Original title: Russia and Ukraine are caught in a standoff in Mariupol, the Ukrainian president actively mediates to seek assistance
China News Service, April 18 (Xinhua) According to a comprehensive report, in the past weekend, Russia and Ukraine were caught in a standoff in Mariupol. The Russian side issued an ultimatum to surrender, but it was ignored by the Ukrainian side. The two sides have also made no progress on the negotiation issue for a long time, and high-level contacts have been interrupted. At Ukraine’s active request, Western aid continued.
Mariupol in silence Zelensky: “10 years of fighting with Russia” is not ruled out
According to a report from the Russian Ministry of Defense on the 16th, the Russian army has taken control of all urban areas in Mariupol except the Azov Steel Plant. On the 17th, the Russian army urged the Ukrainian defenders in the factory to surrender. However, the surrender timeline set by the Russian side “before 13:00 Moscow time on the 17th” was ignored by the Ukrainian side. Hours following the time limit expired, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmigal announced that the defenders had not surrendered and the city had not fallen. As of press time, there is still no definite information on the military situation in Mariupol.
On February 24, local time, a military installation near Mariupol Airport caught fire.
On the 17th, Ukrainian President Zelens said in an interview with CNN that Ukraine is not ready to give up its own territory and does not rule out “10 years with Russia”.
According to CNN, the Russian army is currently issuing passes in Mariupol, and citizens must go out with a certificate. The Russian army may block the city for a week starting on the 18th, and conduct an inventory of the population in the city.
Negotiation resistance still exists
It has been more than half a month since the offline negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey on March 29, but the results of the negotiations have not been realized, and the negotiation process has continued to encounter bumps.
On March 29, local time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations held face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey.
On the 17th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made another request, saying that Ukraine is ready to negotiate on Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO and the status of Crimea, but only if the Russian army completely withdraws from Ukrainian territory. The outcome of the negotiations is likely to be the signing of two documents: one on Ukraine’s security and guarantees, and the other a direct Ukraine-Russia agreement.
In this regard, Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin said that the Ukrainian President’s remarks on the Russia-Ukraine negotiations were intended to buy time from NATO for military assistance.
At the same time, Zelensky said in an interview with CNN on the 17th that due to the opposition of Ukrainian society, the chances of successful negotiations with Russia are declining every day. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said that since the Bucca incident, it has become “particularly difficult” to talk with Russia, and exchanges at the expert level may continue, but in recent weeks there has been no high-level contact between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine seeks assistance from the West
When the conflict continued, Zelensky actively mediated with the West to win various aid forces.
Workers unload U.S. military aid to Ukraine at Boryspil Airport in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 25, 2022.
On the military front, the UK has said it will continue to provide Ukraine with weapons, including armoured vehicles. In an interview with German newspaper Bild, European Commission President von der Leyen called for the delivery of weapons to Kyiv as soon as possible, saying that “there will be no distinction between heavy weapons and light weapons” and that Ukraine should get “what it needs for defense, as well as capable of something to use”.
Economically, Ukraine is also actively seeking help. The Ukrainian prime minister plans to visit Washington next week to participate in events held by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to seek economic support. According to him, due to the military operations on Ukrainian territory, “a monthly budget deficit of regarding $5 billion is created”. Earlier, Ukraine also called on the West to cancel Ukraine’s foreign debt and replace loans with free aid.