# These two days, Putin continuously "layout"! By [Ashley](https://paragraph.com/@ashley-3) · 2022-03-30 --- Beijing, March 7 (Zhang Olin, Li Yuxin) on March 7, Russia and Ukraine plan to hold the third round of negotiations. President Putin and former Israeli Prime Minister Rafael Benitez held talks for three hours and met with each other. Figure: Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the one hand, Putin expressed the possibility of resolving conflicts through peace talks; But at the same time, we will resolutely counter a series of sanctions launched by the West. The special military operation has not stopped. Is the third round of negotiations expected to turn the situation around? Heavyweight mediators appeared. What message did Putin send to Ukraine On March 5, as a “heavyweight mediator”, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett went to Moscow to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin for three hours, hoping to mediate the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine. This is the first time since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that foreign leaders have held face-to-face talks with Putin. The results of this meeting have not been announced yet. After the meeting, Bennett spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky, but it is unknown what kind of message he delivered. Later, he went to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Scholz and talked with French President macron. On March 1 local time, two explosions occurred near the Kiev TV Tower in Ukraine. The next day, Putin held telephone talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He made it clear that Russia is ready to resolve the conflict through dialogue with Ukraine and foreign partners. Any attempt by Ukraine to delay the negotiation process is futile. On the same day, French President macron spoke to Putin again. In the fourth call, Putin repeated this statement - “Russia will continue the dialogue on the premise that Ukraine unconditionally completes the requirements of Russia”. During one meeting and several phone calls, Putin did not adjust the progress of the Russian Ukrainian negotiations and the statement of the Ukrainian government in the face of the promotion and mediation of multinational leaders. Counterattack Western sanctions, the bottom line is unrelenting Although he has always been open to Russia Ukraine negotiations, Putin has not made any concessions on issues involving Russia’s bottom line, such as “the establishment of a no fly zone in Ukraine”. When attending the event on the 5th, Putin said that the implementation of sanctions by western countries against Russia is equivalent to a declaration of war. He also stressed that the establishment of a no fly zone in Ukraine’s airspace is equivalent to intervening in the conflict. In response to Western sanctions, Putin signed a presidential decree on supplementary interim measures to ensure financial stability on March 1, aiming to maintain Russia’s financial stability. On March 1, customers were waiting for business in the business hall of a local bank in Moscow. China News Agency reporter Tian Bing Moreover, Putin also made a major decision: to allow Russian countries and enterprises to pay foreign creditors in rubles as a way for the country to avoid default under regulation. Due to the high-pressure sanctions imposed by the United States and other western countries, the international community had worried that Russia would default on large-scale debt, leading to a serious economic crisis. Bloomberg pointed out that the purpose of Putin’s move is to avoid default and possible economic crisis while capital controls continue. Special military operations, as planned No matter whether the negotiations continue or not and how the Western sanctions are, Russia’s special military action against Ukraine has been carried out as planned. After the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, in order to establish a humanitarian corridor, the Russian army once entered a “silent state”, but the move lasted only 8 hours. On February 24 local time, a military facility near Mariupol airport in Ukraine caught fire. Putin has repeatedly said that Russia’s “special military operation” is proceeding smoothly as planned. Most of Ukraine’s military infrastructure, including weapons and ammunition depots and air defense systems, has been destroyed, and the task of attacking military infrastructure in Ukraine is coming to an end. He also stressed that only when Ukraine stops military operations and meets the requirements of Russia can Russia suspend special military operations. On March 3 local time, the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine was held in belovige forest, Belarus. However, it can be seen from the previous two rounds of negotiations that the demands of Russia and Ukraine are very different. Facing the upcoming third round of negotiations, Putin told Erdogan, “I hope that in the next round of negotiations planned, the Ukrainian representatives can fully consider the reality and show a more constructive attitude.” But will Ukraine change its attitude and reach a consensus? In the fog of conflict, it may be difficult to see the way forward. --- *Originally published on [Ashley](https://paragraph.com/@ashley-3/these-two-days-putin-continuously-layout)*