Russia Ukraine War March 25 Latest news: The government of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol says 300 people died in a Russian airstrike on March 16 on a theatre being used as a bomb shelter, reported AP. Britain’s Defence Ministry today said that Ukraine retook towns and defensive positions up to 35 kilometres east of Kyiv. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked EU leaders for supporting Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia. But he also said that these steps should have been taken earlier so that Russia would have thought twice about invading Ukraine.
Let’s dive into the latest updates on the much talked about conflict:
Moscow on Friday signalled it was scaling back its ambitions in Ukraine to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists as Ukrainian forces went on the offensive, recapturing towns on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, reported Reuters. In the first big sign that Western sanctions on Russia were impacting investment from China, sources told Reuters state-run Sinopec Group, Asia’s biggest oil refiner, had suspended talks on a petrochemical investment and a venture to market Russian gas. In the month since they launched their invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops have failed to capture any major city. Their assault has met stiff resistance from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s forces and been halted at the gates of Kyiv, Reuters reported.
The United States and its NATO allies are doing contingency planning for any possible Russian attack on NATO territory, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday as US President Joe Biden traveled to Poland, reported Reuters.
A senior Pentagon official has said that Russia will come out as weaker and more isolated from the war. A Reuters report quoted Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy as saying that Russia’s military will emerge out of Ukraine weaker. He added that the country will turn economically weaker, politically and geopolitically weaker, and more isolated.
Russian ex-president and deputy head of security council Dmitry Medvedev on Friday said that it is foolish to believe that Western sanctions against Russian businesses could have any effect on the Moscow government, reported Reuters. Meanwhile, Ukraine has claimed that its forces had destroyed the Russian ship ‘Orsk’ at Berdyansk.
India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly held talks on Friday focusing on the eastern Ladakh row and the geopolitical implications of the crisis in Ukraine.
The European Union has showed unity and agreed through four rounds of unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. But at a summit which was held on Thursday, the 27 leaders faced division on the issue of energy.
US President Joe Biden and allies have decided to impose new sanctions and provide more humanitarian aid in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, there was no decision on the robust military assistance that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had pleaded for in his video appearances.
According to an AP report, Joe Biden, in an early evening news conference on Thursday, warned that a chemical attack by Russia “would trigger a response in kind.” However, a White House official later said that it doesn’t mean any shift in the US position against direct military action in Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Moscow of forcibly taking thousands of civilians from Ukrainian cities to Russia, where some may be used as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up, reported AP. Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine’s ombudsperson has stated that about 402,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken against their will.
Moody’s Investors Service has stated that it will withdraw its credit ratings on Russian entities, following similar moves by Fitch and S&P Global Ratings. The rating agency’s parent firm, Moody’s Corp, suspended commercial operations in Russia earlier this month over its invasion of Ukraine.
