Russia talks with Germany and the United States with China as bombings continue in Ukraine | newspaper

As the Russian bombing of Ukrainian territory continues, some international leaders continue to hold discussions to try to advance the ceasefire. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz, while United States President Joe Biden spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

In the conversation between the German leader and the Russian president, the former president demanded a cease-fire as soon as possible, to prevent a further increase in Ukrainian civilian deaths. During the nearly hour-long conversation, a “improvement of the humanitarian situation” and a “diplomatic solution” to the conflict were reportedly asked in a statement.

According to the Spanish newspaper ABC According to Kremlin sources, Putin accused Ukraine of working to “postpone negotiations” by making “unrealistic requests”.

The British newspaper reported that the last meeting of the negotiating delegations from Russia and Ukraine was held on Wednesday, the 16th there financial timesa 15-point roadmap has been drawn up by which countries will try to move toward peace, which includes a ceasefire and Russia’s withdrawal if Ukraine declares itself neutral and keeps its army (Swiss-style), abandons joining NATO and accepts “boundaries” on its armed forces.

Although the Kremlin has not acknowledged the existence of this road map, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that there is “a certain hope for a compromise”, given that there is a “serious discussion” about Ukraine’s neutral status and about the “security guarantees” that Russia demands. Whoever acknowledged the existence of these fifteen points was the chief Ukrainian negotiator, Mikhail Podolak, who told financial times That “the Ukrainian side has its own positions”, because they recognize that “Ukraine’s model of neutrality can only be Ukrainian”, and previously “a strict agreement must be reached with a number of guarantor states with clear legal obligations to effectively prevent attacks against Ukraine.”

From east to west

For their part, the presidents of China and the United States had a conversation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, via video call.

This Friday, Xi Jinping told Joe Biden that relations between countries should not deteriorate to a “confrontation point,” and that Asian and North American countries should shoulder their “international responsibilities,” as well as “make efforts for world peace and stability,” according to Xinhua. Chinese.

For their part, US government spokesmen have not yet revealed what Biden said during the nearly two-hour meeting. The meeting was expected to be acrimonious after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Thursday that China could impose sanctions on the United States if it supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Although he was referring to military support, there is also uncertainty about the possibility that Xi’s government will decide to help the Russians deal with the harsh economic sanctions they have been facing since February 24.