According to the Russian News Agency reported on the 12th, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that he has made preparations for talks with the Russian side. He also expressed the hope that the peace process would actually kick off and not "just pay lip service".
According to the British "Guardian" newspaper, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that any negotiations with the Russian side must be premised on a ceasefire, and he also accused the West of not fully participating in the peace talks.
According to Reuters, Zelenskiy said that the Ukrainian-Russian negotiating team has begun to discuss specific issues instead of exchanging ultimatums.
Zelenskiy also said he did not see NATO's courage on Ukraine or their consensus to accept Ukraine into NATO.
Adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine: The Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will be carried out uninterrupted by video without interruption
On the 12th local time, Podoriak, an adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that the negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian delegation continued by video without interruption.
Podoriac said that the negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian delegation were conducted uninterruptedly by video, and a special working group had been set up to that end.
Russia and Ukraine have previously held three rounds of face-to-face negotiations. The two sides have achieved some results on the issue of securing humanitarian corridors, but have made limited progress in the political and military fields and have fallen short of the desired objectives.
Israel denies it
As for media reports that Israel had suggested that Ukraine accept Russia's demands in the negotiations, Israeli and Ukrainian officials denied it on the 12th.
Israel's Walla News website, the Jerusalem Post and the U.S. Axios News website previously reported on the basis of an unnamed Ukrainian official that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had urged Ukraine to "yield" to Russia.
In response to the above reports, Ukrainian negotiator and adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhailo Podoriak, said on social media Twitter on the 12th that Israel "has not recommended that Ukraine accept any request from the Russian Federation ... This is both militaryly and politically impossible. ”
A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denounced the report as "false." "Prime Minister Bennett has never suggested that [Vladimir] Zelenskiy accept [Vladimir] Putin's proposal," he said. Because Israel has not received such a proposal (from Russia). ”
Zelenskiy had asked Bennett to mediate the Conflict between Ukraine and Russia, arguing that Israel maintained good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. There are hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine in Israel, and there are many Jews living in Russia and Ukraine.
Bennett visited the Russian capital Moscow on the 5th to interview Putin for about 3 hours, then had a telephone conversation with Zelensky, and spoke with Putin again on the 6th.
The senior Israeli official said: "Bennett never told Zelenskiy what to do, and he had no intention of doing so. ”
Biden authorized the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, and the Russian deputy foreign minister issued a warning
On the 12th local time, the US White House issued a statement saying that US President Biden authorized the delivery of nearly $200 million worth of US stockpiled weapons to Ukraine. On the same day, Russia issued a warning about the shipment of weapons to Ukraine by the United States and other Western countries.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov: We have warned the United States that their planning to transport weapons from some countries to Ukraine is not only very dangerous, but also that these convoys of weapons will become legitimate targets of the Russian army.
Ryabkov also said that Russia has prepared a list of counter-sanctions against the United States and the West, and will publish the relevant content in the near future. He also said that the Russian side has never withdrawn from the strategic stability dialogue with the United States, but the Russian side will not unilaterally make concessions to the United States on this issue. Russia is ready to hold dialogues with the United States on security issues and START treaties.
Putin and the leaders of France and Germany held telephone calls and decided to maintain contacts on the Ukrainian issue
On March 12, local time, the Kremlin released news that Russian President Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Macron and German Chancellor Schoelz.
Putin said in the call that Ukrainian nationalists are systematically sabotaging rescue operations against residents, grossly violating international humanitarian law. Putin also informed Macron and Scholz of the humanitarian relief carried out in the areas during the operation to protect the Donbass region, and called on France and Germany to exert influence on the Ukrainian authorities to stop the criminal acts of Ukrainian nationalists.
Putin also gave a detailed account of the recent video talks between the representatives of Russia and Ukraine. The leaders of Russia, France and Germany also decided to continue to maintain contacts on the Ukrainian issue.
Zelenskiy also sent a video: The Ukrainian army is inflicting "the biggest blow to the Russian army in decades"
According to CNN, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy claimed in a newly released video on the 12th that the Ukrainian army is causing "the biggest blow to the Russian army in decades."
The video speech was posted by Zelensky on social media Facebook. In his speech, Zelenskiy claimed that Russia's 31 battalion-sized tactical groups had lost combat capabilities and had also lost more than 360 tanks.
Zelenskiy also added that a large number of Russian troops surrendered to the Ukrainian army, but Russia is now recruiting combatants, reservists, conscripts and mercenaries in order to "surpass" the Ukrainian army in numbers.
