The Evening Wrap: Putin tells Macron Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine in any case

Russian President Vladimir Putin told French leader Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that Russia would achieve the goals of its military intervention in Ukraine whatever happens, Reuters reported. In a statement issued after the French and Russian presidents spoke by phone, the Kremlin made clear its goals included the demilitarisation and neutrality of Ukraine. Any attempts by Kyiv to delay negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials would result in Moscow adding more items to a list of demands it has already set out, it said. “Vladimir Putin outlined in detail the fundamental approaches and conditions in the context of negotiations with representatives of Kyiv. It was confirmed that, first of all, we are talking about the demilitarisation and neutral status of Ukraine, so that a threat to the Russian Federation will never emanate from its territory,” the statement said. “It was emphasised that the tasks of the special military operation will be fulfilled in any event, and attempts to gain time by dragging out negotiations will only lead to additional demands on Kiev in our negotiating position.” The statement said Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine was going “according to plan”. It said reports that Russian forces were bombarding Kyiv were part of an “anti-Russia disinformation campaign”, and that Russian forces were doing all they could to protect civilians. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation has left to hold the second round of negotiations talks with Russia on the Belarus-Poland border. The talks will be held on a day when Ukraine lost its first major city to Russian forces. The number of people fleeing Ukraine reached 1 million, according to the UNHCR, and is expected to grow in the coming days as Russian forces continue to advance into Ukranian territory. Moscow’s global isolation intensifed as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted 141-5 (35 abstentions) to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling on Moscow to unconditionally withdraw its troops. The International Criminal Court launched a probe into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Ukraine, while the European Union cut seven Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system and banned Kremlin-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting into the bloc. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic coversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the safe evacuation of Indians from Ukraine. Indian Air Force’s first evacuation flight landed in Delhi early on Thursday, while three more are expected to land later in the day. Uttar Pradesh polls 6th phase: Over 53% polling till 5 p.m. Over 53% voting was recorded till 5 p.m. in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Thursday. The prominent faces among the 676 candidates for 57 seats spread across 10 districts in this phase of U.P. elections include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban and State Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj. Around 2.15 crore people were eligible to vote in this phase. So far, voting for 292 of the 403 Assembly seats has been completed. The final phase of polling in the remaining 54 seats will be held on March 7. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 46 of the 57 seats. China denies asking Russia to delay Ukraine invasion until post-Olympics, denounces report China on Thursday denounced a report that it asked Russia to delay invading Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics as “fake news” and a “very despicable” attempt to divert attention and shift blame over the conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also repeated China’s accusations that Washington provoked the war by not ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. “We hope the culprit of the crisis would reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, take up their responsibilities, and take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem instead of blaming others,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. “The New York Times report is purely fake news, and such behaviours of diverting attentions and shifting blames are very despicable,” Wang said. The Times article cited a “Western intelligence report” considered credible by officials. “The report indicates that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia’s war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week,” the Times wrote. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 4, hours before the Games’ opening ceremony. Following that, the sides issued a joint statement in which they declared “friendship between the two states has no limits, there are no forbidden areas of cooperation.” In that statement, China also endorsed Russia’s opposition to further NATO expansion and demand that it “respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries.” Russia, for its part, reaffirmed its support for China’s claim over Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing threatens to annex by force if necessary. Russia had launched an attack on Georgia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, angering some in the Chinese leadership and among the public. The Times said it wasn’t clear whether the communication about an invasion took place between Xi and Putin or at a lower level, but that the intelligence report indicated that “senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia’s war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week.” China is one of the very few major governments that haven’t criticised Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and has also ruled out joining the United States and European governments in imposing financial sanctions on Russia. Instead, Beijing has endorsed the Russian argument that Moscow’s security