Ukraine: The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed the fact that Kyiv has set out its demands for an end to the conflict in Ukraine in written form, but said there was “no sign of a breakthrough” yet, as per reports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not noticed anything really promising or that looked like a breakthrough and said there was a long period of work ahead.
Ukraine presented its demands when negotiators from the two sides met in Turkey on Tuesday before adjourning to consult with their capitals. Ukraine reacted with scepticism to Russia’s promise in negotiations to scale down military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv as some Western countries expected Moscow to intensify its offensive in other parts of the country. Talks took place in an Istanbul palace more than a month into the Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, top officials from the United States and Russia are both headed to India to lobby its government, which has called for a ceasefire but has not condemned Russia’s invasion. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to India from March 31st to April 1st, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.
The UN refugee agency said Wednesday more than 4 million refugees have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. More than 2.3 million have arrived in Poland, but many have travelled onward to other countries or back into Ukraine. An estimated 6.5 million people have also been displaced from their homes within the country. Germany is triggering an early warning over gas supplies amid Russia’s continued demand to be paid in Rubles after launching the war in Ukraine.