Ukraine Says 4th Russian General Killed
Ukraine said a fourth Russian general has been killed in the fighting.Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev died Tuesday 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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported the death of another Russian general in his nighttime address but didn’t name him.
Mityaev, 46, commanded the 150th motorized rifle division and had fought in Syria, Gerashchenko said.
There was no confirmation of the death from Russia.
Zelensky Says Russia Demands ‘More Realistic’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Wednesday that Russia’s demands during negotiations are becoming “more realistic” after nearly three weeks of war. He said more time was needed for the talks, which are being held by video conference.“Efforts are still needed, patience is needed,” he said in his nighttime video address to the nation. “Any war ends with an agreement.”
Zelensky, who is to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, thanked President Joe Biden and “all the friends of Ukraine” for $13.6 billion in new support included in a spending measure that Biden signed.
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 on Tuesday were unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory and continued their heavy shelling of cities.
Zelensky Appeals to North European Leaders for More Arms
Ukraine’s president appealed to northern European leaders for more weapons to counter Russia’s invasion of his country.President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force via videolink Tuesday, said the Ukrainian military is rapidly using up weapons and other hardware that western nations have shipped to his country.
He also appealed for a full trade embargo on Russia, saying sanctions have not been enough to counter the Russian advance.
“We have to acknowledge Russia as a rogue state and there has to be a trade embargo with Russia,” Zelensky said. “This is something that we need and you need as well, just like the rest of the world, to make sure there is peace in Europe and Ukraine.”
Zelensky also repeated his frustration with NATO over its refusal to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he addressed JEF leaders meeting Tuesday in London.
The United Kingdom-led JEF is a grouping of 10 north Atlantic countries designed to react quickly to international crises. It includes NATO members such as Britain and the Baltic states, as well as non-NATO countries such as Sweden and Finland.
3 EU Prime Ministers Visit Kyiv as Russian Attacks Intensify
The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to the embattled Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in a show of support for Ukraine even as bombardment by the Russian military edged closer to the center of the city.The three leaders went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the European Union about the security risks of traveling within a war zone.
“It is here, in war-torn Kyiv, that history is being made. It is here, that freedom fights against the world of tyranny. It is here that the future of us all hangs in the balance,” Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter.
Ukraine, Russia to Continue Talks Wednesday
A top Ukrainian negotiator says talks with Russia will continue Wednesday.Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Russian negotiators via video link on Monday and Tuesday, described the talks as “very difficult and viscous.”
He said that “there are fundamental contradictions,” but added that “there is certainly room for compromise.”
The talks via video link this week follow three rounds of negotiations in Belarus that have failed to produce any visible progress.
Both Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have voiced cautious optimism but haven’t spelled out any details of talks.
2 Journalists Working for Fox News Killed in Ukraine
A veteran videographer and a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist working for Fox News were both killed when their vehicle came under fire outside of Kyiv, the network said on Tuesday.Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova were traveling Monday in Horenka with Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall, who remains hospitalized.
“Today is a heartbreaking day for Fox News Media and for all journalists risking their lives to deliver the news,” the network’s CEO, Suzanne Scott, said in a staff memo.
Zakrzewski, an Irish citizen who was based in London, had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria for Fox and won an internal “unsung hero” award for playing a key role last year in getting Fox’s freelancers and their families out of Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal. He had been working in Ukraine since February.
Kuvshynova was a local “fixer,” as is known in war zones. She helped Fox crews navigate the Kyiv area, gathered information, and spoke to sources. She had a passion for music, the arts, and photography, Scott said in the staff memo.
EU Imposes Sanctions on Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich
The European Union imposed sanctions Tuesday on Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s close allies.The EU included the Russian oligarch in its updated list of individuals facing assets freeze and travel bans over their role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 55-year-old Abramovich had already been punished in Britain by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government last week. The aluminum magnate was among seven wealthy Russians who had their assets frozen under British sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich has also been suspended as director of the Premier League club.
The EU said Abramovich “has had privileged access to the [Russian] president, and has maintained very good relations with him. This connection with the Russian leader helped him to maintain his considerable wealth.”
The European Council added 15 individuals and nine entities to its list of people and bodies sanctioned.
