At least 21 people were killed and another 25 injured when Russian forces shelled the town of Merefa in Kharkiv, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. The attack occurred at 3:30 am (local time) and destroyed a school and an arts club, the prosecutor’s office said, as per CNN. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Russia was outright committing a war crime. Austin said recent “attacks” in Ukraine “appear to be focused directly on civilians,” and “if you attack civilians, purposely target civilians… that is a crime.”
CNN quoting Austin reported that Russia’s actions in Ukraine were “under review” by the US State Department. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on Thursday (Eastern Time). The meeting was requested by the United States, Albania, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, and Norway, according to a tweet from Norway’s UN Mission in New York.
The UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Health Organization will brief at top of the session, Norway’s mission tweeted, as per CNN. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry today expressed disappointment over the “unfriendly actions” of the Slovakian authorities which expelled three Russian diplomatic staff.
“We are disappointed by the unfriendly actions of the Slovakian authorities which expelled three Russian diplomatic staff under false pretexts. It goes without saying that the decisions taken by Slovakia will not go unanswered,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
However, the European Space Agency today announced it has suspended the Russian-European Mars mission over the Russia Ukraine war. “We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine. While recognizing the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States,” ESA said in a statement.
A report from Moscow said Russia hopes that Kyiv will realise the inevitability of a peaceful solution to the problem of demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, the sooner the Ukrainian authorities understand this, the sooner Russia’s special military operation will be completed, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. At present, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are held via video conference, discussions are being held on military, political and humanitarian aspects, she said. “Russia’s demands are extremely simple and understandable, they follow from the purpose and objectives of the special military operation. We hope that Kyiv will nevertheless come to realize the inevitability of a peaceful solution to the problem of demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, its transformation into a neutral state for the benefit of the population of Ukraine itself and all of Europe,” Zakharova said at a briefing. “The sooner the representatives of the Kyiv regime understand this, the sooner the special military operation will be completed. We call on the Zelenskyy regime to think about the fate of the country, the life of its population and draw appropriate conclusions and make appropriate decisions,” she added.
Meanwhile, a report from Washington said United States President Joe Biden will speak with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday, as part of the ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between Washington and Beijing, the White House said. “President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will speak with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) this Friday. This is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC. The two Leaders will discuss managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern,” a White House readout said.
On 15 March, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Chinese Communist Party Political Bureau Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi in Rome. Sullivan raised a range of issues in US-China ties, with “substantial discussion” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. “Sullivan raised a range of issues in US-China relations, with substantial discussion of Russia’s war against Ukraine. They also underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China,” the White House said. Prior to that, US had warned China of the consequences of helping Russia bypass sanctions.