Ukraine awaits not without apprehension Xi Jinping’s visit to the Kremlin this Monday, March 20, fearing that Beijing, Russia’s strategic ally, may ultimately decide to deliver arms to Moscow, and thus influence the outcome of the war, in the 387th day of the conflict. At the same time, Moscow is carrying out intense air raids in eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces are trying to regain ground in Bakhmout.
Xi Jinping visits Moscow
Vladimir Putin said he was “open” on Monday to discussions on the Chinese peace plan for Ukraine with Xi Jinping, who in return welcomed the “close relations” between Russia and China, at the start of a long-awaited three-day meeting in Moscow.
Despite its privileged relations with Moscow in full tension with the West, Beijing, which claims diplomatic influence to match the weight of the Chinese economy, poses as a mediator and last month proposed an initiative to settle the conflict.
“We are always open to a process of negotiations. We will undoubtedly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect,” Putin said at the start of an “informal” talk with Xi. Jinping in the Kremlin, broadcast on Russian television.
For his part, the Chinese president praised the “close relations” between Beijing and Moscow, which have “comprehensive strategic cooperation”, according to the official Russian translation of his remarks.
While the United States has signaled that such talks are welcome to end the conflict, in February it accused China of considering supplying arms to Russia, whose invasion has turned into a quagmire. . “We are convinced that the Chinese leadership is planning to supply lethal material” to Russia, CIA director William Burns told CBS television.
For its part, Ukraine insists on a “withdrawal” of Russian forces from its territory, declared a senior Ukrainian official shortly before the arrival in Moscow of Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country does not mention this condition in its plan of peace.
EU releases 2 billion euros to supply ammunition to Ukraine
The European Union on Monday approved the allocation of 2 billion euros to buy and deliver artillery ammunition to Ukraine, several European diplomatic sources announced.
EU foreign ministers approved a three-phase action plan to supply Ukrainian forces with at least one million 155mm shells and to replenish EU countries’ strategic stocks, some of which are close to exhaustion, said the representatives of five delegations.
Wagner boss says his men control ‘about 70%’ of Bakhmout
The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, said on Monday that his men controlled “about 70%” of the town of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine, the scene of heavy fighting since last summer.
“At present, Wagner’s units control about 70% of Bakhmout and continue the offensive for its complete liberation”, assured Mr. Prigojine in a letter addressed to the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and published by his press service on Telegram. These statements are unverifiable from an independent source.
Yevgeny Prigojine also said he expected a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces for the end of March-beginning of April, intended according to him to “cut off Wagner’s units from the main forces of the Russian army”.
The International Criminal Court in search of means
Several countries are to announce on Monday the mobilization of additional resources to support the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine, during an international conference of justice ministers in London .
On Friday, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children.
An “extremely important” decision, said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in an interview published on Sunday. “It means that anyone responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity will have to be held accountable, regardless of their status or rank,” said the head of French diplomacy in an interview with Sunday newspaper.