NATO Chief Warns of Potential Accidental Russian Strike on US Allies
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Tuesday about an increased chance of an accidental Russian strike on a neighboring NATO nation, calling for additional air defense in Europe.The United States has already sent batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Poland’s border after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
“We are ready to protect and defend every inch of NATO allied territory,” Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday, but warned, “When we see more military activities, when we see actually fighting going on close to NATO borders, there’s always a risk for incidents and accidents.”
Because of the heightened risk, “we have to make every effort to prevent such incidents and accidents and if they happen, to make sure that they don’t spiral out of control and create really dangerous situations,” he added.
Putin’s Predictions About Ukrainian People Were Wrong: University of Illinois Professor
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expectations about how Ukraine would respond to an invasion were upended, and instead Ukrainians have never been more united, according to a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.“At this point in time, the ‘rally-around-the-flag’ effect, the idea of coming together, and the idea of social unity in Ukraine has really never been stronger, and this is the exact opposite of what Putin predicted,” sociology professor Cynthia Buckley said in a March 12 interview with Kevin Hogan of NTD News.
“He was predicting chaos and that people would scatter,” she said. “This is not occurring.”
Buckley stressed the key role Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is playing to rally his people to fight the Russian forces.
“You’ve seen the emergence of an enormously charismatic leader in Zelensky,” she said. “Him staying and working with the troops and being in Kyiv, for now, has been tremendous in terms of solidifying unity, establishing an idea of patriotism, and really bringing Ukrainians together.”
Tone Improves in Russia Talks
A senior aide to Ukraine’s president says that Russia has softened its stance in the talks over a possible settlement.Ihor Zhovkva, a deputy chief of staff to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Tuesday that the talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have become “more constructive” and Russia has changed tone and stopped airing demands for Ukraine to surrender—something Russia had insisted upon during earlier stages of talks.
Three rounds of talks in Belarus earlier this month have been followed by video calls between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, including the one on Tuesday.
Zhovkva said that Ukrainian representatives feel “moderately optimistic” after the talks, adding that it would be necessary for Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet to make major progress.
Biden to Meet With NATO Leaders in Brussels Next Week
NATO leaders will meet in Brussels on March 24 in an “extraordinary” summit to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said on Tuesday, as the White House confirmed U.S. President Joe Biden would also attend.“We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence & defense. At this critical time, North America & Europe must continue to stand together,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed Biden would attend the meeting at NATO headquarters.
“His goal is to meet in person face-to-face and talk about and assess where we are at this point in the conflict,” she told reporters at a news briefing. “We’ve been incredibly aligned to date. That doesn’t happen by accident.”
Asked if Biden would also visit in Poland, do something tied to Ukrainian refugees or meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Psaki declined to comment, saying trip details were still being worked out.
Moscow Sanctions Trudeau and Canadian Leaders
The Russian Foreign Ministry says Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Defense Minister Anita Anand, and other Canadian officials have been put on a sanctions list.The ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that they have been barred from entering Russia in retaliation to Canadian sanctions against the Russian leadership. The Russian sanctions also targeted Canadian lawmakers.
The ministry said the decision was a forced move taken in response to “hostile actions by the current Canadian regime that has long tested our patience.” The decision followed the announcement of Russian sanctions against President Joe Biden and senior members of his administration.
Russia Sanctions Joe Biden and Antony Blinken
The Russian Foreign Ministry says that U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and other top Biden administration officials have been put on the Russian sanctions list.The ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that the measure is a response to the U.S. sanctions against the Russian leadership.
At the same time, it noted that Russia may not renounce official contacts with the U.S. officials targeted by the sanctions if such contacts are in the country’s national interests.
Russia, Ukraine Resume Talks
Peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations via a video link resumed on Tuesday.An adviser to the Ukrainian president says that the Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are discussing a cease-fire and Russian troops’ withdrawal during their talks.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is taking part in Tuesday’s talks via video link, said on Twitter that “the talks are continuing,” adding that “general issues related to a settlement, a cease-fire and troops withdrawal from the country’s territory” are on the table.
Earlier Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was pressing its demands for Ukraine to drop its bid to join NATO, take a neutral status, and “demilitarize.”
Russia Officially Withdraws From Council of Europe
The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow is withdrawing from the Council of Europe.The ministry said it handed a formal notice about Russia’s decision to leave the continent’s leading human rights organization to the Council of Europe’s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on Tuesday.
