Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he would send a delegation to meet with Russian officials for peace talks “without preconditions.” Axios writes:
A senior Pentagon official told reporters on Sunday that Russia has now committed two-thirds of its massed forces to the fight inside Ukraine, and has fired over 320 missiles, but still does not hold a major population center. Russia’s advance on Kyiv has also stalled about 30km (19 miles) from the city center, the official said
Meanwhile, in a televised address Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was placing his nuclear forces on high alert. The Washington Post writes:
The Pentagon is criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put his nuclear forces on high alert as “unnecessary” and “escalatory,” but remains confident that the United States and NATO will be able to defend themselves, according to a senior defense official.
“We believe that this is not only an unnecessary step for him to take but an escalatory one,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss developing events. “Unnecessary because Russia’s never been under threat by the West or by NATO and certainly wasn’t under any threat by Ukraine. And escalatory because it’s clearly potentially putting at play forces that, if there’s a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous.”
Despite days of intense fighting across Ukraine, Russia has yet to take and hold a major city. NBC’s veteran international correspondent has a good summation of the situation on the ground.
The European Union announced it will ban all Russian-owned, Russian registered and Russian-controlled aircraft from its airspace. The move includes aircraft owned by Russian oligarchs. The EU also announced it would seek to ban Russian state-owned media in the bloc and target Russian ally Belarus with sanctions.
The Guardian has posted video from Kharkiv, a city that has been retaken by Ukrainian forces. Watch below:
