Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that peace talks looked more realistic but more time was needed, as Russian airstrikes killed five people in the capital. Kyiv And the invasion of Moscow brought refugee numbers to 3 million.
Ukrainian officials have expressed hope that the war could end sooner than expected, possibly by May, saying Moscow is coming to terms with its failure to force a new government and run out of new troops.
“The meetings are ongoing, and, I am informed, the situation already looks more realistic during the talks,” Zelensky said in a video address on Wednesday. But time is still needed to make a decision in the interest of Ukraine. ” Next round of talks.
In a sign of a possible deal, Zelensky said that Ukraine was previously prepared to accept security guarantees from the West, falling short of its long-term goal of joining NATO. Moscow sees any future membership of the Western Alliance as a threat to Ukraine and has sought guarantees that it will never join.
10 Updates on the War in Ukraine:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podolik, who spoke to Russian negotiators via video link on Monday and Tuesday, described the talks as “very difficult and sticky”. There is definitely room for compromise.”
US President Joe Biden will announce on Wednesday that the US is providing more military aid to Ukraine, including anti-armor and air defense weapons, according to a person familiar with the decision. Zelensky is due to speak to Congress via video on Wednesday.
A senior Ukrainian official says some 20,000 people have managed to leave the besieged port city of Mariupol. Kirillo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, said evacuees left Mariupol in private vehicles through a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday.
The United States on Tuesday added more sanctions targeting senior Russian military officials. The US also imposed additional sanctions on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for allowing Russia to use his country as a platform for attacks on Ukraine.
The European Union also added new restrictions to deny the luxuries of the oligarchs, such as purebred horses and sanctioned 15 individuals, including the chief executive of Russia’s state-run television station Channel One, which the EU says is promoting used for dissemination.
The battle for Kyiv intensified, artillery fire echoed in the city. Russia launched a flurry of attacks, blown out windows and a massive fire in a 15-story apartment building in western Kyiv early Tuesday, triggering a frantic rescue effort. Zelensky said the barrage also hit four multi-storey buildings, killing dozens.
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