Tannuka Juneja
Talks between Ukraine and Russia began in Turkey on Tuesday without a handshake, Ukrainian television reported.
“There was a cold welcome, no handshake,” a Ukrainian reporter said, without making clear whether he had witnessed the delegation’s meeting or had been told this by officials.
Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, who is acting as Russia’s unofficial envoy in talks with Ukraine, was told by President Vladimir Putin that he will “thrash” the Ukrainians, according to a report. The incident happened when Abramovich gave a handwritten note from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to Putin, according to the British daily The Times.
On Monday, the evacuations of civilians were halted after Ukrainian authorities said they had intelligence reports suggesting invading Russian troops were planning attacks on humanitarian routes.
The toll of civilian victims killed in Ukraine since the start of the war against that country has risen to 1,119, including 52 children, but it is probably much higher, underlined the OHCHR. A total of 2,909 civilian casualties have been recorded in the country and 1,790 injured since February 24.
Most of the civilian casualties were due to explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including heavy artillery fire, multiple rocket launchers, missiles and airstrikes.
In addition, 35 attacks were reported against educational establishments, including three universities, eight kindergartens, 23 schools and a science centre.
In an emotional interview with The Economist, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Western powers to help his country with renewed vigour.
Zelenskyy demanded that the West completely cut off Russia from the SWIFT international banking system, claiming that certain banks and top officials in Moscow still had access to it. A number of Russian banks were cut off from the payment gateway earlier this month.
He also implored the US and NATO to provide more tanks, planes. and armoured vehicles, arguing that shortages were preventing Ukraine from countering Russia to its full potential and taking back more cities.
Access to tanks and armoured vehicles would allow Ukraine to “unblock Russia-occupied cities, bring food to residents there, and take the military initiative into its own hands,” he said.
