The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire from 10:00 am (07:00 GMT) for the residents of Ukraine capital Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy to leave the cities, local media reported citing interdepartmental coordination headquarters for humanitarian response in Ukraine on Monday, even as the third round of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia began on Monday, informed the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
“Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation and its sharp aggravation in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, as well as at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron to Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the Russian armed forces announce ceasefire for humanitarian purposes from 10;00 March 7, 2022, and open humanitarian corridors,” the response center said in a statement. During the ceasefire, Russia will control the evacuation of residents from the cities of Ukraine with the help of drones, the statement read cited by the Sputnik News Agency said. “We warn that all attempts by the Ukrainian side once again to deceive Russia and the entire civilized world in disrupting the humanitarian operation, allegedly through the fault of Russia, this time is useless and meaningless,” the headquarters said. According to the headquarters, this information has been communicated to the relevant structures of the UN, the OSCE, the ICRC and other international organizations through all available information resources, including the media. “We demand that the Ukrainian side strictly fulfil all the conditions for the creation of humanitarian corridors in the above-mentioned directions and ensure an organized withdrawal of civilians and foreign citizens,” the statement added, Sputnik reported.
Meanwhile, the Russian government approved a list of countries and territories that are “unfriendly” with Russia and has imposed sanctions against the country after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK (including Jersey, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, and also Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan, reported TASS News Agency. The government noted that according to this decree, Russian citizens and companies, the state itself, its regions and municipalities that have foreign exchange obligations to foreign creditors from the list of unfriendly countries will be able to pay them in rubles. The new temporary procedure applies to payments exceeding 10 million rubles per month (or a similar amount in foreign currency).
A report from Minsk, Belarus, said the third round of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia began on Monday, informed the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). “Russia-Ukraine talks kick off in Belarus for the third time,” tweeted Belarus MFA. Notably, Russia and Ukraine will discuss political, humanitarian aspects and a military settlement during the third round of talks scheduled to be held today in Belarus, Sputnik reported citing the head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
The first round of talks between the two sides was held in the Gomel region of Belarus on 28 February. The talks are aimed at finding a way to end the Ukraine conflict. Following the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said Russia and Ukraine identified some priority topics on which they have outlined certain decisions. The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine over the crisis in Ukraine was held in Belarus on 3 March. The Russian delegation, in the first talks, was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said the key “issue of the negotiations is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine.”
A report from Beijing said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday expressed China’s willingness to mediate in the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine. He said that China can work to facilitate dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. The Foreign Minister made the remarks while addressing a press briefing on China’s foreign policy and international relations at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. “China is prepared to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for peace and work alongside the international community,” Wang Yi said. He expressed readiness to carry out necessary mediation (between Russia and Ukraine).
Emphasizing the need for a negotiated settlement, Wang said, “China believes that talks should continue during a tense situation.” He added that the wider the disagreement, the greater is the need to sit down and hold negotiations. Wang Yi reiterated the close ties between Russia and China and said that the relationship between the Chinese and the Russians is “rock solid” and that the two countries will continue their close partnership.
“No matter how precarious and challenging the international situation may be, China and Russia will maintain strategic focus and steadily advance our comprehensive strategic partnership and coordination,” Wang Yi said.
The Chinese minister also announced humanitarian aid to Ukraine, saying, “I wish to announce that the Red Cross society of china will provide Ukraine with a tranche of emergency humanitarian supplies as soon as possible.”
Another report said Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers will meet in Turkey on 10 March. Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to meet in Turkey’s coastal Antalya province, as per their Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, reported The Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared the details of the losses that Russia has incurred since the invasion of Ukraine started noting that a total of 11,000 Russian forces were killed till Monday (local time). According to the MFA data, 999 armoured vehicles of different types, 46 aircraft, 68 helicopters, 290 tanks, 117 artillery pieces and 50 MLRs were hit during the combat. Furthermore, the destroyed facilities also include 60 cisterns, 454 vehicles, 3 vessels, 7 UAVs and 23 Russian anti-aircraft warfare systems.
The claims by Ukraine came even as Russia reportedly launched heavy bombardment of the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, state-run media reported on Monday. “Russian artillery pounded the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv overnight on 7 March, resulting in fires at residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service,” The Kyiv Independent reported. Meawhile, Russia says it will open humanitarian corridors from 10:00 am (European Time) on March 7 to allow the evacuation of civilians from several Ukrainian cities experiencing heavy fighting, including the capital Kyiv and besieged port city Mariupol. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov today said that Kyiv is making every effort to open humanitarian corridors in Mariupol.
“The country’s leadership is doing everything possible and impossible to provide humanitarian corridors,” Reznikov wrote on Facebook, assessing the situation in Mariupol, reported Sputnik News Agency.
Meanwhile, Russian armed forces have already disabled nearly 2,400 military targets of Ukraine since the start of the operation. “In total, 2,396 military targets of Ukraine were hit during the operation, including: 82 command posts and communication centres of the Ukrainian military, 119 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa air defense missile systems, 76 radar stations,” Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday. The destroyed facilities also include 827 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 84 multiple rocket launchers, 304 field artillery pieces and mortars, 603 units of special military vehicles, 78 unmanned aerial vehicles. The forces shot down 14 planes, helicopters and drones of Ukraine, including Bayraktar combat drones, he added.
At least 13 Ukrainian civilians were killed in an airstrike on a bread factory in Kyiv, local media reported citing Ukraine’s state emergency service. “State Emergency Service: At least 13 civilians killed in air strike on bread factory in Kyiv Oblast. Five people were rescued. There may be more victims: Around 30 people are believed to have been at the factory,” tweeted The Kyiv Independent, a Ukraine media outlet.