It said the move followed the Council of Europe’s decision to suspend Russia’s membership that was taken on Feb. 25.
The ministry charged that the Council of Europe has become an instrument of exerting pressure on Russia and alleged that it has been heavily influenced by NATO and the European Union. It said in a statement that its withdrawal from the Council of Europe wouldn’t impact human rights and freedoms in the country, which officials said are safeguarded by the Russian constitution.
Zelensky: Ukraine Must Recognize It Will Not Join NATO
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country has to accept that it will not become a member of the NATO military alliance, a critical Russian concern that was used to justify the invasion.At the same time, Zelensky again called on NATO, which has provided the Ukrainian military with weapons and ammunition, to establish a no-fly zone over his country. U.S. and NATO officials have said such an agreement is not feasible as it would likely escalate the conflict with Russia.
Peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations restarted Tuesday after a pause on Monday, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.
Kyiv Imposes New Curfew
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a new curfew for the city Tuesday, saying it would run for 35 hours.Fighting has intensified on Kyiv’s outskirts in recent days, and air raid sirens wailed inside the city.
Tuesday’s artillery strikes hit the Svyatoshynskyi district of western Kyiv, adjacent to the suburb of Irpin, which has seen some of the worst fighting of the war.
Flames shot out of the 15-story apartment building as firefighters climbed ladders to rescue people. Rescue workers said at least one person was killed.
Zelensky Tells Canada: ‘Close the Airspace’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Canadians to imagine bombs landing in their communities as he told the Canadian Parliament that his people want to live.Zelensky urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian lawmakers to help enact a no-fly zone over Ukraine and called for greater economic pressure on Russia.
“Justin, can you imagine you and your children hearing all these severe explosions, the bombing of the airport, the bombing of the Ottawa airport,” Zelensky said. “Cruise missiles are falling down and your children are asking you, ‘What happened?’”
Speaking by video from Ukraine to a packed Canadian House of Commons chamber, Zelensky said the Russian war is designed to annihilate Ukraine and subjugate its people.
Zelensky evoked British wartime leader Winston Churchill as he told the U.K. Parliament last week that his country would fight Russia’s invasion to the end. Zelensky will also speak Wednesday to members of the U.S. House and Senate, an event that will be livestreamed for the public.
Zelensky Offers Russian Forces a Chance to Surrender
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on Russian troops to surrender.“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance,” Zelensky in a video address posted online. “If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated—as people, decently.”
He said Russian forces “did not expect such resistance,” claiming that Ukrainian forces have destroyed as many as 90 warplanes since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion on Feb. 24.
“They believed in their propaganda, which has been lying about us for decades,” Zelensky said.
West Made ‘Terrible Mistake’ Over Russian Annexation of Crimea: UK’s Johnson
The West made a “terrible mistake” in 2014 when it allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to get away with annexing Crimea, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.In a commentary in The Telegraph, Johnson wrote: “When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine the first time round, in 2014, the West made a terrible mistake. The Russian leader had committed an act of violent aggression and taken a huge chunk out of a sovereign country—and we let him get away with it.
“We decided we could somehow go back to normality. Economic relations did not just resume—they intensified, with the West taking more Russian gas than ever before, becoming more dependent on the goodwill of Putin and more exposed to the vagaries of the global gas and oil price.”
He said the “addiction” to Russian fuel had “emboldened” Putin to bomb civilians during his invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time profiting from soaring global oil and gas prices.
France Offers Asylum to Russian War Protester
President Emmanuel Macron said France is offering protection from the French embassy and asylum to the anti-war activist who interrupted a news program on Russia’s state television, holding a poster protesting the war in Ukraine.An independent human rights group that monitors political arrests identified the woman as Marina Ovsyannikova. The group, OVD-Info, posted on its website that Ovsyannikova, who identified herself as an employee of the station, was taken into police custody.
Macron said he will “propose this solution in a direct and very concrete manner” to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their next phone call.
He condemned any detention of journalists and hoped that Ovsyannikova’s situation will be clarified “as soon as possible.”
Macron spoke after visiting on Tuesday a facility housing Ukrainians fleeing war in western France. The country is getting ready to welcome “at least” 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war, he said.
Government officials said about 15,000 Ukrainians have arrived in France so far.
