Live blog: Zelenskyy meets Blinken, Austin in Kiev amid Mariupol fighting

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Zelenskyy meets top-level US delegation

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the US secretaries of state and defence secretary were meeting with the Ukrainian leader in the highest-level visit to Kiev by an American delegation since the start of Russia's offensive.

The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in an interview on Ukrainian TV late that the talks are going on "right now. Talking to the president. Maybe they can help".

Zelenskyy's meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons in its fight against the Russian assault, which began 60 days ago.

Ukraine proposes talks with Russia over fate of civilians, troops in Mariupol

Ukraine has proposed a "special" round of negotiations with Russia to be held in the shadow of Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant to discuss the fate of the civilians and Ukrainian troops still trapped in the city, an adviser to Ukraine's president said.

The talks would aim to establish an immediate ceasefire in Mariupol, "multi-day" humanitarian corridors, and the freeing or swapping of Ukrainian fighters trapped in the Azovstal plant, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video address.

Village in Russia's Belgorod region shelled by Ukraine - Moscow

Russia has said a village in its Belgorod region bordering Ukraine has been shelled from across the frontier, state news agency TASS quoted a local official as saying.

Vladimir Pertsev, the official, said there were no casualties or damage after one projectile landed in a field, according to TASS.

Ukraine blames Russia after Mariupol humanitarian corridor fails

No humanitarian routes have been established out of the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Sunday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said, blaming Russian forces for not holding their fire.

Vereshchuk said that the Ukrainian side would try again on Monday to establish safe passage out of Mariupol. 

She called for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is scheduled to travel to Moscow before visiting Kiev next week, to demand a ceasefire and open up humanitarian corridors from Mariupol. "This is what Guterres should talk about in Moscow, if he is preparing to talk about peace," Vereshchuk said.

Wounded, civilians in Mariupol, Ukraine must be evacuated: Turkish president

Civilians and injured people in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol must be evacuated, the president of Türkiye has said in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart.

During the call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the latest situation on the ground in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the negotiation process, said a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

Underlining Türkiye's readiness to provide all means of support during the negotiation process, including mediation efforts, President Erdogan said evacuations must be ensured in Mariupol, where the situation is worsening by the day.

Russian forces trying to storm Azovstal plant: Ukrainian presidential adviser

Russian forces are attempting to storm the Azovstal plant in Mariupol by land, backed up by aerial and artillery bombardment, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said.

Arestovych wrote on Facebook that "Russian troops are trying to finish off the defenders of Azovstal and more than 1,000 civilians who are hiding at the plant."

The Azovstal steel factory is the main remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the southeastern port of Mariupol. Russian troops surrounded the plant in early March and have gradually taken control of most of the city.

UN calls for ‘stop’ in fighting to allow Mariupol evacuation

The United Nations Ukraine crisis coordinator, Amin Awad, has called for an "immediate stop" to fighting in Mariupol to allow the evacuation of trapped civilians in the battered city "today."

"The lives of tens of thousands, including women, children and older people, are at stake in Mariupol," Awad said in a statement.

His call came after an attempted evacuation from Mariupol by Ukraine failed the previous day, with Kiev saying it was "thwarted" by Russian forces.

OSCE concerned about detained members

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has expressed concern about the detention of several Ukrainian members of its monitoring mission in the east of the country.

The Vienna-based body said in a brief statement that it is “using all available channels to facilitate their release.” 

A spokesperson declined to specify how many national mission members were detained, when or by whom.

Russian ambassador to US says mission’s work ‘blockaded’ - RIA

The working of the Russian embassy in Washington is "blockaded", with its bank accounts closed and staff receiving threats, state news agency RIA has cited ambassador Anatoly Antonov as saying.

"The embassy is in essence blockaded by US government entities. Accounts of our two consulates in Houston and New York have been closed by Bank of America," Antonov was quoted as saying.

"We receive threats both by phone and letters come... At some point even the exit from the embassy was blocked," he added.

Russia hits arms depots in Ukraine's Kharkiv region

Russia has said its high-precision missiles struck nine Ukrainian military targets overnight, including four arms depots in the Kharkiv region where artillery weapons were stored.

The defence ministry said its missile and artillery forces destroyed a further four such arms depots in the same region and hit a facility in Dnipropetrovsk region producing explosives for the Ukrainian army.

Two children killed in shelling in Donetsk region

Two children were killed in shelling by Russian forces, the governor of Ukraine's Donetsk region said, urging people to evacuate areas near the fighting.

Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram that the children, girls aged 5 and 14, had died in the Ocheretynsk community after the building where they lived was destroyed.

EU's von der Leyen in India with Ukraine on agenda

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will press India over its neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict after arriving in the country for trade, security and climate talks.

She will meet Prime Minister Narender Modi on Monday as the latest in a stream of recent diplomatic visitors seeking to lure India away from Russia with pledges of security, defence and energy cooperation.

Ukraine was on the agenda when Modi hosted his British counterpart Boris Johnson this week, in a trip that culminated in the announcement of a new defence and security partnership.

