China News Agency, Beijing, March 4. Comprehensive news: The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine ended on March 3. The two sides reached a consensus on the establishment of humanitarian channels and agreed to hold the third round of negotiations as soon as possible.

On the 4th, a fire broke out near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, in Ukraine. The core equipment of the nuclear power plant was not affected, and the fire has been extinguished.

　　Russia-Ukraine talks reach partial consensus

　　After the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine ended in the Belovezh Forest in Belarus on March 3, the two sides reported the negotiation situation respectively.

　　Mekinsky, head of the Russian delegation and assistant to the president, said that in this round of negotiations, Russia and Ukraine discussed issues such as military, humanitarian, and future political settlement of conflicts, and mainly resolved issues related to civilian safety in conflict areas. The establishment of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and an agreement to temporarily cease fire in areas related to humanitarian corridors when evacuating civilians.

He believes that the two sides reached a consensus on the matter is a "significant progress" in the negotiations.

　　Podoljak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president's office, said the negotiating parties had reached a solution on arranging humanitarian access, but "Ukraine did not get the result it needed."

He also said that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to start the next round of negotiations as soon as possible.

　　Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation and chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), also said that Russia and Ukraine may have one or more rounds of negotiations, and the third round of negotiations will be held in Belarus in the near future.

　　Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on March 3 that he was ready to discuss all issues, including the Donbas region, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

　　Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said on the same day that the Ukrainian delegation would not make any concessions on key issues such as territorial integrity during the negotiations.

However, he also said it was too early to predict the outcome of the talks, given Russia's announced position.

　　Russia accuses Ukraine of 'delaying' talks

　　On March 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron explained the principled position and conditions of negotiations with Ukraine: First, the "demilitarization" of Ukraine and its neutral status should be discussed to ensure that there will be no more attacks against Russia in Ukraine. threat.

In addition, the Russian side will complete the "special military operation" task anyway, and trying to delay the negotiations will only lead to the Russian side adding additional requirements in the negotiations.

　　Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on the same day that Russia has always been open to negotiations with Ukraine, but the negotiation requires the joint participation of both parties. Russia is very aware that Ukraine is "delaying" the negotiation process.

　　According to reports, Western countries are currently sending more mercenaries from private military companies to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Zelensky posted a video on social media on the 3rd, saying that the first batch of 16,000 "volunteers" were heading to Ukraine.

In addition, many Western countries have announced the supply of weapons and equipment to Ukraine.

Some military experts believe that Western countries have also provided Uzbekistan with operational intelligence support.

　　Naryshkin, director of Russia's foreign intelligence agency, said on the 3rd that Ukraine's neutrality is extremely important to Russia, because the country is Russia's last barrier against Western attacks.

The U.S. and NATO know this and hold on to Ukraine tightly.

The Russian side judged based on the available information that the U.S. and Ukrainian governments plan to prolong the conflict as much as possible and turn it into a high-intensity positional battle.

　　Fire breaks out near Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine

　　According to the Ukrainian National Emergency Service Center, a fire broke out near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine on March 4, local time, due to the fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian troops in the nearby area.

The fire has been extinguished and no casualties have been reported.

　　The Ukrainian National Nuclear Energy Regulatory Authority posted on social media on the 4th that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has been fully controlled by the Russian army. At present, the reactor cabin of Unit 1 of the nuclear power plant is damaged, but it does not affect the safety of the unit.

The important systems and equipment of the nuclear power plant are in normal working condition.

So far, no radiation state changes have been recorded.

　　The International Atomic Energy Agency also posted on social media that day that the core equipment of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was not affected.

　　U.S. President Biden had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day, and the two sides communicated the latest situation of the fire at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

　　The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

　　Russia-Ukraine conflict weighs on European growth

　　According to a Reuters report on the 4th, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the continued rise in commodity prices continued to weigh on European economic growth expectations.

The euro has lost 1.84% this week, on track for its worst week since June 2021.

　　"The war will be devastating for Ukraine. As for Russia, the short- and long-term impact will certainly damage its economy. But EU countries will also be among the hardest hit by these sanctions," the report quoted ING analysts as saying. one of the most important countries.”

　　The report pointed out that the surge in energy and natural gas prices may undermine the expected rebound in industrial and private consumption after the easing of epidemic restrictions, and may also slow down the normalization of European Central Bank policy.

　　According to a report on the website of the British "Independent" on March 3, according to an analysis report of the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Ukraine war will cause at least 400 billion US dollars in losses to the global economy this year.

Rising commodity prices, mostly oil, are the most serious threat to the world economy.

　　The report believes that due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, global economic growth will be hit hard, and European countries will be hit the hardest.

(End) (Reporters involved: Tian Bing, Chen Mengtong, Zhang Shuo, Zhang Huandi, Su Jingxin)