NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Russian troops kept up pressure on Ukraine's capital city on Monday and air raid sirens were heard across the besieged country overnight, even as both nations resumed diplomatic talks. The attacks around Kyiv came a day after Russia escalated its offensive by targeting areas close to the Polish border, including a military base where 35 people were killed, raising fears that the fight was edging closer to the European Union and NATO members.
Monday, March 14, 2022
5:50 p.m. - Pfizer defends supplying medicine to Russian population: 'patients first'
The pharmaceutical company said Monday it stands in condemnation to Russia's war in Ukraine but will continue to provide humanitarian aid not included in the "unprecedented sanctions" levied against Russia.
"Pfizer concluded that a voluntary pause in the flow of our medicines to Russia would be in direct violation of our foundational principle of putting patients first," the company said in a statement. "Ending delivery of medicines, including cancer or cardiovascular therapies, would cause significant patient suffering and potential loss of life, particularly among children and elderly people."
However, the company has ruled out medical trials in Russia and will donate all profits of its Russian subsidiary to causes that provide direct humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine. It will also cease all planned investments with local suppliers intended to build manufacturing capacity in the country.
5:30 p.m. - UN warns war in Ukraine is threat to global supply chain
Russia’s war against Ukraine is threatening the global food supply and putting developing countries, especially the world’s poorest, at risk, the United Nations chief and the head of the U.N. food agency warned on Monday.
More than 40 African and least-developed countries import at least one-third of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia, and 18 of them import at least 50%, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters. These countries include Egypt, Congo, Burkina Faso, Leban, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, he said.
“All of this is hitting the poorest the hardest and planting the seeds for political instability and unrest around the globe,” the secretary-general warned.
David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, told The Associated Press during a visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv that 50% of the grain the program buys to feed “the 125 million people we reach on any given day, week or month” comes from Ukraine, as does 20% of the world’s supply of corn.
“So (the war) is going to have a dynamic global catastrophic impact,” Beasley said.
Guterres announced an additional $40 million from the U.N.’s emergency fund to get critical supplies of food, water and medicine into Ukraine, where at least 1.9 million people are displaced.
4:20 p.m. - Anti-war protester interrupts Russian state TV broadcast
An anti-war protester, reportedly an employee of the broadcaster, interrupted Russian state TV news around 9:30 p.m. local time.
"NO WAR. Stop the war. Do not believe propaganda they tell you lies here," the sign reads.
A spokesperson for jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, posted the incident online quickly racking up 180,000 views.
She wrote, "Wow. cool girl."
2:55 p.m. - Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall 'seriously injured' in Ukraine: Ukrainian prosecutor
According to the prosecutor general of Ukraine, Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was "seriously injured" while assignment outside of Kyiv.
"The explosive fracture of two lower ends - a "russskomirnyj" diagnosis, made by Ukrainian doctors to a British journalist. At the moment, the journalist is in intensive care under the supervision of doctors," she announced on Facebook in Ukrainian.
The injury comes after an American photojournalist, Brent Renaud, was killed and another, Juan Arredondo, was wounded in a Russian attack on Sunday.
Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott confirmed a Hall was hospitalized and said their "teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation quickly unfolds."
2:20 p.m. - Russian forces 'stalled' in Ukraine advance: US official
The Russian military was largely stalled in its attempted advance in Ukraine on Monday and made little progress over the weekend, a senior U.S. defense official said.
The official also said the Russians have not taken total control of the airspace. The official said all of the Russian military forces that had been arrayed around the country are now inside, and that the Russians still retain about 90% of their combat capabilities. The official said there are no indications the Russians are trying to bring in reinforcements.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments.
The official also said the U.S. has not done any training of the Ukrainian military in the country since the Florida National Guard forces left as the war was beginning. In that vein, the official said a military training base the Russians hit in western Ukraine on Sunday close to the Polish border hasn’t been used to send security assistance to the Ukrainian military and therefore the attack had no impact on that assistance.
