Ukrainian negotiator, David Arakhamia, said the peace negotiations will continue through video conference today.
Despite agreeing to reduce military activity in certain cities, Russia’s intensified shelling in Kyiv and Chernihiv has made Ukraine doubt the Kremlin’s interest in the talks.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoÄŸlu said Tuesday’s talks showed significant progress towards peace. However, it now seems more like a calculated move as the situation on the battlefield remains the same.
Ukraine is seeking ways for a peaceful agreement as over four million refugees have fled the country, making it the largest refugee crisis since World War II. The outcome of the talk might play a pivotal role as Russian forces are redeploying troops to Ukraine’s Donbas.
Putin gains upper hand over Europe; demands buyers to pay in rubles
Putin drew his trump card on Thursday as Russia utilizes its most powerful resource against Europe.
The Russian President decreed European buyers pay for gas in rubles or have their contracts halted.
Europe is in big trouble
Russia’s power-play has left Europe in a critical position as the continent is highly dependent on Russian gas—Europe receives more than a third of its gas from Russia.
Germany is the most dependent on Russian gas and has already implemented an emergency plan to face the shortage of resources.
The European Nations are trying to find alternatives to compensate for the shortage they would face once Russia halts its resource supply.
Buyers could use the Russian bank, Gazprombank, which would buy rubles on their behalf and transfer the currency to another account.
The US has offered Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) but not enough to replace the resource provided by Russia.
Russia emerges from the rubble
Putin’s latest decree is likely an attempt to hit back against the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.
Putin said the buyers “must open ruble accounts in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments will be made for gas delivered starting from tomorrow (April 1).”
The decree has increased the ruble's value, which saw a dramatic fall after the invasion.
