Ukraine war: Israel's prime minister surprised Putin - clear words from Mariupol

Created: 03/06/2022, 06:09

By: Julia Schöneseiffen, Andreas Schmid, Lucas Maier

Israel's prime minister talks to Putin.

Further Russia-Ukraine negotiations are planned.

Whirl for a ceasefire.

The news ticker.

• The Ukraine conflict* continues.

  The hope for a quick negotiated solution is currently low.

  But further talks are probably being planned

  (see update from March 5, 6.40 p.m.).

• Israeli Prime Minister Bennett made a surprising trip to Russia and also wants to meet Olaf Scholz

  (see update from March 5, 6:15 p.m. and 7:51 p.m.).

• The British Ministry of Defense comments on the ceasefire around Mariupol

  (see update from March 5, 9:57 p.m.).

• This

  news ticker on the negotiations in the Ukraine war

  is continuously updated.

  More on the background of the Ukraine crisis* here.

Update from March 6, 4:45 a.m .:

The mayor of Mariupol, Wadym Boitschenko, commented on the situation in the city on Saturday.

The city is exposed to a "humanitarian blockade", he is quoted as saying by the dpa.

Russian units shut down all 15 power lines into the city.

It has been without power for five days.

The combined heat and power plants work with electricity, which is why these also failed as a result.

It is similar with the mobile network, which also does not work without electricity.

The water main had been cut off before the war even started, and after five days of war the back-up water supply was also lost.

The Russian side acted very methodically in order to cut off the city from any supply and thus create internal pressure.

The mayor speaks of "thousands" injured by the increasing shelling and bombing.

It is said that it is difficult to name a number of deaths.

Due to the sustained shelling, it was hardly possible to count the bodies.

"The Mariupol they knew no longer exists," Boichenko said.

The mayor accuses the Russian army of targeting buses intended for evacuation.

30 of 50 buses were destroyed.

The information could not be independently verified.

Boichenko said he was pleading for the construction of a corridor to take the elderly, women and children out of the city.

The townspeople were devastated.

Addressing the international community and European partner countries, he said: "Help and save Mariupol!"

Update from March 6, 4:45 a.m .:

US President Joe Biden called the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyj again.

In the conversation, Biden primarily addressed the measures taken by the West and, above all, by the private sector, according to the dpa.

"Russia will bear the costs of its aggression in Ukraine," it said.

The suspension of the business of the two world's largest credit card providers Visa and Mastercard in Russia on Saturday evening (03/05/2022) was addressed by Biden in the conversation.

Biden also pointed out that his government is increasing security, humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine.

According to Selenskyj, the conversation was about security, financial support for Ukraine and the continuation of sanctions against Russia, as the President wrote on Twitter on Sunday night.

Update from March 5, 11:15 p.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has called on his compatriots to expel Russian troops from the country.

"We have to go outside!

We have to fight!

Whenever there is an opportunity, ”said Zelenskyj in another video message on Saturday evening.

As in Cherson, Berdyansk or Melitopol, Ukrainians should go outside “and drive this evil out of our cities”*.

Zelenskyj also addressed the citizens of the self-proclaimed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country in Russian.

"If they haven't erased your memory with propaganda, your eyes aren't closed in fear - fight, for your rights, freedom, Ukraine," he said.

He is aware that many people there think that Ukraine hates them and that Kyiv is destroying their cities.

"But compare Donetsk after eight years of war with Kharkiv after eight days of war," Zelenskyy urged her.

They should defend themselves or Russia would take their lives and homes too.

"Everyone in Donbass was and always will be Ukrainian."

Ukraine war: fuss over ceasefire in Mariupol

Update from March 5, 9:57 p.m

.: On Saturday there was a stir about the ceasefire in Mariupol.

First, Russia and Ukraine had agreed on a ceasefire to save civilians in the city, which was heavily shelled.

Later, Russia continued its offensive.

The British Ministry of Defense senses calculus.

The armistice in Mariupol was "probably an attempt to fend off international criticism while at the same time converting its own armed forces for renewed offensive activities," the British ministry wrote in its daily situation report.

Russia blames Ukraine for ending ceasefire.

"Since the Ukrainian side is not ready to influence the nationalists or to extend the ceasefire, offensive actions have resumed," said a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Moscow.

The UK Ministry of Defense wrote: "By accusing Ukraine of breaching the deal, Russia is likely trying to shift responsibility for current and future civilian casualties in the city."

The Ukrainian authorities on Saturday suspended a planned evacuation of Mariupol and in turn accused Russia of not complying with the agreed ceasefire.

