Official Russian and Ukrainian delegations began negotiations in Pripyat, on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, today on the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peksov refused to comment in his daily telephone press conference on the expectation of an agreement at the meeting, and urged everyone to let the negotiators work without noise from the outside.
“Actually, I suggest we wait for the talks. I prefer not to announce any demands (ours). Negotiations must be conducted in silence“, said.
The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, urged hours earlier in a video message – in which he addressed the Russian soldiers – to leave Ukraine and lay down their weapons.
These are the latest events:
Negotiation begins in Belarus
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations began negotiations in Pripyat, on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, in which Kiev will try to achieve a ceasefire by Russia after five days of war.
The key issue of the talks for the Ukrainian side is achieving an immediate ceasefire in the war that Russia launched five days ago in Ukraine and the withdrawal of troops from that country, while for Russia it is important to address the possibility that the neighboring country adopts a neutral status with respect to NATO.
The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, considers that the next 24 hours will be crucial for Ukraine, as he has indicated in a conversation with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Russia says arming Ukraine will further destabilize the situation
The supply of weapons and military equipment by the European Union (EU) to Ukraine will further destabilize the situation and will have “dangerous consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov warned today.
“The shipment of weapons, military equipment to the territory of Ukraine, from our point of view, can and will be an extremely dangerous and destabilizing factor, which in no case will contribute to the stability of Ukraine and restore order,” Peskov said in a statement. your daily telephone press conference.
The EU coordinates military assistance to Ukraine
The defense ministers of the European Union (EU) will meet this Monday by videoconference to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine after the Twenty-seven have agreed on a joint financing of 500 million euros for legal and non-lethal equipment with which to face to the Russian invader.
The high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, called this meeting on Sunday after the political agreement of the foreign ministers to use 450 million for lethal equipment and 50 million for non-lethal materials – such as fuel and protective equipment – to send Ukraine, from the European Fund for Peace, a mechanism outside the community budget that is nourished by contributions from the Member States.
Ukraine asks to join the EU
The president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, asked the European Union (EU) for his country’s immediate accession to the community club.
“We call on the European Union for the immediate accession of Ukraine under a new special procedure”, he pointed out in a new video message to the population.
“We thank our partners for being with us, but our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal”, he added.
He says he is sure that this decision would be the “just”, and was convinced that “it’s possible”.
UN: Most Civilians Killed by Heavy Artillery Shells
Most of the civilians killed and wounded in the Russian-led war in Ukraine have been victims of wide-range explosive weapons fired from heavy artillery, multiple launch missile systems and aerial bombardment, the UN high commissioner for human rights said. humans, Michelle Bachelet.
The Human Rights Office, led by Bachelet, has recorded 102 deaths and 304 civilian injuries since the war began four days ago, a figure much lower than that released by the Ukrainian authorities (352, so far), but which correspond only to which the UN body has been able to independently verify.
442,000 refugees since the invasion began
Ukrainians who have left their country due to the Russian invasion now number 422,000, to which must be added more than 100,000 internally displaced by the conflict, reported the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania are currently the main recipients of this flow of refugees, UNHCR said on several of its official Twitter accounts.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, called from the beginning of the attack on countries neighboring Ukraine to “keep your borders open to those seeking safety and security”.
Both UNHCR and the Ukrainian government warned in previous days that up to five million people, almost a tenth of the national population, will leave Ukraine due to the Russian attack.
The Central Bank of Russia raises interest rates
The Central Bank of Russia (BCR) raised from today from 9.5 to 20% interest in order to support financial stability and protect the savings of the population.
“The increase in the interest rate will guarantee the increase in interest on deposits to the levels necessary to compensate for inflationary and devaluation risks.”, the BCR said in a statement.
After verifying “cardinal changes in external conditions”, but without mentioning the invasion of Ukraine, the regulator indicated that future decisions on the interest rate will be adopted “after evaluating the risks of internal and external conditions, as well as the reactions to them in the financial markets”.
The US prohibits operating with the Central Bank of Russia and freezes its assets in dollars
The United States Government on Monday raised sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and prohibited US entities from any operation with the Central Bank of Russia, in addition to freezing all dollar assets of that entity.
The measure, announced before the opening of the stock markets in the United States and which takes effect immediately, prevents the Russian entity from accessing its dollar reserves in the world but also prohibits any financial institution or US company from making transactions or operations with the Central Bank of Russia.
Source: Gestion
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