Ukraine, temporary “ceasefire” in Mariupol

Temporary “Cease Fire” in Mariupol. Moscow has made it known that it is ready to declare it and to open a humanitarian corridor towards Zaporizhzhya, provided that Ukraine complies with certain conditions. “The Russian Armed Forces are ready to declare a temporary ceasefire starting from 10am on March 31, 2022, for humanitarian purposes onlyand to open a further humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians and foreign citizens from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhya (with a stop in Berdiansk) ».

This was stated by Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center. And again: «We ask the Kiev authorities for the strict compliance with the following conditions for the creation of a humanitarian corridor: to ensure unconditional compliance with the temporary ceasefire within the established time frame, of which it is necessary to inform the Russian side and the representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by 6 am on 31 March 2022 ». Ukraine, among other conditions, must also ensure safe passage for buses between Mariupol and Berdiansk.

On the de-excluded of the conflict in some areas of Ukraine, however, the president Zelensky – in a video to the nation – is skeptical: “We don’t believe anyonenot even one of these beautiful phrases. We will not grant anything: we will fight for every meter of our territoryHe explained, adding that Russian troops are reorganizing only to attack in the eastern Donbass region.

in the meantime the Russian army, according to the US, would have begun to withdraw from the nuclear power plant area Chernobyl, occupied since February 24. They are abandoning it “to reposition themselves in Belarus”, explained a Pentagon official, “but we cannot yet know if they are all gone”.

Yesterday afternoon there was also the telephone conversation between Mario Draghi and Vladimir Putin: 45 minutes of conversation, which began with the greeting of our Prime Minister: “President Putin, I am calling you to talk about peace“. In the Italian note, released after the phone call, a couple of concepts are highlighted: the need for a ceasefire and the outlines of an agreement supported by international security guarantees for both parties. Draghi asked Russia for a tangible slowdown in military operations: «The prime minister reiterated the readiness of the Italian government to contribute to the peace process, in the presence of clear signs of de-escalation on the part of Russia. At the center of the discussion was the progress of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and its latest developments. President Draghi stressed the importance of establishing a ceasefire as soon as possible, to protect the civilian population and support the negotiating effort“. Draghi and Putin “have agreed on the opportunity to keep in touch”: they could hear back on the phone as early as next week. The Kremlin’s note is much more concise: “Putin reported on the developments of yesterday’s negotiations in Istanbul between the Moscow and Kiev delegations and on Moscow’s request to pay for gas supplies in rubles”.

Source: Vanity Fair

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