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As the war enters its 34th day, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed control of several small fronts in the country’s north, including Trostianets, a town about 20 miles from its northeastern border with Russia, a senior U.S. defense official said. Ukrainian officials said they had control of Irpin, a suburb of the capital, though the local mayor said fighting was still underway. Russia appears to be directing its fiercest attacks on besieged areas in Ukraine’s east and south, including Mariupol, according to Western officials.
In a late-night video address posted Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would assemble a group of local and international experts to scrutinize global sanctions against Russia. Zelensky, who had recently argued that Western nations hadn’t gone far enough in their efforts to cripple Russia’s economy, warned that ineffective measures create a “dangerous illusion for the Russian leadership that they can continue to afford what they are doing now.”
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Ukraine says humanitarian relief, cease-fire are goals for new talks
Return to menuAhead of a new round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that solving the humanitarian crisis unfolding within his country is the immediate goal for the in-person dialogue. A cease-fire is the ultimate objective, the top envoy told Ukrainian media on Monday, but Kyiv will not trade national sovereignty or territorial integrity for peace.
“The president gave clear instructions to our delegation: We do not bargain regarding people, lands and sovereignty,” Kuleba said. “This is not a matter of negotiation.” The talks begin Tuesday in Istanbul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said in recent days that Kyiv is willing to adopt neutrality, formally ruling out any attempt to join NATO, in exchange for an end to attacks and Russia’s withdrawal. Any agreement with Moscow also must be approved by a public referendum.
Oligarch, Ukrainian negotiators suspect they were poisoned, associate says
Return to menuRussian oligarch Roman Abramovich and members of Ukraine’s negotiating delegation fell ill after meetings in early March and came to suspect that they were poisoned, according to an associate of Abramovich.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity, the associate said some suspect a “third party” carried out the alleged poisoning, suggesting it was not sanctioned by the Russian government.
The associate said the billionaire owner of a British soccer club — who faces sanctions in Europe over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin — has recovered and is focused on negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“He’s okay,” the person said.
The investigative collaborative Bellingcat and the Wall Street Journal reported earlier Monday that Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators — including Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov — suffered symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning while in Kyiv.
The three men experienced symptoms such as “red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands” following a March 3 meeting in the Ukrainian capital, according to the Journal. A fourth member of the group did not report any symptoms.
An investigator with Bellingcat was asked by chemical weapons experts to assist with facilitating an inquiry into the suspected poisoning, according to a post by the group on Twitter. Both Bellingcat and the Journal reported that the Western experts who examined the incident were unable to determine whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or electromagnetic radiation.
Last month, a spokesperson said Abramovich had been contacted by Ukraine to help facilitate peace talks with Moscow. The extent of his role in those negotiations remains unclear. Spokesmen for Abramovich and Umerov declined to comment.
The United States declined to target Abramovich with sanctions after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he could prove helpful in securing a peace deal, an official familiar with the matter previously told The Washington Post.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky and Ukraine’s lead negotiator in the peace talks with Russia, told The Post in a statement that “all members of the negotiating group are working today as usual.”
David L. Stern contributed to this report.
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