After European leaders Mario Draghi, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey tries again to try to lead Vladimir Putin to more mild advice. First of all to unblock Ukrainian wheat still in ports with the risk of rotting, and then – the most difficult goal – to convince the Russian president to open direct negotiations with Volodymyr Zelensky and find at least the shadow of an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Turkish president had already tried yesterday, airing a three-way phone call with himself as mediator, Putin and Zelensky. A proposal that the Ukrainian leader said he was willing to “evaluate if the president of the Russian Federation is ready to participate”, but immediately rejected by the Kremlin who accepted the call, but with Erdogan alone. Which in turn later heard Zelensky separately. Strengthened by his position considered more moderate in Moscow than that of Western leaders, in today’s interview Erdogan therefore relaunched the mediation proposal, offering Istanbul as a venue for a meeting between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, and Turkey as a guarantor in a possible observation mechanism, if the two belligerents were to find an agreement on the matter. He himself made proposals in the next phone call with the Ukrainian leader. Erdogan spoke of the need to “create safe corridors” for the transport of agricultural products by sea in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky.
Meanwhile, in Brussels an agreement is being sought on the embargo on Russian oil with the pressure of the Ukrainian premier who says in no uncertain terms once again that we must act quickly. Between the fifth and sixth package of EU sanctions against Moscow, Ukraine suffered “a lot of damage, many Ukrainians were killed and many children died”, is Zelensky’s warning. And from Brussels Draghi he returns to attack Putin: “the risk of a food catastrophe is real: and if there is no solution, it must be clear that Putin is to blame” and to judge the fundamental role of Kiev for peace.
ANSA agency
“Confrontation with Putin is necessary to solve the problem of grain, of food security. The risk of a food catastrophe is real: and if there is no solution, it must be clear that Putin is to blame.” (HANDLE)
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THE USA MISSILES
The US will not send (medium-range) missile systems to Kiev that can reach Russian territory: President Joe Biden said. In recent days, CNN had reported that the White House was preparing a new package of military aid that would also include medium / long-range missile systems. These are the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, also known as HIMARS, a lighter version of the former but capable of firing the same type of ammunition. Both systems can launch rocket bursts of up to 300 kilometers at ground targets from mobile vehicles. So far beyond the Howitzers howitzers supplied so far, which have a maximum range of 25 kilometers, and Javelin anti-tank missiles or Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Vice-President of the Russian Security Council Dmitri Medvedev considers “reasonable” the decision of US President Joe Biden not to supply Ukraine with medium-range missiles capable of reaching Russia. Tass reports it. In the event of attacks on its cities, Russia, Medvedev adds, would hit the “criminal decision-making centers”, some of which are “far from Kiev”.
ITALIAN SITE AND WEAPONS
According to what ANSA has learned, defense sources exclude “the possibility that the news of the destroyed site, relaunched with a video by the Russian media, contained materials of Italian origin”. The reference is to what Russian agencies reported, citing the Moscow Defense Ministry, according to which Russian forces have destroyed a Ukrainian position “where the nationalists had placed artillery (howitzer) sent from Italy”. In the morning, Russian agencies citing the Moscow Defense Ministry had spoken of the destruction by Russian forces of a Ukrainian post “where the nationalists had positioned artillery (howitzer) sent from Italy”.
THE SITUATION ON THE FIELD
Meanwhile, the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine continues. And French journalist was killed after a car was hit near Severodonetsk. This was announced by the regional governor of Lugansk, Serhiy Gaidai, as reported by the Guardian. “Today our armored evacuation vehicle – said Gaidai – was going to collect 10 people from the area and ended up under enemy fire. Shrapnel from the grenades pierced the armor of the car, a fatal wound in the neck was received by an accredited French journalist who was making a report on the evacuation, a policeman on patrol was saved by a helmet “. According to a tweet from Ukrainska Pravda, it would be Frédéric Leclerc Imhoff, journalist of the French channel Bfm-tv. The photo of his press accreditation issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense was published by several social media users, but there are currently no official confirmations. Today the French Foreign Minister is in Kiev Catherine Colonna. Russian forces advanced towards the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk: “The Russians are advancing towards the city center. The fighting continues, the situation is very difficult.” This was announced on Telegram by Sergei Gaidai, head of the Lugansk region. Gaidai adds that the “killed Russian soldiers are not taken away, the smell of decay has filled the area.” “Our top priority is the liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which are now recognized by the Russian Federation as independent states. Our goal is obviously to push the Ukrainian army and battalions out of these regions,” said the Foreign Minister. Russian Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the French broadcaster Tfi, quoted by CNN. Asked whether Russia intends to annex the Donbass territories, Lavrov replied: “This is not annexation. This is a military operation requested by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.”
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ANSA agency
The direct from the cities (ANSA)
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THE WHEAT QUESTION
Russia has stolen almost half a million tons of wheat from Ukraine and illegally exported it on its own account. This was announced by the Deputy Minister for Agricultural Policies and Food Taras Vysotskyi, as reported by a correspondent for Ukrinform. “There is evidence from all temporarily occupied regions: Cherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv. The cargo is brought to Russia, mainly from Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk or via Crimea,” Vysotskyi said. The invaders initially tried to sell stolen grain to Egypt and Lebanon, but they refused to buy.
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ANSA agency
The Kherson region has begun exporting the grain from the latest harvest to Russia, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the military-civil administration of the Ukrainian region currently administered by Russia, told Tass. (HANDLE)
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More than 1.55 million refugees have arrived on the territory of the Federation from the (self-proclaimed) republics of Donetsk and Lungansk e from Ukraine. This was declared today by a law enforcement source to the Russian agency Tass. “According to the latest reports, over 1 million 550 thousand people have arrived in Russia from Ukraine and the republics of Donbass, including more than 254,000 children,” the source said, adding that most of the people came from the republics. Popular areas of Donetsk and Lugansk.
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