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UKRAINE SAYS IT sees possible room for compromise in talks with Russia despite Moscow’s stepped up bombardment of Kyiv and new assaults on the port city of Mariupol.
The fast-moving developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground come as Russia’s invasion neared the three-week mark and the number of Ukrainians who have left the country amid Europe’s heaviest fighting since the Second World War passed three million.
After delegations from Ukraine and Russia met again yesterday via video, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia’s demands were becoming “more realistic”.
The two sides are expected to speak again today.
“Efforts are still needed, patience is needed,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation. “Any war ends with an agreement.”
Zelenskyy, who is expected to address the US Congress today, thanked President Joe Biden and “all the friends of Ukraine” for $13.6 billion in new support.
He appealed for more weapons and more sanctions to punish Russia, and repeated his call to “close the skies over Ukraine to Russian missiles and planes”.
He said Russian forces yesterday had been unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory but had continued their heavy shelling of cities.
Over the past day, 28,893 civilians fled the fighting through nine humanitarian corridors, although the Russians refused to allow aid into Mariupol, he said.
In other developments, the leaders of three European Union countries — Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia — visited the embattled capital yesterday, arriving by train in a bold show of support amid the danger.
Meanwhile, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia’s bombardment of the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged closer to the city centre, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites.
Zelenskyy said yesterday that barrages hit four multi-storey buildings in the city and killed dozens.
The strikes disrupted the relative calm that returned after an initial advance by Moscow’s forces was stopped in the early days of the war.
A senior US defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon’s assessment, said that the Russians were using long-range fire to hit civilian targets inside Kyiv with increasing frequency but that their ground forces were making little to no progress around the country.
The official said Russian troops were still about nine miles from the centre of the capital.
They said the US has seen indications that Russia believes it may need more troops or supplies than it has on hand in Ukraine, and it is considering ways to get more resources into the country.
Before yesterday’s talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would press its demands that Ukraine drop its bid to join Nato, adopt a neutral status and “demilitarise”.
In a statement that seemed to signal potential grounds for agreement with Moscow, Zelenskyy told European leaders gathered in London that he realizes Nato has no intention of accepting Ukraine.
“We have heard for many years about the open doors, but we also heard that we can’t enter those doors,” he said. “This is the truth, and we have simply to accept it as it is.”
Nato does not admit nations with unsettled territorial conflicts.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he realises Nato is not going to offer membership to Ukraine and that he could consider a neutral status for his country but needs strong security guarantees from both the West and Russia.
The UN said close to 700 civilians in Ukraine have been confirmed killed, with the true figure probably much higher.
Two journalists working for Fox News were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by fire on Monday on the outskirts of Kyiv, the network said.
Fox identified the two as video journalist Pierre Zakrzewski, who was an Irish citizen, and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, who was helping Fox crews navigate the area. Another journalist was killed on Sunday in Ukraine.
New efforts to bring civilians to safety and deliver aid were underway around the country. The Red Cross said it was working to evacuate people in about 70 buses from the north eastern town of Sumy, near the Russian border.
The exodus from Mariupol marked the biggest evacuation yet from the southern city of 430,000, where officials say a weeks-long siege has killed more than 2,300 people and left residents struggling for food, water, heat and medicine. Bodies have been buried in mass graves.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, said that about 20,000 people managed to leave Mariupol yesterday in 4,000 private vehicles via a designated safe corridor leading to the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Later, Ukraine said a fourth Russian general had been killed in the fighting.
Major general Oleg Mityaev died yesterday during the storming of Mariupol, said Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko, who published a photo on Telegram of what he said was the dead officer.
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lets hope an agreement is met for everyone sake. war only brings misery
Can’t see how this will end well. Even if they come to a compromise what happens then, Russia goes back and all of forgiven? There’s talks of a new Nuremberg trial for Putin and co. Can’t see how that will not be resisted.
@John Sheahan: that will go ahead. Whatever agreements are decided on there are some things that will have to happen as a result of the war. War crimes trials is one of them. Its hard to see Putin surviving. Sanctions will lift but some very slowly. Reperatioms will need to be made and my guess is siezed assets could be used in part to pay this. There are deals to be done but the world can’t be seen to allow Russia and Putin to go unpunished. Whatever agreement can be made to stop the fighting between Russia and Ukraine is one thing. What happens with the west’s response is another.
