Moscow and Kyiv will hold a second round of peace talks, according to both governments, after Ukrainian delegates demanded an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian forces during initial talks Monday on the border with Belarus.
The peace talks lasted five hours, and no cease-fire was reached. At the start of the talks, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said dozens of civilians had been killed and hundreds wounded from Russian shelling in Kharkiv, near the border with Russia.
U.S. officials expressed skepticism over Russia’s intentions during the peace talks.
“Diplomacy at the barrel of a gun, diplomacy at the turret of a tank — that is not real diplomacy. We are ready and willing, just as our Ukrainian partners are, just as our European allies are, to engage in real, in substantive, in genuine diplomacy in order to see if we can find a way out of what is a needless, brutal conflict,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters Monday.
On the other hand, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Monday that Russia’s goal was to come to an agreement that was in the interest of both sides.
Ukrainian resistance, coupled with the Russian military’s logistical failures, has slowed Moscow’s invasion into Ukraine. After five days of fighting, Russia’s military has not taken a single major Ukrainian city, with its “main push” toward Kyiv about 25 kilometers outside the city center after advancing only a handful of kilometers Sunday, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
“You’ve got to hand it to the Ukrainians, who have been fighting very hard for their country and making an impact and making a dent on Mr. Putin’s abilities,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters Monday. “But they will learn. The Russians will learn from this,” he added.
In a YouTube video, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said that troops in Lugansk with Russian Federation backing have advanced 23 kilometers, taking control of the Novaya Astrakhan and Borovenki villages. He also said the Donetsk forces blocked Maruipol.
“All settlements that have come under the control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to live as usual. The life support facilities of the population are functioning, transport is working,” the spokesperson said.
A Russian convoy of hundreds of armored vehicles, tanks and logistics support vehicles was seen moving toward Kyiv from the north, according to satellite imagery from Maxar Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has now committed to the invasion nearly 75% of the combat power Russia pre-positioned around Ukraine’s borders. But videos posted on social media show that lines of Russian tanks and armored vehicles have been wiped out. Warplanes and helicopters have been shot down, according to officials, and Russian troops have been stranded on roadsides after their vehicles ran out of fuel.
“Airspace over Ukraine remains contested. Russians have not achieved air superiority over the whole country. Ukrainian air defenses remain intact and viable, both in terms of aircraft and missile defense systems,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Monday.
The official added that it appeared Russian forces were trying to section off the eastern part of Ukraine by controlling land from Kharkiv to Mariupol in the south. Neither city had been broken by Russian advances, although Kharkiv has seen the “heaviest fighting,” according to officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West on Friday to consider a Russian aircraft no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“Fair negotiations can occur when one side does not hit the other side with rocket artillery at the very moment of negotiations,” Zelenskyy said.
In response to a question from Voice of America, the Pentagon said the United States was not considering such a measure.
Ukraine seeks EU admittance
Also Monday, Zelenskyy urged the European Union to grant his country immediate membership in the bloc.
Zelenskyy signed an application Monday for Ukraine to join the EU, asking for a fast-track accession in a video message in which he also encouraged Russian troops to lay down their arms.
“Our goal is to be together with all Europeans, and most importantly, to be on an equal footing,” he said. “I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure it’s possible.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had spoken with the Ukrainian leader by phone and “commended him for the bravery of the people and armed forces of Ukraine.”
“NATO allies are stepping up support with air-defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid,” Stoltenberg tweeted.
Russia faced increased diplomatic and economic pressure Monday, the fifth day of its invasion, with Russia’s currency plunging to a record low and the addition of new sanctions against the country’s central bank.
Switzerland on Monday announced it would forego its commitment to “Swiss neutrality” in favor of adopting sanctions against Russia. Swiss Confederation President Ignazio Cassis said that Switzerland’s sanctions would be in line with those already adopted by the European Union.
The European Union imposed sanctions on 26 more Russians Monday, bringing the total of people targeted in the country to 680.
