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What Kyiv was asking for on 14 March 2022
Summary
A look back at the diplomatic and military appeals made by Ukraine as talks with Russia continued in the third week of the invasion.
What was Ukraine asking of the world as the invasion entered its third week? On 14 March 2022, the picture was shaped by events reported on the preceding days: renewed calls for a no-fly zone, cautious talk of progress in negotiations, and a proposal to move ceasefire talks to Jerusalem.
A renewed call for a no-fly zone
On 13 March 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He said it was only a matter of time before Russian rockets fell on NATO territory. Later background shows that NATO rejected Ukrainian requests for a no-fly zone in March 2022, and that of its thirty members only the Baltic states voiced support for the idea.
Signs of movement in the talks
On the same day, 13 March, Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliyak and Russian delegate Leonid Slutsky each said there were signs of progress in the peace talks. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Russia was willing to engage in negotiations aimed at a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy set out what he saw as the purpose of the delegations' talks: to pave the way for direct talks between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A day earlier, on 12 March, Zelenskyy had said ceasefire negotiations should be held in Jerusalem. He added that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett could have a positive impact on the talks.
Events on the ground
On 13 March, the 18th day of the invasion, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russian forces had abducted Yevhen Matviyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne. Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announced that power had been restored to the former power plant in Chernobyl.
A separate diplomatic track in the region
Elsewhere in the region, on 14 March 2022, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan asked the OSCE Minsk Group to help start peace talks with Azerbaijan, with the aim of normalising relations following the conflict.
