Russian artillery pounds Ukraine’s Kharkiv as cease-fire talks end with no breakthrough

KYIV/MOSCOW – Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second largest metropolis Kharkiv on Monday, killing presumably dozens of individuals, Ukrainian officers stated, as Moscow’s invading forces met stiff resistance from Ukrainians on a fifth day of battle.

The assaults befell whereas Russian and Ukrainian officers met on the Belarusian border, however their talks made no breakthrough.

Russia additionally confronted deepening isolation and financial turmoil as Western nations, united in condemnation of its assault, hit it with an array of sanctions that rippled all over the world. World shares slid and oil costs jumped.

America imposed new sanctions — on Russia’s central financial institution and different sources of wealth.

And President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a letter formally requesting instant membership of the European Union for Ukraine — a request unlikely to shorten the admission course of, however an emphatic assertion of dedication to Western values.

However Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed no signal of reconsidering the invasion he unleashed on Russia’s neighbor final Thursday in an try to drag it firmly again underneath Moscow’s affect and redraw Europe’s safety map.

He dismissed the West as an “empire of lies” and replied to the brand new sanctions with strikes to shore up Russia’s crumbling ruble foreign money.

The Russian invasion — the most important assault on a European state since World Conflict II — has did not make the decisive early good points that Putin would have hoped for. However Kharkiv in Ukraine’s northeast has change into a significant battleground.

Regional administration chief Oleg Synegubov stated Russian artillery had pounded residential districts regardless that no Ukrainian Military positions or strategic infrastructure had been there. No less than 11 individuals had been killed, he stated.

“That is taking place within the daytime, when individuals have gone out to the pharmacy, for groceries, or for consuming water. It’s a criminal offense,” he stated.

Earlier Inside Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko stated Russian rocket strikes on Kharkiv had killed dozens. It was not attainable to confirm the casualty figures independently.

Video posted by the army confirmed thick columns of smoke rising from condominium blocks and flashes of flames.

Talking in New York, Moscow’s United Nations ambassador stated the Russian Military didn’t pose a risk to civilians.

Pictures from the U.S. satellite tv for pc firm Maxar confirmed a Russian army convoy stretching greater than 25 kilometers on the way in which to Kyiv.

Combating additionally occurred all through Sunday night time across the port metropolis of Mariupol, the top of the Donetsk regional administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, stated. He didn’t say whether or not Russian forces had gained or misplaced floor.

Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the realm round a nuclear energy plant, in line with the Interfax information company, however the capital remained underneath authorities management.

Explosions had been heard within the metropolis earlier than daybreak and troopers arrange checkpoints and blocked streets with piles of sandbags and tires as they waited to tackle Russian troopers.

On Kyiv’s streets, signboards usually used for visitors alerts confirmed the message: “Putin misplaced the struggle. The entire world is with Ukraine.”

Talks between the 2 sides befell on the border with sturdy Russian ally Belarus — a launch pad for invading Russian troops.

Ukraine had stated it needed to safe a direct cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian forces. The Kremlin declined to touch upon its objectives.

The assembly ended with officers heading again to capitals for additional consultations earlier than a second spherical of negotiations, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak advised reporters.

“The Russian aspect, sadly, nonetheless has a really biased view of the damaging processes it has launched,” Podolyak tweeted.

Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky advised reporters, “A very powerful factor is that we agreed to proceed negotiating.”

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “particular operation” that it says shouldn’t be designed to occupy territory however to destroy its southern neighbor’s army capabilities and seize what it regards as harmful nationalists.

The Western-led response has been emphatic, with sanctions that successfully reduce off Moscow’s monetary establishments from Western markets. The ruble plunged 32% towards the greenback on Monday earlier than recouping about half of its losses.

Over the weekend, Western nations introduced sanctions together with barring some Russian banks from the SWIFT worldwide funds system.

Russia’s central financial institution on Monday cranked up its key rate of interest to twenty% from 9.5% because the ruble dived. Authorities advised export-focused corporations to be able to promote overseas foreign money.

The financial institution additionally ordered brokers to dam any makes an attempt by foreigners to promote Russian securities.

However the world financial institution HSBC and the world’s largest plane leasing agency AerCap joined corporations in search of the exit after British oil main BP, the most important overseas investor in Russia, stated on Sunday it could abandon its stake in state oil firm Rosneft, writing off as much as $25 billion.

In Brussels, European Union overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell stated EU sanctions would have a value for Europe “however now we have to be able to pay the value, or we must pay a a lot greater worth sooner or later.”

The EU will present intelligence to Ukraine about Russian troop actions and EU nations will improve their army assist, he stated.

The Ukrainian army stated Russian forces had been additionally specializing in Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, and components of the Donetsk area within the east. Separatists there raised a Russian flag on a neighborhood administration constructing in a single shattered village on Sunday.

U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet stated a minimum of 102 civilians in Ukraine had been killed since Thursday however the actual determine might be “significantly greater.”

Ukraine’s Well being Ministry stated on Sunday 352 civilians, together with 14 kids, had been killed for the reason that starting of the invasion.

Greater than half one million individuals have fled to neighboring nations, in line with the United Nations refugee company.

Companions within the U.S.-led NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Group) protection alliance had been offering Ukraine with air-defense missiles and anti-tank weapons, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg stated.

The Kremlin accused the EU of hostile habits, saying weapons provides to Ukraine had been destabilizing and proved that Russia was proper in its efforts to demilitarize its neighbor.

However there was assist for Ukraine from surprising quarters.

The U.S. know-how agency Microsoft stated it had supplied risk intelligence and defensive recommendations to Ukrainian officers about assaults on a spread of targets, and in addition suggested the federal government about tried cyberthefts of knowledge.

And European soccer’s governing physique, UEFA, scrapped sponsorship by the Russian state fuel large Gazprom reported to be value €40 million ($45 million) a season, and UEFA and the worldwide federation FIFA suspended all Russian groups till additional discover.