Kyiv: The United Nations General Assembly called for an immediate ceasefire in its urgently called special session. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Escalating violence is resulting in civilians’ death. Enough is Enough, soldiers need to move back to barracks, civilians must be protected
Meanwhile, the meeting between Putin and Zelensky is underway in Belarus, near the Chernobyl exclusion zone following a call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko. Ahead of the talks a Ukrainian Presidential advisor called for a retreat of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory. The ex-Soviet Union has said their goal for the talks was an immediate ceasefire.
As per local media reports, at least, 11 civilians were killed in Russian shelling in Kharkiv. As the war entered the fifth day, nearly 352 civilians have been killed. According to UN reports, nearly 400,000 have been fleeing amidst the bombing and crossing borders seeking shelter in neighbouring countries.
Responding to the aggression, Canada, Belgium and Finland also joined the list of countries that shut down their air space to Russia. The United States on the other hand asked its citizens to immediately leave ‘Russia; as the country herald magnanimous sanctions.
Earlier during the day, Ukraine’s President urged the EU to grant his country ‘immediate’ membership, as the Russians assault stepped up. “We appeal to the European Union for the immediate accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure,” said the comedian turned politician in a televised address. The video came hours before the Kremlin and Ukraine leader sat for their face to face talks since Russian saboteurs barged into Ukraine.