Ukrainian refugee Rahela Captari holds a child at a sports arena converted into a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in the town of Dumbraveni, Romania, on March 17, 2022. More than three million Ukrainians have fled across the border, mostly women and children, according to the UN. (ARMEND NIMANI / AFP)
KYIV/WASHINGTON/ANKARA/UNITED NATIONS – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has listed six priorities during peace talks with Russia, the presidential press service reported.
"My priorities in the negotiations are absolutely clear: the end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country," Zelensky said while addressing the nation on Thursday.
The negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are continuing, Zelensky said.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Zelensky might hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days
Ukrainian and Russian delegations started their fourth round of negotiations on Monday via video link.
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On Wednesday, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Zelensky might hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is prepared to continue high-level trilateral negotiations with Ukraine mediated by Turkey.
"If such initiatives appear, we would only be happy to continue communicating in this format," Lavrov said at a press conference following his talks with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.
He explained that Moscow would only be interested in talks with Ukraine if these would lead to concrete results and solve existing problems.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible.
Earlier Wednesday, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said Russia and Ukraine have achieved some progress on a number of issues during the new round of talks, "but not all."
"The positions of the parties are quite clear, we are moving slowly," local media reported, citing Medinsky, who is also the head of Moscow's delegation.
"The preservation and development of Ukraine's neutral status, Ukraine's demilitarization along with a whole range of issues related to the size of the Ukrainian army are being discussed," Medinsky said.
More diplomatic efforts
Turkey and Poland agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to end the Ukrainian crisis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
"We mainly discussed the developments in Ukraine and Russia, as well as our bilateral relations. As two NATO allies, we had a detailed exchange of views. In this process, we will continue our consultation and cooperation with Poland," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Duda visited Turkey on Wednesday to discuss with the Turkish president ways to defuse the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Erdogan welcomed the Polish president in Ankara as part of Turkey's mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.
"We continue our attempts to achieve a ceasefire," Erdogan said, adding that Cavusoglu will continue "shuttle diplomacy" visiting Ukraine on Thursday after his talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Wednesday.
US urged to ‘do more’
Zelensky on Wednesday asked the United States to "do more" to help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing military operation by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the US Congress by video to plead for support to help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing military operation by Russia, at the Capitol in Washington, March 16, 2022. (AP/J SCOTT APPLEWHITE, POOL)
In a speech delivered via videoconference to the US Congress, he also asked the US to champion the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, or, alternatively, to provide fighter jets to his country, requests that have both been rejected by the US administration thus far.
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Zelensky also urged Washington to double down on sanctions against Russia, including asking all American companies to end their business associations with Russia and punishing all Russian politicians "who remain in their offices and do not cut ties with those who are against Ukraine."
Electricity network integration
Ukraine has integrated its electricity transmission network into the European energy system, Zelensky said on Wednesday.
Ukraine has become a member of the European Energy Union. The unification of Ukrainian and European energy systems has been completed.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President, Ukraine
"Ukraine has become a member of the European Energy Union. The unification of Ukrainian and European energy systems has been completed," Zelensky tweeted.
Ukraine, which was importing electricity from Russia and Belarus, last year set a target to integrate its energy system into the European network of electricity transmission system operators by 2023.
According to media reports, 15 nuclear units at four Ukrainian nuclear power plants generate about 55 percent of Ukraine's electricity needs. Thermal power plants produce 29 percent of Ukraine's electricity, while the rest is powered by other sources or imported from abroad.
Conflict's toll on food security
The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Maximo Torero, on Wednesday warned of the possible heavy toll of the Ukraine conflict on world food security.
To assess the potential impact on international food prices caused by a conflict-induced reduction in cereal and vegetable oil exports from Ukraine and Russia, simulations have been carried out, he said.
On the basis of their already elevated baseline values, wheat price would increase by 8.7 percent in a moderate-shock scenario and by 21.5 percent in a severe-shock scenario, he told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
For maize, the increase would be 8.2 percent in the moderate case and 19.5 percent in the severe scenario. For other coarse grains, prices would rise by 7 to 19.9 percent, and for oilseeds by 10.5 to 17.9 percent, he said.
Globally, in terms of impacts on food security, in the moderate scenario, the number of undernourished people would increase by 7.6 million people, while this level would rise to 13.1 million people in the severe-shock setting, said Torero.
