Western leaders have expressed skepticism about Beijing’s proposed role as peacemaker in the war
“A horror movie”: Russian soldier accused of war crimes in absentia for attack filmed by drone
From CNN’s Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson, Olha Konovalova and Tom Booth
A Russian soldier who allegedly shot a civilian in an extraordinary attack caught on camera by a Ukrainian drone is being accused of war crimes in absentia by the Ukrainian police.
The dossier of evidence against him includes phone calls between the soldier and his wife and friend intercepted during a months-long investigation into the Russian attack near the city of Izium last June.
The audio files were shared exclusively with CNN in advance of a news conference in Kharkiv to announce the charges on Tuesday.
Police identified the soldier as Klim Kerzhaev – a 26-year-old commander from Moscow, who served in the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army in the Western Military District. He is accused of the attempted murder of a civilian – a war crime under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The attack was also captured on aerial footage by Ukrainian soldiers, who launched a unique rescue mission by attaching a piece of paper with the words “follow me” to a small drone – an operation which featured in a recent documentary by Ukrainian filmmaker Lyubomyr Levytsky.
We are watching this as if it’s on TV, like a soap opera. A horror movie where Russians kill civilians,” the head of the investigation department for Kharkiv Police, Serhii Bolvinov, told CNN.
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Xi invites Putin to visit China
From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca and Anna Chernova
Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to travel to China later this year, as the two leaders hold talks in Moscow that Western allies caution may result in little diplomatic breakthrough on the war in Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has already accepted Xi’s invitation, the Russian prime minister’s spokesperson was quoted saying by state news agency TASS.
Xi met with Mishustin on Tuesday and invited him to visit China as soon as possible to establish closer ties with China’s new Prime Minister Li Qiang, TASS reported.
Xi’s three-day state visit to Russia comes as Beijing attempts to frame itself as a mediator in the conflict in Ukraine, having called for a ceasefire and peace talks in a vaguely-worded proposal last month.
But leaders in Kyiv and its Western allies remain skeptical of China’s position on resolving the war, based on concerns that nothing offered by Beijing so far supports Ukraine’s demand that all Russian troops retreat from its territory.
CNN’s Simone McCarthy contributed reporting.
Russian shelling kills 2 and injures 3 in Donetsk region over last 24 hours, regional authorities say
From CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova and Radina Gigova
Russian shelling has killed at least two civilians and wounded three others in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region over the last 24 hours, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration.
One person was killed and two wounded in the town of Avdiivka, he said in a Telegram post Tuesday. “The city suffered two shelling attacks and a rocket attack – houses on 4 streets, the territory of the Avdiivka Coke Plant and a food factory were damaged.”
In the direction of Horlivka, one person was killed and one wounded in Bakhmut, Kyrylenko said.
In Kostyantynivka, three private houses, a kindergarten, a gas pipeline and a water pipeline were damaged. Communities in the Soledar area also came under fire, he said.
In the Lysychansk direction, a kindergarten and houses on two streets in Siversk were damaged, Kyrylenko said.
Here’s a a map of the area and which areas are under Russian contrDonetsk region
Xi Jinping meets Russian Prime Minister in Moscow, state media reports
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived at the Russian White House in Moscow for a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ahead of further talks at the Kremlin, state-run news agency Tass reported Tuesday.
Xi is on a three-day state visit to Russia framed by Beijing as a peacemaking project despite deep skepticism in Kyiv and the West.
The Chinese leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for four and a half hours on Monday and are expected to hold further talks on Tuesday before signing documents and holding a joint news conference ahead of a state lunch.
The Russian White House houses the offices of the country’s government.
US says Xi’s talks with Putin provide “diplomatic cover” for war
From CNN’s Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong
Xi Jinping sits down for a second day of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday but Western allies remain skeptical of any breakthrough over the war in Ukraine with Washington saying the Chinese leader’s visit provides “diplomatic cover” for Moscow.
The first day in Russia for Xi was a carefully choreographed show of bonhomie with a brass band serenade, a photo op and lunch with his “dear friend” Putin — but it is the second day where the two leaders are set to get to work.
The key question of global interest hanging over the talks is whether any outcomes will impact the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia continues an onslaught that has triggered a mass humanitarian crisis and left tens of thousands dead.
China in recent weeks has attempted to portray itself as an aspiring broker of peace, calling for ceasefire and peace talks in a vaguely-worded position paper released last month.
Putin on Monday said Russia had “carefully studied” China’s proposals and promised “an opportunity to discuss this matter,” according to a Kremlin readout.
But there has been wide skepticism of China’s position on resolving the conflict, centered on concerns that nothing offered by Beijing so far reflects Ukraine’s demand that all Russian troops withdraw from its territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday hit out at Xi’s visit, remarking that it came just days after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
“China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine, and instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those very crimes,” Washington’s top diplomat said.
