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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia traveled to Mariupol, a Ukrainian metropolis his forces captured after a devastating siege, in a defiant and extremely symbolic transfer that got here two days after a global courtroom issued a warrant for his arrest.
Mr. Putin flew by helicopter to Mariupol, a metropolis on the Azov Sea that was a serious industrial hub earlier than the invasion, the Kremlin mentioned in a press release on Sunday. Within the metropolis, Mr. Putin drove from the airport by way of a number of neighborhoods, the Kremlin mentioned, inspecting reconstruction works with a prime Russian official answerable for infrastructure. The Kremlin additionally mentioned that Mr. Putin spoke with some native residents.
Earlier than the Russian invasion plunged Mariupol into one of many fiercest city battles of latest occasions, the town was dwelling to greater than 400,000 folks and the location of Europe’s largest metal plant.
It was Mr. Putin’s second unannounced journey of the weekend to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, and the closest the Russian chief has been to the entrance strains because the full-scale invasion final February. His journey on Saturday to Crimea was timed to coincide with the ninth anniversary of Russia’s unlawful annexation of the peninsula.
The 2 high-profile visits have been defiant gestures from the Kremlin lower than 48 hours after a global courtroom accused him of battle crimes and issued a warrant for his arrest. The warrant claims that Mr. Putin bears particular person felony accountability for the kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian kids since Russia’s invasion final yr.
The places have been deeply symbolic: This was Mr. Putin’s first journey because the battle started to the Donbas area of jap Ukraine, full management of which he has made the said goal of his forces.
Other than Mariupol, Mr. Putin on Sunday additionally visited the Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don, the place he met with prime army commanders concerned within the battle in Ukraine, the Kremlin mentioned.
Because the begin of winter, either side have been locked in a grinding battle for land within the east the place the entrance line has barely moved, every military working wanting ammunition and experiencing mounting casualties. Mr. Putin has proven no indicators of easing up or heading to the negotiating desk, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has vowed to recapture all of the territory that Russia grabbed, together with Crimea.
Ukraine is predicted to mount a spring offensive to reclaim Russian-occupied territory, bolstered by new and complicated weapons from its NATO allies. Because the battle enters its second yr, Mr. Putin has discovered himself additional remoted, with a rising checklist of sanctions threatening to decrease Russia’s revenue from the sale of its oil and fuel.
On Monday, he’ll host Moscow’s most necessary ally, China’s chief, Xi Jinping, giving Mr. Putin a possibility to reiterate a theme the Kremlin has emphasised because the battle’s begin: that worldwide help for Ukraine is restricted to Western nations.
China has mentioned the three-day go to by Mr. Xi presents Beijing a possibility to push Mr. Putin into peace talks and has hinted {that a} name with Mr. Zelensky might observe. However the US has argued that China just isn’t an sincere dealer and is offering Russia with much-needed provides for the battle, accusations that China has denied and which have helped drive relations between the 2 powers to the bottom in a long time.
For months final yr, Russia poured 1000’s of troops into Mariupol, some of the affluent Ukrainian cities earlier than the battle, and indiscriminately bombarded its condo buildings. Outnumbered and outgunned, Ukraine’s army held on for weeks, finally taking shelter within the metropolis’s metal manufacturing unit. Lastly in Might, Ukrainian forces retreated, leaving the devastated metropolis in Russian management.
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