Russian forces bombarded cities in northern and southern Ukraine Monday, as Ukrainian officials warned Russia may be moving closer to storming Kyiv and Russia’s military announced the latest in yet-unfulfilled plans to establish humanitarian corridors for civilians caught amid its invasion.
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said Russian forces were focused on encircling Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolayiv. A statement Monday accused Russia of violating international humanitarian law by shelling civilians and of creating a humanitarian crisis in occupied areas.
A Russian defense ministry statement said that for “humanitarian purposes,” Russian forces would declare a “regime of silence” beginning Monday to open corridors for people to leave Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol. Those who leave Kyiv will be airlifted to Russia the statement said. The statement added the move was in response to a direct request from French President Emmanuel Macron to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Previous agreements to establish such humanitarian corridors quickly fell apart, including in Mariupol, where an evacuation effort in the bombarded port city failed Sunday for a second consecutive day.
“Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt,” said the International Committee of the Red Cross in a statement. “The failed attempts yesterday and today underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between the parties to the conflict.”
A third round of negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow is scheduled to take place Monday. Ukrainian and Russian delegations have met twice in Belarus since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy accused Russian forces of “deliberate murder” in a video address and said anyone who “committed atrocities” will be punished.
“There will be no quiet place on this Earth except the grave,” he said.
The United States has “seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians which would constitute a war crime,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s “State of the Union” show. “We’ve seen very credible reports about the use of certain weapons.”
Russian President Putin Sunday contended his military campaign in Ukraine was proceeding as planned and will not end until the Ukrainians stop fighting.
In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appealed for a cease-fire, Putin expressed readiness for dialogue with Ukraine and foreign partners but said any attempt to draw out negotiations would fail, according to a Kremlin statement.
U.S. lawmakers are pledging to provide additional military aid to Ukraine, with the administration of President Joe Biden requesting $10 billion in humanitarian, military and economic support.
“The Congress intends to enact this emergency funding this week as part of our omnibus government funding legislation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Sunday evening letter to fellow Democrats.
Despite generally bipartisan and robust support for Kyiv, members of Congress are drawing the line at another Ukrainian request: a no-fly zone for the country’s airspace to deter Russian aerial attacks.
That would mean “World War III,” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida told ABC’s “This Week” program Sunday. “I think there are a lot of things we can do to help Ukraine protect itself… but I think people need to understand what a no-fly zone means.”
Another senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat, expressed a less strict stance.
“I would take nothing off the table,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, commented on Fox News: “If I were President Zelenskyy, I would be asking for a no-fly zone. The problem is, there is no such thing as a no-fly zone over Ukraine.”
U.S. President Joe Biden is in regular contact with Zelenskyy about Ukraine’s request for more fighter jets, according to Blinken.
“Yes, we’re talking very actively about this, looking at what we could do to backfill Poland, if it chooses to send the MiGs and the SU planes that it has to Ukraine, how we can help by backfilling what they’re giving to the Ukrainians,” Blinken, in Moldova, told “Meet the Press.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, renewed her nation’s appeal for the United States to provide it with anti-aircraft weapons and other military aid, saying, “We should treat Russia as a terrorist state.”
Along with its European partners, the United States is considering a ban on Russian oil, Blinken confirmed Sunday.
“We are now in very active discussions with our European partners about banning the import of Russian oil to our countries, while of course, at the same time, maintaining a steady global supply of oil,” Blinken said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Some lawmakers want the White House to do more to increase domestic production as oil prices surge and Americans pay more to fuel their vehicles.
U.S. gasoline prices jumped 11% over the past week to the highest since 2008, according to AAA.
“President Biden would rather import oil from our adversaries in Russia, Iran and Venezuela than increase U.S. energy production at home,” tweeted Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina, a Republican, saying the energy security for the country equates to national security.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted Sunday that Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have requested Interpol suspend Russia’s access to its systems.
“Russia’s actions are a direct threat to the safety of individuals and to international law enforcement cooperation,” Patel said.
Meanwhile, another social media platform announced restrictions on Russia-related content.
TikTok, known for short user-generated videos, said Sunday that it is blocking users in Russia from posting new content.
“In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law,” read a tweet Sunday from TikTok’s communications team.
Streaming giant Netflix also announced Sunday it was suspending its services in Russia.
An increasing number of corporate entities, including financial services, energy and technology companies, have cut ties to Russia in response to economic sanctions and outrage since the invasion of Ukraine./VOA
