Kyiv Post Daily Thread – The Latest News From and About Ukraine on March 21

The Verkhovna Rada has appointed Oksen Lisovyi to the post of Minister for Education and Science of Ukraine. Mykhailo Fedorov was once again appointed as Minister for Digital Transformation and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Oleksandr Kamyshin as Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine.

You can read more here.

China's President Xi Jinping arrived in the Kremlin on Tuesday to begin formal talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, images broadcast by state-television showed.

Xi entered the Kremlin on a red carpet and was greeted in a grand ceremonial hall by Putin and a delegation of senior Russian officials and a military brass band, which played the anthems of both countries.

Ukraine has managed to bring back 15 more children deported by Russia, together with their mothers and children’s legal representatives.

Read the full story on Ukrinform here.

With China’s Xi meeting Russia’s Putin and discussions of geopolitical shifts, it is important to note that Ukraine and China were strongly growing their relationship prior to the war, especially growing economic ties.

To understand how China may go forward, it’s important to understand how it has and could benefit from further partnering with Ukraine.

Read the full story here.

The International Criminal Court on Monday, March 20, obtained pledges of financial and technical aid from over 40 countries to investigate crimes in Ukraine, three days after it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan urged countries to find "the stamina to deliver on justice," at the London meeting to discuss boosting support for ICC probes into the war in Ukraine.

The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Read the full story here.

Good morning from Kyiv which today welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who is en route to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

What’s happening today?

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are to hold a second day of talks in Moscow, as the internationally isolated Russian leader said he was open to discussing China’s proposals on the fighting in Ukraine.

Xi’s trip to Moscow has been viewed as a major boost for his strategic partner Putin, who is subject to an International Criminal Court warrant over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

On Monday, Xi and Putin held four and a half hours of talks, calling each other “dear friend.”

Read the full memo here. 

Russian-occupied Crimea was hit by more explosions last night, prompting two very different statements from Kyiv and the Kremlin about the cause.

What do we know for sure?

There was definitely at least one explosion in the city of Dzhankoi in the north of the Crimean Peninsula, no one is denying that.

Read the full report here.