English daily published in Bengaluru & Doha
Hope of peace? Russia-Ukraine envoys to meet on Belarus border
Kyiv: Even as Russian forces reached the outskirts of Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the office of Ukraine’s president has confirmed that a delegation will meet with Russian officials in what seems to be a move to strike peace and prevent the war from assuming alarming proportions. This happened on a day when the Russians captured the embattled country’s second largest city Kharkiv and also targeted its ports as thousands of refugees fled to nearby Poland and Hungary.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram messaging app that the two sides would meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border and did not give a precise time for the meeting. The announcement on Sunday came hours after Russia announced that its delegation had flown to Belarus to await talks.
Ukrainian officials initially rejected the move, saying any talks should take place elsewhere than Belarus, where Russia placed a large contingent of troops before it invaded Ukraine starting Thursday. The meeting news came shortly after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers.
Zelenskyy’s office said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally, “has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return.” — AP
The Russian Army has launched major attacks on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv. A gas pipeline was blown up in Kharkiv and two large explosions were heard in the south of Kyiv early Sunday. Russian Defence Ministry Spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov had Saturday said that Russian armed forces struck Ukrainian military facilities with sea- and land-based cruise missiles.
The Karnataka government said 30 students from the state have been evacuated from Ukraine. According to the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, 397 people were stranded in Ukraine with 129 from Bengaluru. The fi rst batch of 12 students reached Bengaluru International on Sunday. The second batch of 13 students, and a third batch of fi ve from the state, have reached Delhi.
The United Nations’ refugee agency says the latest count of Ukrainians arriving in neighbouring countries stands at 368,000 and continues to rise. The update from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Sunday more than doubles its estimate a day ago, when it said at least 150,000 have fl ed Ukraine into Poland and other countries including Hungary and Romania. Spokesman Chris Meizer said on Twitter that the line of cars at the Poland-Ukraine crossing stood at 14 km long, and those fl eeing — mostly women and children — had to endure long waits in freezing temperatures overnight.
