Fights, and international visits. While the mud bogs down part of the conflicts in Ukraine, the Ukrainian and Russian presidents are participating, this Tuesday, March 21, in important diplomatic visits. Volodymyr Zelensky receives Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a surprise visit, and a first for a Japanese representative since the end of the Second World War.
At the same time, China is continuing its seduction operation with Russia. President Xi Jinping begins a second day of talks with Vladimir Putin. The country wants to appear as a mediator in the war, which continues to rage in Ukraine, while the city of Bakhmout is still the target of intense clashes.
Wagner claims to control 70% of Bakhmout
The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, said on Monday that his men controlled “about 70%” of the city of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine, the scene of heavy fighting since last summer. For weeks, the West has been expecting the city, which was populated by 70,000 people before the war, to fall, as Russia is doing its best to try to obtain a victory that is more symbolic than tactical.
Russian troops have advanced in recent weeks north and south of the city, cutting off several Ukrainian supply routes and seizing the eastern part of the city. Despite the threat of encirclement and the disputed strategic importance of the city, Ukrainian officials have confirmed their intention to continue to defend it for as long as possible. At the same time, Ukraine is carrying out counter-attacks, which so far have not been significant.
New day of Sino-Russian talks
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping continue their discussions on Tuesday on the second day of the Chinese president’s visit to Russia, which will revolve in particular around Ukraine. On Monday, Xi Jinping and Putin spoke one-on-one for four and a half hours, during a first informal meeting in the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin declared at the end of this first exchange to consider Beijing’s peace plan in Ukraine “with respect” and added that Russia and China had “plenty of objectives” in common. During their exchange, Xi Jinping, quoted by the official news agency New China, assured him that China “will continue to play a constructive role” to find a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
China is posing as a mediator in Ukraine and in February published a document setting out several principles, such as respect for territorial sovereignty, and calling on Moscow and Kiev to engage in peace talks. But the West judges that Beijing supports Moscow too much to serve as a credible mediator. Recently, Washington even accused the Chinese authorities of considering supplying arms to Russia, which they strongly deny.
Zelensky receives Japanese Prime Minister
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on his way to kyiv for a surprise visit and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Tokyo reported. Fumio Kishida was the only leader member of the G7 group not to have visited Kyiv since the start of the conflict in February 2022. He also becomes the first Japanese head of government to visit a conflict zone since the end of the war. Second World War.
The West strengthens the means of the International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) obtained on Monday more resources from some forty countries gathered in London to continue its investigations in Ukraine, three days after issuing an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the end of this day “we raised more than 4 million pounds and many non-financial and technical supports”, declared Dominic Raab, the British Minister of Justice, to the maneuver.
“If the noise is inevitable, we should focus on what is really happening and the need for an independent and impartial investigation”, insisted on Monday Karim Khan, prosecutor of the ICC, thanking the countries present for their support, including Japan, Poland and France, Ghana or Spain. Among the countries that have increased their financial support are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and also the European Union.
The United States announces 350 million dollars, the EU releases 2 billion
The United States will deliver a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine, amounting to 350 million dollars and including in particular ammunition for the Himars rocket launchers, announced Monday the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken . “Russia alone could end its war today. Until it does, we will stand with Ukraine as long as necessary,” the secretary of state said in a statement, when Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Moscow. The delivery, which is also to include Bradley light armored vehicles, shells and anti-tank weapons, comes from funds already allocated by the US Congress.
The European Union, for its part, will release 2 billion euros to provide one million shells which Ukraine needs to counter the offensive by Russian troops and to carry out joint purchases in order to replenish its stocks. “We have the starting signal for concrete measures,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in Brussels on Monday. “We are embarking on a new path for common purchases,” he said during a meeting with his EU counterparts and the foreign ministers of the 27 member states.