While the Russians continued their bombing raids on Tuesday night, Europe continues to discuss military support consisting of battle tanks to send to Ukraine.

SUMMARY OF THE DAY

• The German Rheinmetall Group can deliver 139 Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine if needed, the company’s representative said. Germany is under intense pressure from Ukraine and NATO allies such as Poland to allow Kiev to purchase German Leopard 2 tanks.

• Poland once again declared that it is ready to send tanks to Ukraine without the consent of Germany. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his government would seek permission from Berlin to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but called the deal “secondary.” A German government spokesman said Berlin had not received a request from Poland or any other country to allow such a transfer.

• The Kremlin warned that the people of Ukraine will “pay” if the West sends tanks to support Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said that the divided positions of European states regarding the supply of tanks to Kyiv indicate growing “nervousness” in the NATO alliance. Peskov also rejected Washington’s announcement of plans to impose sanctions on Wagner’s private Russian mercenary group.

• According to the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, Russian forces continue to face “bottlenecks in operations and heavy losses”. New measures introduced by Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of staff and newly appointed commander in Ukraine, have not been well received, including a ban on soldiers wearing beards.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Monday that imminent changes would be announced in the government, regions and security forces following allegations of corruption nearly a year after the Russian invasion. Zelensky did not name the officials who should be replaced. “There are already personnel decisions – some will be announced today, others – tomorrow – regarding officials of various levels in ministries and other government structures, as well as in the justice system,” Zelenskyy said.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was ready to negotiate with Ukraine in the first months of the war, but the United States and other Western countries advised Kyiv not to do so. Lavrov was speaking during a visit to South Africa, where he met with Foreign Minister Naledi Pandora, a month before the South African military conducts joint military exercises with Russia and China on its east coast.

• Sergey Lavrov claims that Russia agreed with Ukraine on negotiations, but the West did not allow Kyiv to talk to Moscow. “It is known that we supported the proposal of the Ukrainian side to conduct negotiations at the beginning of the military special operation, and by the end of March both delegations agreed on the principle of resolving this conflict,” Serhii Lavrov said.

• Andriy Medvedev, the former commander of Wagner’s mercenary group who fled to Norway about ten days ago, has been arrested by Norwegian authorities under immigration law, Norwegian police said on Monday.

• “Super power”. American actor and director Sean Penn will show the premiere of a documentary he shot in Kyiv about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Berlin Film Festival next month, the organizers said.

• Like Estonia, Latvia is asking the Russian ambassador to leave. Latvia announced on Monday that it had asked Russia’s ambassador to leave Latvian territory and decided to downgrade diplomatic relations with Moscow, hours after Estonia made a similar decision, AFP reported.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 335:

06:08The Russians bombed Chasiv Yar (Donetsk region); one person died and two were injured. The occupiers fired rockets at the residential quarter, hitting at least 9 high-rise buildings and cutting off electricity and gas supply in the entire area, writes Pravda.ua.

01:35President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his message on Monday evening: “The battle for Donbas continues. The battle for the south continues. We see what forces Russia is gathering, and we know how to respond.”

01:19Russia has sent tens of thousands of troops to strengthen the front line – a US military official.

In recent months, Russia has sent tens of thousands of new troops to strengthen the front line in Ukraine, a senior US military official said on Monday, according to CNN.

In Ukraine, government officials will no longer be able to leave the country, except for business trips

01:05Ukraine needs hundreds of tanks, not 10-20, – the head of the OAP in Kyiv.

“We need tanks – not 10-20, but several hundred. Our goal is the borders of 1991 and punishment of the enemy who will pay for the crimes,” wrote Andriy Yermak in a Telegram message.

00:43Borrell claims that Germany does not block the export of Leopard 2 tanks.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Germany is not blocking the export of Leopard 2 tanks as Berlin faces growing pressure to supply them to Ukraine.

Asked about the issue, Borrell said at a press conference today: “It seems that Germany will not ban the export of these weapons if some of the EU member states that have them want to send them,” Al Jazeera reported.