Day 389 since the beginning of the war: The Chinese head of state travels to Moscow. And: Ministers of the EU countries want to discuss ammunition deliveries. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Will the Russian spring offensive be over soon?
8:44 a.m.: Statements by the Ukrainian army could indicate an early end to the Russian spring offensive. This emerges from a report by the US think tank “Institute for the Study of War”. Russia is not in a position to gather enough forces for the expected major offensive in Donbass, says Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern armed forces. The current Russian attacks could not be described as a “major strategic operation”.
At other points on the front line, too, the Russian armed forces had considerable difficulties in achieving operationally significant successes. The Ukrainian Colonel Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi reports of desperate attacks on the small town of Avdiivka near Donetsk, which are said to be associated with high Russian losses. According to the report, these offensive operations could serve to attract Ukrainian reserves from other sectors of the front to the region.
Putin’s warm words before meeting with Xi – the night
5 o’clock: Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Chinese President Xi Jinping a “good old friend” ahead of his visit to Moscow. Relations between the two countries are at the best possible point and will be further strengthened, according to a statement by Putin on the Kremlin’s website. There are no forbidden topics and no limits in the mutual relationships. Russia and China would coordinate their foreign policies and fight common threats. Russian trade with China will exceed $200 billion this year and it is important to further expand it. Here you can read the entire news overview from the night.
London wants to advance the investigation of war crimes
00:02: London plans to host an international meeting on Monday to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Justice ministers from around the world are coming together to organize financial and practical support for the work of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the UK Justice Department said. According to the information, Great Britain is organizing the meeting together with the Netherlands.
“We gather in London today united by the aim of holding war criminals accountable for the atrocities committed during this unjust, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. “Britain will continue to support the International Criminal Court with resources, staff and expertise alongside the international community to ensure justice is done.”
Xi Jinping for active efforts to resolve Ukraine crisis
12:01 a.m.: Before a visit to Moscow, Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping emphasized Beijing’s “objective and impartial” position on the war against Ukraine. China is making active efforts to promote peace negotiations and reconciliation. Xi wrote in an article for the Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which was published on Sunday.
If the Ukraine war were to be settled, the goals and principles of the UN Charter would have to be observed, wrote the Chinese head of state and party. The “reasonable concerns of all states in the field of security” must be taken into account. All efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis should be supported. It is important to maintain the stability of the global production and supply chains.
Like Putin, Xi opposed a world order dominated by one power in the article. “The international community sees very clearly that no one country in the world is superior to all others,” he wrote, without mentioning the United States directly. Like Putin, Xi also invoked close Russian-Chinese cooperation.
