Source: Global Times
The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine was finally held on the 3rd, but it began nearly 3 hours later than the Russian side initially announced. It is very rare that negotiations can be carried out, but there is not much optimism about whether a breakthrough can be achieved. At the time of writing, there was no news of the outcome of the negotiations. On the 3rd, the eighth day of Russia's special military operations against Ukraine, despite the continuous military assistance provided by the United States and Europe to Ukraine, Ukrainian officials acknowledged on the same day that the important southern port of Kherson fell into the hands of the Russian army, which is considered by many analysts to be an "important turning point" in the war situation. At the same time, the war situation in several other major cities has reached a critical moment. What will be the next step in the situation in Russia and Ukraine? The United States and Europe are increasingly worried. "I think the worst-case scenario could be just ahead of us." French Foreign Minister Le Dreyon told French television station TWO on the 3rd.
Putin warned the Ukrainian side not to delay the talks
The second round of Talks between Russia and Ukraine has gone through several twists and turns. The head of the Russian delegation and assistant to the president, Mekzynsky, said on the 3rd that the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will be held at 15:00 local time on the 3rd (20:00 Beijing time) in Brest Oblast, Belarus. During this round of negotiations, the Russian side will make suggestions to the Ukrainian side on humanitarian, political, military and technical issues.
However, when the Time said by the Russian side, many media reported that the helicopter taken by the Ukrainian delegation had just taken off. Aracamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said ukraine hopes to negotiate a humanitarian corridor with Russia. "We started [the negotiations] in two hours," he wrote on Facebook. The time of the post is the start time of the negotiations announced by the Russian side. At about 17:50 local time, a number of media reported that negotiations began. The talks took place in the Belovezh Forest in the Brest region of Belarus, where the specific location is unknown.
The day before, the Russian delegation arrived in the Belovezh Forest and expressed its readiness to negotiate with the Ukrainian side. But the chairman of Ukraine's ruling party said the talks would not be held there. In the end, the two sides failed to negotiate on the 2nd. On the 3rd, The Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said that there is reason to believe that Kiev deliberately postponed the start of negotiations. In response to media reports that Ukrainian representatives were already in Poland but opposed to negotiations with Russia in Belovezhskaya-Pszhza, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said that someone was dying, but the Ukrainian delegation was choosing a place more suitable for them to show off in front of the camera in order to negotiate with Russia.
In addition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he was ready to discuss security guarantees with Ukraine and European countries, but the peace agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine must include provisions for Ukraine to destroy all weapons that threaten Russia. At a press conference on the 3rd, Lavrov said that the United States has conquered Europe, just as Napoleon and Hitler did. He stressed that nuclear war is the idea of Western countries, and the purpose of talking about nuclear war in the West is to keep people's fear of Russia. He also responded to Western accusations against Russia, saying that "the real killers are fighting for the Kiev regime."
On the 3rd, French President Macron and Russian President Putin had another telephone conversation lasting 1.5 hours. Macron then had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy. Putin told Macron that Russia is acting in "demilitarized and neutral" in Ukraine so that there will never be a threat to Russia from this territory. Putin also said that Russia's task of carrying out military operations against Ukraine "will be completed no matter what", and that Ukraine's attempt to buy time by delaying the negotiations will only make the Russian side make additional demands in the negotiations.
The US media compares the losses of Russia and Ukraine
At the time of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, the war situation is changing. On the 3rd local time, the mayor of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, admitted that russian troops had appeared on the streets of the city and had controlled the city's ports and railway stations, and the Ukrainian army withdrew to nearby Nikolayev.
Located in the northwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula, Kherson, with a population of 290,000, is an important port city on the Black Sea and the first major city to fall in Ukraine since the outbreak of conflict. The Russian army announced on the evening of the 2nd that it had successfully controlled the city, which the Ukrainian side once denied. Some analysts believe that the Russian military seems to aim to cut off Ukraine's passage into the Black Sea. Without Kherson, the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine was almost at the hands of the Russians.
