KYIV, 21 March: Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine recommenced as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said both sides were willing to renew negotiations towards a final ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops in the vicinity.
The latter has claimed that representatives of both parties are in Turkey, hoping for a reachable agreement within the next 24 hours.
“It’s not that easy to negotiate while the war is ongoing or to agree when civilians are dying. But I want to say that there is momentum,” he said.
In regards to the peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes negotiations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia are the only way to end violence within the country. After a call with the Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, Zelensky believes Jerusalem might be a staging place for talks between the two leaders.
While the contents of the negotiations are still unknown, the United States and NATO remain sceptical of the aforementioned negotiation as bombings in Ukrainian cities are currently ongoing with casualties reported. The civilian death toll continues to rise as the United Nations confirmed at least 902 civilian deaths and 1,459 injuries.
Similarly, Russian orders for the surrender of Mariupol by Ukrainian forces were rejected in the early hours of Monday. If complied, humanitarian corridors bound eastwards and westwards were scheduled to open at 10 am Moscow time.
On Sunday, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, the director of the Russian National Centre of Defence Management, briefly stated, “All who lay down their arms are guaranteed safe passage out of Mariupol.”
Speaking on the refusal, Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, perceives that Russia will instead take all civilians and soldiers in Mariupol as hostages if their forces were to lay down their arms.
Around 400,000 of the Ukrainian population are reported to be trapped within the city without any food, water, and electricity after experiencing heavy bombardments since February 24.
Reuters reported only 3,985 people were able to evacuate from the city on Sunday as Vereshchuk confirmed that the Ukrainian government was planning to send nearly 50 buses to the city for further evacuations on Monday. -TVS
