Zelenskyy briefs Trudeau as ceasefire talks with Russia to resume in Turkey

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OTTAWA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an replace Monday on new ceasefire talks with Russia which might be being held amid Ukrainian claims of navy good points in opposition to Russian forces.

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Zelenskyy informed Russian media earlier than the scheduled negotiations in Turkey that Ukraine is ready to declare neutrality, which might be a concession to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that the Kyiv authorities abandon its ambition to affix the NATO navy alliance.

However Zelenskyy has made clear that Ukraine would wish ensures from Russia, which invaded the nation on Feb. 24, displacing tens of millions within the worst carnage on European soil for the reason that Second World Battle. On Twitter, Zelenskyy stated he mentioned co-operation with Trudeau on “defence and sanctions strain.”

“Knowledgeable concerning the crimes of Russia and the course of the negotiation course of,” the Ukrainian chief added. “I’m grateful for the willingness to contemplate extra macro-financial help for Ukraine.”

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Previous to the talks with Russia, Zelenskyy additionally stated he was open to compromise on the way forward for Ukraine’s japanese Donbas area, which the Kremlin has claimed as its territory and the place eight years of preventing previous to the current Russian invasion left 14,000 useless.

The Russian advance on Kyiv appeared stalled because the mayor of Irpin, a northeastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, stated his city had been liberated from Russian forces. Earlier this month, photographs of useless Ukrainian civilians, together with a mom and two kids, emerged from Irpin.

“The prime minister and president mentioned the persevering with Russian navy aggression and the devastating impacts to Ukraine’s individuals, infrastructure, and financial system,” Trudeau’s workplace stated in a abstract of the decision with Zelenskyy.

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The 2 leaders talked about subsequent steps, together with extra humanitarian, monetary and navy help, in addition to additional sanctions in opposition to Russia, it stated. However the readout from Trudeau’s workplace didn’t point out Zelenskyy’s newest bargaining positions with Moscow.

“Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s steadfast help for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine,” it stated.

Earlier Monday, Trudeau stated that whereas the Russian invasion could also be driving up power costs, it’s nonetheless offering the impetus to maneuver the world in direction of creating greener power sources.

“The resolve of the world to cut back its dependency on Russian oil and gasoline is morphing right into a heightened urgency for the transformation of our power combine in direction of decrease carbon emissions in our energies within the coming years,” Trudeau stated throughout an occasion in southern Ontario.

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Trudeau’s feedback got here because the G7 pushed again on Russian calls for on oil and gasoline entry to an energy-dependent Europe.

Germany’s power minister says the G7 has no intention of giving into Russia’s demand that international locations pay for pure gasoline exports in rubles.

“All G7 ministers agreed utterly that this (can be) a one-sided and clear breach of present contracts,” Robert Habeck, the German minister, informed reporters Monday in Berlin.

The choice was made after a Friday assembly between officers from Canada and its G7 allies.

Final week, Putin stated he would require “unfriendly” international locations to pay for Russia’s pure gasoline in rubles and would arrange a system the place they might purchase the Russian foreign money. The transfer was broadly seen as an try by Putin to prop up the battered ruble, which has been plummeting in worth beneath the burden of western sanctions.

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“There’s a actual alternative to know that Vladimir Putin’s horrible mistaken choice to invade a peaceable, neighbouring nation is offering the world, sure, with hardship proper now round power costs, round meals insecurity, but additionally all of the extra motivation to help one another, to help households as we cut back our dependency on oil and gasoline altogether,” Trudeau stated Monday.

Trudeau says he has mentioned serving to Europe deal with its dependency on Russian power provides, together with throughout his go to to Germany earlier this month the place he and Chancellor Olaf Scholz talked about larger co-operation on creating hydrogen as a clear power supply.

Whereas Canada and its western allies have been tightening an financial noose across the Russian financial system with sanctions and different commerce measures since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, banning Russian power in Europe has been problematic.

That’s as a result of Europe receives 40 per cent of its gasoline and 25 per cent of its oil from Russia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed March 28, 2022.

— With recordsdata from The Related Press