Compromise

According to a report, the president of Ukraine said he wanted a compromise with Russia over the Donbas region. Reportedly, russians appear to have scaled back ambitions in Ukraine to concentrate on Donbas, though uk military intelligence said air bombardments are likely to continue in the short term. According to the report, the next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place in Turkey starting Tuesday. Reportedly, the ukrainian president said there could be a quick end to this conflict if president Putin would meet him face to face.

Northern Ireland protocol

According to a report, talks regarding northern Ireland protocol

between the secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs of the uk and the European commission vice president have stalled, though there are currently ongoing talks between the uk and eu on ways to reduce red tape.

Reportedly, the foreign secretary is in favour of invoking article 16 which would be a precursor to a new negotiating mandate. According to the report, the uk government have suggested they are reluctant to deepen the dispute due to the war in Ukraine. Reportedly, northern Ireland elections are scheduled for May.

Electronic visa requirement

According to a report, following a proposal for an electronic visa requirement for uk or non irish people crossing the northern Ireland border, mp’s at Westminster voted for a u.s. style visa waiver. Reportedly, the irish minister for foreign affairs said he was looking for an exemption for british and non irish people who are resident in Ireland. According to the report, the british northern Ireland secretary said, ‘no one is going to be stopped at the border’. Reportedly, the sinn féin leader said the electronic visa proposal would create a disgraceful situation and undermine the Belfast agreement.

Safety and environmental concerns regarding nuclear electricity

According to reports, the u.s. president’s four day trip to europe to strengthen resolve, particularly with regard to sanctions ended with a visit to Poland. Reportedly, there is strong disagreement about imposing sanctions on russian gas and oil. According to reports, the u.s. president said european nations should end their dependence on russian gas supplies and wean off fossil fuels. Reportedly, the u.s. are heavily involved in nuclear electricity. According to reports, concerns are of safety and the environmental impact. According to a report, the eu have agreed to a quantity of shipments of u.s. gas.

Russian losses 15,600

According to a report, 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine. Reportedly, ten humanitarian corridors are open today, Saturday. According to a report, protests erupted when russian troops arrived in the northern city of Slavutych. Reportedly, ukrainians have staged a counter offensive around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. According to the report, russian shelling has hit military targets in three areas, and east and west suburbs of Kyiv.

Reportedly, according to Ukraine up to seven russian generals have been killed. According to the report, Ukraine have a military intelligence team dedicated to targeting Russia’s officer class. Reportedly, the russian military have said they are now concentrating on winning full control of the Donbas region. According to a report, as of March 23 russian losses were 15,600.

Truce in Ethiopia

According to reports, the prime minister of Ethiopia has declared a surprise truce, saying he hoped the move would ease humanitarian access to Tigray. Reportedly, tigrayan militants have agreed to a cessation of hostilities and urged the ethiopian government to send emergency aid to Tigray where hundreds of thousands are on the verge of starvation.

According to the report, the conflict erupted in November 2020 when the ethiopian prime minister sent troops into a Tigray to topple the Tigray people’s liberation front in response to attacks on army camps. Reportedly, Ethiopia was the largest contributor to as called u.n. peace keeping troops in Africa, many serving in Darfur which became a subject of controversy.

Ukraine wishes to discuss ceasefire

According to a report, the president of Ukraine has repeated he was ready to have a meeting with the russian president to discuss terms of a ceasefire and end the war. According to the report, a ukrainian presidential adviser said on Thursday morning that the front line was practically frozen. He said many russian troops lack the resources to be on the offensive, leading to a slowdown in hostilities. Reportedly, Russia have taken heavy casualties and are running low on supplies. According to the report, ukrainian forces destroyed a russian ship named the Orsk, near the occupied port of Berdyansk. Reportedly, it was large enough to carry 45 tanks and 400 people.

According to the report, in the part of Mariupol captured by russians, a grass area between charred apartment buildings has become a makeshift graveyard. Reportedly, trucks arrived with food supplies and hundreds of people, many elderly emerged to queue in silence while russians distributed boxes.

According to the report, the u.s. president said he is committed to identifying additional equipment, including air defence systems to help Ukraine. Reportedly, u.s. sanctions have extended to include members of the russian parliament and military contractors such as wagner.

According to a report, the eu imports 90% of its natural gas, used to generate electricity, heat homes and drive industry. Reportedly, russia supplies almost 40% of eu gas and a quarter of its oil. According to the report, the eu is looking to diversify suppliers.

Grain shortage

According to reports, Russia, Canada, the u.s. and France are the world’s largest wheat exporters. Reportedly, millions of tons of wheat and corn has been earmarked for export by June, but russian forces have blocked the ports.

According to a report, the availability of wheat is of particular concern in east Africa. Reportedly, Russia and Ukraine supply 100% of Eritrea’s wheat and almost 90% of Kenya’s wheat imports, the trend is similar in other countries in the region.

Ukrainian president calls for talks with president of Russia

According to a report, the president of Ukraine called for talks with the russian president on Monday, as ukrainian cities were reeling from constant shelling and more than a quarter of ukrainians displaced. Reportedly, early Wednesday he said negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow were confrontational but moving forward.

According to a report, on Tuesday the Mariupol city council said intense russian airstrikes were turning the city into the ashes of a dead land. Reportedly, russian forces and russian backed seperatists have taken over half the city.

According to reports, the u.s. president will visit europe on Thursday to take part in a special meeting of nato and address the european council. Reportedly, he plans to announce new sanctions and is expected to underscore efforts to enforce existing ones.

According to reports, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and to a lesser extent France rely on Russia to supply from 24-77% of their total natural gas supplies, others, for example north Macedonia, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzogovina, 100% and Finland and Latvia 94 and 93%. The energy crisis has lead to the promotion of nuclear generated electricity, others dismissing gas as a contributor to green house gasses.

Reportedly, the remainders of plants and animals building up over millions of years amidst pressure and heat turned them into coal, oil and natural gas. Gas being a vapour would be free of pollutants.

Kyiv open to future discussions concerning Donbas

Reportedly, fleeing citizens of Mariupol described relentless bombardments and corpses in the street. According to reports, weeks of shelling has cut off water, power and food supplies. Reportedly, the city council said that more than 1,100 people were on their way in a convoy of buses to another city to Mariupol’s north west. According to the report, an estimated 5,000 citizens have taken refuge in a camp set up by russian seperatists in Donetsk. Reportedly, according to the deputy prime minister more than 8,000 ukrainians escaped to safer places on Monday, 3,000 from Mariupol.

According to the report, ground offensives in other parts of the country advanced slowly or not at all, knocked back by lethal hit and run attacks by ukrainians. Reportedly, early Tuesday following a fierce battle, Ukraine forces forced russian troops out of the Kyiv suburb of Makariv. According to the report, the regained territory enabled forces to take control on a key highway and block russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the north west.

Reportedly, the ukrainian president who said 117 children have died in the war, suggested Kyiv would be open to future discussions on the status of areas in the Donbas region, but said that was a topic for another time.