was threatened by NATO’s eastern expansion. China abstained in Wednesday’s U.N. General Assembly emergency session vote to demand an immediate halt to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops. “Regrettably, the draft resolution submitted to the General Assembly emergency special session for vote had not undergone full consultations with the whole membership, nor does it take into consideration the history and the complexity of the current crisis,” Wang said. “It did not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts,” he said. “These are not in line with China”s consistent position. Therefore, we had no choice but to abstain in the voting.” Supreme Court tells Attorney-General to talk to Centre over evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal to use his good offices and urge the Centre to come to the aid of Indian students believed to be stuck without food, water and money at the Ukrainian border even as the crisis deepens. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana called for the Attorney General, the top law officer of the government, when a lawyer from Kashmir made an urgent mentioning on behalf of a girl student who, he said, was among a group of 30 stranded at the border. “They have been prevented from crossing the border. The temperature there is –7 degrees. They are without food, water or money. Please intervene with the government to evacuate them,” the lawyer pleaded. The lawyer said the petitioner was a medical student. She was part of a group of Indian students based in Odessa, Ukraine. They were trying to get through to neighbouring Moldova, he said, referring to the petition filed three days ago in the top court. Mr. Venugopal said the Prime Minister had already talked to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine about the evacuation of Indian nationals. The law officer said a Minister was already in Romania, helping with the evacuation. Indian nationals who crossed the border were being given aid and evacuated via relief planes. The Attorney-General said it was “strange” that Ukraine was not allowing the students to cross the border. “Please use your good offices and talk to the government,” the CJI addressed Mr. Venugopal, who agreed to do so. The court asked the student’s lawyer to hand over a copy of his petition to the Attorney-General. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 4,29,48,157 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,14,608. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 03 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Putin tells Macron Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine in any case Russian President [Vladimir Putin told French leader Emmanuel Macron]( on Thursday that Russia would achieve the goals of its military intervention in Ukraine whatever happens, Reuters reported. In a statement issued after the French and Russian presidents spoke by phone, the Kremlin made clear its goals included the demilitarisation and neutrality of Ukraine. Any attempts by Kyiv to delay negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials would result in Moscow adding more items to a list of demands it has already set out, it said. “Vladimir Putin outlined in detail the fundamental approaches and conditions in the context of negotiations with representatives of Kyiv. It was confirmed that, first of all, we are talking about the demilitarisation and neutral status of Ukraine, so that a threat to the Russian Federation will never emanate from its territory,” the statement said. [A child looks out from a carriage window as a train prepares to depart from a station in Lviv, western Ukraine, enroute to the town of Uzhhorod near the border with Slovakia, on March 3, 2022. ] “It was emphasised that the tasks of the special military operation will be fulfilled in any event, and attempts to gain time by dragging out negotiations will only lead to additional demands on Kiev in our negotiating position.” The statement said Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine was going “according to plan”. It said reports that Russian forces were bombarding Kyiv were part of an “anti-Russia disinformation campaign”, and that Russian forces were doing all they could to protect civilians. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation has left to hold the second round of negotiations talks with Russia on the Belarus-Poland border. The talks will be held on a day when Ukraine lost its first major city to Russian forces. The number of people fleeing Ukraine reached 1 million, according to the UNHCR, and is expected to grow in the coming days as Russian forces continue to advance into Ukranian territory. Moscow’s global isolation intensifed as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted 141-5 (35 abstentions) to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling on Moscow to unconditionally withdraw its troops. The International Criminal Court launched a probe into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Ukraine, while the European Union cut seven Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system and banned Kremlin-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting into the bloc. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic coversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the safe evacuation of Indians from Ukraine. Indian Air Force’s first evacuation flight landed in Delhi early on Thursday, while three more are expected to land later in the day. Uttar Pradesh polls 6th phase: Over 53% polling till 5 p.m.  [Over 53% voting was recorded till 5 p.m.]( in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Thursday. The prominent faces among the 676 candidates for 57 seats spread across 10 districts in this phase of U.P. elections include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban and State Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj. [Voters queue up at a polling booth in Gorakhpur on March 3, 2022 during the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. ] Around 2.15 crore people were eligible to vote in this phase. So far, voting for 292 of the 403 Assembly seats has been completed. The final phase of polling in the remaining 54 seats will be held on March 7. