photo = EPA
Ukraine has proposed to the Russian side to hold talks near the Azoustal Works in Mariupol. There are also reports that Russia will stop negotiating peace and focus on conquest of Ukraine’s territory in the future.
“We have proposed to the Russian side to hold a special meeting right next to Azoustal in Mariupol,” said Olexi Arestovich, aide to the Ukrainian presidential office, on the 24th (local time). Mariupol has been under siege by Russian forces for nearly two months since the start of the war. The Azoustal Works is the last stronghold where the 36th Marine Brigade and the Azou Regiment, which are defending Mariupol, are fighting a decisive battle. About 1,000 civilians are currently evacuated.
Mariupol is a key point connecting Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 by force, with the eastern Donbas region controlled by pro-Russian separatist rebels. Earlier on the 21st, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Mariupol had been captured and ordered that the Azoustal Works be sealed so that not even a single fly might pass through. Arestovic’s aide revealed the fact that the special meeting was being proposed on the 24th, but did not specifically mention the agenda for discussion.
Despite the Ukrainian proposal, the Financial Times reported that “President Putin is no longer interested in peace negotiations.” The FT analyzed this by citing the words of three officials who recently had conversations with Putin. Russia and Ukraine continued peace negotiations until the end of March. However, negotiations were halted when Ukraine launched an all-out offensive once morest Russia’s allegations of genocide.
An official said, “In particular, the sinking of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet by Ukraine decisively touched Putin’s pride.” Faced with such a humiliating situation, President Putin recently declared a de facto break of the peace talks, saying to those around him, “Our efforts for peace have already reached a dead end.” The FT analyzed, “It means that the Russian side has solidified the goal of the war in a direction to occupy as much of Ukraine’s territory as possible in the future.”
On the same day, US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The AFP news agency reported that “the highest-ranking US officials have visited the site for the first time since the war,” and that “there will be discussions regarding more military and humanitarian aid from the US side.” Zelensky had hoped for a visit from US President Joe Biden, but the White House drew a line once morest Biden’s in person visit.
Reporter Kim Rian knra@hankyung.com
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