Ukraine 22nd Day Watch Video

On March 17, Russia's special military operation entered its 22nd day. According to comprehensive Xinhua News Agency and CCTV news reports, Russia and Ukraine released some cautious and optimistic signals on the negotiations on the 16th. The Ukrainian side said that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders are expected to have direct dialogue on the ceasefire in the next few days and are "confident" that a ceasefire agreement will be reached. The two sides also said discussions were underway over Ukraine's neutrality. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy still "shouts" at a number of Western countries through video links. On the 16th, Zelenskiy made a video speech to the US Congress, and US President Biden subsequently announced that he would provide additional military assistance to Ukraine with 800 million US dollars.

Negotiations are now signaling "compromise"

The fourth round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continued to advance, and the two sides held dialogues on the meeting of the President of Russia and Ukraine, ukraine's neutrality status, and ceasefire agreement.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Ukrainian State News Agency said on the 16th that the Ukrainian negotiator and adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Podoriak, said that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders are expected to have direct dialogue on the ceasefire in the next few days, "We are very confident that a ceasefire agreement will be reached in the next few days." He said that the only way to end the war is through direct dialogue between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, which is also the goal of the current negotiations between the two sides, and the two sides are drafting relevant documents for discussion and signature by the presidents of the two countries.

Russia and Ukraine also focused on ukraine's neutrality in the negotiations.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told reporters later on the 16th that the two sides have "approached reaching an agreement" on some positions, and although the negotiations are "difficult", "there are still some hopes to reach a compromise". He revealed that the two sides are "seriously discussing" matters related to the Ukrainian side's maintenance of political and military neutrality in exchange for security guarantees.

Mekzynski, head of the Russian negotiating delegation, said earlier on the 16th that the Ukrainian side proposed to become a neutral country in demilitaryization according to the Austrian or Swedish model and retain its army and navy. Russian presidential press secretary Peskov then said the proposal could be seen as a "compromise" option.

However, On the 16th, Podoliak refuted Mejinsky, saying that in the current Ukrainian-Russian conflict, the so-called neutral model can only be the "Ukrainian model", and there is no other model and choice. He stressed that the Ukrainian side needs "absolute security guarantees" and that the state party to the security guarantees must ensure that Ukraine does not stand idly by when it encounters similar current situations.

Putin: There is no plan to occupy Ukraine

At the same time as the negotiations, the Russian special military operation is being carried out as planned.

According to CCTV news reports, on the 16th local time, Russian President Putin made a televised speech.

Putin said the special military operation was going well and was being carried out as planned. Although the Russians were close to Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, they had no plans and purposes for occupying Ukraine.

Speaking about the Ukrainian biological laboratory, which is directed and funded by the United States, Putin said he believes Ukraine has made biological weapons components with the support of the United States.

Putin said Ukraine has a network of dozens of laboratories that carry out military biological programs under the guidance and financial support of the Pentagon, including experiments with samples of coronavirus, anthrax, cholera and African swine fever. Russia has every reason to believe that the components of biological weapons have been manufactured in Ukraine's immediate vicinity with Russia.

According to a statement released by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on social media on the 16th, the Russian army is continuing to promote strategic attacks, but the Russian army's operational goals of trying to defeat the Ukrainian army, meeting Luhansk and Donetsk, and controlling the left bank of the Dnieper River have not yet been achieved. The statement said that Russian troops were resuming their attacks on the northern outskirts of the city of Kiev and trying to advance in the direction of Kiev, and eventually the Russian attack was frustrated and turned to the defensive.

According to the Ukrainian State News Agency, The Ukrainian Attorney General Irina Vinetiktova said on the 16th that as of the morning of the same day, the war between Ukraine and Russia had led to the deaths of 103 Ukrainian children. Zelenskiy signed a decree of silence on the 16th, stipulating that every day at 9 o'clock the whole territory of Ukraine will observe a minute of silence to mourn the Ukrainian citizens who died in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.

Zelenskiy "wired" the U.S. Congress

In the international community, the United States has once again increased its military assistance to Ukraine, but it is still "cold" to the establishment of no-fly zones and other issues.

According to comprehensive Xinhua News agency and CCTV news reports, Zelenskiy spoke to the US Congress by video on the 16th, asking the United States to make more efforts in helping Ukraine resist Russian military operations. In his speech, he asked the United States to set up a no-fly zone in Ukraine or to supply fighter jets to Ukraine. In addition, he also asked the United States to continue to increase sanctions against Russia, including economic sanctions and personal sanctions against Russian politicians.

Subsequently, Biden made a public speech at the White House on the same day, announcing that it would provide additional military assistance of $800 million to Ukraine. Biden said the aid included 800 air defense systems, 9,000 anti-armor weapons, 7,000 light weapons such as machine guns, shotguns and grenade launchers, 20 million rounds of ammunition including artillery and mortar shells, and drones.

On the 16th, U.S. President's National Security Adviser Sullivan had a telephone conversation with Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Federal Security Council, to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

However, for Zelenskiy's call for the establishment of a no-fly zone, the United States and NATO are once again "cold".

According to CCTV news, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg also said after the special meeting of defense ministers of NATO member states on the 16th that NATO still decided not to set up a no-fly zone in Ukraine, nor would it send ground troops across the Polish-Ukrainian border in the name of peacekeeping forces. NATO's main task at present remains to prevent the escalation and expansion of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. To this end, the defense ministers of NATO member states have instructed military commanders to develop comprehensive and long-term defense containment plans in the fields of land, sea, air, and cyber and space.

On the 16th, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian once again said at a regular press conference that China encourages all relevant parties to carry out dialogue on an equal footing, face up to the contradictions and problems accumulated over the years, attach importance to the negative impact of NATO's continuous eastward expansion on Russia's security environment, and seek to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism in accordance with the principle of indivisibility of security.

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Column Editor-in-Chief: Yang Liqun Text Editor: Yang Liqun Title Image Source: IC photo Image Editor: Shao Jing

Source: Author: Qiu Wenhan