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       Zelensky says Ukraine is ‘prepared to consider neutrality’

       Peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have got underway in Turkey aimed at ending the invasion more than a month after Vladimir Putin declared war.

       The resumption of formal direct talks comes after a pause of more than two weeks.

       More than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine, and thousands have been killed – including more than 200 children.

       Elsewhere, the UK has called the suspected poisoning of Roman Abramovich “very concerning”. Mr Abramovich reportedly suffered symptoms consistent with poisoning after attending peace talks in Ukraine earlier this month.

       The UK Ministry of Defence has said Ukraine’s capital remains a target for Russian troops, though counter-attacks have met with some success.

       “Russia still poses a significant threat to the city through their strike capability,” the intelligence update said. “Russian forces are maintaining blocking positions while attempting to reorganise and reset their forces.”

       Recommended Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? The conflict explained Where can I donate items for Ukraine and which items are most needed? Unprotected Russian soldiers disturbed radioactive dust in highly toxic Chernobyl ‘red forest’ Ukraine neutrality on the table as face-to-face talks with Russia to begin

       Key Points Russia poses ‘significant threat’ to Kyiv, claims UK Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators ‘victims of suspected poisoning’ Unprotected Russian soldiers disturbing radioactive dust in Chernobyl ‘red forest’ Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia begin in Istanbul

       Show latest update 1648544144 Russia expels Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian diplomats

       Russia’s foreign ministry called in the ambassadors of the three Baltic nations on Tuesday to announce the expulsion of some of their diplomats in a tit-for-tat response, the TASS and RIA news agencies cited a source as saying.

       Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania expelled a total of 10 Russian diplomats in a coordinated move earlier this month.

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 09:55

       1648543664 Ukraine’s Holocaust survivors brace for Russian forces

       The only reason Yuri Parfenov was not murdered in the 1941 massacre of Odesa’s Jewish population is because a family hid him and his brother in a toilet pit when the soldiers came for them, writes Bel Trew.

       In total, fourteen members of his family - including his mother - were killed during the Holocaust in Ukraine. In the Black Sea port city of Odesa, tens of thousand of Jewish residents were shot, burned alive and worked or starved to death - predominantly by Romanian soldiers allied to Nazi Germany.

       But Yuri survived and later went on to serve in the Soviet Union’s army.

       So, he says, it is particularly ironic that as a half-Russian Holocaust survivor and former USSR tank captain, he faces death again but this time at the hands of Vladimir Putin, who claims his invasion aims to “de-Nazify” the country and save Russian-speaking inhabitants of Ukraine from “genocide”.

       Here is her full dispatch:

       ‘Putin who are you liberating us from?’ Holocaust survivors brace for Russian forces Odesa has been a centre for Jewish life for hundreds of years. The community there tells Bel Trew of their anger and terror as Vladimir Putin - who claimed to want to ‘denazify Ukraine’ - bombards the coast

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 09:47

       1648543244 Don’t eat, drink or touch anything to avoid poisoning, Ukraine’s foreign minister tells negotiators

       Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned those negotiating with Russia not to eat or drink following the reported poisoning of Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators.

       In an interview with the Ykpaiha 24 news channel, translated by Sky News, Mr Kuleba said: “I advise anyone going through negotiations with the Russian Federation not to eat or drink anything, and preferably avoid touching any surface.”

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 09:40

       1648542344 Two days of talks starts with no handshake

       Ukrainian television reported the talks had begun with “a cold welcome” and no handshake between the delegations.

       The delegations are scheduled to hold two days of talks in a government building adjacent to the 19th-century Ottoman palace, Dolmabahce, on the shores of the Bosporus.

       Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough, but the resumption of face-to-face talks is an important first step towards a ceasefire.

       Earlier talks between the sides, held in person in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending the monthlong war.

       Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the country’s east.

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 09:25

       1648541444

       Russian missiles have reportedly struck a target near Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk which is close to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

       Authorities said there were no casualties, the Kyiv Independent reported, but the attack raises fears yet further that Russia could inadvertently trigger a nuclear accident by hitting nuclear sites in Ukraine.

       Earlier, Russian soldiers who seized the Chernobyl nuclear site drove armoured vehicles without radiation protection through a highly toxic zone called the “Red Forest”, workers there said.

       The two sources said soldiers in the convoy did not use any anti-radiation gear. The second Chernobyl employee said that was “suicidal” for the soldiers because the radioactive dust they inhaled was likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies.

       The New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, seen in 2017

       (REUTERS)

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 09:10

       1648540544 US and allies planning more sanctions on Russia, says official

       The United States and its allies are working on new sanctions to hit a broader range of sectors across Russia’s economy, including those that are critical to sustaining its invasion of Ukraine, such as supply chains.

       That was the warning from the deputy US treasury secretary, Wally Adeyemo, on Tuesday as he spoke in London during a European trip to consult on strengthening and enforcing sanctions

       He said that the broadening of these efforts was aimed at undermining “the Kremlin’s ability operate its war machine”.

       “In addition to sanctioning companies in sectors that enable the Kremlin’s malign activities, we also plan to take actions to disrupt their critical supply chains,” Mr Adeyemo said in remarks prepared for the London-based think tank Chatham House.

       “These are actions we will take in coordination with the more than 30 partners and allies that have joined our coalition in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 08:55

       1648539704 Drone footage shows destroyed Mariupol theatre

       Drone footage taken from the Mariupol theatre which was targeted by Russian forces on 16 March while hundreds were sheltering shows the near-total destruction of the building.

       Ukrainian authorities said the Russian air strike is believed to have killed 300 people.

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 08:41

       1648538804 Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia open in Istanbul

       Negotiators have gathered in Istanbul where opening remarks by Turkey’s president were given ahead of peace talks getting underway.

       Recep Tayyip Erdo？an met negotiators from the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul prior to talks commencing.

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 08:26

       1648537844 Peace talks could pave way for Putin-Zelensky meeting, says Erdogan

       As peace talks are set to get underway in Turkey, the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdo？an, has said both presidents Zelensky and Putin are “valuable friends”.

       Mr Erdo？an said he hoped the meeting in Istanbul would pave the way for a meeting between the two leaders, and that Turkey would be happy to host that too.

       He added that concrete results were now needed and that an immediate ceasefire should take place while talks resume.

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 08:10

       1648537180

       Ukraine hopes to open three humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged towns and cities on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

       She said this would include trying to establish a safe corridor for people to leave the encircled southern port city of Mariupol in private vehicles.

       In the besieged southern port city of Mariupol nearly 5,000 people have been killed, including about 210 children, according to unverified figures from the mayor.

       Survivors have told harrowing tales of people dying from lack of medical treatment, bodies being buried wherever space could be found, and women giving birth in basements.

       A collapsed building in Mariupol, which has suffered widespread destruction

       (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       Tom Batchelor 29 March 2022 07:59

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