Ukraine Updates: Second round of peace talks conclude with agreement for civilian evacuation corridors, Russia says it won't stop fulfilling its military objectives

Noah Bressner
Axios
Thu, 03 Mar 2022 18:26 UTC

© Shamil Zhumatov/AFP via Getty Images

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow wouldn't stop hitting Ukraine's military infrastructure as a precondition to peace talks.

The big picture: Lavrov said Russia had submitted demands to Ukraine's delegation but added it would see out the war until "the end," per Reuters.

• Lavrov accused NATO of seeking to maintain military supremacy over Russia and said Moscow will insist on provisions that would prevent Ukraine from becoming a military threat, per AP.
• He also claimed that Russia had no intentions of starting a nuclear war, despite provocative messaging from the Kremlin over the past week.

What he's saying: "We are ready to conduct talks, but we will continue the operation because we won't allow Ukraine to preserve a military infrastructure that threatens Russia," Lavrov said, per AP.

• "The thought of nuclear is constantly spinning in the heads of Western politicians but not in the heads of Russians," he added, according to a translation from Reuters. "I assure you that we will not allow any kind of provocation to unbalance us."

Lavrov also acknowledged a toll on Ukrainian civilians, saying "any military action is fraught with casualties, and not just among the military but also civilians."

Comment: The second round of talks concluded with the agreement to jointly establish humanitarian corridors for civilians, and a temporary ceasefire while they are in operation. "Russia and Ukraine will soon create channels of communication and cooperation to organize these corridors," Ukrainian presidential aide Mikhail Podolyak said. According to the Russian negotiator, Medinsky, the two also "found common ground" on certain other issues, including military, humanitarian, and on future political reconciliation. This comes two days after Russian and Ukraine's first prisoner exchange (t Ukrainian soldiers for 1 Russian). Ukraine had entered the negotiations with establishing the corridors as their (minimum) main goal, which is sensible. Kiev is calling for a UN peacekeeping mission and no-fly zone. Over 1 million Ukrainians have fled the country so far.

Putin spoke to Macron again, reiterating Russia's objectives and adding that they will be achieved regardless of any other circumstances. He added that by delaying negotiations Kiev is simply exposing itself to additional demands. In other words, they had their chance (for 8 years), and now they will comply. Certain things will be negotiable, but the core demands are not. It is take it or leave it. Macron said "nothing reassuring" came from Putin, and he believes the "worst is yet to come."

Zelensky reported survived an assassination plot on Monday. (He is rumored to have been saved by the totally real "Chuck Norris of Kiev," the "Ghost of Kiev's" brother.) Ukraine 'sources' are floating the idea that Putin is planning on reinstating Yanukovich as a temporary president (presumably as he was the last legitimate leader in the country before being illegally ousted). Ukrainian politician Oleksandra Ustinova is finding out what it's like to have the U.S. as a "friend," telling NBC "To be honest, it was a total disappoint for us..." to watch Biden's speech. In other words, to see that they will get no actual support now that they need it. Zelensky claims 16,000 foreign fighters have arrived to assist the Ukrainian military. Germany claims it will send more Strela anti-aircraft missiles.

Hungary, by contrast, will not allow any military aid to flow to Ukraine, and not to send any troops or weapons. Orban explained Hungary's perspective, which is one of the most concise explanations of the war on offer:

War in Ukraine was inevitable, because the US and NATO didn't provide the security guarantees required by Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday.

He added that "there were no arguments for curbing our energy cooperation with Russia," despite the ongoing military conflict.

"NATO is steadily expanding eastward, and Russia likes it less and less. The Russians put forward two demands: Ukraine should declare its neutrality and NATO shouldn't accept Ukraine. The Russians didn't receive these security guarantees, therefore they decided to receive them through a war," the PM explained in an interview with Hungarian outlet Mandiner.

According to Putin, the families of Russian soldiers killed in action will receive over seven million rubles ($65,000) from the government. Those injured can receive three million ($28k), and those permanently disabled will receive lifetime pensions. On the fighting itself, he added:

The offensive is proceeding strictly according to its "schedule," Putin stressed, while admitting certain issues were experienced during the military operation. For instance, the Russian military has established safe corridors for Ukrainian civilians to escape the combat zone, yet local "neo-Nazi" forces and foreign "mercenaries" have been trying to prevent them from leaving, he said.

"Nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, foreign mercenaries, including those from the Middle East, are using civilians as human shields," Putin stated. "As I've already said, there is absolutely objective data, photos of how they place heavy military equipment in residential areas of cities."

He's telling the truth:

The ICC plans to open a war-crimes investigation regarding Ukraine. The prosecutor's office would start collecting evidence for "any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person", Khan said in a statement.

UPDATE (Mar. 4): Russia and the U.S. have opened a deconfliction line to avoid any "misunderstandings" or accidents in Ukraine. Contrary to calls by Kiev, the White House does not support stripping Russia of its UN Security Council seat. As for Moscow, Ukrainian officials say the Russians have been "gradually reducing" their demands:

"If we look closely at it, we see they have stopped talking about denazification," Arestovich said, adding that even the issue of a neutral status for Ukraine had not been raised. "It was a question of preventing the deployment of certain types of offensive weapons in Ukraine that was discussed," he said.

It was not clear, however, which of Lavrov's remarks Arestovich was referencing. On Thursday, the minister gave an interview to foreign media, and stressed that "denazification" was one of Moscow's key goals in Ukraine.

Arestovich's version of the matter has been refuted by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Responding to a journalist's request to clarify whether Russia had rejected the idea of Ukraine's "denazification," Peskov said: "No, it's not the case."

Germany is downplaying reports of their own far-right extremists traveling to fight with the neo-Nazis in Ukraine, saying the number is "significantly fewer" than the reported 10. Germany is reportedly looking at ways to stop any more from traveling, like taking away their passports.

A skirmish at the Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant is prompting hysteria in Western news, with the U.S. embassy calling it a Russian "war crime." What actually happened is that Ukrainians at the facility opened fire on Russian troops, who responded by firing illumination flares, then returning fire. Only an administrative building was damaged, and there is no risk of another Chernobyl.