NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Russia announced yet another ceasefire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine starting Monday, but previous such measures have fallen apart, and Moscow's armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets even after the announcement. Hopes were dim that a third round of talks happening Monday would yield any breakthroughs. Twelve days into the war, Russia’s plan to quickly overrun the country has been stymied by fierce resistance, though it has made significant advances in southern Ukraine and along the coast.
Monday, March 7, 2022
7:31 p.m.: Russia UN ambassador announces cease-fire plan
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia says Russia will carry out a cease-fire on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Moscow time and open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy and Mariupol.
He took the floor at the end of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine on Monday to make the announcement.
"This proposal doesn't have any demands about the citizens being sent necessarily to Russia, into Russian territory," he said.
"There's also evacuation offered towards Ukrainian cities to the west of Kyiv, and ultimately it will be the choice of the people themselves where they want to be evacuated to," Nebenzia said.
6:53 p.m.: Zelenskyy: Russia mined medical supply roads
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said instead of an agreement on humanitarian corridors, what Ukraine got on Monday was "Russian tanks, Russian Grad rockets, Russian mines."
"They even mined the roads that were the agreed routes for taking food and medicine to the people, to the children, of Mariupol," Zelenskyy said in what has become a daily video address close to midnight. On Monday night he spoke from behind the ornate desk in his official office, visual proof that he remains in Kyiv.
During talks on Monday, the Russians proposed evacuation routes leading to Russia and its ally Belarus, rather than to areas of western Ukraine that remain peaceful.
"It's just cynicism," Zelenskyy said. By opening a small corridor to Russia, he said, Moscow is looking only for a propaganda victory.
He said that on the 12th day of the war, the Ukrainian army is counter attacking and inflicting extremely painful losses on the enemy. "Battles are underway in the center, in the north and in the south of country - Mariupol and Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, Odesa and Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr."
5:45 p.m. - Top officials in Congress reach a deal to ban Russian oil imports to the US
Top officials in the U.S. Congress reached agreement Monday on legislation that would ban Russian oil imports to the U.S. and end Russia’s permanent normal trade relation status in response to the intensifying war in Ukraine.
That’s according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private deliberations in Congress.
Voting could come swiftly but no schedule has been set.
The White House has been reluctant to ban Russian oil imports as gas prices at the pump spike for Americans, but has not ruled out the option.
5:15 p.m. - Russia proposes a ceasefire in five Ukrainian cities starting Tuesday morning
Russia claims it will hold a humanitarian ceasefire in Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol starting Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. local time in Moscow.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told CNN's Jake Tapper that he hopes Russia keeps its word.
"They haven't been [good on their word]. We have seen families actually targeted during the use of these so-called 'humanitarian corridors' so we certainly hope that they can be trustworthy on this but we've seen sadly all too often too many instances where the Russians have not been true to their word," he added.
4:30 p.m. - Defense US official says that it's likely Putin is recruiting Syrians to join Russian forces in Ukraine
A senior U.S. defense official told ABC News on Monday that reports that Russia is attempting to recruit Syrian fighters appear to be accurate.
"We find that noteworthy that [Putin] believes that he needs to rely on foreign fighters to supplement what is a very significant commitment of combat power inside Ukraine as it is," they added.
The official said Putin has also committed nearly "100% of his combat power" into Ukraine, launching more than 625 missiles since the invasion began.
3:30 p.m. - US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith says no-fly zone is a no-go
Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others, the US Ambassador to NATO said the alliance would not recommend a no-fly zone.
“Our goal right now is to actually stop the war. We don't want to expand this conflict beyond Ukraine, and so right now, the signal from NATO collectively is that NATO is not prepared to move forward with a no-fly zone," Julianne Smith told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
However, the ambassador said members of NATO were taking steps to "provide lethal support to Ukraine and assess their security needs in real time."
3:00 p.m. - 3rd round of talks leads to 'small positive shifts,' Ukrainian & Russian officials say
Both Russia and Ukraine say they’ve made a little progress during a third round of talks and Russia’s top negotiator says the corridors are expected to start functioning Tuesday.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said without elaboration Monday that “there were some small positive shifts regarding logistics of humanitarian corridors” to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities. He said that consultations will continue on ways to negotiate an end to hostilities.
Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, said he expects that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine will finally start functioning Tuesday. He said no progress has been made on a political settlement, but voiced hope that the next round could be more productive.
“Our expectations from the talks have failed, but we hope that we would be able to make a more significant step forward next time,” Medinsky said. “The talks will continue.”
