NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the U.S. Congress in a passionate livestreamed speech Wednesday where he played a video of normal lives disrupted and begged allies for help. President Joe Biden is then expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's military forces continued to blast Ukraine's capital region and other major cities as they tried to crush a Ukrainian defense that has frustrated their progress nearly three weeks after invading, though the two countries have signaled some optimism for negotiations to end the war.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
10:45 a.m. - Ukraine and Russia reportedly working on 15-point peace plan to end war
Ukraine and Russia are working on a tentative 15-point peace plan that would lead to the withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and several concessions from Kyiv, according to the Financial Times.
The proposed deal would include Ukraine renouncing its interest in joining NATO and other outside military alliances, as well as accepting limits on its armed forces and promising not to host foreign military bases or weaponry, three people involved in the talks told the outlet.
The tentative deal was first discussed by negotiators on Monday and significant progress has been made, according to the report.
Instead of hosting foreign military bases or weaponry, Ukraine would get protection from allies like the U.S. and U.K. It would still be allowed to keep its armed forces.
The report noted that guarantees about Ukraine’s security from the West, as well as Russia’s acceptance of those guarantees, was still up in the air and could be an obstacle to the potential plan.
Another obstacle is the status of the territories that Russia has seized from Ukraine over the past decade, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that a “business-like spirit” is emerging at talks with Ukraine that are now focused on a neutral status for the war-torn country.
“A neutral status is being seriously discussed in connection with security guarantees,” Lavrov said.
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that any deal would include “the troops of the Russian Federation in any case leaving the territory of Ukraine.”
News of a tentative peace plan comes as Russia continued to bombard Ukrainian cities and edged closer to the center of Kyiv on Wednesday, and as Zelenskyy pleaded for a no-fly zone over his country in an address to the U.S. Congress.
10:30 a.m. - Sullivan warns Patrushev about ‘consequences and implications’ of use of chemical, biological weapons
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev about “the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.”
That’s according to the following White House readout of a call between Sullivan and Patrushev.
“National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke today with General Nikolay Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, to reiterate the United States’ firm and clear opposition to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Sullivan clearly laid out the United States’ commitment to continue imposing costs on Russia, to support the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, in continued full coordination with our Allies and partners. Mr. Sullivan told General Patrushev that if Russia is serious about diplomacy then Moscow should stop attacking Ukrainian cities and towns. Mr. Sullivan also warned General Patrushev about the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.”
9:30 a.m. - Zelenskyy address US Congress, pleads for no-fly zone: ‘Right now the destiny of our country is being decided’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed U.S. Congress virtually from Kyiv, saying, “the destiny of our country is being decided” and urging the U.S. to impose a no-fly zone over the country.
The president received a round of applause from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers in an auditorium at the U.S. Capitol.
Zelenskyy talked about Pearl Harbor and 9/11, saying those attacks would allow Americans to “understand Ukrainians” and why they need help.
Speaking in Ukrainian through a translator, Zelenskyy called 9/11 a “terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities into battlefields, when innocent people were attacked from the air.”
“Our country experiences the same every day,” he said as he again asked for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years.”
“Is this a lot to ask for to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people,” he said, urging the U.S. and its allies to “reply to this terror.”
Zelenskyy then showed a graphic video of the violence in Ukraine, including attacks on civilians in its cities. The video ended with the words, “Close the sky over Ukraine.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
In lieu of a no-fly zone, Zelenskyy asked the U.S. for more defense systems and continued pressure, including through sanctions, on Russia. He said “peace is more important than income.”
The U.S. aid to Ukraine so far includes over 600 “Stinger” anti-aircraft missiles, 2,600 “Javelin” anti-tank missiles, 200 grenade launchers and ammunition, and five helicopters, three boats and 70 other vehicles, according to ABC News.
Switching to English, Zelenskyy closed the speech by saying, “Today the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine, we are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of the future. That’s why today the American people are helping not just Ukraine but Europe and the world to keep the planet alive, to keep justice in history.”
