ISLAMABAD, Mar 16( Allaince News): Russia says it is close to agreeing on parts of a possible peace deal with Ukraine after Kiev agreed to negotiate neutrality, ending a major European war after World War II. Is likely.
According to foreign media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the broadcaster RBS that “along with the guarantee of security, the status of neutrality will also be seriously discussed.”
“Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of neutrality with the guarantee of Ukraine’s security without NATO expansion, which was a possible step in February,” he said.
Sergei Lavrov cautiously said that negotiations were not easy but hoped that an agreement would be reached.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has made positive and cautious statements regarding peace talks, saying it wants talks to end the war, but will not surrender or accept Russia’s offer.
Russia’s foreign minister says the issues discussed in the talks include the security of citizens of northern Ukraine, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops and the rights of Russian-speakers in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces retaliate Meanwhile, Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said in a tweet that the country’s armed forces had retaliated against the Russian military in “several areas”.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces described the war as “extremely tense” but did not say where the fighting was taking place.
Ukrainian officials have clarified that the death toll from the war has risen since the Russian invasion on February 24.
Kharkiv’s emergency region says at least 500 people have been killed in the city.
The prosecutor general said Irina Venedictova said in a Facebook post that 10 children had been killed so far in the war.
He said Russian forces had attacked more than 400 educational institutions, 59 of which had been destroyed.
The governor of the northern Ukrainian region of Cherniyev said power supply was suspended in several districts of the city.
Evacuation of 20,000 citizens Meanwhile, Ukraine’s interior minister says about 20,000 civilians have managed to reach Mariupol in private cars, while hundreds are trapped by Russian gunfire.
It should be noted that Russian forces have been bombing Mariupol for the past two weeks.
Ukrainian officials estimate that more than 2,500 civilians have been killed so far in the clashes, and that 200,000 need to be evacuated immediately.
