03/16/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:27 Russia initiates procedures for leaving the Council of Europe +++
Russia has started the process of withdrawing from the Council of Europe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow writes on Telegram that the “Notification of the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the organization” has been handed over to the Secretary General of the Council. Moscow accuses NATO and the EU of having turned the Council of Europe into an instrument in the service of “their military-political and economic expansion in the East.” The Council of Europe, which sees itself as the guardian of human rights and to which 47 countries belong, had previously suspended Russia because of its military offensive in Ukraine.
+++ 01:00 Scholz: “Will not set up no-fly zones” +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz rules out military intervention by NATO in the Ukraine war. The West continues to rely on the sanctions imposed on Russia, Scholz said at an event organized by “Welt” in Berlin. “We will not set up no-fly zones over Ukraine. That would mean a direct military confrontation with Russia, with Russian fighter jets.” He agreed with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and the other allies that there should be no military conflict between NATO and Russia. “No one can want that,” said Scholz.
+++ 00:30 USA give another 186 million dollars for Ukraine refugees +++
The US government is providing an additional $186 million (€170 million) in humanitarian aid for refugees struggling in the Ukraine war. According to a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US is calling for an immediate end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia must ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid. People who wanted to leave the embattled cities must be given the opportunity to do so. Blinken points out that the US has provided nearly $293 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the region since February.
+++ 23:50 Poland wants NATO “peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine +++
Poland calls for a NATO “peacekeeping mission” to support Ukraine in the war against Russia. “This mission cannot be an unarmed mission,” the PAP news agency quoted Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who traveled to Kyiv with the heads of government of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. “You must try to provide humanitarian and peaceful aid in Ukraine.” A peacekeeping mission by NATO “or possibly a broader international structure” is an option. This should be “protected by the armed forces” and “be able to defend itself”. It should also “act on Ukrainian territory” “with the consent of the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian government”.
+++ 23:10 French President Macron wants to talk to Putin about Russian TV employees +++
French President Emmanuel Macron has offered protection to TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who was convicted after her sensational protest on Russian state television. “Of course we will take diplomatic steps to protect your colleague, either in the embassy or in asylum,” said Macron. He will propose this solution in his next meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. “In any case, I wish that we get complete clarity about her personal situation and her possibility to continue her work as soon as possible.”
+++ 22:46 Another Fox News employee killed near Kyiv +++
Another journalist from the US broadcaster Fox News died near Kyiv. The 24-year-old Oleksandra Kuvshynova was killed in the same incident in Horenka as her colleague, cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, the broadcaster said. The team’s vehicle had come under fire. Correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured. Kuvshynova supported the Fox News team with research in Ukraine. “She was incredibly talented and spent weeks working with our local team,” it said. Out of consideration for the family, the announcement of the death of 24-year-old Kuvshynova was delayed, according to the US broadcaster.
Oleksandra Kuvshynova (2nd from right)
(Photo: via REUTERS)
+++ 22:29 Pentagon: Russia’s ground troops are making little progress in front of Kyiv +++
According to the US government, the Russian ground forces are still making little progress in Ukraine. The capital, Kyiv, will continue to be bombed at long range, a senior US defense official said. More and more civilian targets such as residential areas would be hit. The Russian military has not moved significantly closer to the city. According to estimates, the Russian troops are about 15 to 20 kilometers from the city center in the northwest and between 20 and 30 kilometers in the east. The northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea are more isolated. There is currently no direct movement from the sea towards the important south-western Ukrainian port city of Odessa. According to the Pentagon, the Russians have fired more than 950 missiles since the beginning of the war of aggression. There were no new attacks to report on western Ukraine, the official said.
Russian units shell Kyiv from a great distance.
(Photo: dpa)
+++ 22:11 Mayor of Kharkov: Schools, kindergartens and hospitals destroyed +++
According to the mayor, more than 600 buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv have been destroyed since the start of the Russian invasion. Among them are “schools, kindergartens, hospitals, clinics,” says Ihor Terekhov in a television interview.
+++ 21:51 Ukraine: Difficult negotiations with Russia, but continue +++
According to an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talks between Ukraine and Russia are proving difficult. They are scheduled to continue on Wednesday. There are fundamental differences between the two sides, but there is “certainly room for compromises,” explains Mykhailo Podoliak. “We’ll continue tomorrow.”
You can read about previous developments here.