Negotiations will resume. New talks are to begin on Tuesday March 29 in Istanbul (Turkey) to try to end the war that has raged in Ukraine since the invasion of the Russian army more than a month ago. Russian negotiators arrived in Turkey on Monday, where a previous negotiating session had already taken place on March 10, without leading to any progress. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday that Volodymyr Zelensky had “gave very clear instructions to our delegation. We do not trade people, territory or sovereignty”. For kyiv, the priority objective of the talks in Turkey is to solve the humanitarian problems and the ultimate goal is to achieve a stable ceasefire. Follow our live.
Ukraine’s neutrality in question. One of the important points of the negotiations relates to “guarantees of security and neutrality, the denuclearized status of our State”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian media on Sunday. This point “is studied in depth” but a referendum and security guarantees will be essential, he warned, accusing his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and his entourage of making “dragging things”.
Irpin returns to Ukrainian hands. Ukrainian authorities announced on Monday evening that Irpin, the scene of fierce fighting on the outskirts of kyiv, had been “liberated” Russian forces. “The occupiers are pushed back from Irpin, pushed back from kyiv. However, it is too early to talk about security in this part of our region,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Blockade at Mariupol. Volodymyr Zelensky denounced on Sunday a total blockade of this large and strategic port city on the Sea of Azov, which the Russian army has been trying to seize since the end of February. About 160,000 people are still stuck there, according to the mayor, Vadim Boitchenko.