Ukraine considers Russian neutrality demand ahead of new talks
Ukrainian and Russian officials have confirmed a new round of face-to-face talks will take place despite ongoing hostilities.
- New in-person talks are set to take place this week, Ukrainian and Russian officials have confirmed. Turkey said the meeting will be held in Istanbul.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government is “carefully” considering a Russian demand of neutrality ahead of the talks.
- Russia wants to split Ukraine in two after failing to seize the capital Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian military intelligence chief.
Here are the latest updates:
Germany eyes buying missile defence system: Scholz
Germany is considering purchasing a missile defence system to shield against a potential attack from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.
“This is certainly one of the issues we are discussing, and for good reason,” he told public broadcaster ARD when asked whether Germany might buy a defence system.
“We need to be aware that we have a neighbour who is prepared to use violence to enforce their interests,” he added.
In the same interview, the chancellor also addressed Germany’s decision to become more energy independent and said it would have to accept higher energy costs.
Scholz said it would not help to keep Germany’s nuclear power plants running longer, but he noted that the timing of the country’s plan to exit from coal was dependent on how quickly it made progress in expanding renewable energy.
Russia blockades Ukraine’s Black Sea coast: UK military intelligence
Russia is maintaining a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast which is effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade, British military intelligence has said.
Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct sporadic missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence added.
Ahead of new talks, Zelensky considers Russia neutrality demand
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his government is “carefully” considering a Russian demand of Ukrainian neutrality, a key point of contention as negotiators for both sides prepare for a fresh round of talks aimed at ending the brutal month-long war.
“This point of the negotiations is understandable to me and it is being discussed, it is being carefully studied,” Zelensky said during an interview with several independent Russian news organisations.
Read more here.
Russia plans a ‘Korean scenario’ for Ukraine: Intelligence chief
Russia is considering “a Korean scenario” for Ukraine and splitting the country in two after failing to seize the capital Kyiv and overthrow its government, the Ukrainian military intelligence chief has said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country”, General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ministry of Defence’s Intelligence Directorate, said on Sunday as reported by the ministry’s Telegram account.
Read more here.
Next round of negotiations to be held this week
Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams will meet for talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Turkish and Russian presidents have agreed.
No dates were given for the meeting. Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia said talks would resume on Monday, while Russian delegation leader Vladimir Medinsky said they would kick off on Tuesday.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine. Read all the updates from Sunday, March 27 here.
