- Moscow proposes six humanitarian corridors, including three routes leading to Russia
- Ukraine accuses Russia of trying to manipulate world leaders
- Ukrainian and Russian officials meet for a third round of negotiations
- China emphasizes ‘rock solid’ relations with Russia
- EU expects to receive 5 million refugees from Ukraine
Catch up on events in Ukraine from Sunday as attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol failed
This article was last updated at 15:21 UTC/GMT
Russia says ‘unfriendly states’ will be paid in rubles
Russian officials published a list of “unfriendly” countries which includes the US, the UK, Australia, all the EU members, and many others. All corporate deals with companies and individuals from these countries would need to be approved by a state commission.
Also, debts to creditors from those countries would be paid in rubles if they surpass 10 million rubles (around $66,000 or just under €60,900) according to Monday course.
Germany says it will not sanction energy imports from Russia
Berlin supports tough measures against Russia but will keep energy deliveries exempt, according to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The German leader said Russian energy was essential for daily life.
“Europe’s supply with energy for heating, for mobility, power supply and for industry cannot at the moment be secured otherwise,” Scholz said in a statement. The chancellor also said Germany and the EU were working on alternatives but the job could not be done overnight.
“It was therefore a deliberate decision to allow the continued activities of German businesses with Russia related to energy supply,” he said.
Russia is facing a slew of punitive measures over its invasion of Ukraine. However, the threat of an import ban on Russian oil and gas has sent their prices soaring, with Brent crude trading at $139 (€128), the highest level since July 2008. Gas prices in Europe have also reached $381 per cubic meter on Monday — the price was under $80 before the invasion started 12 days ago.
Moscow reiterates demands for Ukraine
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that Russia could stop its invasion “in a moment” if Kyiv were to accept its demands.
These consist of
- Ukraine putting down its weapons
- A constitutional amendment declaring Ukraine neutral, blocking it from joining NATO or the EU
- Recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea
- Recognition of independence of Luhansk and Donetsk
“We really are finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot,” Peskov said.
He also said that Kyiv was aware of the demands, ahead of the talks set to take place between the two sides on Monday afternoon on the border between Poland and Belarus.
Macron slams Russia’s ‘hypocrisy’ over humanitarian corridors
French President Emmanuel Macron said Moscow’s proposal to evacuate Ukrainians to Russian cities was “hypocritical.”
“All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable,” he told LCI television in an interview.
Moscow had said its proposal followed a “personal request” from Macron, a claim that a French presidential official later denied.
“I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to seek refuge in Russia. That’s hypocrisy,” he said.
The issue won’t be solved via “corridors which are being threatened right away,” he added.
Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers to meet in Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has announced that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba later this week.
The meeting is to take place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. It would be the highest-level talks to take place since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Ankara has strong relations with both Kyiv and Moscow and has tried to play a more neutral role in the conflict, separating itself from its NATO partners.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the TASS news agency that an agreement for the meeting was reached during a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “on the initiative of the Turkish leader.”
Gas prices reach record levels amid Russian supply fears
Europe and UK natural gas prices soared to record highs on Monday following fresh supply fears after the US proposed an embargo on Russian crude oil.
Europe gas reference Dutch TTF rocketed more than 60%, reaching a record peak of €345 ($373,76) per megawatt hour.
Meanwhile, UK gas prices hit an all-time high of 800 pence per therm. British Brent North Sea crude oil surged close to $140 per barrel, a near 14-year high.
It comes as the White House and allies consider banning oil imports from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is one of the world’s biggest crude producers and is also a leading supplier of natural gas.
Paris denies Macron requested evacuations to Belarus, Russia
Russia’s Defense Ministry, announcing humanitarian corridors, had said it was at the “personal request” of French President Emmanuel Macron.
But a French presidency official denied the claim, and said Macron insists on “the respect of international humanitarian law, the protection of civilian populations and the supply of aid.”
“That means that protection of civilians must be organized and humanitarian access allowed,” the official told the AFP news agency.
Town near Kyiv reports mayor’s death by Russian fire
Authorities at the town of Gostomel said Russian forces have killed the mayor.
Gostomel is a town around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from Kyiv. It is home to the strategic Antonov military airport, which was the site of fierce battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the first days of the war.
“The head of Gostomel, Yuri Illich Prylypko, died while distributing bread to the hungry and medicine to the sick,” the city said on its Facebook page.