Any calls for a ceasefire “that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest” as it would “allow President Putin to rest and refit his troops, and then restart the war at a time more advantageous to Russia,” he added.
Read more here.
New Zealand national killed in Ukraine frontline battle, report says
From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie
A New Zealand citizen has been killed in action in Ukraine, a report from CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ) confirmed Tuesday.
The man, a former New Zealand Defense Force soldier, died in a frontline battle in eastern Ukraine, RNZ said, citing sources in the country.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the reports of his death, according to RNZ.
The soldier is the third New Zealander to be killed in Ukraine since the war began last year, RNZ said.
“We ain’t no idiots”: Taiwan’s foreign minister hits out at China’s attempts to play Ukraine peacemaker
From CNN’s Eric Cheung in Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan’s foreign minister on Tuesday criticized China’s efforts to present itself as a peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict while it “threatens war” against the self-ruled island.
“The #PRC threatens war against #Taiwan & others, but wants to propose a peace plan to #Russia, who initiated the war against #Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry’s Twitter account. “We ain’t no idiots. Want peace? Both autocrats should immediately stop their threats, aggression & expansionism.”
Wu’s apparent reference to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin comes as Xi makes a three-day trip to Moscow that has been framed by Beijing as “a journey of peace.”
Putin said Monday that Russia is ready to study China’s proposal for resolving the situation in Ukraine but Western leaders have expressed skepticism about Beijing’s role as a peace broker.
Beijing’s claim to neutrality has been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict — it has so far avoided calling it an “invasion” — and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.
Taiwan under pressure: China’s ruling Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan but claims the self-ruled island democracy as its own and has repeatedly refused to rule out taking it by force. China has also increasingly exerted its military pressure on Taiwan by regularly sending aircraft and naval ships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Japan confirms Kishida Kyiv visit to “resolutely reject Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”
From CNN’s Teele Rebane
Japan’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said Kishida would express Japan’s “solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine” and “his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland.”
“Prime Minister Kishida will resolutely reject Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and unilateral changing of the status quo by force, and reconfirm his determination to uphold the international order based on the rule of law,” the ministry’s statement said.
Kishida’s surprise trip comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
His visit will be the first time a Japanese prime minister has visited a country or region with ongoing fighting since World War II, according to public broadcaster NHK. It will also be the first visit to Ukraine by an Asian member of the G7 grouping and the first by a United States ally in the region.
The dual visits by Kishida and Xi underscore deep divisions in northeast Asia toward the war in Ukraine, with Japan pledging substantial aid for Kyiv, while China remains a lone voice supporting an increasingly isolated Putin — now a global pariah and suspected war criminal.
Kishida will travel to Poland on Wednesday, the ministry added in its statement.
Japan’s prime minister heads to Kyiv as Xi holds talks in Moscow. Here’s the latest news
From CNN staff
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making a surprise visit to Ukraine on Tuesday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to public broadcaster NHK.
His unexpected trip comes after Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a three-day visit to Moscow on Monday, his first since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Here are the latest headlines:
- Kishida heading to Kyiv: The Japanese leader has left India, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is on his way to Ukraine, NHK reported Tuesday. Japan last month pledged $5.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has also joined Western allies in imposing strict sanctions on Russia over its invasion.
- Moscow meeting: During talks Monday, Xi told Putin that China and Russia have “similar goals” and he expressed support for Putin to remain in power after 2024 elections. John Kirby, the National Security Council communications coordinator, said the US remains concerned that Xi would reiterate calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would only benefit Moscow by allowing Russian forces to remain inside Ukrainian territory.
- Crimea strike: Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said late Monday night that a strike destroyed Russian Kalibr cruise missiles — while they were being transported by train — in the town of Dzhankoi in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Russian-installed head of the annexed peninsula confirmed there was a strike, adding that one person was injured and two buildings damaged.
- Ammunition and aid for Ukraine: Eighteen European nations have agreed to jointly procure ammunition to “aid Ukraine and replenish national stockpiles,” the European Defence Agency said in a news release on Monday. The Biden administration also authorized an additional $350 million in security aid. The US has committed more than $32 billion in Presidential Drawdown funds to aid Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began more than one year ago.
- Tanks delivered: Meanwhile, Norway delivered eight Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the Norwegian Armed Forces announced. Training for Ukrainian soldiers on the tanks is underway in Poland.
- Latest on Bakhmut: The chief of Russia’s Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin said Monday in an open letter to the Russian defense minister that the mercenary force controls around 70% of Bakhmut. A months-long battle continues in the eastern city and earlier this month, Prigozhin acknowledged that the situation was “difficult, very difficult, with the enemy fighting each other for each meter.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-21-23/index.html
