Ukraine: Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine entered the 15th day with Russian forces striking at different locations in Zhytomyr and Mariupol. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is no longer pressing for Nato membership for his country — something which was the bone of contention between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Zelenskyy has continued his demand for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and has urged the 27-member bloc for coordinated pressure on Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey today. Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba, after meeting his Russian counterpart, said negotiations with Lavrov were difficult and there was no progress on the ceasefire. Ukraine does not intend to fulfil the demands put forward by Russia, he said.
Google and YouTube had recently stopped selling online advertising in Russia following similar pauses by Twitter after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Talks between foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Turkey ended in a stalemate. According to a report, the Ukrainian armed forces have said that over 12,000 Russian troops have been killed.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba said Kyiv’s demand for a humanitarian corridor to and from Mariupol was not accepted by Russia. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the meeting could not be an alternative to the delegation-level talks held in Belarus earlier. His Ukrainian counterpart, however, has agreed to meet again with Russia if they can find a solution to end the war.
Russia has warned civilians taking weapons against its troops in Ukraine and said they would become ‘targets’ in the war. Ukraine had organised the distribution of weapons to civilians, urging them to fight Russian troops. Russia spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that anyone who attacks the Russian military will become a ‘target’.