On the weekend before the US-Israeli attack on Iran, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Mark Rutte: “We are doing everything we can to end the war, and it largely depends on the United States whether Russia is ready.” Ukraine is mobilizing about 30,000-34,000 military personnel per month, while Russia is mobilizing about 10,000 more, Prime Minister Zelenskyy reported. “We mobilize what we can, and even with this number, there are always demands from someone, somewhere, that they need more because they want more shifts, and they’re right, because people are tired. When you’re tired, morale plummets.” He believes there’s a chance for peace by the fall if Putin agrees to a trilateral meeting.
“Peace talks on Ukraine were scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, but the location is currently uncertain due to the fighting in the region,” Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters. He emphasized that the meeting had not been canceled. He named Turkey and Switzerland as alternative countries for the peace talks. “These are already operational platforms that have provided us with the opportunity to meet. (…) We are waiting for a response from our partners,” he said. Zelensky also stated that there have been no signals from the United States or Europe that the escalation in the Middle East could affect the PURL program or the supply of missiles for the Patriot air defense system. “Ukraine is not considering exchanging border territories with the Donetsk region,” Zelensky said. He also stated that the situation in Iran is a good signal for Putin to see how the dictatorship ends.
“Russia plans to conquer Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odessa,” said Pavlo Serhiyovych Palisa, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office. According to Palisa, “I see Moscow’s ambitious plans. They have not given up on conquering Donbas.” “The Russians are still planning to create a buffer zone in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. At the moment, I see no objective ability on the part of the Russians to implement these plans in the next six months. To occupy the 6,000 square kilometers under Ukrainian control in the Donetsk region, Russian troops will need about a year and a half.”
Rishi Sunak, former British Prime Minister, has become Zelenskyy’s adviser on Ukraine’s economic recovery.
Russia will withdraw from peace talks unless Ukraine cedes Donbas. Next week’s negotiations will be decisive, according to Bloomberg. “Russia is ready to sign a draft memorandum for a peace agreement if Ukraine agrees to withdraw its troops from the rest of the Donetsk region. Subsequently, a presidential summit between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky will soon be held to confirm the agreement, which will involve the mutual withdrawal of Russian and Ukrainian troops.
The Russian administration is engaged in talks with Middle Eastern leaders to seek a path to dialogue and end the ongoing war. Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the WAM news agency. They discussed the attacks against the UAE and other Arab countries, as well as regional and international peace and stability. “The presidents called for an immediate end to the military escalation to prevent further escalation of the conflict, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing problem-solving through dialogue and diplomacy,” the statement read. The Russian embassy in Tehran was hit, but there were no reported deaths.
In a statement to TASS: Dmitriev called the EU’s decision to reject Russian gas “idiotic.” He noted that prices Gas supplies could more than double in the context of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran. The EU will again need Russian gas to survive.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on March 2. Krasnodar Krai and Crimea repelled Ukrainian drone attacks throughout the day. Crimea reported the restoration of power. In Novorossiysk, where the air raid alert was still in effect on the morning of March 2 and transport was disrupted, residential buildings were damaged. The Ukrainians targeted an oil loading terminal. The use of drones was also reported. According to the Ukrainians: UAV drones attacked the oil terminal and the naval base in Novorossiysk. On the night of March 2, drones UAVs struck the Sheskharis oil terminal and the Novorossiysk naval base in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. According to preliminary information, damage was confirmed to tankers at the terminal and the S-400 radar station. Four RVS-5000 tanks, three RVS-2000 tanks, oil pipelines, and an underground tank were also destroyed. In Sochi, houses and a car were damaged in Lazarevskoye, a horticultural community near Volkovka. Intensive drone activity was detected near Melitopol, in the Zaporizhia Region. In total, from morning until 11:00 p.m., the Ministry of Defense reported the downing of 232 fixed-wing drones.
Bryansk Oblast was hit by tactical drone strikes; Land damage has been reported in the village of Brovnichi, Klimovsky District, on the territory of the Miratorg agricultural holding, and in the villages of Novyi Ropsk, Khinel (Sevsky District), Ponurovka (Starodub District), Elionka, Suzemka, Gorozhanka, and Kozhanovka.
In the direction of Sumy, the Sever Group of Forces destroyed the HIMARS and Vampire MLRS systems that had been shelling the Russian border area for the past two days. The Ukrainians are redeploying both personnel and equipment. Russian forces maintain the initiative in the Sumy and Hlukhivs’kyi districts. Exchanges of fire have been reported in the Tetkino and Glushkovskiy sectors.
Yesterday, Belgorod was hit by rocket fire, with air defenses active. Six people were injured in several districts.
In the direction of Kharkiv, the Northern Group of Forces continues to press on Ukrainian defenses, with air force and territorial public units (TPS) operational. In Vovchanski Khutory, mutual clashes are taking place over the ruins of every residential building. Advances are reported in the direction of Velykyi Burluk District. Vesele has been captured by the Russians, and the zone of control of Russian troops is expanding.
East of Lyman, clashes are reported between Russians and Ukrainians in the area of the central hospital. Russian forces are conducting an assault on Drobysheve.
West of Pokrovsk, the first reports are emerging of a significant Russian success in Hryshyne after a prolonged period of fighting. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Riznykivka, Donetsk, has changed hands and is now controlled by Moscow’s troops.
In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, the Russian Vostok Group of Forces continues its offensive in the areas of Rizdvyanka, Vozdvyzhivka, Verkhnya Tersa, and Huliaipilske.
On the Zaporizhia front, positional battles are taking place in the areas of Stepnohirsk, Lukyanivsk, Mahdalynivka, and Zapasne. One Ukrainian drone strike killed and one wounded one person on Novovasylivka Road.
Graziella Giangiulio
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