President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in Istanbul on March 8, 2024 (The Ukrainian Presidential Office)
Published March 9, 2024
Key developments
- Zelensky arrives in Turkey, meets Erdogan
- French defense minister says no plans to deploy combat troops in Ukraine
- India identifies ‘major human trafficking network’ luring Indians to fight for Russia in Ukraine
- Governor: Russian drone attacks car in Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, kills 2
- Czech official: Allies yet to collect full funding for 800,000 shells earmarked for Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey on March 8 to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Among the topics the Ukrainian and Turkish leaders were planning to discuss were Ukraine’s peace formula, the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, as well as the release of Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia, the President’s Office said.
This is Zelensky’s second visit to this country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion against Ukraine.
After the previous trip in July 2023, Zelensky brought home five commanding officers who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, and had been kept in Turkey under the personal guarantees of Erdogan after a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
Zelensky also said he had visited a shipyard to inspect the building of corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy, and had spoken with Ukrainian Navy personnel.
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SOURCE: www.kyivindependent.com
RELATED: Turkey’s Erdogan offers to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Published March 9, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, despite an offer from the Turkish President to host a peace summit between the two countries.
urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO-member country has sought to balance its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, offered during a visit on Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to host a peace summit between the two countries.
Erdogan, who has repeatedly discussed brokering a peace deal, said at a news conference in Istanbul following his meeting with Zelenskyy that he hoped Russia would be on board with Turkey’s offer.
“Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations,” Erdogan said. “We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included.”
Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded.
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SOURCE: www.euronews.com
RELATED: Even if Russia’s army isn’t a particularly good one, it won’t matter if Ukraine’s defenses crumble, war expert warns
Published March 9, 2024
- Ukraine’s defenses are weak, making it vulnerable to Russian advances.
- Russia’s military isn’t necessarily the greatest, but it won’t matter if Ukraine can defend itself.
- Ukraine is awaiting US aid and even resorting to crowdfunding to acquire necessary defense equipment.
The Russian military isn’t the formidable juggernaut it was once thought to be, but without strong defenses and key support, Ukraine is dangerously vulnerable to a force that can still inflict serious damage, an expert is warning.
Ukraine may still have more to lose as Russia continues advancing onward after capturing Avdiivka.
The Russian army has an ineffective command structure, relies on outdated Soviet-era systems, many of which it has pulled out of storage, and puts troops in the field who are woefully unprepared for combat, but it’s also increasingly adaptive and has significant resources, though some material advantages are diminishing with the pace of its operations and losses.
“Erosion of Russia’s equipment and ammunition advantages will matter very little if Ukraine is not resourced to defend itself in 2024,” wrote Carnegie Endowment for International Peace senior fellow Dara Massicot in Foreign Affairs.
