March 20, 2023 - Xi and Putin meet in Moscow as Russia's war in Ukraine continues

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow shows China’s intent to provide “diplomatic cover” for Russia's "atrocities committed in Ukraine" instead of condemning them.

However, Blinken said that “elements” of China’s peace proposal for the war were in line with efforts the US would support. 

“China’s proposal includes elements that we have long supported, including ensuring nuclear safety, resolving the humanitarian crisis, protecting civilians and, indeed, the first element calls for upholding sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all counties,” said Blinken.

But he said any calls for a ceasefire “that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest” as it would “allow President Putin to rest and refit his troops, and then restart the war at a time more advantageous to Russia.” 

The chief of Russia's Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin said Monday in an open letter to the Russian defense minister that Wagner forces control around 70% of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

A months-long battle continues in the city and earlier this month, Prigozhin acknowledged that the situation in Bakhmut was “difficult, very difficult, with the enemy fighting each other for each meter.”

"At the moment, Wagner units control around 70 percent of the city of Bakhmut and are continuing operations to complete the liberation of the city," Prigozin wrote Monday in the letter published on Telegram. 

Prigozhin asked Shoigu to take measures to prevent a potential upcoming offensive by Ukrainian troops in late March or early April, which Prigozhin said will cut off Wagner forces from Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. 

What Ukraine is saying: Prigozhin's comments come after Ukraine's military on Saturday claimed Wagner mercenaries have suffered “colossal losses” in the battle for Bahkmut and have had to seek reinforcements from Russian paratroopers.

“According to what we see Bakhmut will be the last battlefield for the infamous military actions of PMC Wagner because of this extensive offensive, where they ‘throw in’ all of their mercenaries and then the ex-prisoners,” Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said while speaking on national television. “Now we see that they are reinforced by units of the regular army. First of all, the airborne troops.” 

CNN is unable to independently verify Prigozhin's claims or Ukrainian claims of Russian casualties.

Meanwhile, Prigozhin announced on Saturday that he plans to recruit about 30,000 new fighters by mid-May, according to a voice message published on Telegram.

Seventeen EU member states and Norway have agreed to jointly procure ammunition to “aid Ukraine and replenish national stockpiles,” the European Defence Agency (EDA) said in a news release on Monday.

Earlier Monday, Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that following a meeting in Brussels, European Union member states had agreed on the joint procurement of one million rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine.

“The project opens the way for EU Member States and Norway to proceed along two paths: a two-year, fast-track procedure for 155mm artillery rounds and a seven-year project to acquire multiple ammunition types,” the European Defence Agency said.

The 18 European nations include: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway.

The EDA said that this project “sends a clear message to industry and strengthens the EU’s support for Ukraine following Russia’s war of aggression,” adding that more countries have expressed intent to join the initiative.

According to the EDA, the agency has been working since November of last year to identify critical shortfalls on three areas: ammunition, soldier systems and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) equipment.

This project provides a seven-year framework “to commonly procure multiple types and calibers of ammunition (5.56 mm to 155 mm) to replenish national stocks.”

The State Department’s human rights report this year highlights the war crimes and other atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine which have resulted in “massive death and destruction,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken writes in the report’s preface.

The report comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. It says that “thousands” of Ukrainians have been subject to forced deportation to Russia.

Russia’s authoritarian political system is “dominated by President Vladimir Putin,” the report says. But it does not draw specific connections between Putin and the war crimes committed in Ukraine.  

The report highlights the Kremlin’s efforts to shut down dissent, specifically highlighting the government’s “severe suppression of free expression and media,” use of “excessive force and other harsh tactics” to detain antiwar protestors, and specific efforts to penalize students who voiced opposition to the war. 

“According to human rights organizations, hundreds of university students were expelled during the year for their political views. For example, on March 9, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reportedly ordered Saint Petersburg State University to expel 13 students who participated in antiwar protests,” the report says.