Efforts to set up safe passage for civilians over the weekend fell apart amid continued shelling. But the Russian Defense Ministry announced a new push Monday, saying civilians would be allowed to leave the capital of Kyiv, Mariupol and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.
2:30 p.m. - Biden chats with French President, German Chancellor, British Prime Minister on response to Ukraine's invasion
"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. held a secure video call today with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom," according to a White House readout.
"The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. They also underscored their commitment to continue providing security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. In addition, they discussed their respective recent engagements with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents," they added.
2:00 p.m. - Video shows Ukrainian girl singing in bomb shelter
A video that has been viewed millions of times on Twitter shows a Ukrainian girl singing in a bomb shelter in the Kyiv area.
The video, posted to Facebook last Thursday, went viral this week as thousands of Ukrainians continue to shelter amid increasing bombardments by Russian forces.
In the video, the girl named Amelia sings “Let It Go” from the hit Disney movie “Frozen” to people huddled in the shelter.
Actress Idina Menzel, who voiced Elsa in “Frozen,” tweeted a response to the video Sunday night, writing: “We see you. We really, really see you.”
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko tweeted Monday that “the courage of the children in the shelters is mind blowing.”
“Let it go lyrics inspire the whole shelter. I’m in tears at the unfairness,” Vasylenko wrote.
1:15 p.m. - Photos show 3rd round of Ukraine-Russia talks
A new photo shows delegations from Russia and Ukraine meeting at an undisclosed location on Monday for a third round of talks.
The Ukrainian delegation is seen at the left and the Russian delegation at the right. The talks were reportedly held somewhere in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, a vast forest in Belarus.
The two sides met for another round of talks on Monday, according to Russian state media, though hopes for any breakthrough were dim.
Mykhailo Podoliyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who took part in the talks, posted a video following the meeting.
Podoliyak tweeted that there were some positive developments on “improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors” for civilians after previous ceasefires failed and Russian forces continued to pummel cities with rockets.
“Intensive consultations have continued on the basic political block of the regulations, along with a ceasefire and security guarantees,” Podoliyak wrote.
The two countries’ foreign ministers are also scheduled to meet in Turkey on Thursday, according to that country’s top diplomat. Ukraine hasn’t confirmed the meeting.
Meanwhile, Russian lawyers have snubbed a hearing at the United Nations’ top court about Ukraine's effort to halt the invasion.
And a senior U.S. defense official told CNN that Russian forces are “increasing bombardments” of major Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv, as well as Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Mariupol.
“We’ve certainly have noticed increases in what we call long-range fires, bombardments, rocket attacks, artillery, as well as missile strikes, and we do assess that these strikes are hitting civilian targets, infrastructure, residential areas,” the official said.
According to the official, it’s “not clear” if the Russians are deliberately striking civilian targets or if it’s due to “imprecision.”
“It’s happening on a greater rate and a greater scale, and all the more evidence of the reckless nature with which the Russians are propagating this invasion,” the official said.
11:15 a.m. - Over 400 civilians killed in Ukraine since invasion began, UN confirms
The U.N. human rights office says it has been able to confirm the deaths of 406 civilians in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
It said that another 801 injured civilians had been confirmed as of midnight Sunday. The rights office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has confirmed.
It says it believes the real figures are considerably higher, “especially in government-controlled territory and especially in recent days.” Fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still need to be corroborated.
Ukrainian officials have presented far higher numbers.
9 a.m. - Mayor Adams says NYC must be ‘unified’ amid reports of Russian businesses threatened, losing business: ‘This is Putin’s action’
Mayor Eric Adams told 1010 WINS that New Yorkers must be “unified” as war rages on in Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin is to blame for the conflict and not Russians in the city.
Over the past week or so, Russian businesses have said that they’ve been threatened, flooded with negative reviews, and lost significant business as the war in Ukraine is in its 12th day.
Adams denounced the mistreatment of Russians in the five boroughs and told 1010 WINS’ Susan Richard that “This is Putin’s action.”
“Like I said at the start of this war, we have one of the largest Russian-speaking populations, one of the largest Ukrainian populations,” the mayor said. “That’s why I went out to Brighton Beach yesterday to visit Coney Island Hospital, where almost 25% of their employees are Russian-speaking. I’ve said this from the start. This is not something that the Russian-speaking population here in New York is responsible for. This is Putin’s action.”
The mayor added: “What happens on the global stage plays out on the streets of New York. We must send the right signal across the globe that we live in unison and that we are unified against this war and not target our Russian-speaking population.”