"The Russian side is not respecting the ceasefire and has continued shelling Mariupol and the surrounding area," she said.

The evacuation was postponed for security reasons.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Israel's Prime Minister surprises Putin - Suddenly a meeting with Scholz is scheduled

Update from March 5, 7:51 p.m

.: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was a guest in the Kremlin to talk about the Ukraine war

.

Government circles in Jerusalem said the conversation lasted three hours.

Bennett has coordinated with the US, Germany and France and is "in constant communication with Ukraine".

He also spoke to Vladimir Putin about the situation of the Israelis and the Jewish communities in view of the Ukraine conflict.

Bennett flew to Moscow in the early hours of Saturday morning.

On Saturday evening, Bennett wants to travel to Berlin to speak to Chancellor Olaf Scholz*, his office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October 2021. © Evgeny Biyatov/Imago (archive photo)

Negotiations in the Ukraine war: New date on Monday?

Update from March 5, 6.40 p.m

.: The next negotiations in the Ukraine war are apparently pending.

Russia and Ukraine plan to meet for further talks on Monday, March 7th.

This is what Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamija wrote on Facebook.

It would be the third meeting.

The negotiations so far have not ended the war.

There were only small agreements, such as a ceasefire in Mariupol - which was apparently not observed - or the establishment of humanitarian corridors to get civilians out of particularly hard-fought war zones.

Details of the now third meeting are not yet known.

War in Ukraine: Surprise visit to Russia - Prime Minister of Israel with Putin

Update from March 5, 6:15 p.m .:

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett surprisingly traveled to Russia for a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bennett is staying in Moscow for a short working visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday evening, according to the Interfax agency.

"The situation around Ukraine is being discussed." Peskov initially did not give any details.

Israel is being discussed as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict.

According to media reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj asked Bennett a week ago to organize negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Israel.

Israel has good relations with both countries, but also finds itself in a conflict.

It does not want to upset its main ally, the United States, but at the same time depends on Moscow's goodwill for strategic reasons, including in the conflicts with Syria and Iran.

Ukraine war: Putin calls sanctions on Russia a 'declaration of war'

Update from March 5, 6:05 p.m

.: In the Ukraine war, the West relies on sanctions.

There have already been several measures against Russia, such as the blocking of EU airspace or the Swift payment system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now described the sanctions against his country as a "declaration of war".

Putin said so in a speech broadcast on state television.

Ukraine-Russia talks: no-fly zone?

Putin threatens West: "Any movement in this direction..."

First report from March 5

: Kiev/Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin* has warned of a no-fly zone over Ukraine with a view to western states and NATO.

"We consider any movement in this direction as a country's participation in the armed conflict," Putin said at a meeting with employees of the Russian airline Aeroflot on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy* has called on his western partners to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

So far, however, they have refused.

The associated consequences would be “that Russian planes are shot down.

And you get caught up in a logic of confrontation," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Vladimir Putin warns against enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

© Russian President Press Office / TASS / dpa

Ukraine war current: Putin sees no reason to declare martial law in Russia

Putin currently sees no prerequisites for declaring martial law in Russia.

Such a situation requires external aggression or fighting in specific regions, Putin said on Saturday, according to Russian agencies in Moscow.

"But we don't have such a situation, and I hope it doesn't come either." He is also not planning a state of emergency.

He countered the fears of many Russians.

As a result, many have already left the country.

Once again, Putin reiterated his terms for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

“Our proposals are on the table with a group of negotiators from Kyiv.

We hope that they will respond positively.” The most important demand is the demilitarization of Ukraine.

"We need to know clearly which weapons are where and under what control they are." Various options are currently being discussed with the Ukrainian delegation.

According to Putin, the "destruction of military infrastructure" in Ukraine "as part of the operation (...) is practically complete".

He mentioned weapons and ammunition depots.

All other developments can be found in our news ticker on the military conflict in the Ukraine war.

War in Ukraine: No active intervention by NATO

Russia invaded Ukraine a week ago and has since attacked numerous cities.

We accompany the conflict here with up-to-date maps and visualizations.

The Ukrainian armed forces have so far managed to slow down the Russian advance, also because they can count on the material support and equipment of NATO countries.

However, the Western military alliance has repeatedly emphasized that it will not actively intervene in the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was disappointed by NATO* because the western alliance does not want to get involved militarily in the conflict.

In a live link to solidarity demos in Europe, Selenskyj warned: "If Ukraine falls, everyone will fall."