The report says that Russian law enforcement officers used “torture, including sleep deprivation, as a form of punishment against detained opposition and human rights activists, journalists, and critics of government policies.”

The situation in the town of Avdiivka, located north of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, is “really difficult and hard to control,” Special Forces soldier Maj. Maksym Morozov told Ukrainian television on Monday.

Morozov, who is in the Avdiivka area, said Russian forces are “advancing despite huge losses” and are “pushing from both sides,” meaning the north and the south of the town.

“They are gaining success because they are attacking in waves — first there goes the ‘cannon fodder’ and then professionals are going behind them, the special forces who are trying to strike our firing lines," he said.  

“Russians are using various tactics — night infantry attacks, armoured groups supported by a tank or aviation, rocket strikes. Our armed forces are bravely repelling the attacks,” Morozov added.

Meanwhile, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said Monday that “the enemy offensive is ongoing in several directions,” noting offensive action in Bilohorivka, Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Mariinka. She said the Ukrainian army is “making progress in certain areas.”

Some background: There are about 2,000 civilians remaining in Avdiivka, according to Ukrainian officials. Several children had been evacuated, and over the past three weeks alone, 150 people had left the town, Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka Civil-Military Administration, told local TV channel Espresso.

CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Tim Lister contributed reporting to this post.

The Biden administration has authorized an additional $350 million in security aid for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday.

The Presidential Drawdown includes “more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and howitzers that Ukraine is using to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, HARM missiles, anti-tank weapons, riverine boats, and other equipment,” Blinken said in a statement.

Drawdown packages are pulled directly from US weapons stocks and can be shipped quickly to Ukraine. 

Blinken on Monday reiterated that the US will stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

More context: The last Presidential Drawdown of US equipment for Ukraine was announced earlier this month, and was valued at $400 million. That package included, for the first time, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges, a system used to launch bridges to cross trenches and narrow water obstacles.

The US has committed more than $32 billion in Presidential Drawdown funds to aid Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began more than one year ago.

European Union member states have agreed on the joint procurement of one million rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine, Estonia’s Defense Minister said Monday.

Following a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels, Hanno Pevkur tweeted that “political consensus had been reached – 1 million rounds of 155mm to Ukraine."

As the war stretches into its second year, Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than the US and NATO can currently produce it.

Speaking after the meeting in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was confident ammunition production can be increased quickly.

Pistorius said he will be awaiting offers from ammunition manufacturers until the end of March, noting the importance of speed when it comes to supplying Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the meeting “the highest priority need is artillery ammunition. It is not only about the quantity, but also about the speed of delivery. The sooner we get as many shells as possible, the more lives will be saved,” according to a readout from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. 

Before the meeting, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters he was confident production capacity could be increased to provide 2 billion euros (or about $2.1 billion) worth of ammunition.

The European Union’s 2 billion euro ammunition plan for Ukraine is “a very strong step to protect European security,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, tweeted Monday in response to the announcement.

The EU has not yet provided further details of the agreement.

China and Russia "share similar goals," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday during a visit to Moscow.

"I'm very happy that I can visit Russia again, at your invitation. And that Russia is the first country that I visited after my re-election as China's President," Xi told Putin.

Xi also expressed support for Putin to be reelected.

"I know that the Russia presidential election is next year. Russia's development has significantly improved under your firm leadership. I believe that the Russian people will continue to strongly support you,” he said.

Xi said China “highly values” China-Russia ties and that both countries can cooperate to fulfill their development goals.

A delivery of German Marder infantry fighting vehicles is on its way to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on the sidelines of an EU Foreign and Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday. 

Germany announced in January it would provide Ukraine with 40 of the Marder vehicles. Later that month, it said Ukrainian soldiers had arrived in Germany for training on the vehicles.

More on the vehicles: The Marder is designed to move soldiers around the battlefield. It has been used by the German military since the early 1970s but continuously upgraded. The German military is in the process of phasing it out, but hundreds are still in service.