The invasion of Ukraine enters its second week: thousands of deaths, more than two million refugees – the highest number in Europe since the Second World War -, a growing number of bombed cities and civilian deaths, and humanitarian corridors that, according to sources Ukrainian, have already made possible the evacuation of 40,000 people, but they work with great difficulty.
These are the latest events
The first high-level meeting: The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Dimitro Kuleba, and Russia, Sergei Lavrov, meet in the Turkish resort of Antalya, in the first high-ranking meeting since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago. The host of the meeting will be the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, who will also participate in the meeting.
Until now, lower-ranking delegations had met in Belarus to explore the possibilities of a ceasefire or to agree on humanitarian corridors in different regions of Ukraine.
What does Russia want?: Russia insists on its demands to end the invasion, such as the neutrality and demilitarization of Ukraine and a Ukrainian recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and the independence of the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugangsk . Consider the negotiating meeting this Thursday in Turkey as a continuation of the contacts initiated at a lower level.
What does Ukraine want?: “Our interest is the ceasefire, the liberation of our territories and the unconditional solution of all humanitarian problems and catastrophes caused by the Russian army,” said Minister Kuleba in a video broadcast on Facebook . Ukraine has hinted this week that it could negotiate a neutral status and give up applying for NATO membership, but refuses to give up any of its territory.
And in the meantime, what’s going on?
– The Mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, has estimated tonight at 1,207 civilians killed in his city during the nine days that they have been besieged by Russian troops. Calling for help and maintaining a humanitarian corridor in the city, Boychenko also stated that Mariupol has no heating, water or electricity, and that citizens are running out of food and medicine, according to media reports.
– Russian planes bombed residential neighborhoods in the city of Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, this morning, as reported by the city’s governor, Dimitro Zhyvytsky. According to the governor, the bombardment occurred around 01:30 local time (03:30 GMT) and affected a residential area and a gas pipeline. A few minutes later, other areas on the outskirts of the capital and the town of Bytytsia were bombed.
– The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that millions of people may die if Western countries do not provide air support against the Russian invasion and “close” the sky over Ukraine. “In the future it will be too late. Believe me, if it goes on like this, you will see how they will end up closing the sky, but we will lose millions of people,” Zelensky said in an interview broadcast by the British channel Sky News.
– But the West does not want the no-fly zone: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defense that NATO’s decision not to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine was ” painful”, but seeks to avoid a “total war” with Russia.
The United States settled on Wednesday the controversy over Poland’s proposal to transfer combat aircraft to Ukraine, considering that it could provoke a reaction from Russia that would lead to a military escalation with NATO. This was transmitted by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, during the telephone call they had during this day.
– The United States estimates that up to 6,000 Russian soldiers and a maximum of 4,000 Ukrainians may have died in the first two weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, an official source told CBS News on Wednesday. The number of casualties in the ranks of Russia is much higher than that provided just this Tuesday by the director of Pentagon Intelligence, General Scott Berrier, who spoke of between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers killed in combat, during a hearing before the US Congress .
– The United States warned this Wednesday that Russia could be planning the use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, under the pretext of responding to an alleged threat in the country that, it assured, is “false”. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki issued the warning in response to Russian accusations that the United States is funding an alleged military-biological program in Ukraine.
Europeans meet in Versailles: The leaders of the European Union will discuss this Thursday and Friday in Versailles the consequences of the war in Ukraine and support for that country, but also how to strengthen their own long-term economic and strategic position.
Humanitarian and military support for Ukraine, how to end Russia’s energy dependency, increased defense spending, or Kiev’s request for membership are some of the issues being addressed this Thursday at the informal summit of heads of state and EU Government.
– The summit is the occasion for a first discussion on the recent applications for entry into the EU from Ukraine and from two other countries with Russian troops in part of their territories: Moldova and Georgia.
More aid for Ukraine: The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved on Wednesday the disbursement of 1,400 million dollars in emergency aid to Ukraine, and warned that the war will cause a “deep recession” in the country. The amount approved by the Fund matches that requested by the Ukrainian government, and will serve to “mitigate the economic impact” of the war started by Russia, the IMF said in a statement.
Rapprochement between the US and Venezuela: The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis it is generating have produced an unexpected rapprochement between the governments of the United States and Venezuela, which has been accompanied by the release of two American prisoners in the Caribbean country and the announcement by President Nicolás Maduro of a reactivation of dialogue with the opposition.
The Venezuelan government, which had openly expressed its support for Vladimir Putin in the military operation that began on February 24, turned the events around by admitting on Monday that it held a meeting last weekend with a high-level US delegation , to which he conveyed his desire to “advance an agenda that allows well-being and peace.”
