Russian and Ukrainian officials will hold a new round of talks on Monday, this time by videoconference, amid reports of renewed attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and constant bombing in Mariupol, in the south of the country.
Monday began with an attack on a residential building in Kiev, which left at least one person dead and 12 injured, according to emergency teams. Three of the injured were hospitalized. Rescue teams said the building is in the northern part of the Ukrainian capital, and that a fire was brought under control by firefighters after an artillery fire during the night.
The local government also claimed that there had been bombings against the Antonov aircraft factory, where two people had died, according to Ukrainian authorities.
In addition to Kiev, air raid warning sirens sounded before dawn in different regions of Ukraine, such as Lviv, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk and Cherkassis.
Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk said on Monday that a Ukrainian attack had left at least 20 dead and nine wounded in the center of the city. On Telegram, Donetsk defense forces posted photos showing bloodied bodies among rubble. The message states that the region’s air defense intercepted a Ukrainian missile, and that shrapnel hit the population.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Monday that NATO must impose a no-fly zone after the attack on the city of Lviv, 25 kilometers from the Polish border, leaving 35 dead, by the Ukrainian count – the Russians say 180. dead foreign mercenaries.
“If they don’t close our skies, it’s a matter of time before Russian missiles hit their territory, NATO territory, the homes of NATO citizens,” Zelensky said in a video message, in which he reinforced that he wanted to meet with the Russian Vladimir Putin.
So far, the United States has ruled out intervening militarily in the conflict, and President Joe Biden has warned that if NATO enters to fight Russia, it will be World War III. On Sunday, Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, and both “underscored their commitment to holding Russia accountable for its actions and to supporting the government and people of Ukraine,” the White House said.
Russians and Ukrainians sent out optimistic messages about the progress of the negotiations and even signaled on Sunday that an agreement could be reached in the coming days. While other talks have focused on humanitarian issues, this Monday officials from both countries will discuss a ceasefire, according to Ukrainian negotiator Mikhailo Podoliak. “Negotiations. 4th round. Will discuss peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees. Difficult discussion,” he wrote on social media.
The talks amid constant shelling of the southern port of Mariupol, where nearly 2,200 people were killed in the attacks, according to Ukrainian officials. A humanitarian column heading to the scene had to return on Sunday, a city official told AFP, after the Russians “didn’t stop shooting”. Zelensky accuses Moscow of blocking and attacking humanitarian convoys, although he said on Sunday that 125,000 people were allowed to leave the country.
The latest intelligence report from the British Ministry of Defense points out that Russia would have established a naval blockade of the Black Sea to isolate Ukraine from international maritime trade.
Monday also began with allegations by US officials leaked to US media that Russia had asked China for military equipment to help in the conflict, prompting concern in the White House that Beijing could intervene more directly in the war. Moscow has also asked Beijing for economic assistance to face sanctions imposed by much of the Western world, the New York Times reported, citing government sources who requested anonymity.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, said “there will be consequences for large-scale efforts to avoid sanctions.”
Asked about Russia’s request for military aid, a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing denied it and accused the United States of “disinformation”. “We support and encourage all efforts that lead to a peaceful resolution of the crisis,” he said.
The UN estimates that nearly 2.7 million people have left Ukraine since the invasion, mostly to Poland. Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to what he called the massacre. “In the name of God, I ask you to stop this massacre,” the pontiff said.
