink water during the meeting. The Foreign Minister made the warning during a direct connection with “Ukrayina 24”, after the alleged poisoning of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators earlier this month, in peace talks on the Ukraine-Belarus border.
12:14 The EU deprives Russians of their golden passports, in question the citizenship of the oligarchs
Russia receives another blow from the European Commission, which recommended that EU countries end gold-passport schemes that allow wealthy people to buy the bloc’s citizenship, and asked them to assess whether Russian oligarchs in connection with the Kremlin or those who support the war in Ukraine should be deprived of citizenship rights.
11:50 Zelensky loses patience: Your weak sanctions, we are paying with life!
His comments come at a time when debates over a ban on gas supplies from Russia have resurfaced. German political representatives and trade unionists have again spoken out against an immediate ban on Russian energy imports. The president of Germany’s mining, chemicals and energy industry union, Michael Vassiliadis, recently said that the country’s energy supply is in the midst of a transformation and that it takes time.
11:46 The Kremlin guarantees: We will not attack any NATO country, they are just hitting us
Russia has no plans to attack any NATO country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told PBS. “This can only happen in the case of a ‘reciprocal act,'” he said. He hinted that Russia has no intention of expanding the war. “They are just forcing us, but we can not think this and we do not want to think,” he said.
11:42 Erdogan “goes down to the field himself”, expects the negotiators: Talks, result that does not work
Erdogan explained that he needs to leave Turkey for a visit to Uzbekistan, but said that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would stay in Istanbul to help facilitate the talks. The delegations are scheduled to hold two days of negotiations at a government building next to the 19th-century Ottoman palace of Dolmabahçe on the shores of the Bosphorus.
11:39 “We are not poisoned”, Ukrainian negotiators deny the news of the American newspaper
Asked about suspicions about the poison, Ukrainian chief negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said there is a lot of speculation and various conspiracy theories. Rustem Umerov, another member of the negotiating team, urged people not to trust unverified information as he put it. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
09:36 Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrive in Erdogan’s office, talks begin
Russian and Ukrainian delegations have just arrived at President Erdogan’s office on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul and are being accommodated at a table opposite each other. Turkish authorities say that although today is a new round of talks after a two-week break, hopes for any possible progress are very low.
09:24 Erdogan: I wish that today’s talks are favorable for all humanity
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his speech, while waiting for the talks between Russia and Ukraine, stressed that the break between the meetings between the two countries has lasted a long time and there should not be such a long interval without talks. He further added that a peace between the two countries will have no losers and that the continuation of the conflict does not benefit anyone.
09:06 Erdogan delivers a speech before the start of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech before the start of the round of talks between Russia and Ukraine, which will be held in Istanbul this morning. Erdogan said Russia’s Zelensky Putin were “valuable friends” and that progress in the talks would pave the way for a meeting of leaders. He said both sides had “legitimate concerns”.
08:22 Russian missile strikes flatten houses in the Kharkiv region
The Russian armed forces carried out a missile attack on the town of Lyubotyn in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, flattening several houses, Ukrainian officials say. The Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office says in a Telegram statement that the attack injured seven people. Officials exhumed a person’s body from the rubble. In the images published by the local authority, it appears as smoke comes out from the destruction of the apartments.
What has happened in the last few hours:
Russian and Ukrainian delegations have arrived in Istanbul for the first talks after weeks of separation. Ukraine says its priority is to negotiate a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last night urged world powers to tighten sanctions on Russia, including an oil embargo.
US President Joe Biden has said he will not “withdraw” from his comment that Vladimir Putin “can not stay in power.” Biden said he was expressing “moral outrage” he felt, and did not call for regime change.
The UK Ministry of Defense believes that Russia is maintaining a blocking position while re-establishing its forces.
A senior US defense official confirmed that Ukraine had managed to retake the town of Trostyanets near the northern Sumy region and that Russia’s advance on Kiev had stalled amid a shift in focus towards the eastern Donbas region.
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