Mariupol ultimatum rejected as Kyiv weighed NATO bid for ceasefire
A look back at the political and diplomatic signals in the days around 22 March 2022, from the refusal to surrender Mariupol to talk of peace terms.
What was Ukraine's government signalling as the war entered its fourth week? On 22 March 2022, the political picture was shaped by reports from the preceding days: a rejected ultimatum over Mariupol, a possible concession on NATO, and cautious talk of negotiations.
Mariupol ultimatum refused
On 21 March 2022, Ukraine rejected a Russian ultimatum to surrender control of Mariupol. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Kyiv had already informed the Russian side of its answer.
A possible trade on NATO
On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would consider dropping Ukraine's request to join NATO in exchange for a ceasefire. The remark placed the country's alliance aspirations directly on the table in the discussion of how to end the fighting.
Talk of talks
On 20 March 2022, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Russia and Ukraine were nearing agreement on certain peace issues. The same day, the Daily Express reported that a BBC correspondent had said Russian President Vladimir Putin had finally agreed to meet Zelenskyy.
Western diplomacy and energy
Also on 20 March 2022, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said US President Joe Biden was due to travel to Warsaw on 25 March, after meetings in Brussels with NATO allies, G7 leaders and European Union leaders.
On the economic front, Bulgaria said on 20 March 2022 that it would end gas imports from Russia's Gazprom when its 10-year contract expired at the end of 2022. Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said Sofia would also seek more gas from Azerbaijan.
Taken together, the reports from those days showed Kyiv holding firm on Mariupol while keeping open the question of its NATO bid, as outside governments spoke of progress in talks and moved to adjust their own energy and diplomatic plans.
