Third round of Russia-Ukraine talks: Moscow agrees to ceasefire for civilian evacuation

Europe, News March 8, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia and Ukraine held the third round of talks on March 7 amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The negotiators from both sides met in western Belarus to discuss the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure protection for civilians.

Although no concrete deal was made regarding the overall situation, the two sides made significant progress on the matters related to logistics, evacuation, and humanitarian corridors.

Ukraine’s lead negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak stated that there were some small positive shifts regarding humanitarian corridors. He took Twitter to mark his statement in a short video message where he stated that the two sides have agreed to make changes in the logistics.

Russia’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that he is expecting swift progress on the humanitarian corridors and they would be functional by March 8, but the talks have failed to meet his expectations, especially on the broader settlements that his side proposed.

According to Medinsky, Moscow’s delegation had brought ‘concrete’ treaties, drafts, and proposals in hopes of singing some protocols during the meeting. However, the Ukrainian delegation took these drafts for further study and consultation.

Following the negotiation talks on March 7, the Russian envoy in the UN announced a new ceasefire window on the morning of March 8. Moscow’s evacuation plan consists of a ceasefire and provision of humanitarian corridors in the besieged cities of Ukraine including Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mariupol.

*^{People cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine. (Image Credit: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)}*

The Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said that Russian forces would observe a complete ceasefire at 10 am Moscow time, on March 8, 2022, to provide a humanitarian corridor to the civilians from the aforementioned cities. He also added, “This proposal does not have any demands about the citizens being sent necessarily to Russia or into Russian territory. The Ukrainian civilians can choose where they want to evacuate to.”

Earlier, the Ukrainian side has shown reservations over Russia’s previously proposed ceasefire and evacuation attempts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of violating its own evacuation plans by bombing and shooting the evacuation zones during a ceasefire agreement in Mariupol and Volnovakha on March 5. In a short video message regarding the Ceasefire agreement of Mariupol and Volnovakha, the Ukrainian President stated that “There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place and so did the Russian rocket launchers and Russian mines”.

The Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are expecting to meet again soon for the fourth round of negotiation talks in hopes of finding a more tangible and substantial solution for the ongoing situation. Neither side has announced any specific date or venue for the next round of talks, however, a member of the Russian delegation and deputy head of Russia’s Duma foreign affairs committee Leonid Slutsky stated that the next round of talks between the two delegations would also be held in Belarus.