@John Sheahan: Russia will be put on the naught step for a year or 2 and then welcomed back with open arms. Let’s not kid ourselves here.
It makes my blood boil. I know the war must end, but Putin has murdered thousands in a senseless war, and in return he’ll get at least a bit of what he wanted – Ukraine will be vulnerable and permanently outside of NATO. The thing is, Putin could just return in a few years. His citizens are bra!nwashed. He doesn’t deserve to be anywhere but on trial for war crimes. It is unjust and criminal that Putin can cause such terrible scenes and then carry on as normal after the war. At the very least, I think the sanctions should remain until Putin is gone. Something must be done to show that behaviour like this is unacceptable.
@Zack Twamley: I don’t think the west will forgive and forget when it comes to Putin. Whatever about peace in Ukraine I think Putin is finished as a world leader. Russia should be and probably will be on the outside until he’s removed. I think war crimes investigations will continue even if there is an agreement between the two countries. There are already international prosecutors looking at this.
@Zack Twamley: Maybe If the world acted the last time a super power invaded another country things might be different. But those super powers went in killed more in the first week than what Russia has done in 3 weeks so far, stayed for decades and not even so much as a slap on the wrist. So this is kind of behaviour is very much accepted when it came to them.
@Roy Dowling: what peace loving democratic country did these super powers invade and why? Maybe we should just ignore all acts of aggression in future and let fascist regimes have their way with their neighbours. Kuwait city would have huge statues in honour of it’s ruler Saddam if it wasn’t for foreign intervention 30 years ago.
@GrumpyAulFella: Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and the US pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1990. 13 year later US invaded Iraq who were not at war with anyone. They have no justification to invade the iraq in 2003. May I suggest you actually read up on the facts. Also Fyi when Iran invaded Iraq in the mid 80. Guess who helped Saddam Hussein push Iran out if Iraq. Yep the US. US love a fascist regime once that fascist regime does as the US says.
@Roy Dowling: yes but you didn’t answer my question Roy. Iraq was a fascist regime headed by a war mongering dictator. Are you trying to draw comparisons between the Iraq of the 00s and the present day Ukraine? I suggest that you purchase some history books. I’m not denying the result of the conflict nor condoning the actions of the Alliance in that offensive but any suggestion that the Iraqi dictatorship and regime was somehow comparable to Ukraine is comical.
@GrumpyAulFella: Doesn’t matter if Iraq was a fascist regime. That doesn’t give the West a right to invade. Iraq was involved in no wars for 13 years, unlike Saudi Arabia which also fascist regime and currently at war with Yemen. Why hasn’t the US got involved there? That’s right there US aliies. So that warmongering fascist regime is okay isn’t it. It’s quite sad you actually make excuses for the US invasion and killing or innocent Iraqi civilians.
@Roy Dowling:
“America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests”
― Henry Kissinger
@Roy Dowling: again I haven’t condoned anything Roy. All I’ve pointed out is that your d@ft comparison between Ukraine and Iraq and merits of invading either is just that, d@ft. You seem to think that nudging Saddam back into his box from Kuwait was sufficient to give him and his terrorist regime time to recuperate ahead of their next assault. Hitler wasn’t afforded that luxury so why would a more modern day equivalent be afforded it. It’s time you stopped pointing fingers at people for condemning the genocide in Ukraine just because you have a gripe with US foreign policy.
@Roy Dowling: I don’t disagree with anything you have said but you sound an awful lot like a Putin apologist with your whataboutisms. You’ve been doing this on here since before the invasion even began. Not once have you posted about Putin and his henchmen murdering innocent Europeans and left it at that. Every one of your posts talks about how the USA are bad too. Well guess what? This I isn’t about the USA nor do we live in the USA. This is a war in Europe by a crazed distator and the fact that you can’t bring yourself to just criticise the aggressor without whataboutisms should make you look at yourself.
