Russian troops struggling at the gate of Kiev

Ukraine requests satellite images from Japan to deal with Russian forces

Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported that Ukraine had asked it to provide high-quality satellite images to support efforts to counter Russian attacks. The article further mentions that Tokyo will carefully consider whether providing this data is politically acceptable or in line with current regulatory frameworks.

The Japanese government has not commented on the information.

Russian forces stopped in front of the gate of Kiev

Up to now, fighting continues to revolve around the besieged cities in the context that Russia has not yet controlled any major cities in Ukraine. British intelligence said that Russian forces were being held back on several fronts.

Areas in the northeast and northwest of the capital Kiev suffered a lot of damage from intense shelling, but Russian forces have not launched any attacks on the inner city.

Chernihiv province governor Viacheslav Chaus said 53 civilians were killed within 24 hours in the city of the same name, one of the key regions in northern Ukraine. This number has not been verified.

The United Nations says more than 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine to avoid hostilities.

Leaders of Russia and Ukraine may meet in the coming weeks

On March 17, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet when a “peace treaty” is signed, possibly in the coming weeks.

“As soon as the work related to the peace agreement is completed, we will start holding the meeting. It will happen in the coming weeks“, said Mr. Podolyak.

According to President Zelensky’s adviser, the finalization of the peace agreement could take days to a week and a half. However, both Ukraine and Russia now “resolutely maintain their position”.

“Russia’s immediate withdrawal was one of the key points of the peace deal. However, negotiation is a large-scale process involving not only Russia and Ukraine. Poland and other countries also participated. It’s not just a matter of signing. We want to form a concrete mechanism to ensure Ukraine’s security in the future“, Mr. Podolyak explained. According to him, reaching an agreement does not mean an end to the conflict.

The delegations of Moscow and Kiev have held several rounds of talks since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, but have not yielded any clear results, except for the two sides agree to hold. humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the war zone.

President Zelensky has repeatedly offered to negotiate directly with Putin, saying that this is the only solution to end the conflict. On March 11, a Kremlin spokesman left open the possibility that President Putin would meet with Zelensky, but stressed that it must be a “fruitful” event. Moscow also believes that the two sides need to hold a dialogue at the delegation and ministerial level before the two presidents have direct dialogue.

President Putin has no plans to visit the war zone

On the same day, the Kremlin said that President Putin does not currently plan to visit the area where Russia is conducting a special military operation in Ukraine, and has no plans to visit wounded soldiers.

“There are currently no plans for such visits. Everything will happen at its right time”, the TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

President Erdogan invites leaders of Russia and Ukraine to hold talks in Turkey

On March 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated his invitation to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to hold talks in Turkey during a phone call with his counterpart Vladimir Putin.

According to the press release of the Presidential Palace of Turkey: “The two leaders have reached consensus on a number of issues that may require head-to-head talks. President Erdogan reiterated his offer to hold talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul or Ankara.“.

In addition, Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Putin also discussed the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the humanitarian situation on the ground in Ukraine. The statement stressed that “war does not benefit either side and should create opportunities for a diplomatic solution … It is necessary to open effective and transparent humanitarian corridors in both directions”.

Moscow and Kiev have not commented on the issues in the statement of the Turkish Presidential Palace.