A child sits on a swing in front of a destroyed apartment block in Ukraine (Anna Dobrovolskaya)

EA on TRT World and China Radio International: Will China Bail Out Putin Over His War on Ukraine?

An Iconic Protest in Russia, Live on State TV: “They’re Lying to You Here”

Tuesday’s Coverage: As Russia Shells Kyiv’s Civilians, Zelenskiy Calls on Putin’s Troops to Surrender

UPDATE 2010 GMT:

Following Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s address to the US Congress (see 1338 GMT), President Joe Biden has approved an $800 million of military aid to Ukraine, supplementing $1 billion that was already provided this week.

The package includes 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, 7,000 small arms, 20 million rounds of ammunition, and drones.

UPDATE 2000 GMT:

Ivan Fedorov, the Melitopol mayor abducted by Russian forces last week, is free.

It is unclear whether the Russians released Fedorov or whether he was rescued in a Ukrainian “special operation.

Ukraine State TV showed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaking by phone with Fedorov.

Two other mayors of cities in southern Ukraine are still held by the Russians (see 1145 GMT).

UPDATE 1915 GMT:

The bodies of five people, including three children, have been retrieved from rubble of residential buildings damaged by Russian shelling of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, emergencies services report.

Earlier today it was reported that Russian forces shot and killed 10 people waiting for bread in the city (see 1245 GMT). The Russian Defense Ministry insisted the report was a “hoax launched by the Ukrainian Security Service”.

UPDATE 1905 GMT:

Russian forces have bombed Mariupol’s theater while between 1,000 and 1,300 people were sheltering in it.

The city council said the Russians “purposefully and cynically destroyed the Drama Theater in the heart of Mariupol.”

Casualty numbers were being confirmed.

Activist Oleksandra Matviichuk noted that those sheltering included “many children and patients in need of special attention”.

UPDATE 1855 GMT:

The Bolshoi Ballet’s prima ballerina Olga Smirnova has quit after denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Smirnova will start immediately at the Dutch National Ballet. She will join the Brazilian Victor Caixeta, who left the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg because of hte invasoin.

Earlier this month, Smirnova wrote on Telegram that she was against the war “with all the fibres of my soul”:

We can not remain indifferent to this global catastrophe….

I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements. But now I feel that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after.

UPDATE 1629 GMT

The International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to “immediately suspend military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine”, saying there was no evidence to justify the Kremlin’s claim of “genocide” against Russian speakers in the east of the country.

The Court ruled 13-2 for the order, with only Russian and Chinese judges in opposition.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the ruling:

UPDATE 1617 GMT:

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has warned Nikolay Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s security council, “about the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine”.

Sullivan also “clearly laid out the United States’ commitment to continue imposing costs on Russia, to support the defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank, in continued full coordination with our Allies and partners”.

UPDATE 1613 GMT:

Ukraine Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak has set out the essential requirements in any negotiation with Russia, and said resolution must come through direct talks between Volodymr Zelenskiy and Vladimir Putin.

Three sources have told The Financial Times that a tentative 15-point plan includes a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal if Ukraine renouncing its Constitutional ambition to join NATO and promising not to host foreign military bases or troops while being protected by allies such as the US, UK, and Turkey.

Podolyak pushed back on the FT saying that it reflects Russian requests rather than an agreed position: “The only thing we confirm at this stage is a ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees from a number of countries.”

UPDATE 1555 GMT:

Vladimir Putin has railed that the West “would not succeed” in a supposed attempt to achieve global dominance and dismember Russia.

“If the west thinks that Russia will step back, it does not understand Russia,” he proclaimed.

Betraying his concern about international sanctions, he said Western countries wanted to hit every Russian family: “The west doesn’t even bother to hide the fact that its aim is to damage the entire Russian economy, every Russian.”

Putin tried out the disinformation, “In the foreseeable future, it was possible that the pro-Nazi regime in Kyiv could have got its hands on weapons of mass destruction, and its target, of course, would have been Russia.”

UPDATE 1415 GMT:

The Guardian has posted a video of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s speech to the US Congress.

UPDATE 1352 GMT:

Because of sanctions on its owner, Russian businessman Roman Abramovitch, London’s Chelsea Football is banned from financial transactions, limited in travel, and even prohibited from selling merchandise.

So a man in Iran’s capital Tehran is trying to help.

UPDATE 1338 GMT:

Invoking iconic moments in American history such as Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the losses of Pearl Harbor and on 9/11, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed for assistance in a video address to the US Congress.

