The Polish, Czech and Slovenian heads of government traveled to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday to meet Volodymyr Zelensky.
The visit is intended to be both symbolic and perfectly concrete. The Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers arrived in kyiv on Tuesday, where they met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
For Mateusz Morawiecki, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa, it is “to reaffirm the unequivocal support of the whole of the European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and to present a comprehensive package of measures in support of the Ukrainian state and society”underlined the Polish authorities, who requested Tuesday evening a “mission of peaceOf NATO,protected by the armed forces“. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal hailedthe courage of the true friends of Ukraine“, indicating that they will address “the strengthening of sanctions against Russian aggression».
This meeting, kept secret, was managed by Poland, and until the night of Monday to Tuesday, with the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel. But the latter do not seem to have been “only informed” but not at the origin of the initiative. It is unclear whether other leaders were originally to join the process. It’s a “individual decision” of each and they were not “not all ready to participate”, simply explained Mateusz Morawiecki. “It is a solitary initiative that carries risks. There is a very delicate negotiation process between the Russians and the Ukrainians. The Russians can use anything as a pretext. When you take such an initiative, you have to be sure that it will bring something.underlines a source in Brussels.
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A fourth round of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, “put on technical pause” Monday evening, resumed, virtually, on Tuesday. Overnight, Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the Russians have “began to understand that they won’t achieve anything through war”. “I was told that the ongoing talks were quite good”added the Ukrainian President.
The three European prime ministers crossed the border on Tuesday shortly before 8:30 a.m. by train. The trip to kyiv usually taking about ten hours, they arrived in the capital in the late afternoon.
The chosen one seems to fear a more intense bombardment of the city. Western intelligence believes that Russian forces have been preparing for a new offensive for several days
They discovered a capital where fighting has intensified in recent days, a city largely surrounded. Two buildings, fairly close to the center, were hit on Tuesday at dawn, killing two people. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko imposed a 35-hour curfew from Tuesday evening in the capital, which he says is experiencing a “dangerous and difficult moment”. The chosen one seems to fear a more intense bombardment of the city. Western intelligence believes that Russian forces have been preparing for a new offensive for several days.
Alexander Lukashenko targeted by sanctions
Moscow continues, moreover, to widen its range of attacks. The large city of Dnipro, strategic for its central location on the river of the same name and hitherto spared, saw its airport bombarded on Tuesday. There are “mass destruction”, according to the mayor. In the east, intense fighting was reported in Kharkiv as well as in Izium. In the south, Russian soldiers are still trying to take control of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, which has been under siege for days. The population, several tens of thousands of trapped people who lack everything, is slowly evacuated. Some 2,000 vehicles were able to leave the port on Tuesday via a humanitarian corridor. Further west, bombs are also raining down on Mykolaiv, the last lock on the road to Odessa, on the Black Sea. According to an American expert, a fleet of Russian ships, including amphibious landing craft, was heading towards this city yesterday.
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In an attempt to curb Russian aggression, new sets of sanctions were taken against the leaders on Tuesday. London ordered an asset freeze and travel ban against nine oligarchs and three politicians including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and former President Dmitry Medvedev. Washington has announced that sanctions are now targeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his wife. Joe Biden will travel to Brussels on March 24 for an extraordinary NATO summit.
In Moscow, the employee of a Russian television, Marina Ovsiannikova, who illustrated herself Monday evening by brandishing an anti-war message during the news of a pro-Kremlin television, was sentenced to a fine by a court.