8:30 a.m. - Nearly 50 Russian diplomats, family reportedly leave NYC for Moscow
Nearly 50 Russian diplomats have left New York City for Moscow along with their families, CNN reported, citing Russian state news agency RIA.
The diplomats left the city out of JFK Airport on a Russian government plane late Sunday, according to the report.
Their departure came after the deputy representative of the United States to the United Nations requested last week that a dozen Russian U.N. diplomats leave the U.S. by March 7.
The U.S. wanted the diplomats removed because they were allegedly engaged in “activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats,” ambassador Richard Mills told the U.N. Security Council last Monday.
8:00 a.m. - Biden to hold secure video call with leaders of France, Germany and UK
The White House said President Joe Biden would discuss the latest developments in Ukraine during a secure video teleconference with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom.
The call was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in the White House Situation Room.
7:30 a.m. - Zelenskyy says peace will return to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a new address to Facebook, saying peace will return to Ukraine.
In a Facebook post evoking the country’s blue and yellow flag, Zelenskyy wrote: “There is no blood on our flag. There are no and will never be black spots on it. There are no and will never be any swastikas on it. The Ukrainian flag is the land. Peaceful, fertile, golden and without tanks. This is the sky. Peaceful, clear, blue and without missiles. So it was. And so it will be.”
Zelenskyy also called for a global boycott of all Russian products – including oil.
“If the invasion continues and Russia does not abandon its plans against Ukraine, then we need a new sanctions package,” Zelenskyy said in his video address, including “a boycott of Russian exports, in particular, the rejection of oil and oil products from Russia.”
“The international community must act even more decisively.”
7:00 a.m. - France’s Macron critical of Russia's corridor offers
French President Emmanuel Macron criticized “hypocritical” rhetoric and “cynicism” from Moscow about offering to open humanitarian corridors to Russia for Ukrainian civilians.
“Humanitarian actors need to be able to intervene, so we must get full ceasefires when they intervene to place under protection women, children, men who need to be protected. And (we must) be able to get them out of the conflict area,” Macron said Monday in an interview on French news broadcaster LCI.
The issue won’t be solved via “corridors which are being threatened right away (by Russia),” he said. Saying that “we are going to protect people by bringing them to Russia” is “hypocritical,” he added. “This is cynicism" that is “unbearable,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said a ceasefire would start in the morning, and safe passages would open for civilians from the capital of Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy. Some of the evacuation routes, however, would funnel civilians toward Russia or its ally Belarus — unlikely destinations for many Ukrainians who would prefer to head toward countries on the western and southern borders.
A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for Monday. Mykhailo Podoliyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, posted a selfie ahead of the talks, which he's taking part in.
6:30 a.m. - Poland won’t send fighter jets to Ukraine
Polish government officials on Monday said that Poland has not, and will not, send its fighter jets to Ukraine to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
A deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, said in an interview on Radio Zet that: “We will not open our airports and Polish planes will not fight over Ukraine … Polish planes will not fight over Ukraine.”
But separately the government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, indicated a final decision had not been made. He said that a decision on whether to send fighter jets presents risks and is a “very delicate matter.”
The comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begged the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia’s invasion and retain control of its airspace.
6:00 a.m. - More than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine: UN
The United Nations’ refugee agency says the number of people who have fled the war in Ukraine has increased to more than 1.7 million.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday put the number of people who have arrived in other countries since the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24 at some 1.735 million. That’s up from more than 1.53 million on Sunday.
Nearly three-fifths of the total - nearly 1.03 million -- arrived in Poland, according to the agency. Over 180,000 went to Hungary and 128,000 to Slovakia.
5:30 a.m. - US secretary of state visiting Baltic states amid Russia fears
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a lightning visit to the three Baltic states that are increasingly on edge as they watch Russia press ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.
The former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are all members of NATO and Blinken aims to reassure them of the alliance’s protection in the event Russia chooses to expand its military operations to other neighboring countries.
Memories of Soviet occupation are still fresh in the Baltics and since the invasion of Ukraine last month, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies while the U.S. has pledged additional support.
Blinken’s Baltic tour opened Monday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, where support for Ukraine’s resistance to the invasion government is palpable with signs of solidarity with Ukrainians in many businesses and on public buildings and buses.
“Unfortunately, the worsening security situation in the Baltic region is of great concern for all of us and around the world,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Blinken. “Russia’s reckless aggression against Ukraine once again proves that it is a long-term threat to European security, the security of our alliance.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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