Filenews 15 March 2022
An adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke of a possible agreement in the talks with Russia. As Oleksiy Arestovych said in the Guardian on Tuesday, the war in Ukraine is at a crossroads that could lead to an agreement in talks with Russia or a new Russian offensive.
"We are at a crossroads. Either we will agree on the current talks or the Russians will make a second attempt [in attack] and then there will be talks again," said adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.
At the same time, negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are continuing today. In fact, it is speculated that there may be light in the tunnel of the discussions between the two sides, something that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, hinted at in a message late Monday night. All this, while the military operations continue with unstoppable bombings even in apartment buildings.
In the meantime, the West is further coordinating moves, with the EU deciding on Monday on a new package of sanctions against Russia and especially the Oligarchs, who are seen as Putin's mainstays.
International diplomatic barrage
At the same time, the international community is in a diplomatic fever at a time when the war in Ukraine is raging. The countries of NATO and the West are trying to stand up to a balance of terror by supporting Kiev, without engaging in military operations, while the US President, Joe Biden, is preparing to "plow" Europe by sending a message to Vladimir Putin that he has an unbroken front against him.
Message to Putin: Which prime ministers will be in Kiev
Meanwhile, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia will travel to Kiev today to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on social media.
'The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unquestionable support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The purpose of this visit is also to present a broad support package for Ukraine and the Ukrainians," Fiala wrote.
Biden "plows" Europe
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Brussels next week for talks with the leaders of other NATO member states on the war in Ukraine, according to U.S. and other sources briefed on the matter who spoke to Reuters news agency.
According to three of the sources, Mr Biden plans to meet with the other heads of state and government of the NATO member countries in Brussels on March 23, but they pointed out that the White House's plans are still under finalization and may change depending on the course of the war. One of those sources said Mr Biden may also travel to Poland, where concern has escalated since Russia's attack on a training base a few kilometres from the border, which claimed the lives of 35 people.
Hope of today's talks
The new round of talks that began on Monday were interrupted "for technical reasons" and will continue today, with Zelensky declaring late Monday night that "things went pretty well, I was told. But we'll see." The Ukrainian president also said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has taken on a mediating role and has contacts with Moscow as well, and has reportedly suggested that he accept the "Russian terms".
"Our delegation is working to end the war with Russia and bring about a just peace," noted Zelensky, who insists on his international efforts to counter the Russian invasion. On Wednesday he will speak to the US Congress, via teleconference.
On Monday afternoon, Zelensky's spokesman in the negotiations with Russia, Mikhail Pontoliak, spoke of "difficult talks". It has shown, however, that there is now a detailed discussion on the issues that have been put on the table in the search for an agreement.
"There was a technical pause in the negotiations until tomorrow. To do additional work on the subgroups and clarify individual issues. The sides are actively expressing their specific positions. There is communication even though it is difficult," Pontoljak said.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov, however, clarified yesterday that Russia has not yet received a request for communication between the two Presidents Putin and Zelensky, commenting on the Ukrainian leader's statements that he is trying to have a private conversation with his Russian counterpart. Peskov noted that "Putin would not refuse a meeting with Zelensky", and it is probably the first time such a thing has been said by Moscow.
The Moscow-Beijing underground alliance and the possibility of China's involvement
Meanwhile, new facts at a geostrategic and economic level are created by the Chinese undermining of the effort of the West, and especially the United States, to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the imposition of harsh economic sanctions on the Russian economy and the sending of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to a briefing by US officials to their NATO allies, Beijing conveyed to Moscow its willingness to provide military assistance to the Russian army's operations in Ukraine.
Despite the fact that Russian and Chinese officials deny the information circulated by the US, with the former denying that such a request has been made on the part of Moscow and the latter stating that they are not aware of the existence of a relevant Russian requirement, Washington appears convinced that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created additional channels of communication by broadening the operating framework of the Russian-Chinese axis.
Beijing and Moscow have also strengthened relations with each other in recent years, attempting to act together as an international counterweight to the US and NATO. It is not many weeks since Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement in Beijing that proclaimed that their increasingly close cooperation "has no limits". Particularly in the defence sector, the two countries have developed strong ties, with the Russians transferring military technology to the Chinese through the sale of modern weapon systems, as well as the realization of a multitude of joint military exercises and trainings in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, the cooperation between the two countries is similar on an economic level, given that Beijing does not participate in the sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow. According to economic analysts, China is attempting to use these sanctions as an excuse to bring Russia even closer to it by undermining American primacy in the global economic system and impairing the West's ability to effectively control the flow of capital and the military arms embargo on Russia.