Ukraine marks Orthodox Easter with prayers for those trapped

Ukrainians marked Orthodox Easter in the capital Kiev with prayers for those fighting on the front lines and others trapped beyond them in places like Mariupol.

St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kiev was ringed by hundreds of worshipers with baskets to be blessed. Inside, a woman clutched the arm of a soldier, turning briefly to kiss his elbow. Other soldiers prayed, holding handful of candles, then crossed themselves.

Outside the cathedral, a soldier who gave only his first name, Mykhailo, used his helmet as an Easter basket. He said he didn’t have another. “I hope I’ll only have to use the helmet for this,” he said.

Russia continuously shelling Mariupol: Ukrainian official 

Senior Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has that Russian forces were continuously shelling Mariupol and urged Moscow to agree a "real Easter truce".

"Russia is continuously attacking the Mariupol Azovstal. The place where our civilians and military are located, is shelled with heavy air bombs and artillery," Podolyak said on Twitter.

He urged Russia to "think about the remnants of its reputation" and called for "a real Easter truce in Mariupol" alongside an immediate humanitarian corridor for civilians and special round of talks to facilitate the exchange of military and civilians".

Ukraine repelled numerous Russian assaults in Donbass: UK 

Ukraine has repelled numerous Russian assaults along the line of contact in Donbass this week, according to British military.

Despite Russia making some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance has been strong across all axes and inflicted a significant cost on Russian forces, the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin.

"Poor Russian morale and limited time to reconstitute, re-equip and reorganise forces from prior offensives are likely hindering Russian combat effectiveness," the update added.

Swiss veto German request to re-export ammunition to Ukraine

Neutral Switzerland has held up German arms deliveries to Ukraine by blocking the re-export of Swiss-made ammunition used in Marder infantry fighting vehicles that Kiev would like to get, Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung has reported.

The news comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces growing criticism for his government's failure to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, even as other Western allies step up shipments.

The Marder, made by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall , uses ammunition manufactured in Switzerland, the paper said. Switzerland restricts the re-export of such war materiel to conflict zones.

Russia deploys Iskander-M launchers near border: Ukraine

Russia has deployed Iskander-M mobile battlefield missile launchers within 60 km (40 miles) of the Ukrainian border, General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces has said.

"Then enemy has increased the number of troops in the Belgorod region by transferring and concentrating additional units," the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily morning update. "According to available information, Iskander-M launchers have been deployed 60 km from the border with Ukraine," it said, without providing more detail on the location of the systems.

The Iskander, a mobile ballistic missile system codenamed SS-26 Stone by NATO, replaced the Soviet Scud missile. Its two guided missiles have a range of up to 500 km (300 miles) and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

Eight people die in Russian attacks in Ukraine's Luhansk

Eight people have died in Russian attacks in Ukraine's Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, the region's governor, wrote in a post on social media.

Guterres to visit Ankara before trips to Moscow and Kiev

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday will visit Türkiye, an important mediator seeking an end to Russia-Ukraine conflict, before heading to Moscow and Kiev, the UN said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General will visit Ankara, Türkiye, where, on 25 April, he will be received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," the UN said.

Kiev: Ukraine destroys Russian command post in Kherson

The Ukrainian military said it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency posted a statement saying the command post was hit on Friday and two generals were killed and one was critically wounded.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an online interview that 50 senior Russian officers were in the command center when it came under attack. He said their fate was unknown.

The Russian military did not comment on the claim, which could not be confirmed.

Ukraine asks 'equipment' to operate nuclear power plant

Ukraine has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency for "a comprehensive list of equipment" it needs to operate nuclear power plants during the fight with Russia, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.

This includes radiation measurement devices, protective material, computer-related assistance, power supply systems and diesel generators, he said in a statement.

"We will coordinate the implementation of the assistance that the IAEA and its member states will provide, including by delivering required equipment directly to Ukraine's nuclear sites," he said. "The needs are great and I'm very grateful for the considerable support that our Member States have already indicated they will make available."

Zelenskyy criticises Guterres over Russia first visit

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised a decision by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to visit Moscow on Tuesday, before heading to Kiev.

"It is simply wrong to go first to Russia and then to Ukraine," Zelenskyy told reporters in the Ukraine capital. "There is no justice and no logic in this order," he added.

"The war is in Ukraine, there are no bodies in the streets of Moscow. It would be logical to go first to Ukraine, to see the people there, the consequences of the occupation," he said.

Putin attends Russian Easter mass amid Ukraine crisis

President Vladimir Putin attended an Easter mass conducted by the Russian Orthodox Church, which has strongly backed the Kremlin leader's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

When Patriarch Kirill announced "Christ has risen," Putin joined the other members of the congregation with the reply "Truly he is risen."

At an outdoor service in Moscow, Kirill said he hoped the conflict in Ukraine would end quickly but did not condemn it. His statements backing Russia's intervention, which has been condemned by Kiev and Western nations as an act of aggression, have splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church.

For live updates from Saturday (April 23), click here