Day 33 Roundup: Negotiators Travel to Turkey, Ukraine Retakes Irpin, Biden Walks Back Putin Remarks
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Image credit: Getty Images [via The Guardian]
The Facts
- Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine were due to arrive in Istanbul late on Mon., officials confirmed, for face-to-face meetings that will likely begin Tues. Pres. Zelenskyy has said he's ready to accept a neutral status for Ukraine, but would have to put it to referendum.
- This comes as White House officials continue to walk back comments made by US Pres. Biden in Poland on Sat., where he labelled Putin "a butcher" who "cannot remain in power." Biden on Mon. said he was expressing personal outrage, not a change in American policy to oust the Russian president.
- Meanwhile, on-the-ground reporting and analysis from military-linked think-tanks suggests Russia has shifted its attention from Kyiv to Ukrainian troops concentrated in the east. In his nighttime address, Zelenskyy said that Russian forces control the region north of the capital.
Sources Split
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The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after a fraudulent election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to re-write history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 5% chance that Kyiv will fall to Russian forces by June, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