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 46 of the 57 seats. China denies asking Russia to delay Ukraine invasion until post-Olympics, denounces report  [China on Thursday denounced a report]( that it asked Russia to delay invading Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics as “fake news” and a “very despicable” attempt to divert attention and shift blame over the conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also repeated China’s accusations that Washington provoked the war by not ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. “We hope the culprit of the crisis would reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, take up their responsibilities, and take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem instead of blaming others,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. “The New York Times report is purely fake news, and such behaviours of diverting attentions and shifting blames are very despicable,” Wang said. The Times article cited a “Western intelligence report” considered credible by officials. “The report indicates that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia’s war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week,” the Times wrote. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 4, hours before the Games’ opening ceremony. Following that, the sides issued a joint statement in which they declared “friendship between the two states has no limits, there are no forbidden areas of cooperation.” In that statement, China also endorsed Russia’s opposition to further NATO expansion and demand that it “respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries.” Russia, for its part, reaffirmed its support for China’s claim over Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing threatens to annex by force if necessary. Russia had launched an attack on Georgia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, angering some in the Chinese leadership and among the public. The Times said it wasn’t clear whether the communication about an invasion took place between Xi and Putin or at a lower level, but that the intelligence report indicated that “senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia’s war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week.” China is one of the very few major governments that haven’t criticised Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and has also ruled out joining the United States and European governments in imposing financial sanctions on Russia. Instead, Beijing has endorsed the Russian argument that Moscow’s security was threatened by NATO’s eastern expansion. China abstained in Wednesday’s U.N. General Assembly emergency session vote to demand an immediate halt to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops. “Regrettably, the draft resolution submitted to the General Assembly emergency special session for vote had not undergone full consultations with the whole membership, nor does it take into consideration the history and the complexity of the current crisis,” Wang said. “It did not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts,” he said. “These are not in line with China”s consistent position. Therefore, we had no choice but to abstain in the voting.” Supreme Court tells Attorney-General to talk to Centre over evacuation of Indian students stranded in Ukraine   The Supreme Court on Thursday [asked Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal to use his good offices and urge the Centre to come to the aid of Indian students]( believed to be stuck without food, water and money at the Ukrainian border even as the crisis deepens. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana called for the Attorney General, the top law officer of the government, when a lawyer from Kashmir made an urgent mentioning on behalf of a girl student who, he said, was among a group of 30 stranded at the border. “They have been prevented from crossing the border. The temperature there is –7 degrees. They are without food, water or money. Please intervene with the government to evacuate them,” the lawyer pleaded. The lawyer said the petitioner was a medical student. She was part of a group of Indian students based in Odessa, Ukraine. They were trying to get through to neighbouring Moldova, he said, referring to the petition filed three days ago in the top court. Mr. Venugopal said the Prime Minister had already talked to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine about the evacuation of Indian nationals. The law officer said a Minister was already in Romania, helping with the evacuation. Indian nationals who crossed the border were being given aid and evacuated via relief planes. The Attorney-General said it was “strange” that Ukraine was not allowing the students to cross the border. “Please use your good offices and talk to the government,” the CJI addressed Mr. Venugopal, who agreed to do so. The court asked the student’s lawyer to hand over a copy of his petition to the Attorney-General. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 4,29,48,157 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,14,608.  Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today‘s Top Picks [[Children at night protest: even maths test can’t keep them away ] Children at night protest: even maths test can’t keep them awayÂ]( [[The Russian invasion is making the global chip shortage situation worse] The Russian invasion is making the global chip shortage situation worse]( [[What is 6G, the next level in communication] What is 6G, the next level in communication]( [[The case of disappearing waterbodies] The case of disappearing waterbodies]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](