Ukraine has slowed some of Russia’s advances, but multiple cities are being hit with missiles, a presidential adviser said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to accept a neutral, non-nuclear status as part of a peace deal with Russia.
Here are the latest developments in the war on Ukraine:
Russian strikes continue: Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak said the cities of Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Rivne were among the locations hit by Russian missiles on Sunday. “More and more missiles every day. Mariupol under the ‘carpet’ bombing,” he said. “Russia no longer has a language, humanism, civilization. Only missiles, bombs and attempts to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth.” A loud explosion followed by sirens were also heard in Kyiv early Monday, according to CNN teams on the ground.
Zelensky insists on sovereignty in talks: With a new round of peace talks slated for Tuesday in Istanbul, Zelensky said in a video posted to social media that peace and the restoration of normal life are the “obvious” goals of Ukraine. “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory,” he said. Zelensky also told journalists Sunday that a neutral, non-nuclear status for Ukraine in the form of a “serious treaty” was acceptable as part of a deal with Russia, but any agreement would have to be put to a referendum.
Biden says he was not calling for regime change: Trying to stem reaction from remarks made Saturday, US President Joe Biden said, “No,” in response to a question from a reporter asking if he was calling for regime change. Biden had earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” Other Biden administration officials have sought to walk back and clarify Biden’s comment.
Ukraine promises “immediate investigation” after video surfaces: An almost six-minute-long video shows what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees during an operation in the Kharkiv region. Asked about the video, a senior presidential advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, said: “The government is taking this very seriously, and there will be an immediate investigation. We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners. If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior.” CNN is not showing the video.
Putin eyeing “Korean scenario”: Ukraine’s military intelligence head said Putin could be looking to carve Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea. Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin’s war was now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said. “[Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine,” he said.