Zelenskiy say Ukrainians will “not give up” facing a Russian invasion which is more than Ukraine: “It is about democracy, freedom, about choosing your own path.”

He expressed gratitude for economic and military assistance from the Biden Administration, but reworked King’s 1963 speech as he asked for the US to “do more”.<

He said that if a no-fly zone is not possible, then the US should help provide warplanes to Ukraine: “I have a need – I need to protect our skies.”

The President also requested tightening of sanctions on Moscow: “I am asking that Russians do not receive a single penny they can use to destroy Ukraine.”

He proposed “the creation of an association — U24, United for Peace — a union of responsible countries who have the strength and conscience to stop conflicts immediately, and provide all the necessary assistance within 24 hours”.

After showing a video of Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian civilians, including crying children trying to evacuate, Zelensky addressed US President Joe Biden in English:

You are the leader of the nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

UPDATE 1245 GMT:

Russian forces have reportedly shot and killed civilians in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine:

Ukraine officials later confirmed the statement from the US Embassy.

UPDATE 1145 GMT:

Russian forces have abducted the mayor and deputy mayor of the port city of Skadovsk in southern Ukraine, according to Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Local media reported the detention of Oleksandr Yakovlev and his deputy Yuri Palyukh.

Last week Russian troops abducted two other mayors of cities occupied in southern Ukraine, the only area where Moscow’s ground offensives have made significant gains.

Melitopol’s Ivan Fedorov was taken away, with Russian officials naming a city councillor as his replacement. Yevhen Matveyev was deatined in Dniprorudne.

UPDATE 1100 GMT:

For the first time, the Kremlin has signalled terms for an end to its invasion of Ukraine.

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine as a neutral state, with a status comparable to that of Austria and Sweden, is part of talks with the Ukrainians: “This is an option that is being discussed now and that can be considered as a compromise.”

Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine will maintain its armed forces but will not host foreign bases or troops.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed, “Neutral status is now being seriously discussed seriously along, of course, with security guarantees. This is what is now being discussed at the talks. There are absolutely specific wordings and in my view, the sides are close to agreeing on them.”

The provisions would change little about Ukraine’s pre-invasion status. NATO pulled back from an offer of membership in 2010. There are no foreign bases in the country, and only a few hundred troops from NATO and member countries, involved in training of Ukrainian personnel.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said a model for legally-binding security guarantees, protecting Ukraine, is being discussed:

UPDATE 1000 GMT:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told a Russian outlet that some provisions are close to agreement in Ukraine-Russian talks, claiming there is “serious” consideration of Kyiv’s neutral status.

However, he then complicated the assertion with the use of the Russian language in Ukraine must be resolved.

Lavrov has lied that people cannot speak Russian in public in Ukraine.

In a detailed Twitter thread, analyst Kamil Galeev why Vladimir Putin will not enter genuine negotiations over the future of Ukraine.

UPDATE 0828 GMT:

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted on Tuesday evening to expel Russia.

The final vote was 216-0, with three delegates abstaining.

After the vote, Council of Europe leaders issued a joint statement condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and expressing support for Ukrainian and Russian people who share democratic values as part of the European family.

Through their actions in Ukraine the Russian authorities deprive the Russian people of the benefit of the most advanced human rights protection system in the world, including the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and our vast convention system.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted:

The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, snapped, “Everything turned to ash and dust in the Council of Europe long ago. This organization has become just an instrument for NATO propaganda.”

UPDATE 0820 GMT:

Emergency services in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine report that at least 500 residents of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, have been killed during the Russian invasion.

Two people were killed and two residential buildings destroyed in Kharkiv by Russian shelling overnight (see Original Entry).

UPDATE 0750 GMT:

The rating agency Fitch has downgraded 31 Russian banks, including the country’s largest institution Sberbank, from B to CC with the assessment that “default of some kind appears probable”.

Fitch noted Vladimir Putin’s decree on March 5 which “could impose insurmountable barriers to banks’ ability to make timely payments on foreign- and local-currency debt to certain international creditors in their original currency”.

UPDATE 0740 GMT:

The Ukraine military says its forces downed three warplanes, one helicopter, three operational-tactical drones, and two cruise missiles on Tuesday.

The military also reported nine airstrikes on Russian military convoys.

UPDATE 0718 GMT:

The UN High Commission for Refugees reports that the number of Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion is 3,000,381, including almost 1.4 million children.

UPDATE 0708 GMT:

Russian forces shelled Kyiv again this morning, collapsing a 12-story residential building and setting it on fire.

Two people were injured and 37 evacuated.

A nine-story building next door was damaged.

