Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to plod forward through the weekend.
Here are the latest developments:
- At least three members of a family were killed as a result of shelling in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, on Sunday. A Russian force advancing on Kyiv fired mortar shells at a battered bridge used by people fleeing the fighting. The attack happened after attempts to arrange a humanitarian corridor failed on Sunday morning.
- Russian forces also continued to shell the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday, despite previously agreeing to a ceasefire hours before. The ceasefire agreement was a deal overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross. On Sunday, Ukraine made a second attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged cities of Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha. But plans for humanitarian corridors to evacuate the cities have collapsed. Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday that an evacuation from Mariupol has been canceled because Russian attacks would not relent.
- “The evacuation convoy with local residents was never able to leave Mariupol today: the Russians began to regroup their forces and heavy shelling of the city. It is extremely dangerous to evacuate people in such conditions,” Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk Region administration, said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “The convoy with humanitarian aid, which left Zaporizhzhya towards Mariupol today, has not yet reached its destination and is currently on its way,” Kyrrylenko added.
- The U.S. is exploring a deal that would involve Poland sending Soviet-era aircraft to Ukraine in return for American F-16 jet fighters, a move aimed at aiding Ukraine’s response to Russia’s invasion. The deal, which would require White House approval and congressional action, followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plea to U.S. lawmakers on Saturday for help with establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Russian President Putin has threatened that any countries that implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered “participants in a military conflict.”
- Mastercard and Visa suspended their operations in Russia on Saturday, dealing another major blow to the country’s financial system in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
- In talks with Putin on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged a ceasefire that would not only ease the humanitarian concerns in the region, but also provide an opportunity to seek a political solution.” Additionally, Erdogan urged Putin to open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement, according to Erdogan’s office.
- In a statement following Erdogan and Putin’s hourlong phone call, Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president told Putin that Turkey was ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“President Erdogan, who said an immediate ceasefire will not only ease humanitarian concerns in the region but also give the search for a political solution an opportunity, renewed his call of ‘let’s pave the way for peace together’,” his office said. - Erdogan’s call with Putin followed the Russian president’s unannounced meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett earlier Sunday. Bennett also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their third conversation in the past 24 hours. Bennett offered no details of his talks with any of the leaders, but said that he will press forward with efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
- In a statement following Erdogan and Putin’s hourlong phone call, Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president told Putin that Turkey was ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
