Ukraine on Monday criticized the Kremlin’s announcement of new humanitarian corridors to transport civilians to Russia and Belarus as an “immoral” stunt ahead of a third round of peace talks.
Last: Negotiations near the border with Belarus ended after about four hours without any major breakthroughs, but with positive developments in improving the “logistics of humanitarian corridors.” Zelensky’s adviser. Negotiations on a possible ceasefire and a broader political solution will continue.
Game state: A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said Russia has now deployed “nearly 100%” of its combat power concentrated near Ukraine’s borders, and that Russia has fired more than 625 missiles into Ukraine since the invasion began.
- The official said the Pentagon could confirm reports that Russia is recruiting Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, though they could not comment on the extent or success of those efforts.
- “We find it remarkable that [Putin] believes it needs to rely on foreign fighters to complement what is a very important commitment of combat power inside Ukraine,” the official said.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an additional 500 US troops deployed to Europe this weekend to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, bringing the total number of US troops stationed in Europe to approximately 100,000.
Big picture: Shortly before the third round of talks, the Kremlin laid out the clearest set of demands Moscow has made so far to end the war.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine should amend its constitution to “abandon any goals of joining any bloc,” likely referring to NATO and the European Union.
- Peskov also called on Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian and the pro-Moscow separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as independent, but did not appear to demand regime change. “[T]Everything,” Peskov said, “will stop now.”
What to watch: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba on Thursday in Turkey for high-level talks since the invasion began, the Turkish Foreign Minister said. Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Ukrainian (left) and Russian (right) delegations at the third round of peace talks on March 7. Photo: Maxim Gucek/Belta/AFP via Getty Images
Game state: The Russian Defense Ministry said it had agreed to fire and open humanitarian corridors from Kyiv, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol. But obvious evacuation routes would lead the Ukrainians to the besieged cities of Russia and Belarus.
- The move was quickly condemned by Ukrainian officials, who pointed to previous failed attempts to create evacuation corridors.
- A spokesman for President Volodymyr Zelensky told Reuters it was “completely immoral” and said Russia was trying to “use people’s suffering to create a television picture.”
- Russia said the apparent evacuation corridors appeared in response to a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron.
- Ukrainian officials have previously reported Russian military breaches of such commitments, leading to a halt in civilian evacuations — especially in the port city of Mariupol, where some 200,000 civilians were reportedly trapped over the weekend.
Zoom: Ukrainian officials reported attacks across Ukraine, including in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Monday morning.
- The Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday morning that “Russia continues to carry out rocket, bomb and artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns,” the AP translation said.
- “The invaders continue to use the airfield network of Belarus to carry out airstrikes on Ukraine,” the agency added.
- The State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations shared online images houses he said were shelled in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Monday morning.
What they’re saying: Zelenskiy said on Sunday that “God will not forgive” attacks on civilians, including a family of four “killed in Irpin as they tried to leave the city” in northern Ukraine.
Between lines: The UK Department of Defense said on Monday that intelligence suggests the Russian military attacked “Ukraine’s communications infrastructure in order to restrict Ukrainian citizens’ access to reliable news and information,” noting an attack on a Kiev TV tower last week and another strike on a Kharkiv TV tower on Sunday.
- “Internet access in Ukraine is also highly likely to be disrupted as a result of collateral damage from Russian attacks on infrastructure,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. statement. “Over the past week, Internet outages have been recorded in Mariupol, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkov.”
Yes, but: According to the Defense Ministry, Russian invasion plans appear to be stalling in the face of Ukrainian resistance. intelligence late Sunday.
- “Over the past 24 hours, Russian aviation and artillery have continued to inflict high strikes on military and civilian targets in Ukrainian cities. The last blows were inflicted on Kharkov, Nikolaev and Chernihiv, especially on Mariupol,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
- Despite this, “Russian forces probably carried out a minimal offensive over the weekend,” the Defense Ministry said. “It is unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned goals to date.”
Decrease: On Monday, the International Court of Justice heard statements from Ukrainian officials calling on a world court to issue an emergency ruling to end the invasion, accusing Russian forces of genocide.
Go deeper: Latest news on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with new details.