Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev

The Ukrainian forces continue the heavy shelling of the settlements of the DPR with large-caliber artillery. The Petrovsky district of the city of Donetsk was attacked with MLRS ’Grad’. The town of Gorlovka was attacked by the Ukrainian forces as well. A rocket from an MLRS «Uragan» hit a residential 9-story building in the city of Donetsk. 2 people died, 8 were injured. According to the Joint Center for the Control and Coordination — the attack took place from between the towns of Avdeevka and Peski. The building was badly damaged, there is a threat of collapse. According to the experts, the structure of several floors is in a critical condition.

Denis Pushilin reported that the DPR liberated about 60% of the DPR. He added that the operation aimed to free the entire DPR is going faster. It is impossible to speak about the completion dates so far. The Russian forces managed to destroy one of the important positions of the Ukrainian forces near the city of Kharkov. There was a division of anti-aircraft missile systems S-300.

Fierce skirmishes are still taking place in Mariupol. The last surviving Ukrainian forces were pushed into the local industrial zone. Pockets of resistance remain in some residential areas of the city. Some groups of Ukrainian nationalists are trying to hold high-rise buildings, in the basements of which civilians are being hold. Several incoming Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters, sent to save the commanders of the Ukrainian nationalistic battalions and the Ukrainian marines, were shot down by the Russian air defense forces. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, made a video message on his Telegram channel towards the Ukrainian militants that took positions in the «Azovstal» factory in Mariupol. He gave them 1 day to lay down their weapons and surrender. The local maternity hospital number 2 was shelled several times — the People’s Militia of the DPR reported on Telegram. The report stated that the Ukrainian nationalists are doing everything possible to disrupt the evacuation of staff and patients, as well as prevent the transfer of medicines.

The negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine has resumed. The communication took place via video format. The parties continued the discussion of the previously identified matters, like the Ukrainian refusal to participate in military-political blocs, hostile to Russia, and consent to a nuclear-free status. During the negotiations on 29th of March in Istanbul, Ukraine partly agreed with the Russian demands. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that Russia doesn’t plan to concede to the Ukrainian demands. ’’Our positions on Crimea and Donbass can’t be changed’’ — he stated. Moscow demands the recognition of Crimea as a part of Russia, and the recognition of the sovereignty of the DPR and the LPR. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, stated that the negotiations are on-going, and the final plans have yet to be approved. Moscow is preparing a response to the Ukrainian written proposals for a peace agreement. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his negotiations with Vladimir Putin, once again proposed to arrange a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Istanbul. The representative of the Turkish President, Ibrahim Kalyn, voiced the need to develop a plan for the lifting of sanctions against Russia, if Kiev and Moscow sign an agreement.

Huge rallies of solidarity with Russia against the policies of the USA and the West took place in the Syrian cities of Latakia and Tartus. The participants of the rallies carried the flags of Syria and Russia, and posters with words of support for Russia against the American and the Western plans, aimed to undermine the Russian security and stability.

The head of the European Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Lutong, stated while commenting on the results of the recent summit of the leaders of China and the EU that the situation in Ukraine should not affect the Chinese trade relations with other countries, including Russia. «You know our position, we oppose the sanctions. China is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine, and we do not believe that our normal trade cooperation with other countries should be affected» — Wang Lutong explained — «Even Europe is doing a normal business with Russia — you haven’t stopped all your trade with Russia, and our normal trade cooperation with Moscow should not be affected» — he added. According to him — the employment and the living standards in China also depend on normal foreign trade. Sanctions can carry risks for the whole world: for the currencies, the trade, the supply and production chains, the globalization, and even the entire economic order — the RIA NEWS reported. Constantine Reztsov, specially for the ANNA NEWS