“No-one forced him to go under the occupiers’ bullets,” it said. “He died for his people, for Gostomel. He died a hero.”
Authorities said Prylypko was shot dead along with two others. It wasn’t clear when he was shot.
Lithuania calls for ‘forward defense’
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that a policy of deterrence was no longer enough, adding that “forward defense” was now needed.
Nauseda predicted that “Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he will not be stopped. It is our collective duty as a nation to help all Ukrainians with all means available. By saying all, I mean, indeed all means, if we want to avoid the Third World War. The choice is in our hands.”
Nauseda’s remarks came as Blinken started a tour to three Baltic states increasingly on edge due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking alongside Blinken, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called for embargoes on Russian energy sales.
“Energy sources which we import pay for the Russian military operation. We cannot pay for oil and gas with the blood of Ukraine,” Landsbergis told a joint news conference.
Zelenskyy calls for new sanctions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the international community to impose further sanctions on Russia, boycott Russian oil and provide Ukraine with military aircraft.
“If the invasion (of Ukraine) continues and Russia has not abandoned its plans against Ukraine, then a new sanctions package is needed… for the sake of peace,” he said in a video address.
“Boycott imports to Russia — if they do not adhere to civilised rules, then they should not receive goods and services from civilisation — let the war feed them,” he said.
Over 5,000 detained in Russia at Sunday anti-war protests: monitor
Russian police took at least 5,020 people into custody on Sunday at protests in some 60 cities against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the OVD-Info group said on Monday.
The number — unprecedented for a single day — cannot be independently verified.
OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests in Russia, said 2,394 people had been arrested in the capital, Moscow, and at least 1,253 in Saint Petersburg.
The group said police had sometimes used electric shockers on protesters.
Anti-war protests have been growing in Russia despite the fact that protesters risk possible prison sentences by taking to the streets.
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has called on Russians from his prison cell to demonstrate daily against the Kremlin’s invasion.
Many people were also arrested during a wave of protests against his imprisonment in January 2021 on charges critics say are politically motivated.
Ukraine rejects humanitarian corridors that lead to Russia
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said a Russian proposal to evacuate civilians out of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy is not an acceptable option as the humanitarian corridors mostly lead to Russian cities.
Earlier on Monday, Russia proposed six humanitarian corridors. Three of them exited to Russian cities, one to Belarus and two to central and southeastern Ukraine.
Vereshchuk called on Russia to agree to a cease-fire from Monday morning to allow Ukrainians to evacuate toward the western Ukrainian city of Lviv instead.
Ukraine received Russia’s proposal early on Monday morning after French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vereshchuk told a televised briefing.
“I hope that French President Emmanuel Macron understands that his name and sincere desire to help… in reality is being used and manipulated by the Russian Federation,” she said.
Russia declines to attend UN top court hearing on invasion
Russia failed to send an envoy to attend a hearing at the UN’s top court, the head judge said.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is hearing an injunction Ukraine has sought against Russia under the UN Convention against Genocide. The United Nations court is tasked with settling disputes between two countries.
Kyiv wants the UN judges to classify the Russian attack as genocide and at the same time reject Moscow’s claim that Ukraine was committing genocide against the Russian minority in the east of the country.
The Kremlin’s lawyers were expected to vehemently reject the case as Russia denies the jurisdiction of the court in The Hague. Moscow argues that since no genocide is being committed by Russia, there is no case and therefore no court that would have jurisdiction.
Moscow proposes 6 humanitarian corridors, most lead to Russia
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Moscow was opening six humanitarian corridors around Ukrainian cities:
- From Kyiv to Gomel, southeastern Belarus
- From Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine
- From Mariupol to Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia
- From Kharkiv to Belgorod, southern Russia
- From Sumy to Belgorod
- From Sumy to Poltava, central Ukraine
“Detailed information about the humanitarian corridors was given to the Ukrainian side in advance,” Konashenkov said.
Ukrainian officials have so far said the proposed routes were unacceptable.
Iryna Vereshchuk, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, said Russia’s proposal to evacuate Ukrainian citizens to Russian territory was “ridiculous” and “cynical.”
Up to 5 million Ukrainian refugees expected, says EU’s Borrell
As many as 5 million Ukrainians could flee their country if Russia continues with its military assault, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has said.
“We must prepare to receive around 5 million people … We must mobilize all the resources of the EU to help those countries receiving people,” he told reporters in Montpellier, France, ahead of a meeting of EU development ministers.