1:00 p.m. - White House reportedly considers Biden trip to Europe
President Joe Biden may visit Europe in the coming weeks, according to multiple reports.
Sources told NBC News that discussions about the potential trip are underway at the White House.
A European trip by the president would aim to reassure U.S. allies as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. On Sunday, Russian forces targeted a military base just miles from Ukraine’s border with Poland, a NATO member, leaving dozens dead.
Among the places Biden may visit is Brussels, Belgium, home to the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Just last week, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland and Romania, which are on NATO’s eastern flank.
12:15 p.m. - Elon Musk challenges Putin to “single combat,” head of Russia’s space agency responds
Elon Musk, 50, challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, to “single combat,” and the head of Russia’s space agency responded, calling Musk a “weakling.”
“I hereby challenge Владимир Путин to single combat,” Musk tweeted to his 77 million followers just after 7 a.m. Monday, using Putin’s Russian name.
“Stakes are Україна,” Musk added, referring to Ukraine using the Ukrainian spelling.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, then tagged the Kremlin’s official account, writing in Russian, “Do you agree to this fight?”
“I am absolutely serious,” Musk wrote in an additional tweet.
The Kremlin didn’t respond to Musk, but Dmitry Rogozin, the current director of Russian space agency Roscosmos, tweeted a reply to Musk.
“You, little devil, are still young, compete with me weakling,” Rogozin tweeted in Russian, according to multiple translations. “It would only be a waste of time. Overtake my brother first.”
Musk, who is the world’s the richest person and was Time’s 2021 “Person of the Year,” said late last month that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-internet system was “now active in Ukraine” and that “more terminals” were “en route.”
Mykhailo Fedorov, the vice prime minister of Ukraine, tweeted last week that the country had received a second shipment of Starlink stations, writing that Musk “keeps his word!”
“Thank you for supporting Ukraine and peace in the entire world!” Fedorov tweeted at Musk.
10:45 a.m. - Ukraine-Russia peace talks end, will resume Tuesday
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said peace talks with Russia have ended Monday but will resume on Tuesday.
The two countries held negotiations by video link for the first time on March 10 in what is considered the fourth rounds of talks after three largely fruitless meetings held in person on the Belarusian border.
“A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Negotiations continue,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
He earlier said that “communication is being held yet it’s hard.”
10:00 a.m. - Zelenskyy to address U.S. Congress virtually on Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress virtually on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced.
The Democratic leaders sent a letter to members reading in part: “As war rages on in Ukraine, it is with great respect and admiration for the Ukrainian people that we invite all Members of the House and Senate to attend a Virtual Address to the United States Congress delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Wednesday, March 16th at 9:00 a.m.”
The virtual address will take place in an auditorium at the Capitol Visitor Center.
They said all lawmakers are invited to the talk that will be delivered via video at the U.S. Capitol. It comes as Congress recently approved $13.6 billion in emergency military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
“The Congress remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression, and to passing legislation to cripple and isolate the Russian economy as well as deliver humanitarian, security and economic assistance to Ukraine,” the letter said. “We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelenskyy’s address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy.”
Zelenskyy spoke by video with House and Senate lawmakers earlier this month, delivering a desperate plea for more military aid.
9:30 a.m. - Another round of Ukraine-Russia talks underway
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Monday afternoon that the talks via video conference are underway.
“Everyone is waiting for news. We will definitely report in the evening,” Zelenskyy said in a new video address.
Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said in a tweet earlier on Monday that the fourth round of talks will be “on peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops (and) security guarantees.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed the talks were scheduled to be held on Monday.
In a nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said it was a “black day” after Russia shelled a military base in the western part of his country.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Sunday that Russia fired 30 rockets at the Yavoriv military base. He said the attack killed 35 people and injured 134 others.
The base is less than 15 miles from the Polish border. Zelenskyy said he had given Western leaders “clear warning” of the danger to the base. He asked NATO leaders again to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, warning “it is only a matter of time” before Russian missiles fall on NATO territory.
