Zelenski says peace talks are at stake as Mariupol deadline approaches

As Moscow approaches the 3:00 a.m. (GMT) deadline for the remaining Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender, AFP reports that Volodymyr Zelensky has said the already faltering peace talks will be canceled if Russia cancels its defenders. The elimination of our troops, of our men (in Mariupol) will put an end to any negotiation. We are not negotiating either our lands or our peoples. Russian soldiers on the streets of Mariupol. Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AFP / Getty Images Updated at 01.30 BST 2 hours before 03.22 Russian forces accelerated sporadic attacks in Kyiv and western Ukraine on Saturday despite Moscow turning to launch a new offensive in the east, the Associated Press reported. Drowned by the loss of its flagship in the Black Sea and outraged by the alleged Ukrainian aggression on Russian soil, the Russian military administration had warned of new rocket attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Smoke billowed from the capital in the early hours of Saturday as Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an attack that killed one person and injured several others. The mayor advised residents who left the city earlier in the war not to return. “We do not rule out further strikes in the capital,” Klitschko said. “If you have the opportunity to stay a little longer in cities where it is safer, do it.” It was the second strike in the Kiev region this week. Russian missiles hit the city as residents went for walks, foreign embassies planned to reopen, and other signs of the city’s pre-war life began to reappear after Russian troops failed to occupy Kyiv and their territory. A community kitchen created by World Central Kitchen, run by renowned chef Jose Andres to feed people in disaster zones, was among the buildings hit by the strikes, injuring four staff members. An update I hoped I would never have to do. I am in a restaurant @WCKitchen in Kharkov, where less than 24 hours ago I was meeting with their amazing team. Today, a rocket stuck. 4 staff members were injured. That’s the reality here – cooking is a heroic act of bravery. #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AyU4fUnA61 – Nate Mook (@natemook) April 16, 2022 Updated at 03.30 BST 2 hours before 03.07 For those who follow current developments, here is what we know so far on the 53rd day of the invasion 3 hours before 02.30 The Russian news agency TASS reported that Russian air defense units shot down a military transport plane carrying western weapons outside Odessa. “Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian military transport aircraft near Odessa, which was delivering a large cargo of weapons to Ukraine from western counties,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Ioshenko told reporters on Saturday. In addition, according to Konashenkov, the operational and regular air force destroyed 67 areas of concentration of Ukrainian military personnel and equipment in the last 24 hours. Updated at 02.38 BST 3 hours ago 02.20 The mayor of Irpin, on the western edge of Kiev, says more than 70% of the buildings in the city have been destroyed or destroyed by Russian forces, according to the Kyiv Independent. In a Telegram post, Oleksandr Markushin said a UN study based on satellite data showed 115 buildings were completely destroyed, 698 were severely damaged and 187 were partially damaged. A ruined residential tower in Irpin. Photo: Mykhaylo Palinchak / SOPA Images / REX / Shutterstock3h ago02.18 This is Hannah Ellis-Petersen who will take care of the live blog for the next few hours Updated on 02.18 BST 3 hours ago 01.48 Bloomberg reports that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich traveled to Kyiv in an effort to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The report, based on unnamed sources, said Abramovich had met with Ukrainian negotiators in a bid to salvage the talks. Abramovich, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, acts as an unofficial mediator between Moscow and Kiev. Putin said in recent days that the talks were “deadlocked”, while Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier today that the talks would end if Russia followed its threat to exterminate the defenders of the besieged city of Mariupol. 4 hours before 01.11 When the war broke out, tens of thousands of Russians fled their homeland. Fueled by rumors of forced mobilization and border closures, the unusual exit was made by highly educated workers, who often traveled to smaller countries. But as the war enters its third month without end, the hasty decisions many Russians have made to leave have struck a chord with the harsh reality of immigration abroad. While many Russians are gone forever, others have retired to care for sick parents, run businesses, keep their families together or just make ends meet. Andrew Roth and Pjotr ​​Sauer have this reference to the dilemma faced by many Russians living abroad. 4 hours ago 00.49 The next sixth round of EU sanctions on Russia will target oil and banks, especially Sberbank, Reuters reports. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that the planned sanctions would include Russia’s largest bank, which has already been targeted by the US and the UK for sanctions. “We are looking further at the banking sector, especially Sberbank, which accounts for 37% of the Russian banking sector. “And, of course, there are energy issues.” The EU has so far saved Sberbank because, together with Gazprombank, it is one of the main payment channels for Russian oil and gas, which EU countries buy despite the conflict in Ukraine. He also said the EU was working on “smart mechanisms” so that oil could also be included in future sanctions. “The top priority is to cut Putin’s revenue,” he said. 5 hours ago 00.29

Zelenski says peace talks are at stake as Mariupol deadline approaches

As Moscow approaches the 3:00 a.m. (GMT) deadline for the remaining Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender, AFP reports that Volodymyr Zelensky has said the already faltering peace talks will be canceled if Russia cancels its defenders. The elimination of our troops, of our men (in Mariupol) will put an end to any negotiation. We are not negotiating either our lands or our peoples. Russian soldiers on the streets of Mariupol. Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AFP / Getty Images Updated at 01.30 BST 5 hours ago00.14 This is Michael Coulter starting the blog for the next few hours. In the last of the war in Ukraine, Russia claims to be on the verge of taking full control of the besieged city of Mariupol and has ordered the remaining defenders to surrender or die. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that the troops are still enduring: “The situation is very difficult. Our soldiers are excluded, the wounded are excluded. “There is a humanitarian crisis. Nevertheless, the children are defending themselves.” 5 hours ago 01/00

Summary

Here are the things in conflict in Ukraine as the live blog is delivered to my colleagues in Australia. Thank you for coming with me this afternoon and tonight.

Russia has repeated rocket attacks on Kyiv and western Ukrainian cities, with some civilian deaths reported in Kharkov and the capital. Russia has warned it will intensify its missile bombing after the sinking of the Moskva warship. The port city of Mariupol seems close to falling under Russian control after a fierce battle for the city. Russia’s Defense Ministry says it has cleared urban areas of Ukrainian forces and issued an “surrender or die” ultimatum to other defenders, saying it was trapped in a steel plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation in Mariupol remained “extremely serious”, but did not acknowledge that the city could fall. “The successes of our army on the battlefield are really important, historically important. “But it is still not enough to clear our land of the invaders,” he said. Zelensky spoke on Saturday afternoon with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who praised the “bravery” of Ukraine’s defenders and vowed to “continue to provide the means for Ukraine to defend itself.” The Ukrainian president warned that the world “must be prepared” for Russia to use nuclear weapons. He told reporters in Kyiv that “we must not wait any longer” for Russia to use chemical or nuclear weapons. “[They] “He can use any weapon, I’m convinced of that,” he said. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has banned Johnson and other British politicians and members of the British government from entering the country in response to the government’s “hostile action”, including sanctions. The Kremlin has said it will extend restrictions on British policy in what it calls a “wave of anti-Russian hysteria.” The number of people evacuated from Ukrainian cities via humanitarian corridors decreased significantly on Saturday compared to the previous day. A total of 1,449 people were evacuated, less than the 2,864 who escaped on Friday. Pope Francis condemned “the darkness and cruelty of war” in a speech on Easter Saturday at the Vatican. Francis said his prayers were offered with four Ukrainian politicians at the rally, including the mayor of the occupied city of Melitopolis, and “for all who are suffering.”