However, at the time of his speech, foreign media, including Ukrainian media, reported extensively that the Ukrainian government was actively promoting the formation of the Foreign Legion. According to the news released by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine a few days ago, as of now, the number of foreigners who have signed up to join the "International Legion for the Defense of the Territory of Ukraine" and are ready to fight with the Russian army has reached 20,000. The Ukrainian government continues to increase its recruitment of "International Legion" personnel. In the context of the Russian and Western media reporting, there is a huge difference in the designation of these 20,000 people, the Russian side calls them "mercenaries" and the West calls them "volunteers".
On the same day (12th), the Russian Satellite News Agency said that the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov said that the Russian armed forces have destroyed nearly 3,500 military facilities in Ukraine within the framework of special military operations. "(Since the Russians) began their operations, 3,491 Ukrainian military installations have been destroyed, including 123 drones, 1,127 tanks and other armored vehicles, 115 multiple rocket launchers, 423 artillery and mortars, and 934 special military vehicles." He also said that the tactical operations of Russian aircraft destroyed a total of 145 Ukrainian facilities, including 3 Buk M-1 air defense missile systems, 8 command posts and communication stations, 5 ammunition depots and fuel depots, and 78 military equipment assembly points.
In a video speech, Zelenskiy also went on a propaganda offensive, CNN reported, saying, "They are using terror to destroy us and destroy our confidence in Ukraine's victory." I'm sure they won't succeed. ”
Speaking to the city of Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine, Zelenskiy also said that the Ukrainian army would guarantee a ceasefire along the evacuation channel, allowing supplies to enter the city and facilitating the evacuation of civilians.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference on the 9th that the negotiations with the Ukrainian side have "made some progress" and that the next round of negotiations will focus on the humanitarian passage of evacuated civilians. She stressed that the purpose of the Russian special military operation "is not to occupy Ukraine, destroy the country or overthrow its government, and is not aimed at civilians." On the same day, Russia and Ukraine agreed to open more humanitarian routes and evacuate more civilians from some conflict areas to safer areas.
Zelenskiy: Ukraine has abolished the excise tax on gasoline and diesel
On March 12, local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the Ukrainian government has abolished the country's gasoline and diesel consumption tax.
He said it was not only because the busy farming season was approaching, but also because of the decision for the people to solve the fuel shortage problem and stabilize oil prices. On the same day, he also said that the Ukrainian government also adopted a decision on the compensation of water and electricity bills for refugee shelters.
For the first time, Russian armed forces launched an offensive into western Ukraine
According to Ukrainian officials and military intelligence, on the 11th local time, Russian armed forces launched the first attack on western Ukraine, and the airports of many cities in western Ukraine were hit. At the same time, fighting around Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is intensifying.
The British Ministry of Defense said on the 11th that the Russian Air Force and missile forces launched air strikes on the main cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine on the same day. U.S. intelligence said the Russians were targeting mainly airfields in case Ukrainian warplanes took off from taking off.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov also confirmed on the 11th that in the morning, the Russian military used "high-precision long-range weapons" to launch a strike on Ukraine's military infrastructure, and the airfields of the two cities have been destroyed.
On the other hand, the Us Macsar Technology Company said on the 11th that the company's satellite images show that the Russian military continues to deploy heavy troops around Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and said that the satellite captured the picture of the Russian army firing. The company said it could not identify the targets of Russian artillery shelling. CNN said fighting intensified in the northeast and east of Kiev, and gunfire could be heard in the city of Kiev. Kiev Mayor Klitschko said on the 10th that nearly 2 million people have evacuated the city, which is equivalent to nearly half of Kiev's population.
Italy seizes $580 million luxury yachts from Russian billionaires
According to Reuters reported on the 12th, the Italian Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the same day that the Italian police seized a luxury yacht under the name of Russian billionaire Melnikatchin, and the yacht was worth 580 million US dollars (about 3.66 billion yuan).
The luxury yacht, the world's largest sailing yacht, named "A" with a hull length of 143 meters, is currently being held in the port of Trieste in northern Italy, the statement said. Melnikatzyn is the owner of the yacht, owns two fertilizer and coal companies under his name, and is a Russian billionaire. A few days ago, Melnikatchen was added to the EU sanctions list.
Andreyev, a spokesman for Mernikochen, said Melnikotchen had nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine and had no relevant political background. Andreyev also pointed out that EU sanctions are neither baseless nor reasonable, and believe that the law and common sense will return justice.
Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Daniel Franco said on the 12th that since last week, the Italian police have confiscated villas and yachts worth more than 760 million US dollars (about 4.82 billion yuan) from Russians on the sanctions list.
This article originated from the International Finance News
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