Ukraine claims proposal for security guarantees ensure protection from Russian aggression

Ukraine's proposal for security assurances, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, includes numerous guarantor nations, including the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Turkey, France, and Germany. Podolyak on March 29 tweeted that the aforementioned countries will be legally and actively involved in protecting Ukraine from any aggression. He went on to say that the Ukrainian delegation had pledged to settle the Crimean Peninsula issue exclusively through bilateral negotiations within 15 years after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter, "Briefly. Security guarantees treaty with an enhanced analogue of Article 5 of NATO. Guarantor states (USA, UK, Turkey, France, Germany etc.) legally actively involved in protecting from any aggression. Implementation through a referendum & parliaments of the guarantor states."

Russia to reduce its military action centred on Kyiv and Chernihiv in Ukraine

Russia's deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin on Tuesday said that post the conclusion of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Istanbul, Russia has decided to dramatically reduce its military action centred on Kyiv and Chernihiv in Ukraine. "In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing (an) agreement, a decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions," Alexander Fomin told reporters.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that seven persons were killed in a missile strike on the regional government headquarters in the southern city of Mykolayiv. Further, according to Zelenskyy, who addressed the Danish parliament through a translator, the strike on Tuesday harmed 22 individuals. The strike transpired on the same day that Ukraine and Russia held their first face-to-face negotiations in two weeks in Turkey, bolstering anticipations of a cease-fire.

Meanwhile, Russia's defence minister has stated that Ukraine's military strength has deteriorated significantly and that the country no longer has an air force. He also claimed that during the last two weeks, 600 foreign mercenaries have been slain in Ukraine.