Russia: Position on Crimea and Donbas remains unchanged after peace talks
The Russian position that the occupied territories, Crimea and Donbas, are part of Russia remains unchanged. This was announced by Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky on Sunday, Reuters news agency reported. Ukraine and Russia held peace talks last week, but Russia says they have made “insufficient progress”.
The negotiations showed that Ukraine is open to a neutral status, provided that the country receives sufficient security guarantees. Turkey, Israel, Poland and Canada, among others, could provide the security guarantees.
Consultation period
The neutral status would mean, among other things, that Ukraine will not join NATO in the future or allow foreign military bases on the territory. Ukraine is also offering Russia a 15-year consultation period on the status of annexed Crimea. That means a period in which both sides agree not to use violence.
New peace negotiations have not yet been announced. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said on Saturday that “sufficient progress” has been made for direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Medinski says he is “not optimistic” about that.
In pictures: Ukraine’s recaptured streets of Butcha
Ukraine’s Butha was one of the first places to be recaptured by Ukrainian military. On March 31, Russian soldiers withdrew, mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told AFP news agency that day. Ukrainian soldiers provide medical aid to the residents of Butja.
Fedoruk said on Saturday that the streets in Butha are “strewn with corpses”. According to the mayor, nearly three hundred victims have already been buried in mass graves. These numbers are for NRC not verifiable. The city’s regular cemeteries are said to still be within reach of the Russian military, making it too dangerous to bury the dead there.
This photo series contains shocking images.
Overview: ‘Streets littered with corpses and mines after Russian withdrawal’
These are the main developments from Saturday evening and the night from Saturday to Sunday:
- Russian troops withdrawing from northern Ukraine lay mines in the areas they leave. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily video address. Images from AFP show photos of mines in abandoned villages, and local authorities confirm the Ukrainian president’s statements.
- In the city of Butsha, from which the Russians have withdrawn after heavy fighting, according to AFP news agency and journalists from the BBC, dozens of corpses on the street. Footage shows the bodies lying on the street next to burned-out tanks and that some of the dead have their hands tied behind their backs. It would be civilians, possibly male residents of Butja, who were executed by Russian troops.
- Lithuania will run from April the Russian gas tap completely closed. This makes Lithuania the first EU country to stop importing Russian gas. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda hopes other EU countries will follow his country’s lead. “Once the war in Ukraine is over, we cannot return to normalcy. Europe’s attitude towards Russia is changing dramatically,” he told Sky News.