Updated on 03/17/2023 10:07 am
- 10:07 am: ➤ Kremlin confirms Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow in March
- 9:03 a.m .: Expert is critical of the exit from Russian gas by 2027
- 08:16: China calls on Russia and Ukraine for peace talks
➤ Kremlin confirms three-day visit to Moscow by Xi Jinping in March
China’s head of state and party leader
Xi Jinping comes at the invitation of the Kremlin boss
A peace initiative recently presented by Beijing was met with general disappointment in the West. In its position paper on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China suggested a ceasefire and negotiations. However, the plan does not contain any concrete demands on Russia. (dpa/tas)
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The situation at a glance:
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine from the air and on the ground. Shortly before, President Vladimir Putin had questioned Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state and recognized the so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, the Ukrainian army has been fighting the invaders as best they can. Thousands of dead are reported on both sides, but exact numbers of soldiers and civilians have not been independently verified. The fact is: the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is getting worse every day.
The refugee agency UNHCR has now registered more than 19.5 million border crossings from Ukraine (as of March 14). The refugees are mainly women and children, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country. According to UNHCR, more than 11 million border crossings back into Ukraine were registered during this period (as of March 14).
The EU and the USA reacted with sanctions. They are also supplying arms to Ukraine, and Germany is also supporting the country with arms deliveries. Ukraine also received Gepard-class tanks from Germany. (dpa)
© dpa infographic GmbH
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The other reports on the war in Ukraine from March 17th
Expert critical of Russian gas exit by 2027
Economic expert Gabriel Felbermayr is critical of the planned EU-wide exit from Russian gas. Shutting down to zero creates new dependencies, said the head of the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (Wifo) of the German Press Agency. “It should be a certain mixed portfolio in a post-war world that will hopefully then prevail and not one that only focuses on American liquid gas,” said Felbermayr, who headed the Kiel Institute for the World Economy from 2019 to 2021.
Austria, which in contrast to Germany still receives Russian gas, is obviously counting on time and an end to the war in the medium term. “Many hope that the Ukraine war will be over by 2027 and that there will be a new modus vivendi,” said Felbermayr. The researcher thinks it is wrong to assume that Austria is dependent on Russian gas given its high import share. “In the summer of 2022, the country proved that it can fill its storage facilities without Russian gas.”
Last January, the proportion of Russian gas imported into Austria was almost 50 percent. “What we all don’t want is for the Kremlin to earn a lot of foreign currency from gas sales,” said Felbermayr. That is why he is still in favor of an import tariff on Russian gas, which would make the raw material less attractive for new contracts with Moscow.
Not least in view of the very well filled gas storage facilities across the EU – in Austria the storage facilities are still 67 percent full (March 2022: 12 percent) – Felbermayr sees little danger of rapidly increasing gas prices. The price level is only about twice as high as before the Ukraine war. “The price cannot drop much further, but it will not make any jumps similar to those in 2022 either.” (dpa)
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China calls on Russia and Ukraine for peace talks
China has urged Ukraine and Russia to begin peace talks as soon as possible. China hopes all parties will exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and get back on the path to a political solution, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, according to the Chinese Xinhua News Agency. Beijing is concerned that the crisis could escalate and spiral out of control and will continue to play a constructive role in ending hostilities and restoring peace.
In the conflict, China is backing Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Russia is never portrayed as an aggressor in China. In February, Beijing presented a position paper on the Ukraine war that called for respect for sovereignty, an end to a “Cold War mentality”, a ceasefire and the resumption of peace negotiations. It had disappointed internationally – also because it did not even provide for the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas in Ukraine. Recently, Beijing reacted angrily to warnings from the United States that the country could possibly supply weapons to Russia in the Ukraine war.
Now, Qin Gang said China is willing to work with Ukraine to promote the sustainable and stable development of bilateral ties. His country has always taken an objective stance on the Ukraine issue and called on the international community to create conditions for peace talks.
Kuleba thanked Beijing for the humanitarian aid, according to Xinhua. China is not only an important partner of Ukraine, but also plays an indispensable role in international affairs. Ukraine will continue to adhere to the One China Doctrine. With this, the communist leadership in Beijing does not allow any country to maintain relations with both the People’s Republic and Taiwan. (dpa)
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has promised Kiev further arms deliveries – but first of all it is very important “to quickly supply Ukraine with the necessary ammunition,” Scholz said in a government statement in the Bundestag.
With material from dpa, Archyde.com and AFP
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