3 EU Country Leaders Take Train to Kyiv in Show of Support for Ukraine
The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia were traveling to Kyiv by train on Tuesday to show support for the country on behalf of the E.U., the first foreign leaders to visit the Ukrainian capital since Russia invaded last month.Kyiv has been under Russian attacks: two powerful explosions rocked the capital before dawn on Tuesday. Emergency services said two people died when an apartment building was struck.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Facebook the trip took place on the 20th day of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “criminal aggression against Ukraine.”
“At such breakthrough times for the world, it is our duty to be where history is forged. Because it’s not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny,” he said.
Top aide to Morawiecki, Michal Dworczyk, told reporters the delegation had crossed the Polish-Ukraine border by train after 8 a.m. (0700 GMT).
“The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a statement also released by the Polish government.
“The aim of this visit is also to present a broad package of support for Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa was also taking part in the trip, which Fiala said was taken in consultation with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The idea of the trip was agreed at an E.U. leaders’ summit in Versailles in France last week, Dworczyk said.
War Could Be Over by May, Says Ukrainian Presidential Adviser
The war in Ukraine is likely to be over by early May when Russia runs out of resources to attack its neighbor, Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said late on Monday.Talks between Kyiv and Moscow—in which Arestovich is not personally involved—have so far produced very few results other than several humanitarian corridors out of besieged Ukrainian cities.
In a video published by several Ukrainian media, Arestovich said the exact timing would depend on how much resources the Kremlin was willing to commit to the campaign.
“I think that no later than in May, early May, we should have a peace agreement, maybe much earlier, we will see, I am talking about the latest possible dates,” Arestovich said.
“We are at a fork in the road now: there will either be a peace deal struck very quickly, within a week or two, with troop withdrawal and everything, or there will be an attempt to scrape together some, say, Syrians for a round two and, when we grind them too, an agreement by mid-April or late April.”
China Showing No Signs of Ending Support for Russia After ‘Intense’ Talks With US
China’s state-run media is signaling that Beijing will continue to side with Russia over the war in Ukraine, after seven hours of “intense” talks between U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on March 14.The two sides discussed a number of issues, including Taiwan and North Korea, as well as a “substantial discussion” on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A senior administration official told reporters after the meeting that the talks were intense due to the “gravity of the moment” amid efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine.
They also mentioned that Sullivan had also expressed concerns to his Chinese counterpart about the emerging Sino-Russian alliance.
“We do have deep concerns about China’s alignment with Russia at this time, and the National Security Advisor was direct about those concerns and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions,” the senior administration official said.
Putin Signs Law to Seize Foreign Aircraft Amid Crippling Sanctions
As sanctions cripple Russia’s aviation industry, President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Monday allowing foreign-owned aircraft to be re-registered as Russian for domestic use, according to state-run news agency TASS.Russian airlines would have the ability to seize and operate aircraft leased by companies that are no longer operating in the country over sanctions imposed due to the Ukraine invasion, TASS reported.
Russian airlines have almost 780 leased jets, with 515 leased from abroad.
The new law, part of Russia’s measures to combat the sanctions, says it aims “to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of activities in the field of civil aviation.”
TASS reported that the aircraft will be certified using certification centers and test laboratories.
EU Imposes 4th Set of Sanctions Against Russia for War
The European Union announced late Monday that the 27-nation bloc has approved a new set of sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.France, which holds the E.U. presidency, said the bloc “in consultation with our international partners, has approved a fourth package of sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in the aggression against Ukraine, as well as several sectors of the Russian economy.”
The French presidency said in a statement that the bloc also approved a declaration to the World Trade Organization “on suspending the application of the most-favored-nation clause for Russia and suspending the examination of Belarus’s application for accession to the WTO.”
NATO Chief Says Russia May Use Chemical or Biological Weapons in Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on March 13 that Russia might use chemical or biological weapons in the fight with Ukraine, which the head of the alliance said would amount to a war crime.“In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories,” Stoltenberg said during an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, adding that he believes the Kremlin is trying to create a false pretext to justify the unjustifiable.
Stoltenberg’s warning came as Russian officials claimed on March 7 that the U.S. military has been involved with the development of chemical or biological weapons in laboratories across Ukraine, a project backed by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
“Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself could plan chemical weapons operations under this fabrication of lies. That would be a war crime,” the NATO head said.
