The latest updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a ceasefire as the Russian and Ukrainian delegations resume talks in Istanbul.
In a speech early Tuesday, Mr. Erdogan said progress in the talks could pave the way for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.
“We believe there are no losers in a just peace. Prolonging the conflict is not in anyone’s interest,” Erdogan said. “As a member of delegations, you have assumed a historic responsibility. The whole world is waiting for the good news to come from you.”
The delegations are scheduled to hold two days of talks at a government building adjacent to the 19th-century Ottoman palace, Dolmabahce, on the banks of the Bosporus.
Previous negotiations between the parties, held in person in Belarus or via video, have failed to make progress in ending a months-long war that has killed thousands and displaced more than 10 million Ukrainians. displaced from their homes – including nearly 4 million from their own countries.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was ready to declare neutrality, as Moscow demanded, and was ready to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, a disputed region in the east of the country. .
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KYIV, Ukraine – The Ukrainian military says Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war.
In a post on Tuesday, the military said the Orthodox church – the country’s majority religion – was affected the most but mosques, synagogues, Protestant churches and schools Religion is also destroyed.
In a map provided by the military, the devastation appears concentrated around Kyiv and in the east of the country.
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UN – The head of the United Nations has launched an initiative to immediately explore possible arrangements for “a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine” to enable the delivery of much-needed aid. and paved the way for serious political negotiations to end the month-long war.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he had asked Deputy Secretary Martin Griffiths, the UN’s head of worldwide humanitarian operations, to explore the possibility of a ceasefire with Russia and Ukraine. He said Griffiths had some contacts.
The 193-member UN General Assembly, with a majority of around 140 countries, has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine twice – on 2 March and 24 March – and Guterres told reporters that he thought “this is the moment”. The United Nations “takes over the initiative.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the secretary general said there has been “a senseless loss of thousands of lives”, the displacement of 10 million people, the systematic destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure, “and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide.”
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LVIV, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday that Russian forces were still attacking Kyiv, despite being driven out of Irpin, a suburb northwest of the capital that has seen fierce fighting.
He said the Russians remained in control of the northern suburbs and were trying to regroup after the loss of Irpin on Monday. He called on the Ukrainian people not to give up the war.
“We still have to fight, we have to suffer,” Zelensky said in a video speech at night before the nation. “We cannot express how we feel right now. We can’t raise expectations simply so we don’t burn out.”
He said the situation remains tense in the northeast, around Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and also in the eastern Donbas and in the south around Mariupol, which is still blockaded by Russian troops.
The president said no humanitarian corridor could be opened on Monday out of the besieged city.
Zelensky said on Monday he had spoken with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Britain, Canada and Germany, urging them to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
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WASHINGTON – The Pentagon may have to ask Congress for additional funds to support Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, including replenishing the US arsenal for weapons sent to Kyiv, the Pentagon said. the official said Monday.
Given the Department of Defense’s $773 billion request for fiscal year 2023, Pentagon leaders said the budget had been finalized prior to the invasion so there was no specific money for the war. Congress passed a $13.5 billion emergency funding package in early March.
The leaders said it was too early to predict how quickly Ukrainian forces would run out of supplied weapons and ammunition and how much the United States would need to replace what they sent to Ukraine. such as Stinger and Javelin missiles or armor and other equipment.
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