Russian general killed near Kharkiv, claims Ukraine as war enters day 13
The war between Russia and Ukraine entered day 13 on Tuesday as continuous shelling prevented the evacuation of civilians from besieged cities such as Kyiv, Mariupol, Sumy and Kharkiv.
Delegations from both countries held the third round of negotiations on Monday at a venue near the Belarus-Poland border. Later, the Ukraine side said little progress was made in the peace talks, while Russia said Moscow’s expectations from the talks “were not fulfilled”.
Meanwhile, oil prices hit a 14-year high with global markets, including Wall Street, witnessing a bloodbath. The World Bank approved $723 million in loans and grants for Ukraine and said it will be transferred in the next few days as the crisis escalates. US congressional negotiators are also nearing a deal to provide Ukraine billions of dollars in emergency aid. The White House has requested $10 billion for the purpose.
Here are the latest developments:
The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine were focused on opening a safe passage for civilians who are trying to flee the violence. Following the talks, Russian negotiators said they did not have positive developments to report, while Ukraine’s negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said some small progress had been made on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians. However, no agreement was reached that could significantly improve the broader situation, he added.
On late Monday, a bread factory in northern Ukraine killed at least 13 civilians, news agency Reuters reported citing local officials.
A Russian general has been killed in the fighting around Kharkiv city of Ukraine, according to reports. The development has not been confirmed by the Russian side as of yet.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey on Thursday. In the meeting, Kuleba is planning to propose a direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian presidents. “We want talks between the president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin since he is the one who makes the final decisions,” Kuleba said early Tuesday on Ukrainian television.
According to multiple reports by news agencies, Russian troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine but have been stalled by Ukraine military in some other regions.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Russia will carry out a cease-fire on Tuesday morning at 10am Moscow time and open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy and Mariupol.
In terms of civilian casualties, the UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.
On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia. It also demanded Ukraine to recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independents. Moscow also asked Ukraine to change its constitution to guarantee it won’t join international bodies like NATO and the EU. All these demands have been rejected by Ukraine already.
In his daily video address on Monday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Russia for disrupting evacuations. Instead of an agreement on humanitarian corridors, what Ukraine got on Monday was “Russian tanks, Russian Grad rockets, Russian mines,” said Zelenskyy.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been mediating between Ukraine and Russia, on Monday, said he does not expect a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine for weeks. “I don’t think that in the days and weeks to come there will be a true negotiated solution,” Macron said at a forum in Poissy.