Updated 4 March 2022 2:30 am.
Latest update 08 March 10:00 pm
During the second round of talks held between the representatives of Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Belarus, they reached an agreement on joint provision of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, as well as for the delivery of medicines and food to the areas of the fiercest fighting. This was announced by Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak following the talks.
“The parties reached an agreement on joint provision of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, as well as for the delivery of medicines and food to the places of the fiercest fighting with the possibility of temporary ceasefire for the period of evacuation in the sectors where it takes place. Not everywhere, but only in those places where there are humanitarian corridors, there may be a ceasefire during the evacuation,” Mykhailo Podoliak said.
Despite the ceasefire on humanitarian (green) corridors, the ceasefire at Mariupol was not respected by the Russian army, conversations between both parts are to be resumed on Monday 7 March. The meeting arranged for next week had been advanced to this same weekend after the Russian army has taken control on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but the attacks on civilians exiting Mariupol aborted this attempt. On the meeting held on 7 March, no further advance again on the main politica topics, but there were some advances on the procedure to define and get the documented commitment by the Russian part on the green corridors and on establishing the ceasefire periods to be respected by both parties on the mentioned humanitarian corridors.
In a phone conversation held today with Emmanuel Macron (President of France), Vladimitr Puttin (President of The Russian Federation) said that the Russian army had noting to do with attack on civilians fleeing the city of Mariupol along the so called green corridor.
“Firefighters are not allowed to extinguish the fire. Getting shot in the shelter!
There is a hit in the energy unit No. 1 of Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant”,
informed one employee of te company on the Facebook channel of the nuclear plant.
“The humanitarian aspect was discussed in detail, because many cities are currently surrounded. There is a dramatic situation with food, medicine, with the possibility of evacuation. We have agreed to continue working in the third round as soon as possible,” Mykhailo Podoliak added.
According to him, for this purpose, special channels of communication and interaction will be organized in the near future, and appropriate logistics procedures will be formed.
No advances in the main political issues
At the same time, the Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine stressed that the Ukrainian delegation had not achieved the expected results during the talks.
The Ukrainian delegation’s negotiating agenda for today was comprised by the following points: 1. Immediate ceasefire; 2. Armistice; 3. Humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from destroyed or constantly shelled villages/cities.
The musts for the Russian Federation are: 1.- Ukraine must remain neutral (will not enter the NATO); 2.- Keeping Crimea; 3.- That Ukraine recognise Donetsk and Lugansk are independent.
President Zelenskyy asked once more for meeting with Putin to negotiate, but no answer from the Russian President
“It’s not that I want to talk with Putin, it’s that I have to talk with him, because there are no other ways to stop this war”…”We are neighbors and I don’t bite…what happens with you”, Zelenskyy said in a press conference held with the internationl media today.
Vladimir Putin has not answered President Zelensky but today he has held a phone call with Emmanuel Macron (President of France).
Find a link to the video (in ukranian) at the end of this post.
“I spoke to President Putin this morning. He refuses to stop his attacks on Ukraine at this point. It is vital to maintain dialogue to avoid human tragedy. I will continue my efforts and contacts. We must avoid the worst”, Emmanuel Macron (President of France) explains.
Image over the headline.- Tweeted by Dmytro Kuleba (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine) showing a bombed-out apartment building in Borodyanka (just a few kilometers from Kiev). To see the original of the image, click here
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Related external links:
Tweets by Mykhailo Podoliak (Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine):
Press conference with international media held by Volodimyr Zelenskyy (in Ukranian)
Tweet of Emmanuel Macron (President of France) on the phone conversation with President Putin
