Russia Ukraine War Live News, Russia Ukraine Conflict Crisis News Today, March 16: Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that some language of agreements with Ukraine were close to being agreed.
Russia Ukraine War Crisis Live: Russian forces shot and killed 10 people as they lined up for bread in Chernihiv, the US Embassy in Kyiv said on Wednesday. “These horrific attacks must stop. We are evaluating all available options to secure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that some formulations of agreements with Ukraine were close to agreement, with kyiv’s neutral status being “seriously” considered. Ukraine also said it saw room for compromise in talks with Russia despite the renewed assault on Mariupol. The rapid developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground came on the 20th day of the Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, the White House has said India’s adoption of Russia’s cut-price crude oil offer would not be a violation of US sanctions. However, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that we should “think about where you want to be when the history books are written right now.” India did not support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has always called on all interested parties to resolve their differences through dialogue, but has refrained from all UN resolutions against Russia.
Russian forces shot and killed 10 people as they searched for bread in Chernihiv, the US Embassy in Kyiv said on Wednesday. “These horrific attacks must stop. We are evaluating all available options to secure accountability for any heinous crimes in Ukraine,” he added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter that Mayor Oleksandr Yakovlev and his deputy Yuri Palyukh had been kidnapped by Russian invaders.
Both Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday pointed to new possibilities for compromise as peace talks resume three weeks after the Russian assault has so far failed to topple Ukraine’s government. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the talks were becoming “more realistic”, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was “some hope for compromise”, with Ukraine’s status of neutrality being one of the main Russian demands now on the table.
Russian military forces blasted Ukraine’s capital region and other major cities on Wednesday as they tried to crush a Ukrainian defense that hampered their advance nearly three weeks after the invasion. With Russia’s ground advance on kyiv stalled despite continued bombardments, a glimmer of optimism has emerged that talks between the two sides could progress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations would continue and Russia’s demands to end the war were becoming “more realistic”. Russia rained bullets on the outskirts of kyiv and inside the city, where a 12-story building exploded in flames after being hit by shrapnel.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that some formulations of agreements with Ukraine were close to being agreed, with a neutral status for Kyiv under “serious” consideration. However, he told RBC News there were other significant issues as well, including the use of the Russian language in Ukraine and freedom of speech.
Talks with Ukraine are difficult and slow, but Russia sincerely wants peace as soon as possible, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky was quoted by Interfax as saying on Wednesday. The negotiations are difficult, they are progressing slowly. Of course, we would like everything to go much faster, this is a sincere wish of the Russian side. We want to achieve peace as soon as possible,” Medinsky said. We need a peaceful, free, independent and neutral Ukraine, not a member of military blocs, not a member of NATO,” he said. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s prosecutor general said on Wednesday that 103 children had been killed in the war in Ukraine so far. Russian forces hit more than 400 educational institutions and 59 of them were destroyed, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook. (Reuters)
A senior Ukrainian official said it was an “open question” whether a “humanitarian corridor” will be opened on Wednesday to evacuate more civilians from the beleaguered Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also said in a video speech that Russian forces were controlling a hospital they captured in Mariupol on Tuesday and that 400 staff and patients were being held hostage. Russian troops opened fire from artillery positions on the hospital grounds, he said. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the information.
NATO will ask its military commanders on Wednesday to come up with new ways to deter Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, including more troops and missile defenses in Eastern Europe, officials said, diplomats. While at least 10 of NATO’s biggest allies, including the United States, Britain and France, have deployed more troops, ships and warplanes to its eastern flank, and in have put more on hold, the alliance has not yet considered how to deal with a new security situation in Europe in the medium term.
Alliance defense ministers will order the military council at NATO headquarters on Wednesday, just over a week before Allied leaders, including US President Joe Biden, meet in Brussels on March 24. “We need to restore our military posture for this new reality,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. “Ministers will begin an important discussion on concrete steps to strengthen our long-term security, across all sectors.” (Reuters)
As many as 13,800 Russian soldiers have been killed since Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the report released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, another 430 tanks, 1375 armored fighting vehicles, 190 artillery systems and 108 helicopters were also destroyed, according to a Guardian report.
The Kharkiv region emergency service in eastern Ukraine said on Wednesday that at least 500 residents of the city of Kharkiv were killed in the February 24 Russian invasion. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the information. Russia denies targeting civilians.
