“We can not say that there was anything very promising or any significant progress,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said on Wednesday. He said it was “positive” that Kyiv had outlined its demands, but “there was a lot of work to be done”. Ukraine and its Western allies rejected a promised Russian military withdrawal from near Kyiv as a strategic ploy after heavy losses, and the bombing of Moscow cities from Chernihiv in the north to Mariupol in the south continued. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says 4,019,287 people have fled abroad since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, exceeding its initial estimate that the war would create up to 4 million refugees. More than 90% are women and children. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grady, said on Twitter that he had just arrived in Ukraine and started discussions with authorities, the UN and other partners on “ways to increase our support for the people who have been affected and displaced by him.” irrational war “. The agency said the speed and scale of the displacement was unprecedented in Europe since World War II. The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that by mid-March, 6.48 million people had also been internally displaced. “Urgent, life-saving help is needed,” the group said Wednesday. Prior to the war, Ukraine had a population of 37 million in government-controlled areas, with the exception of Crimea and Russia-controlled areas to the east. Russia war in Ukraine map At talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, Ukraine proposed a peace framework under which it would remain neutral, with its security guaranteed by third countries through a treaty similar to NATO’s mutual defense commitment in Article 5. The proposals, which are intended to take effect only in the event of a complete ceasefire, also included a 15-year consultation period on the status of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine and annexed in 2014. Moscow described the talks as “meaningful” and “constructive” and then pledged to “radically reduce” its military activity in northern Ukraine as a gesture of goodwill to “boost mutual trust” in the peace talks. But Peshkov said Wednesday that Crimea was part of Russia and that the Russian constitution ruled out discussing the fate of any Russian territory with anyone else. He also said that Moscow wants the substance of the talks to remain private. Refugees from Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images Western analysts and diplomats have noted that Russia’s offer to partially withdraw came after its advance, which was thwarted by fierce resistance and supply problems, and that Moscow had already stated that it was refocusing its military objectives on expanding its territory. was held by Russian separatists in the eastern Donbass region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear that he did not receive anything Moscow said at their face value. “Ukrainians are not naive people,” he said. “Ukrainians have already learned that the only thing they can trust is a concrete result.” The United Nations on Wednesday also appointed three human rights experts, led by Norwegian Judge Erik Møse, to investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine, where Russia’s armed forces are accused of killing and torturing civilians. The UN human rights body agreed in a historic vote this month to conduct the highest possible investigation into Russia’s actions since the start of the invasion, including the bombing and shelling of residential areas. Moscow denies targeting civilians. While Western sanctions have cut Russia off from much of world trade, the country remains a major supplier of oil and gas to Europe, with EU governments deeply divided over how quickly their economies can be weaned off Russia. energy. Germany, Russia’s largest gas customer, issued an “early warning” on Wednesday of a possible emergency if Russia cut off supplies, a move that could limit the government’s power. Economy Minister Robert Habeck urged consumers and companies to cut consumption, saying “every kilowatt hour counts”. Isolated diplomatically and economically, meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted on a visit to Beijing that Russia move “with China and our allies into a multipolar, just, democratic world order.” . A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Moscow and Beijing would continue their efforts to “promote global multipolarity and democratize international relations”, adding: “Our quest for peace has no limits, security support does not it has limits, our opposition to hegemony has no limits. “
