On Monday, an embattled Ukraine took a step toward strengthening its ties with the West by asking to join the European Union (EU), while the first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at stopping the hostilities ended with no agreement but an agreement to continue talking.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine uploaded images of himself signing the EU application, a mostly symbolic move that might take years to materialize and is unlikely to please Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of attempting to entice Ukraine into its circle.
On the fifth day of the battle, Russian and Ukrainian officials met under the shadow of Putin’s nuclear threats, with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine encountering unexpectedly stiff resistance and Western sanctions wreaking havoc on the domestic economy.
Ukraine-Russia talks lasted for 5 hours
Mykhailo Podolyak, a top Zelenskyy adviser, claimed the negotiations, which took place near the Ukraine-Belarus border, were focused on a prospective cease-fire and that a second session may happen “shortly.” Vladimir Medinsky, a top Putin advisor and head of the Russian delegation, said the talks lasted nearly five hours and that the envoys “identified several issues on which similar stances could be anticipated.” They agreed to continue talking in the following days, he said.
Several booms were reported in Kyiv as the talks came to a close, though no details were immediately available.
According to a senior US defense source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, Russian troops were advancing steadily towards the capital metropolis of 3 almost million people and were about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the city center. At least seven people have been killed and scores have been injured, according to Kharkiv authorities. They cautioned that the death toll might be far higher.
Kremlin raised fear of Nuclear War
Despite ample evidence of bombardment of homes, schools, and hospitals, the Russian military has denied targeting residential areas. The Kremlin raised the fear of nuclear war for the second day in a row, announcing that its nuclear troops on land, air, and sea had been placed on high alert following Putin’s weekend command.
Putin also stepped up his rhetoric, calling the US and its allies an “empire of falsehoods.” Many people were reminded of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and worried that the West would be pushed into a direct battle with Russia as a result of the nuclear high alert.
On the other hand, a senior US defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the US had yet to notice any significant change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
Russia’s Central Bank hurried to shore up the plummeting ruble as sanctions on Russian banks and other institutions took root, and Putin signed a directive on foreign currency in an attempt to stabilize the ruble. However, this did little to assuage Russian anxieties. As the sanctions threatened to push up costs and lower the standard of living for millions of Russians, people lined up in Moscow to withdraw cash.
Meanwhile, scared families congregated in bunkers, basements, and hallways across Ukraine.
In more than four days of fighting, the UN human rights head stated at least 102 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured, warning that this total is likely an underestimate, while Ukraine’s president said at least 16 children were among the dead.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: More than 5 Lakh people have fled Ukraine since the invasion
According to another UN source, more than 500,000 people have fled the nation since the invasion, with many of them settling in Poland, Romania, and Hungary. Moreover, millions of people have fled their homes. The talks on Monday took place over a long table with the Ukrainian blue-and-yellow flag on one side and the Russian tricolor on the other.
However, although Ukraine sent its defense minister and other top officials, Putin’s cultural adviser led the Russian mission – an unusual ambassador for peace and maybe a measure of how seriously Moscow takes the negotiations.
Though Western officials believe Putin intends to destroy Ukraine’s government and replace it with his own dictatorship, resurrecting Moscow’s Cold War-era influence, it was not immediately evident what Putin is wanting from the negotiations or the war itself.
In addition, the 193-nation United Nations General Assembly convened its first emergency session in decades to address the invasion of Ukraine, with Assembly President Abdulla Shahid calling for an immediate cease-fire, maximum restraint by all parties, and sanctions against Russia “a complete resumption of diplomacy and dialogue.” In a separate battle, Russian forces attacked important ports in the country’s south. Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, is “holding on,” according to Oleksiy Arestovich, a Zelenskyy consultant.
In the eastern city of Sumy, an oil depot was reportedly bombed. In the port of Berdyansk, Ukrainian protesters demonstrated against Russian forces approaching. Cyberattacks have targeted Ukrainian embassies throughout the world, as well as Russian media, in a conflict being waged both on the ground and online.
EU is still quite far for Ukraine as it much more time than expected
Ukraine is still a long way from meeting the criteria for EU membership at this point. Furthermore, the 27-nation bloc must be unanimously agreed.
Overall, there is a consensus that Ukraine’s deep-seated corruption will make it difficult for it to gain EU recognition. “We want them in the European Union,” EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Euronews on Sunday.