An update from Ukraine’s emergency services on the destruction of Russia’s 21-day invasion:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said negotiations with Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war are “more realistic” after a fourth set of discussion.

Yet the Russians shelled civilian areas on Tuesday, including in the capital Kyiv, and elevated the threat to about 350,000 residents of besieged Mariupol in southern Ukraine by again blocking aid and occupying a hospital with about 500 patients and staff.

Having met the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia in person hours earlier, Zelenskiy said in a video address early Wednesday:

The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine.

Efforts are still needed, patience is needed. Any war ends with an agreement.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that while there are “fundamental contradictions” between the two sides, “there is certainly room for compromise”. Another advisor, Ihor Zhovkva, said the negotiations are “more constructive” with Russia no longer demanding that Ukraine surrender.

Zelensky recognized that Ukraine’s entry into NATO is not an immediate prospect:

It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO; we understand this. For years we heard about the apparently open door, but have already also heard that we will not enter there, and these are truths and must be acknowledged.

NATO pulled back on a 2008 offer of membership to Kyiv after the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych took power in 2010.

After Yanukovych’s removal by mass protests in 2014 — soon followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, establishment of a proxy area in the east, and “hybrid warfare” — NATO’s members provided some support to Ukraine. However, the option of membership has not been tabled, despite Ukraine enshrining the aspiration in its 2019 Constitution.

The talks will continue on video link Wednesday.

In the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, Russia — having shelled evacuees on several occasions — finally allowed a significant evacuation with at least 2,000 private cars departing, after 160 were permitted to leave on Monday.

Ukraine Interior Ministry advisor Vadym Denysenko said about 20,000 civilians have been evacuated.

However, Russian forces continued to prevent any aid from reaching Mariupol, which has no heat, water, or electricity and severe shortages of food. Troops seized a hospital, said regional gpvernor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The Russians bombed a children’s hospital and children’s ward last week. The attack led to the deaths of at least five civilians, including a pregnant woman, a child, and a newborn baby.

See also Ukraine War, Day 15: Russia Bombs Children’s Hospital as 1,170 Killed in Mariupol

Mariupol is at the eastern end of a 250-km (155-mile) corridor, along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, where the Russian ground offensive has made its only notable gains during the 21-day invasion.

The Russians have taken the cities of Kherson and Melitopol, abducting the mayor of the latter and installing a replacement. However, they continue to face protests by residents over the occupation.

Killing of Civilians in Kyiv and Kharkiv

In Kyiv, five civilians were among the latest victims of Russian shelling across the country. A 16-story apartment block was among buildings severely damaged and set ablaze.

Warning of a “difficult and dangerous moment”, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday at 8 p.m.

The capital is the heart of Ukraine, and it will be defended. Kyiv, which is currently the symbol and the forward operating base of Europe’s freedom and security, will not be given up by us.

Russian forces are still struggling in their attempt to encircle or invade the city, with the bulk of the units remaining 25 km (15 miles) away.

Two people were killed and two residential buildings destroyed in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv among 60 strikes overnight by Russian artillery attacks.

Four people were rescued from one of the collapsed buildings. A school and the city’s marketplace were also attacked.

The airport of Dnipro, in east-central Ukraine, was severely damaged overnight.

Zelenskiy to Canadian Parliament: Help Us

In a video address to the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday, Zelenskiy has appealed for Canada and its allies to do more to halt the Russian invasion, including a no-fly zone.

“How many more cruise missiles need to fall on our cities?” he said, noting that 97 children have been killed by Russian attacks.

Addressing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the President asked, “Justin, can you imagine your children hearing all of these intense explosions?….Kharkhiv, Mariupol are not protected like your cities are protected.”

Zelenskiy is scheduled to address the US Congress on Wednesday.

NATO has already rejected a no-fly zone, unwilling to risk direct confrontation with Russian forces. However, on Wednesday military commanders will meet in Brussels to draw up plans for more troops and missile defenses in eastern Europe.

Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will addressing the gathering, as Ukraine seeks an escalation of military aid.

In Kyiv, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala assured Ukrainians, after he and his Polish and Slovenian counterparts, met Zelenskiy: “Europe stands with you”.

He reiterated to reporters, “The main goal of our visit and the main message of our mission is to say to our Ukrainian friends that they are not alone.”

Zelenskiy responded, ““I am sure that with such friends, with such countries, with such neighbors and partners, we will really be able to win.”

The leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, called for an armed international peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

“I think that it is necessary to have a peace mission – Nato, possibly some wider international structure – but a mission that will be able to defend itself, which will operate on Ukrainian territory,” he said.