@GrumpyAulFella: it’s not a daft comparison. It’s the last time a super power inavded another country for absolutely no reason. You can’t use and excuse of Saddam invaded Kuwait 13 years earlier that’s doesn’t fly. They made up lies and went in. In the first week alone 15 thousand Iraqs died and your hear saying it’s different because ones a European democracy and the other a middle ear dictator. Pull the other one..
@Gerry McCaughey: yes I have many . Posting it on every single post about the war isn’t going to change Putin mind. For me doesn’t matter of the war is in Europe or the middle East. That’s irrelevant a life is a life doesn’t matter what continent it was born on.
@Roy Dowling: it’s absolutely relevant where it is. It’s on our continent. But I’ll tell you where it’s not, it’s not in the USA or Middle East. The only thing that is irrelevant in this discussion is you constantly bringing up the Iraq war. Iraq has nothing to do with this.
….or unconditional surrender as happened with Germany and Japan?
@Paul Shepherd: it took 6 years and countless millions of deaths and nuclear bombs to bring the Axis to unconditional surrender. Hopefully no one is advicating a repeat of that.
@M Bowe: Putin has his Nukes of course, but unlike WW2 Russia has no Axis-no Allies
@John Black: China India Pakistan all did not speak out at United Nations
@Gerrard: You’re right Gerrard, but abstaining at a meeting vote is quite different from actually togging-out and going to war for Russia.
@John Black:I think it will become clear in the near future that they do have strong allies and players in this.The Russian government now has an expanded long term market for its copious gas,oil and raw materials in China and India(.And a large new supply of shale oil,gas and various minerals from Eastern Ukraine which would of probably stayed in the ground has the E.U becomes more environmentally resolved ).The west is fully on the green wagon-not much of a future for the Moscow elite circle even in Germany for its no 1 exports.(The oligarchs i think are the puppets and the west is ratherly lamely ….not really dealing with the truly powerful in Russias governmentv).So i believe resource wars are the future-a tier of countries still using fossil fuels and old technologies that would have a ransom hold on the developed countries of the world.This war has caused an economic tsunami which if the Eastern governments have played it right might still be making them money (the markets turmoil and rises,a bit like gambling for them)…i ‘ve got a feeling that the cost of living crisis is to some degree a by product of long term Chinese monetary strategy in high value asset markets that they wish to influence and control and that the policy is to undermine mainly the E.U at the moment.When we saw many Chinese buyers in global property and luxury markets did we think how that would could cause inflation in a overheated pandemic market?The U.S sits for the time being in the shadows of Chinese,Russian planning.Many objectives are being fulfilled by this war because the stars are well aligned now,,,the Soviets back in the day (when they were effective in major actions) knew to wait-taking on the Japanese in between the detonations of the 2 nuclear bombs because they knew they d be emotionally crippled…..we had COVID 19 to provide a similar weakness.It smacks of a planned almost industrially fought war and i think nobody will stop them to be honest,they ll get de facto control of the Ukraine and Belarus(maybe try for Transnistra in Moldova as a warning) and Putin will soon pass on to his heir in waiting without a problem-whoever that is.
@Ian Richmond: Ok Ian Thanks for your reply- lots to ‘process’ there :)
@M Bowe: I would imagine that was Putin’s original expectation? Now he’ll probably have to settle for less. Meantime, having learned from their mistakes, they’ll reorganise for round three in a few years time.
@John Black:Anytime
Life as we knew it will never return n Europe. Putin has seen to that. He has managed to turn the clock back to 1950s. His ego knows no bounds. He has full intent no matter how bizaar this may sound to the rest of Europe to re establish the former Soviet Union by invading the baltic states. However the experience of the Russian army in Ukraine and their failure to achieve any kind of overall victory has proved hopefully a chastening lesson for his expansionist plans elsewhere. His threat of using Nuclear weapons must be taken seriously and hopefully Nato has already laid out plans for a response to any attempt to use in a “lmited” capacity. The fact that he even contemplates their use is a good insight into the warped mind of the man. There are no winners in a Nuclear war.
Negotiating with an invading country!! Like having to negotiate with a burglar and he ending up owning half the house.
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