WAR IN UKRAINE: March 22, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 392
The US announced that it will send $350 million in ammunition, river boats and other equipment for Ukraine’s military, while the European Union agreedon plans to jointly procure 1 million rounds to support Kyiv.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Moscow that he and Vladimir Putin will forge a “blueprint for China-Russia strategic coordination,” and the Russian leader praised Beijing’s peace proposals, which have been rejected by Ukraine’s allies. Xi’s trip to Moscow marks his most ambitious effort yet to weigh in on Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, and will be followed by his first conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since Russia invaded more than a year ago. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “world should not be fooled” by a potential Chinese-Russian peace plan that would “freeze” in place territory seized by Russian forces - Bloomberg
Xi Jinping referred to the discussions he had with Vladimir Putin as “friendly, frank and open”, implying some disagreements may remain between Beijing and Moscow. As for Putin’s words - that “many provisions of the Chinese peace plan can be taken as the basis for settling the conflict in Ukraine, whenever the West and Kyiv are ready for it" - the Russian president knows too well that the collective West and Kyiv are not ready to accept this proposal - BBC
An international conference in London raised 4 million pounds ($4.9 million) to support the International Criminal Court in its investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine and its work to hold Russia to account. Justice ministers from over 40 countries met in London for the war crimes conference days after the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility in the abduction of children from Ukraine. “We share the belief that President Putin and the wider leadership must be held to account,” Britain’s Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said as he opened the meeting. “Let’s make sure that we back up our words with deeds, that we back up our moral support with practical means to effectively investigate these awful crimes” - AP
Meduza has learned that the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an order for the Russian president’s arrest came as a major surprise to the Kremlin. According to two sources close to the Putin administration, the Russian authorities were unprepared for the situation. In the leadup to Russia’s 2024 presidential election, the Kremlin planned to present Putin to voters as a “warrior against the West” and a “defender of Latin American and African countries against colonial oppression,” Meduza’s sources said. However, that plan would necessarily involve overseas trips that Putin will now likely be unable to take; because of the warrant against him, the Russian president could theoretically be detained in any of 123 countries. According to sources close to his administration, the Kremlin is unsure how it would be possible to “ensure the security” of the president given the new circumstances.