A Ukrainian soldier walks through a heavily-damaged private zoo on the outskirts of Kyiv (AP)
UPDATE, APRIL 1:
Maria Avdeeva, director of Ukrainian think tank UA Experts; Bel Trew of London’s The Independent; and I joined Ireland RTE Radio 1’s Claire Byrne on Thursday to analyze the latest political, economic, and military developments in Ukraine.
From 12:42 in the clip, I speak about the situation in besieged Mariupol in southern Ukraine and the assessment that Vladimir Putin has been “misled” by advisors about his invasion.
Listen to Discussion
Take it with a grain of salt, coming from agencies of Western governments. But what we know is that the Russians have failed with “Plan A” of this operation to get into Kyiv quickly and detain, possibly kill, Ukraine’s leaders.
We have multiple reports that 20% of Russia’s invasion force is now lost: troops killed, wounded, captured, or missing and 300 tanks destroyed.
The biggest confirmation that the Russians are scrambling — whether or not Vladimir Putin wants to accept it — is that they have called off the assault on Kyiv.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: With the failure of Russia’s “Plan A” to occupy Kyiv and topple the Zelenskiy Government, The Economist’s executive editor Anne McElvoy and I joined Times Radio’s John Pienaar on Wednesday to discuss the next phase of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
We assess the military and political situation, including the status of the Ukraine-Russia talks. We evaluate the belated but clear “unity” of international support for Kyiv, and whether NATO and Europe will continue to bolster the Ukrainian resistance as Russia regroups after military failure.
Listen from 2:35.57
Ukraine War, Day 36: After Pullback from Kyiv, Russia Readies Assault on East
The talks are important because Ukraine’s proposals set markers, including a security guarantee, membership of the European Union, and the status of Crimea.
And on NATO, Europe, and the US:
Providing substantial military aid, a lot of which is under the table; providing intelligence cooperation; and moving ahead with sanctions on Russia — this has opened up a window not only of bolstering Ukraine in this crisis, but of showing that Vladimir Putin miscalculated in thinking he could split NATO.
