China News Agency, Beijing, April 23. Comprehensive news: Russian military officials revealed on the 22nd that the tasks of the new phase of the "special military operation" include complete control of Donbass and southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the same day that Ukraine has begun to receive military aid from abroad.

On the other hand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres plans to visit Russia and Ukraine this month and meet with the presidents of the two countries respectively.

Russia plans to take full control of Donbass and southern Ukraine

　　Minnekayev, deputy commander of the Russian Central Military District, said on the 22nd that one of the tasks of the new phase of the "special military operation" is to "completely control the Donbass and southern Ukraine."

He said that the Russian armed forces' control of Donbass will help to establish a land route to Crimea, and control of southern Ukraine will open up another outlet for Russian troops to the Transnistria region.

　　According to Russian media reports on the 22nd, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, the missile cruiser "Moscow" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet caught fire and sank, resulting in one death and 27 missing. The remaining 396 crew members of the ship were evacuated.

Ukrainian local government officials said on the 13th that the Ukrainian border guards hit the "Moscow" cruiser with cruise missiles that day.

But Russia has so far not disclosed the specific cause of the ship's fire.

　　The head of the Russian National Defense Command Center, Miztsev, revealed on the 22nd that without the participation of the Ukrainian government, Russia has evacuated 143,631 local civilians and 341 foreign citizens from Mariupol, and 1,844 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered have also been evacuated. Leave safely.

　　Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov reported on the 22nd that the Russian army had destroyed 140 Ukrainian fixed-wing aircraft, 106 helicopters, 520 drones, 257 sets of air defense missile systems, 2448 tanks and other armored vehicles, 271 multiple rocket launchers, 1,062 field artillery and mortars, and 2,289 special military vehicles.

Zelensky says Ukraine has begun to receive foreign military aid

　　Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 22nd that Ukraine has begun to receive weapons and equipment it has requested from partner countries, which he said will help save thousands of lives.

However, Zelensky did not disclose the specific types of weapons and which countries they came from.

　　According to Canadian media reports on the 22nd, Canada has provided Ukraine with four M777 howitzers and an unspecified amount of ammunition.

　　Zelensky signed a presidential decree on the same day, announcing the establishment of the National Committee for Post-War Reconstruction.

The main task of the committee is to formulate an action plan for the reconstruction and development of Ukraine, formulate reform programs and draft related regulations.

Zelensky said on the 21st that Ukraine needs 7 billion US dollars per month to support its reconstruction work and economic losses.

Russia accuses Ukraine of slowing talks

　　According to the Russian Presidential website on the 22nd, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone call with European Council President Michel that day that the possibility of his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky depends on the specific results of the Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Behaving inconsistently in negotiations and not prepared to seek a mutually acceptable solution.

　　Michel visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the 20th of this month and held a meeting with Zelensky. The two sides discussed issues such as sanctions against Russia, the situation in Mariupol and the reconstruction of Ukraine.

　　Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the 22nd that negotiations with Ukraine are progressing slowly and that Ukraine "is making various statements every day", giving the impression that they do not need these negotiations and that they are "resigned to fate".

　　Lavrov also said that after the Russian side submitted a draft agreement to the Uzbek side on the 15th of this month, the Ukrainian side has not responded.

In addition, it is "wrong" for Zelensky to link the negotiation with the situation at the Azov Steel Plant, and the Russian side will not accept and tolerate the "ultimatum-style rhetoric" of the Ukrainian side.

UN Secretary-General to visit Russia and Ukraine

　　United Nations Secretary-General Guterres' spokesman Djarric announced on the 22nd that on the 26th of this month, Guterres will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Russian capital, and Guterres will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Raf on the 26th. Rove held a working meeting; on the 28th of this month, Guterres will visit Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov subsequently confirmed Guterres' trip to Russia.

　　Guterres recently sent letters to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine to the United Nations respectively, expressing his hope to travel to the two countries and meet with Putin and Zelensky respectively, and have face-to-face discussions on the realization of peace and equality.

French, German leaders say consequences of embargo on Russian gas should be considered

　　According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 22nd, French President Macron said in an interview with the media that the consequences of imposing a natural gas embargo on Russia in the spring and summer of 2022 cannot be seen for the time being, but if the import of Russian natural gas is stopped, Europe will face the next winter. question.

　　German Chancellor Scholz said on the same day that the imposition of a natural gas embargo on Russia would not end the war: "We want to avoid a severe economic crisis, the loss of millions of jobs and the inability of factories to resume production forever. There will be serious consequences for our country and Europe as a whole, and it will also hit the sources of funding for Ukraine's reconstruction."

　　According to Bloomberg, a document released by the British Treasury on the 22nd shows that the United Kingdom has authorized Gazprom Bank and its subsidiaries to pay Russian gas payments by May 31 this year.

In this regard, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov said on the 22nd that the British issue of a license to Gazprom is of a pragmatic nature, but this does not mean that the time to settle natural gas in rubles is postponed.

　　Russian President Vladimir Putin previously proposed that gas buyers from various countries open accounts with Gazprom and pay for gas in rubles.

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