“We will need more schools, more reception centers, more of everything,” he said.
Borrell also said the EU would review aid spending in countries that have either given diplomatic support to Russia during the invasion or failed to criticize its actions.
Are Russian forces in Ukraine a threat to Moldova?
Vladimir Solonari, a Moldovan-American professor at the University of Central Florida, told DW that the fall of Odesa would pose a “very big” risk for Moldova and Romania.
“Moldovan forces will not be able to resist the Russians at all,” he said.
The separatist region of Transnistria, that shares a long border with Ukraine and has close relations with Moscow, could also pose a threat. Russian forces could enter that region “without any fight,” Solorani explained.
He also said that their recent renewed request for independence may have been a ploy. “It could be a first step — they’ve asked to leave Moldova and because they haven’t received a response, they could request unification with Russia.”
“This is a real danger… If Russian troops occupy Odesa, they will get to Tiraspol [the capital of Transnistria] very quickly,” he added.
Solonari believes the Russians “will find a pretext or they will just enter without any pretext.”
He has also changed his mind about Moldova uniting with Romania — the two countries share cultural similarities — saying “before, I wasn’t in favor of unification, for many reasons, but now I would prefer it, as a means of security.”
Ukraine: Russia’s corridors proposal ‘completely immoral’
Ukraine has slammed Russia’s proposal on humanitarian corridors as “completely immoral,” as several of the suggested routes by Moscow exited to Belarus or Russia.
“This is a completely immoral story. People’s suffering is used to create the desired television picture,” a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, according to Reuters news agency.
The spokesperson also accused Russia of deliberately hampering previous evacuation attempts.
According to Reuters, Oleksiy Arestovich, an advisor to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said negotiations with Moscow on establishing humanitarian corridors were ongoing. However, Arestovich said they were unlikely to be set up as long as Russian forces were trying to advance.
China says Russia relations are still ‘rock solid’
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized China’s “rock-solid” friendship with Russia and said the prospects for cooperation between the two countries are very broad.
At a press conference explaining Beijing’s position on the conflict, Wang called on both sides to settle disputes by peaceful means, through dialogue and negotiation, and “respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.”
China has offered to act as a mediator in the conflict and denounced trade and financial sanctions against Russia.
The Chinese Red Cross will provide humanitarian help to Ukraine, Wang added.
Poland: Over 1 million refugees arrived from Ukraine
The Polish Border Guard has said more than 1 million refugees have arrived from Ukraine to Poland since the Russian invasion started on February 24.
It added that traffic on the Polish-Ukrainian border was increasing, with 42,000 people crossing Monday morning.
UK intelligence: Russia trying to reduce Ukrainians’ access to news
The British Defence Ministry said in an intelligence update that Russia is seeking to restrict access to reliable news sources in Ukraine.
“Russia is probably targeting Ukraine’s communications infrastructure in order to reduce Ukrainian citizens’ access to reliable news and information,” it said on Twitter.
“Ukrainian internet access is also highly likely being disrupted as a result of collateral damage from Russian strikes on infrastructure.”
DW Correspondent Nick Connolly said internet access was “gone” in Mariupol, adding that it was “the real psychological difference” to other places in Ukraine, where internet connections were still present.
“Previously people were in difficult situations, but at least they had those communication links out, could find out what’s going on outside, could talk to their relatives and friends and give them a message that they were okay,” he said.
“Without that, people are getting a lot more nervous.”
Russia announces another cease-fire for humanitarian corridors
The Russian Defense Ministry said forces will stop firing at 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 UTC) to allow civilians to evacuate, according to the Interfax news agency.
Moscow said it will open humanitarian corridors in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy. Evacuation routes published by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, citing the Defense Ministry, show that civilians will be able to leave to Russia and Belarus
Those who want to leave Kyiv will also be able to be airlifted to Russia, according to the ministry.
The move comes at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the ministry said.
There has initially been no confirmation from the Ukrainian side
On Saturday and Sunday, Russia had declared a temporary cease-fire that could have established humanitarian corridors out of two cities. However, it failed to materialize, as Ukrainian officials halted the evacuations and accused Russian forces of violating the truce.
Meanwhile, Russia blamed Ukraine for the failure of past attempts. In the Russian Defense Ministry’s statement on Monday, it said it would use drones to monitor the evacuation and “attempts by the Ukrainian side to deceive Russia and the whole civilized world… are useless this time.”
