‘No NATO for Ukraine’: Volodymyr Zelensky hints at agreement to end war with Russia

LVIV: As Russian airstrikes and artillery fire continued to break down buildings in the capital Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country was ready to accept security guarantees that undermine his long-term objective of NATO alliance membership. which Moscow opposes.

Zelensky, who won praise in the West for his leadership, called on Russian troops to surrender. “You will not take anything from Ukraine. You will know,” he said in a video message. “But why should you die? For what? I know you want to live.”

He also indicated that Kyiv may be ready to compromise its aspirations for NATO membership, an objective that has angered Moscow. “If we cannot enter through open doors, we must cooperate with associations with whom we can, who will help us, protect us … and give separate guarantees.”

Amidst Russian bombardment, a convoy of civilians exited the besieged port city of Mariupol for safe passage. Officials said at least five people were killed in a bombing in Kyiv on the 20th day of the Russian offensive. Buildings were set on fire and people were buried under rubble.

Despite the threat, leaders from Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic arrived in the city to show solidarity with their people. The evacuation of civilians from the cities under the onslaught of the Russian army gained momentum. The local council said that about 2,000 cars managed to leave the port city of Mariupol and a similar number were being chased.

But a convoy with supplies headed for Mariupol, whose residents are repeatedly taking refuge from Russian bombings and desperate for food and water, was stuck in nearby Berdyansk, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said.

On Tuesday, talks between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine resumed via video link. Ukrainian officials expressed hope that the war could end sooner than expected, saying Moscow could come to terms with its failure to force a new government on Kyiv.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that the leaders of its members would meet in Brussels on March 24 to discuss the offensive and show support for Ukraine. “At this critical time, North America and Europe must stand together,” Stoltenberg said. The White House said that US President Joe Biden would attend.

“Stop Tragedy”

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala and Slovenia’s Janez Janसाa traveled by train to Kyiv, the first foreign leader to make such a trip since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on 24 February. .

“We must stop the tragedy of the East as soon as possible,” Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook. His visit was symbolic of Ukraine’s success so far in stopping an attack that Westerners believe was aimed at seizing the city weeks earlier.

Nearly half of Kyiv’s 3.4 million population has fled and residents are spending the night in metro stations. Two powerful explosions shook Kyiv before dawn on Tuesday and tracer fires brightened the night sky. An apartment block was in flames after being hit by artillery.

Sitting on the ground outside, Igor Kripa said he survived because he slept under a makeshift shelter of furniture and metal weights. “All the windows went out and all the debris went into the apartment,” he said.

But despite parts of the cities being reduced to rubble, Russian forces have failed to capture any of Ukraine’s 10 largest cities. Nevertheless, hundreds of civilians have been killed and nearly three million people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine to safety in neighboring countries. Zelensky said on Tuesday that 97 children had died in the attacks so far.

On the Romanian border, a woman named Tanya said she had fled the southern border town of Mykoliv to save her child. “Because the people who are there now are Russians, Russian soldiers, and they kill children.”

positive sign

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was too early to predict progress in the talks, adding that “the work is difficult, and the fact that (negotiations) are continuing in the current situation is probably positive.”

One of Zelensky’s top allies said the war would end by May or even within weeks as Russia ran short of new troops. “We are at a fork in the road now,” Oleksiy Erestovich said in a video. He said he expected either a peace deal within a week or two or another Russian attempt with new reinforcements, which could extend the conflict for another month.

At the United Nations, Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzia said Moscow would end its “special military operation” when its goals were achieved.

the war continues

In Rivne, western Ukraine, officials said 19 people have been killed in a Russian airstrike on a TV tower. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest attack ever on a civilian target in the northwest where Russian ground troops have yet to advance. Russia denies targeting civilians.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday that more than 100 buses carrying a few thousand civilians left the besieged northeastern city of Sumi in a “safe passage” operation. They were on their way to Lubni in central Ukraine after the Russians gave a green signal for the evacuation.

Russia said it now controlled the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. The conflict has brought economic isolation on Russia. The United States, the European Union and Britain announced further sanctions on Tuesday, while Moscow retaliated by placing Biden and other US officials on a “stop list” that prevents them from entering Russia.

The latest EU sanctions include restrictions on energy sector investments, luxury goods exports to Moscow and imports of steel products from Russia. He also froze the assets of more business leaders who supported the Russian state, including Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich.

(with Reuters input)

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