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Ukraine agrees for talks, EU shuts airspace on Russia: Key updates on day 4 of conflict
Ukrainians, who have been on a fleeing spree since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine, huddled at railway stations. The conflict has triggered a massive refugee influx in Poland, Hungary and Germany.
Russia's military invasion of Ukraine that triggered a global condemnation entered the fourth day on Sunday. Heavy battle between Russian troops and the Ukrainian army took place during the day as the former aimed to close in on Kharkiv - the second largest city of the east European nation.
However, by late evening (India time), regional governor Oleh Sinegubov took to social media to state Kharkiv was retaken by the Ukrainian soldiers. “Control over Kharkiv is completely ours!” the post read.
Visuals flooding social media showed smokes and fires coming out of buildings as Russian soldiers patrolled the city, and vehicles lay abandoned.
Ukrainians, who have been on a fleeing spree since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine, huddled at railway stations. The conflict has triggered a massive refugee influx in Poland, Hungary and Germany.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has agreed to hold talks with Russia at the Belarus border - near the Chernobyl exclusion zone, following a phone conversation between Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Earlier in the day, Zelensky had refused to consider Belarus as a negotiation medium, saying Ukraine does not want to hold peace talks in a location that had been the serving ground for the invasion.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said the country will not buckle under pressure during the talks, and will “not give up a single inch” of their territory.
Here are the top developments of the day on the Russia-Ukraine war:
1. Russian president Vladimir Putin placed the country's nuclear deterrent forces on high alert. The announcement was made during his meeting with Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
2. After hours of heavy fighting, Ukrainian army regained control over Khargiv, the second largest city of the war-torn European country. Russian troops also attacked Ukraine's gas and oil facilities earlier in the day by blowing them up.
3. Ukraine agreed to hold talks with Russia along the Belarus border after initially refusing the idea. Belarus, which in the past too served as a negotiation medium between the two countries, has often been slammed for siding with Russia.
4. Among the several new sanctions imposed on Russia, the European Union (EU) said it will shut the bloc's airspace for Russian airlines, and also ban the country's state media outlets. More than 10 nations have banned Russian airlines from their airspace, with Canada and Spain joining the list, according to latest reports.
5. The United Nations nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors, comprising 35 nations, will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday (March 2) on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Reuters reported.
6. Zelensky urged foreigners to join his country's side in the war against Russia in the ‘international brigade’. He said Ukrainians are strong enough to defend their land, but Russia's invasion is the “beginning of war against Europe”.
7. The US will provide $54 million in new humanitarian aid to Ukraine, secretary of state Antony Blinken said. “This assistance enables humanitarian organisations to support citizens of Ukraine already in need & those newly affected by Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack,” he added.