DW Correspondent Nick Connolly said Ukrainians believe that such announcements are “just Russia stalling, trying to win time with negotiations.”
Russian forces have so far had several logistical issues, Connolly said. “They didn’t think Ukraine will put up so much of a fight.”
As Ukrainian and Russian officials are expected to hold further talks on Monday, Connolly said, “The suspicion here in Kyiv is that the Russians are negotiating in bad faith just to win time to keep on fighting.”
Ukraine armed forces: Russian troops to storm Kyiv
The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said in a Monday bulletin that Russian troops were preparing to storm Kyiv.
The statement said that Russian troops were aiming to take full control of Irpin and Bucha, two cities on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Russian troops were “trying to provide a tactical advantage to reach the eastern outskirts of Kyiv through the Brovarsky and Boryspil districts,” according to the bulletin.
Interior Ministry advisor Vadym Denysenko said on Ukrainian television that a “fairly large amount of Russian military equipment and Russian troops are concentrated at the approaches to Kyiv,” as cited by Ukrayinska Pravda.
“We understand that the battle for Kyiv is a key battle which will be fought in the coming days.”
Ukrainian reservists get married at Kyiv checkpoint
Two Ukrainian reservists have got married at a Kyiv checkpoint.
The bride and groom wore military uniforms during the ceremony.
Groom Valerii Filimonov told DW that they decided get married because “we live in challenging times and you never know what’s going to happen to you tomorrow.”
“That’s why it’s better to do it sooner than later.”
New Zealand to expand Russia sanctions
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that the country would expand its sanctions on Russia.
Ardern said that the government will pass a bill this week which will allow for extensive sanctions on those associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bill could also ban the entry of Russian ships and aircraft into New Zealand waters or airspace.
Ukraine and Russia to meet for negotiations
Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet for a third round of negotiations, which both sides said could take place on Monday.
The location and exact time of the talks were initially unclear.
The two delegations last met in Belarus for two rounds of peace talks and agreed to put in place humanitarian corridors to allow evacuation from Mariupol and Volnovakha.
The attempt to evacuate Mariupol failed on Sunday, and Russia and Ukraine both blamed each other for the collapse of the cease-fire.
Russian gymnast sports pro-invasion insignia at medals podium
The International Gymnastics Federation asked for disciplinary proceedings to be opened against Ivan Kuliak after the Russian gymnast sported an insignia linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kuliak wore a shirt with the letter “Z” on it as he accepted a bronze medal on Sunday. The “Z” has been seen painted on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine.
Kuliak stood next to Ukraine’s Kovtun Illia, who was the gold medalist.
Belarusian and Russian gymnasts will be banned from future competitions starting from Monday, a measure decided on before Kuliak received his bronze medal.
Blinken: US and allies discuss banning Russian oil imports
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States and its European allies were exploring banning imports of Russian oil.
Meanwhile, the White House coordinated with congressional committees developing their own ban.
US House of Representatives explores banning Russian oil imports
US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the House of Representatives was discussing legislation to further isolate Russia from the global economy.
Measures explored by the House include banning the import of Russian oil and energy products in to the US.
Pelosi added that Congress intended to enact $10 billion (€9.2 billion) in aid for Ukraine this week.
Summary of events in Ukraine-Russia crisis on Sunday
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that more than 20,000 people from 52 countries had volunteered to fight in Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities said that Russian forces increased the shelling of a number of Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv.
The Ukrainian presidential office said that several hundred thousand Ukrainians must be evacuated immediately, adding that the situation in several dozen towns in eight regions was catastrophic.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement that current sanctions imposed on Russia are not sufficient
According to a statement by Russian NGO OWD-Info, more than 4,400 people were arrested throughout Russia amid anti-war protests on Sunday. This included 2,035 people in Moscow and 1,150 in St. Petersburg. In total there were anti-war protests in some 60 cities across the country.
Poland’s border guard said over a million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the Polish border. UN refugee chief Fillippo Grandi said that 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the invasion begun almost two weeks ago, with those not entering Poland fleeing to Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania.
Video-sharing app TikTok cut off live streaming and new content to its video service in Russia after the Kremlin introduced a new law that could jail anyone for intentionally spreading “fake” news.
fb, sdi/rt (dpa, AP, Reuters, AFP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-rejects-humanitarian-corridors-that-lead-to-russia-live-updates/a-61036513?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf