 |
| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Screen Grab) |
On the land, Russian rocket fire targeted a train terminal in southern Ukraine used by thousands of fleeing refugees, and further blasts hit the city, which was under a full curfew.
Russian airstrikes blew out windows at the railway station in Zaporizhzhia, where people were arriving from the besieged city of Mariupol, according to regional officials.
Mariupol citizens have been given permission to leave in the number of 20,000. Exhausted, shivering evacuees, on the other hand, talk about terrifying escape journeys and rotting bodies lining the streets.
"This is the first time in weeks that I have been free to breathe," Mykola said after driving his wife and two young kids through a minefield to escape Russian checkpoints.
More than three million Ukrainians have fled across the border as a result of the violence, and a peaceful solution seems difficult.
Kyiv was bracing for an attack by surrounding Russian soldiers, however, progress has been delayed due in part to resistance from Ukrainian troops carrying high-tech Western weapons.
A new wave of shelling was launched near the city's center overnight, including on a 12-story residential building, sending columns of smoke high into the morning sky.
At least two individuals were hurt, and 37 people were evacuated from the apartment tower, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
The strikes occurred as Ukraine and Russia resumed their sporadic peace talks, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's apparent concession to Moscow that NATO membership was not on the agenda.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, claimed a "compromise" outcome would see Ukraine become a neutral state similar to Sweden and Austria.
However, the plan was rejected by Zelensky's administration.
"Ukraine has entered a frontal conflict with Russia. As a result, the model can only be 'Ukrainian,' and it can only be based on legally verifiable security guarantees "Mikhailo Podolyak, a negotiator for Kyiv, stated.
"All conflicts end with an agreement," Zelensky added in a previous overnight video address, referring to the "tough" but "vital" ongoing round of discussions.
However, the president was expected to strengthen demands for NATO allies to intervene to stop Russia's nearly three-week-old incursion in a historic virtual speech to the US Congress.
The alliance will meet in Brussels next week for an emergency summit, with US President Joe Biden in attendance, but it has so far resisted Zelensky's calls for direct engagement, fearing triggering World War III.
Indirectly, though, Biden and other NATO allies have increased military support for Ukraine, notably anti-tank weaponry, which has helped Russian forces north of Kyiv halt.
A White House official said Biden would announce another $800 million in military aid on the same day as Zelensky's speech, which is expected to include more anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer arrived for a five-day visit after a morale-boosting train excursion to Kyiv by the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.
He emphasized the importance of the ICRC's unbiased humanitarian work being acknowledged on the ground, citing the "enormous suffering" of the civilian population in Ukraine.
Western sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime have been increased this week, bringing the country on the verge of defaulting on its foreign loans.
Moscow was due to pay $117 million in interest on two dollar-denominated bonds on Wednesday, the first interest payment due since it was essentially locked out of the Western financial system.
Putin has looked to Chechnya and Syria for troops, as well as China for financial assistance.
What is Plan C for Russia?
However, in the face of severe US threats to support Russia in avoiding sanctions, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing was behaving "objectively and impartially."
"We strongly encourage the United States not to compromise China's legitimate rights and interests in any way. If the US continues on this road, China will undoubtedly respond with force "Added he.
After an initial ground invasion failed, Western military experts say Russia is increasingly turning to aircraft bombardments as a possible bargaining chip.
"They've discovered that their ground operations aren't working very well, and where they are successful, it's at unsustainable costs," Mick Ryan, a retired Australian major general, told AFP.
"They've forced to switch to 'Plan C,' which is to destroy cities and intimidate citizens in the hopes of reaching some kind of political agreement with the Ukrainians," he claimed.
"What the Russians are doing is exploiting our humanity and exploiting Zelensky's humanity."
The conflict has also raised major concerns about the potential for Europe-wide repercussions if Ukraine's nuclear power plants are seriously damaged.
Belarus, on the other hand, said that it was now delivering electricity to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was the location of the world's worst nuclear tragedy in 1986.
Source: Rawstory
0 Comments
please do not enter any spam link in the comment box