Ukraine rues being ‘left alone’ by West, offers neutrality; Russia calls for surrender

The Interfax-Ukraine news agency said two explosions were heard in Kiev. Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, said they emanated from the sounds of air defenses firing at an aircraft that was downed.

Kiev municipal authorities said at least eight people were injured when the aircraft crashed into an apartment block and set it on fire. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kiev had come under “horrific Russian rocket strikes.”

Russia’s forces pressed deep into Ukraine as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kiev.  

They captured Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea, where 82 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to them, Russia’s defense ministry said. Ukrainian authorities said intense fighting was underway in the city of Sumy in the country’s northeast. 

The governor of Russia’s southern Belgorod province said that seven residential buildings in the region had been damaged by shelling from Ukraine.

Kremlin: Russia willing to negotiate Ukraine’s surrender 

In a statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would come to the negotiating table on the condition that Ukraine promised to be neutral, not aspire to be a NATO member and also not keep any Western weaponry on its territory.

Peskov underlined that discussions over the terms of surrender would generally involve “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.

President Zelensky said he is not afraid of talking about neutrality as his request for NATO accession went unanswered by European leaders.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine, together known as Donbas.

The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a West-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected, pro-Russia administration.

More than 14,000 people have been killed so far across the regions as a result of the conflict between the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russian secessionists.

Putin said the latest operation was aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”

Russia: First day of military operation ‘successful’

Late on Thursday, Russia’s military said it had “successfully” achieved its goals outlined for the first day of conflict with Ukrainian troops over the Donbas region.

“All of the tasks assigned to the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the day were successfully completed,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov added that the Russian military had eliminated Ukraine’s air defenses and was in control of the skies over the former Soviet republic.

Ukraine ‘left alone’ to fight Russia

The Ukrainian president said Friday his country had been left on its own to fight Russia after the Kremlin launched a military operation that claimed 130 lives on the first day.

“We have been left alone to defend our state,” Zelensky said in a post-midnight video address to the nation. “Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid.”

Zelensky said that 137 Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians, had been killed since the beginning of the attack, and 316 more had been wounded.

Zelensky further claimed that Russian “sabotage groups” had entered the capital, and urged locals to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.

The Ukrainian president added that he and his family remained in the country, despite Russia identifying him as “target number one.”

The UN refugee agency said around 100,000 people had been internally displaced while several thousand more had left Ukraine since the fighting erupted. 

Kiev has declared martial law after reporting over 200 attacks from the Russian side. 

Ukraine says it has killed 50 Russian troops and shot down six Russian aircraft, a claim that has not been independently verified.

EU slaps ‘harshest’ sanctions on Russia

The European Union late on Thursday announced what it called “the harshest package of sanctions” on Moscow over its military operation in Ukraine, targeting 70 percent of the Russian banking sector and key state-owned companies.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, made the announcement in a press conference after an emergency meeting with leaders of the 27-member bloc.

She said the new round of sanctions “will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action, in close coordination with our partners and allies.”

Von der Leyen added that Russian assets in the EU would be frozen and Russian banks’ access to Europe’s financial markets would also be blocked.

The package of massive and targeted sanctions approved tonight shows how united the EU is.

First, this package includes financial sanctions, targeting 70% of the Russian banking market and key state owned companies, including in defence. https://t.co/iKVGfnafKp— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 25, 2022

The EU, however, faced strong criticism from Kiev as European leaders decided against blocking Russia from an international payments system through which it receives foreign currency.

With casualties mounting, the Ukrainian foreign minister warned that the European and US politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they failed to impose the heaviest toll on Moscow by cutting Russia from the so-called Swift payments system.

“I will not be diplomatic on this,” Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from Swift has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.”

I will not be diplomatic on this. Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from SWIFT has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 24, 2022

The EU had already approved a first round of sanctions on Wednesday, including blacklisting Russian politicians and curbing trade between the bloc and two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine whose independence Moscow has recognized.

Some Western countries are also taking punitive measures against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine. 

The United States announced a wave of new sanctions on Moscow on Thursday, targeting five major Russian banks. 

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced sanctions against some 60 individuals and entities. Australia and the UK have taken similar measures.

Macron says useful to ‘leave the path open’ for dialogue with Putin

French President, Emmanuel Macron, said Friday it was useful to keep alive the chance of dialogue with the Russian leader after he launched the operation in Ukraine.

Speaking after a summit of EU leaders, Macron that “while condemning, while sanctioning” it remained useful “to leave this path open so that the day when the conditions can be fulfilled, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities.”

Macron was the only Western leader on Thursday to speak to Putin. The Kremlin said Putin held a “frank” conversation with the French leader.

The Elysee Palace said Macron called Putin to demand an end to Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

“After having spoken with the Ukrainian president, and in coordination with him, the president (Macron) called Vladimir Putin to demand the immediate halt of Russian military operations, noting that Russia risked massive sanctions,” the Elysee said.

France: Putin needs to understand NATO has nuclear weapons

French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said on Thursday that the Russian leader needs to understand that NATO is a nuclear alliance, but he ruled out the US-led military alliance’s intervention to defend Ukraine.

Asked whether Putin’s threat of “such consequences that you have never encountered in your history” was tantamount to threatening Russian use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, Le Drian said it was indeed understood as such.

“Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance. That is all I will say about this,” Le Drian said on French television TF1.

Asked why NATO member states, which in the past decades have intervened militarily in non-NATO countries such as Afghanistan, are refusing to put soldiers on the ground in Ukraine, the top French diplomat said: “That is not what the Ukrainians are asking us.”

Le Drian said Ukraine was asking for humanitarian and financial help, as well as military equipment, which the West has provided and will continue to provide.

Asked what weaponry NATO could provide, Le Drian said: “They have made a list and we are studying that list in order to meet their requests as soon as possible.”

On whether Europe and NATO could continue to resist a military response despite the presence of Russian soldiers in Ukraine and Putin’s threat of nuclear apocalypse, Le Drian said sanctions will be more efficient.

“Strangling Russia economically and financially will in the long run be stronger than any intervention,” the French foreign minister asserted.

Pelosi: US to provide $600m for new Ukraine weapons

US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Thursday said lawmakers want to provide Ukraine with $600 million for “lethal defense weapons” to battle Russia’s military actions.

“What we’re doing with Ukraine is making sure that we have humanitarian assistance to help the people; that we have lethal defense weapons going into Ukraine to the tune of $600 million for them to fight their own fight,” she told reporters in San Francisco.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, earlier said he had spoken to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who told him about “plans to deliver new defensive weapons to help Ukraine defend itself.”

Kuleba made the remarks on Twitter, but did not give details. “We need the world to help us,” he noted.

Ukraine troops halt Russian advance at Chernihiv: Report

The UK’s Ministry of Defense said on Friday that the Ukrainian armed forces had halted Russia’s advances towards Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine.

In a tweet, the ministry shared an intelligence update providing some key detail on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“We can confirm the following developments in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have reportedly halted Russia’s advance towards Chernihiv. Fighting probably continues on the outskirts of the city,” it said.

“It is unlikely that Russia has achieved its planned Day 1 military objectives. Ukrainian forces have presented fierce resistance across all axes of Russia’s advances.”