Biden will deliver his own address at 11:45 a.m., in which he is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
8:45 a.m. - Zelenskyy to address Congress, ask for more help
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress virtually around 9 a.m. ET. The speech will follow similar ones to the parliaments of Canada and the U.K. over the past week.
Zelenskyy's livestreamed address will be among the most important in a very public strategy in which he has invoked Winston Churchill, Hamlet and the power of world opinion in his fight to stop Russia.
Nearing the three-week mark in an ever-escalating war, Zelenskyy has used his campaign to implore allied leaders to “close the sky” to prevent the Russian airstrikes that are devastating his country.
It has also put Zelenskyy at odds with President Joe Biden, whose administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
Instead, Biden will deliver his own address following Zelenskyy’s speech, in which he is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
That would bring the total announced in the last week alone to $1 billion. It includes money for anti-armor and air-defense weapons, an anonymous official told the Associated Press.
8:30 a.m. - Russia says ‘neutral status’ for Ukraine ‘is being seriously discussed’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says a “business-like spirit” is emerging at talks with Ukraine that are now focused on a neutral status for the war-torn country.
“A neutral status is being seriously discussed in connection with security guarantees,” Lavrov said Wednesday on Russian channel RBK TV. “There are concrete formulations that in my view are close to being agreed.”
He didn’t elaborate but said “the business-like spirit” starting to surface in the talks “gives hope that we can agree on this issue.”
Russia’s chief negotiator in the latest round of talks with Ukraine, which started Monday and are set to continue Wednesday, said earlier the sides are discussing a possible compromise idea for a future Ukraine with a smaller, non-aligned military.
“A whole range of issues tied with the size of Ukraine’s army is being discussed,” Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said, according to Russian news agencies.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the country realizes it can’t join NATO. Ukraine’s bid to join the Western military alliance has been a sore point for Moscow.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that Ukraine is not going to join NATO “any time soon.”
8:00 a.m. - European leaders return safely from Kyiv visit
The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have returned safely from a visit to Kyiv, as invading Russian forces menace the embattled Ukrainian capital.
The visit was meant to show support for Ukraine as it endures heavy bombardment.
The leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to send the message that Ukraine is not alone and that they support the nation’s aspirations to one day join the European Union.
They went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the European Union about the security risks of traveling within a war zone.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Wednesday morning that they had returned safely to Poland.
7:30 a.m. - Explosions continue to rock Kyiv area
A plume of smoke was seen rising up over western Kyiv on Wednesday morning after shrapnel from an artillery shell slammed into a 12-story apartment building in central Kyiv, obliterating the top floor and igniting a fire, according to a statement and images released by the Kyiv emergencies agency.
The neighboring building was also damaged. The agency reported two victims, without elaborating.
Russian forces have intensified fighting in Kyiv suburbs, notably around the town of Bucha in the northwest and the highway leading west toward Zhytomyr, the head of the Kyiv region Oleksiy Kuleba said Wednesday.
He said Russian troops are trying to cut off the capital from transport arteries and destroy logistical capabilities even as they plan a wide-ranging attack to seize Kyiv.
Twelve towns around Kyiv are without water and six without heat.
Russia has occupied the city of Ivankiv, 50 miles north of Kyiv, and controls the surrounding region on the border with Belarus, Kuleba said.
Across the Kyiv region, he said, “Kindergartens, museums, churches, residential blocks and engineering infrastructure are suffering from the endless firing.”
Russian warships around midnight fired missiles and artillery at the Ukrainian sea coast near Tuzla, to the south of Odesa, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported fighting near the separatist-held eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk Wednesday but did not comment on Russian military activity elsewhere.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov claimed Russian forces have destroyed 111 Ukrainian aircraft, 160 drones and more than 1,000 tanks or other military vehicles since the start of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Ukraine said a fourth Russian general has been killed in the fighting.
Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, 46, died Tuesday during the storming of Mariupol, said Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko, who published a photo on Telegram of what he said was the dead officer. There was no confirmation of the death from Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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