9:00 a.m. - Over 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine
More than 2.8 million people have now fled Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency, the vast majority seeking refuge in Poland which has taken in more than 1.7 refugees in the last 19 days.
8:30 a.m. - Power line supplying Chernobyl nuclear site damaged
The Ukrainian state power company says the power line supplying the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster has been damaged by Russian forces again after it was repaired.
The Ukrenergo company said in a statement Monday that its technicians had started to supply power Sunday evening but “before the power supply was fully restored, the occupying forces damaged it again.” Ukrenergo said it will attempt another repair.
The power is used to feed pumps and other equipment which keep spent nuclear fuel at the former power plant cool to prevent radiation leaks.
The Chernobyl site is also equipped with diesel generators, and Belarusian authorities said last week that they had set up an emergency power supply from the nearby border.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has played down concerns over the safety of nuclear waste at Chernobyl, saying that cooling ponds there are large enough to keep the spent fuel in a safe condition even if the power supply is interrupted.
8:00 a.m. - Activists occupy Russian oligarch’s London townhouse
Activists have occupied a London townhouse linked to the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, saying the property will be used to support Ukrainian refugees.
The U.K. government last week froze Deripaska’s assets as it expanded sanctions against wealthy Russians and companies to put pressure on President Vladimir Putin’s regime to end its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions announcement identified Deripaska as a prominent “pro-Kremlin oligarch” who is closely linked to Putin.
Activists on Monday stood on the balcony of 5 Belgrave Sq. and unfurled Ukrainian flags and a banner proclaiming that the property had been “liberated.” Belgrave Square, a garden square dominated by foreign embassies, is the heart of the affluent Belgravia district, which attracts super-rich buyers from around the world.
“By occupying the mansion, we want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness. As always with wars, empires benefit and common people pay the price.’′
The U.K. has been criticized for being slow to impose sanctions on wealthy Russians who have flooded into London over the last 30 years, boosting the city’s economy. The U.S. government sanctioned Deripaska in 2018, saying he helped support Russia’s “malign activity” around the world.
7:30 a.m. - Bayer stopping all non-essential business in Russia, Belarus
German pharmaceuticals company Bayer AG says it is stopping all non-essential business in Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine, but it will continue to provide medicines and agricultural products to the countries.
In a statement Monday, the company said that it stands by the people of Ukraine and that it “utterly (condemns) this brutal aggression against a sovereign country.”
Bayer said it was suspending all advertising and other promotional activities, halting capital investment projects indefinitely and not pursuing any new business opportunities.
The company said it has “also heard voices calling for a complete stop of delivery of all our products to Russia and Belarus.”
Bayer said that it feels ethically obliged not to withhold essential health and agriculture products such as cancer drugs or seeds from the civilian population.
7:00 a.m. - Fighting continues outside Kyiv, Russian forces advance
Fighting continued Monday on the outskirts of Kyiv, to the west, northwest, east and northeast, the Ukrainian president’s office said Monday. Regional officials are preparing more evacuations from the targeted areas.
Air raid alerts sounded in cities and towns all around the country overnight, from near the Russian border in the east to the Carpathian Mountains in the west.
Airstrikes hit residential buildings near the important southern city of Mykolaiv, as well as in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and knocked out a television tower in the Rivne region in the northwest, the president’s office said. Explosions rang out overnight around the Russian-occupied Black Sea port of Kherson.
Three airstrikes hit the northern city of Chernihiv overnight, and most of the town is without heat. Several areas haven’t had electricity in days. Utility workers are trying to restore power but frequently come under shelling.
The government announced plans for new humanitarian aid and evacuation corridors, although ongoing shelling caused similar efforts to fail in the last week.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday its forces had advanced 7 miles over the past 24 hours, and reached five towns north of Mariupol.
In a video statement, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov did not elaborate on the advances, or comment on the humanitarian corridors or the crisis in Mariupol.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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