A Gulfstream G650ER aircraft, associated with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, flew from Qatar to Russia and landed at 10:35 CET on March 13. Yury Ushakov, Russia’s representative for dialogue with the United States on negotiations with Ukraine, was keen to emphasize that the United States has identified a mediator in the negotiations with Russia, “and it is not Steve Witkoff,” he told Zvezda. “Witkoff came to the Russian Federation to discuss bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the United States, including the economic aspect,” Ushakov said.
Furthermore, Witkoff, given the presence of Aljaksandr Lukashenko, the Belarusian prime minister who met Vladimir Putin at the same time, in Moscow to discuss the release of other prisoners and coming from Doha, will most likely put the Middle East issue, including Syria, on the table and will certainly report on what was said in Jeddah. Among the prisoners held by the Iraqi Islamic resistance is Elizabeth Tsurkov, declared a Mossad spy by the Iraqi militias but the woman has a Russian passport. Finally, it should not be forgotten that on March 12, the Russian and American secret services spoke “via cable”.
While the jet with Witkoff was landing, another Tu-204-300 headed to Simferopol with probable new recruits. Speaking for Russia on the Ukrainian issue was always Yuri Ushakov: “Moscow does not want a temporary truce, it is interested in a long-term solution”, referring to his conversation with Mike Waltz. “There is a “normal exchange of views between Russia and the United States, in a calm manner.” “The Americans understand that Ukraine’s accession to NATO is out of the question in the context of a peaceful solution,” Ushakov said.
And again among the statements of the Russian mediator Ushakov, “the idea of a temporary truce against the backdrop of the offensive of the Russian armed forces is a hasty action that is not beneficial for long-term peace.” “The proposal of a 30-day truce does not give Russia anything, it is only an opportunity for Ukraine to regroup its forcesIn any case.” In any case, “Russia’s final attitude to the idea of a temporary truce will be formulated by Putin.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported: “The Russian Federation will have contacts with the Americans, but the details will be announced later.” The Russian Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement: “Russia has taken note of the US and Ukrainian statement following the meeting in Jeddah and is ready to discuss the initiatives contained therein during future contacts with Washington.” Peskov was keen to point out that “peace negotiations have not yet begun.”
The Kremlin said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would have an international telephone conversation on Thursday evening but did not specify with whom. The last time was with China.
The defense ministers of Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Poland welcome the idea of a 30-day truce in Ukraine and want it to be used to establish an indefinite ceasefire, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday. In addition, about 15 countries have expressed their willingness to participate in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, believes that the European Union is currently neither in a state of war nor in a state of peace. The EU is not discussing easing sanctions against Russia, but rather considering a new package of restrictive measures, Brussels said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer flew on a surprise visit to Washington on March 13 for consultations with Trump.
Poland confirmed that the first US plane after the meetings in Jeddah with munitions for Ukraine has arrived in Rzeszow. Polish President Andrzej Duda, in an interview with the Financial Times, called on Trump to place US nuclear warheads on Polish territory to strengthen deterrence against Russia. “If a truce is reached in Ukraine, European countries should increase their military presence in Poland on the border with the Russian Federation and Belarus,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said upon arrival from Ankara.
From Germany, Rheinmetall has declared its readiness to help with weapons the “peacekeepers” in Ukraine, – the head of the company Armin Papperge. So far there are no specific conversations about the supply of “peacekeepers”. However, Rheinmetall can offer “more than 2,000 items”.
From Ukraine, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, confirmed that his forces have retreated to the rear, but claims that fighting continues on the outskirts of the city of Sudzha. The Russians, on the other hand, said that they have under control 86% of the territory of the Kursk region, occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian General Staff. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than 68,000 men and over 7,000 pieces of equipment. Russian troops have liberated more than 1.1 thousand square kilometers. of territory of the Kursk region. “The Northern group has liberated 24 settlements in the last five days alone,” Gerasimov said. Not only that: “The Ukrainian group in the Kursk region is isolated, its systematic destruction is underway”. “The Russian army has crossed the border in several places and entered the Ukrainian Sumy region,” the Russian Chief of Staff said. “The task of defeating the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region and reaching the state border will be completed as soon as possible,” Gerasimov assured.
Vladimir Putin also reiterated: “Our task is to defeat the enemy entrenched in the territory of the Kursk region in the near future, in the shortest possible time.” Putin instructed to “think especially” about creating a security zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border. “Russia will treat the Ukrainian servicemen captured in the Kursk region as terrorists,” Putin said, and “foreign mercenaries are not subject to the Geneva Convention and will be treated appropriately.”
And now a look at the front line updated at 16:00 on March 13.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the town of Sudzha in Kursk is in Russian hands. And reported that the losses of the Ukrainian army during the entire period of hostilities in the Kursk region exceeded 67 thousand victims.
Ukrainian channels reported further attacks of FAB from UMPC, OTR and Geranium. Explosions were heard in the regions of Sumy, Kherson, Mikolaev, Odessa, Khmel’nyts’kyi, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kiev and Cherkasy.
In the direction of Lyman there are battles in the direction of Nove and south of Yampolivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding out while withdrawing reserves
In Torets’k the situation remains the same: Ukrainian units are being sent to development. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have no prospect of changing the situation, but eliminating the Ukrainian units that have made their way to the Russian Armed Forces requires time and effort.
In the direction of Pokrovs’k, the Russian Armed Forces are attacking in the area of the settlements of: Uspenivka, Udachne and Kotlyne. In the villages of Pischanoe and Shevchenko, hostilities between Russians and Ukrainians remain at a high intensity. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have attracted reserves in the direction, Pokrovs’k incl. prepared in the EU countries and put them into battle. South of Yasenove, the Russian Armed Forces are also attacking and leveling the front.
North of Velyka Novosilka, the Russian Armed Forces were installed in the northern part of the village Dniproenerhiya the Russian flag, which confirms the capture of the village.
On the Zaporizhia front, active military operations are taking place in the direction of Orichiv, as well as on the approaches to Shcherbaky. The Russian Armed Forces are getting results in their favor and positive news is expected from the leadership.
The attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod region were at least eight. In the DPR two were injured by a Ukrainian attack.
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Graziella Giangiulio
