Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has noted the efforts of the Prime Minister of Israel to find ways to peace.
The Israeli “Prime Minister, Minister [Naftali] Bennett, is trying to find a negotiating path with Russia, and we are grateful for every effort for us to start talking with Russia, sooner or later,” Zelensky said in a video address early on Monday.
“Possibly in Jerusalem. This is the right place to find peace, if this is possible,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky recalled that he spoke on Sunday in the Israeli Knesset, but, he noted, “spoke on your behalf with the people of Israel, who understand us as free people of free people.”
He said, “Israel has its interests and a strategy of protecting its citizens, we understand all that,” Zelensky said.
An ammonia leak at the chemical industry plant PJSC Sumykhimprom occurred due to shelling. One person was injured, the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has said.
“On March 21 at 03:55 in Sumy, the territory of Sumykhimprom was shelled. Due to the shelling, one tank with ammonia was damaged. As of 05:00, there was a slight leak of ammonia,” the press service wrote in the Telegram channel on Monday.
As of 7:30 am, rescuers were working to put a bandage on the damaged pipeline.
Civilian casualties from February 24, 2022, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, until 24:00 on March 19, 2022, amounted to 2,361 people (2,246 in the report a day earlier), including 902 dead (847), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reports on Sunday.
“UNHCHR believes that the real numbers are much higher, especially in government-controlled territory, and especially in recent days, as information from some places where there has been intense fighting has been delayed, and many reports are still awaiting confirmation,” it said.
According to it, this applies, for example, to Mariupol and Volnovakha (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region), Severodonetsk and Rubizhne (Luhansk region), Trostianets (Sumy region), where there are reports of numerous civilian casualties. They are subject to further verification and are not included in the above statistics.
“The majority of civilian deaths or injuries were caused by the use of explosive devices with a wide area of effect, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as rocket and air strikes,” the report says.
According to confirmed UN data, 179 men, 134 women, 25 boys and 11 girls died, while the sex of 39 children and 514 adults has not yet been determined.
Among the 1,459 injured, there are 22 girls and 16 boys, as well as 60 children, whose gender has not yet been determined.
Compared with the previous day, according to the UN, the number of dead children increased by 11, injured – by 20, such tragic figures have never been seen before.
The Ukrainian side is ready for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CNN.
“I am ready to negotiate with him. I have been ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we will not be able to end this war. I think that we should use any format, any chance, to be able to negotiate, an opportunity to talk to Putin. But if these attempts fail, it will mean that this is the third world war,” Zelensky said.
At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine under no circumstances can give up its territorial integrity.
“No compromises related to our territorial integrity and our sovereignty, and the Ukrainian people spoke about this, they did not meet Russian soldiers with a bouquet of flowers, they met them bravely, they met them with weapons in their hands,” Zelensky said.
“If we were a NATO member, a war wouldn’t have started. I’d like to receive security guarantees for my country, for my people. If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, then do it immediately because people are dying on a daily basis. But if you are not ready to preserve the lives of our people, if you just want to see us straddle two worlds, if you want to see us in this dubious position where we don’t understand whether you can accept us or not — you cannot place us in this situation, you cannot force us to be in this limbo,” the head of state said.
“I requested them personally to say directly that we are going to accept you into NATO in a year or two or five, just say it directly and clearly, or just say no. And the response was very clear, you’re not going to be a NATO member, but publicly, the doors will remain open,” he said.
Indian and Japanese Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Fumio Kishida on Saturday called for peaceful resolution of the situation in Ukraine during a meeting in Delhi, Japan Times has reported.
The leaders urged an “immediate cessation of violence,” and noted that the only way to resolve the conflict is through dialogue and diplomacy.
Kishida and Modi also stressed the importance of ensuring the security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine and overcoming the humanitarian crisis that has developed in Eastern Europe due to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees there, Japan Times said.
In addition, the leaders discussed the strengthening of economic ties between the countries and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia will provide Ukraine, at the request of the Ukrainian government, with at least 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal to strengthen energy security, according to the Facebook page of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
“Australia is recognized internationally as a leading and reliable supplier of energy resources. We thank our Australian partners for helping Ukraine at this difficult time, when our state is resisting an illegal and brutal military invasion by Russia,” Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said.
As noted in the message, the Australian government has worked with enterprises of the country’s coal industry to accumulate coal volumes, which will be the country’s contribution to providing Ukrainian consumers with reliable electricity. The cost of coal and its delivery will be covered by the Australian government.
Australia’s Whitehaven Coal will arrange the appropriate shipment. Now, along the government line, together with the Ukrainian side, the issue of prompt delivery is being worked out, the Ministry of Energy said.