Mariupol, with a population of 430,000 on the coast of the Sea of Azov, is also in focus. The city was besieged by Russian troops, and a pro-Russian armed commander shouted on the 3rd for the Ukrainian army to surrender. The city's mayor accused Russian troops of sabotaging railways and cutting off supplies, preventing women, children and the elderly from evacuating. Mizintsev, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's State Defense Command Center, said 60 civilians were arrested by Ukrainian nationalists on their way to the humanitarian corridor in Mariupol, who also planted mines in the school where the civilians were being held.
In Kharkov, the second largest city in Ukraine, the fighting continues. Kiev was also surrounded by Russian forces. The Associated Press said the Huge Russian Convoy of Hundreds of Tanks and Others remained 25 kilometers from Kiev. There is no indication that the Russians will immediately launch a general offensive.
On the evening of the 2nd, the Russian Ministry of Defense disclosed for the first time the casualty data of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said that more than 2,870 "Ukrainian nationalists and military personnel" were killed, about 3,700 wounded and 372 captured. The Russians lost 498 dead and 1,597 wounded. According to the Ukrainian side, the Ukrainian army has eliminated 9,000 Russian troops, which is more than 18 times the russian figure. On the 3rd, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military used precision strikes to paralyze the Kiev standby radio and television center used by the Ukrainian Security Service for psychological warfare, and "no one died."
According to CNN, U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence said Russia lost about 3 to 5 percent of its tanks, aircraft, artillery and other military assets in Ukraine, compared with about 10 percent of Ukraine's combat capabilities. Western officials warn that as the conflict turns into a war of attrition, Russia could focus on brutal bombardment of cities and a strategic shift to slowly annihilate Ukrainians.
On the 3rd, Zelenskiy admitted through a video speech that some areas have been controlled by the Russian army. But he stressed that stubborn resistance would continue on the front lines everywhere. He also vowed to make Russia pay for the losses suffered by ukraine. On the same day, Umarada (Parliament) approved the President's conscription and mobilization order. At the same time, The Dorada passed laws on the compulsory confiscation of Russian property in Ukraine and the adoption of laws imposing life imprisonment on those who flee from the war and commit treason.
"The worst is coming"
Beyond the battlefield, Ukraine and the West are committed to isolating Russia. On the 2nd, the 11th emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a draft resolution jointly submitted by Ukraine and other countries, demanding that Russia withdraw its troops "immediately, completely and unconditionally". Earlier, in the Security Council, the draft resolution on the situation in Ukraine submitted by the United States and Albania was rejected because of the opposition of the permanent member Russia.
Zhang Guihong, director of the Center for The Study of the United Nations and International Organizations at Fudan University, told the Global Times that usually, Security Council resolutions are mandatory and can authorize UN member states to enforce them. In contrast, UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and mandatory, and their role is more reflected in political and moral constraints. The adoption of this UN General Assembly resolution makes it almost impossible to prevent Russia from continuing its military operations in Ukraine.
When the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensified, US Secretary of State Blinken launched a visit to Europe on the 3rd. He will travel to Belgium, Poland, Moldova and the Baltic states to coordinate responses to the situation in Russia and Ukraine and to reaffirm U.S. security commitments to NATO members. On the same day, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell said that the foreign ministers of the EU countries will hold an emergency meeting with the foreign ministers of Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and the secretary-general of NATO on the 4th.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the foreign ministers of NATO member countries will also hold emergency talks on the 4th to discuss how to support Ukraine. "There's not much we can do without being dragged into World War III, and that's the dilemma we're facing." A NATO official said. Some Western officials fear that even the arrival of Western-supplied weapons to Ukraine through Poland could lead to an escalation of hostilities between Russia and NATO.
The US Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile test, which was originally scheduled for the 3rd, was also postponed, which the US side said was to reduce the probability of being "misunderstood" by Moscow. A few days ago, Russia raised the alert level of its nuclear forces.
Agence France-Presse said on the 3rd that France is worried that the worst stage of the Russo-Ukrainian war may not have begun. French Foreign Minister Le Dreyon said Russia's initial quick-fix resolution was expected to be shattered by Ukrainian resistance, after which Russia entered a "siege logic." An aide to Macron said that after a phone conversation with Putin, Macron believed the "worst was coming" for Ukraine.