Russia escalates attacks on Ukrainian cities ahead of cease-fire talks | DW News

One of the Ukrainian negotiators that has been taking part in the rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, said ahead of the fourth meeting on Monday that the new talks will focus on achieving a ceasefire. "Negotiations. 4th round. On peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops & security guarantees. Hard discussion," he wrote on Twitter. "Although Russia realizes the nonsense of its aggressive actions, it still has a delusion that 19 days of violence against Ukrainian peaceful cities is the right strategy," he added. Previous talks between the two sides tried to establish humanitarian corridors, which often ended up quickly falling apart.

High-level talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Turkey on Thursday failed to result in an agreement on ending the conflict.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on western states to increase their sanctions against Russia and to supply Ukraine with more weapons. "To those abroad scared of being 'dragged into WWIII.' Ukraine fights back successfully. We need you to help us fight. Provide us with all necessary weapons," Kuleba wrote on Twitter. "Apply more sanctions on Russia and isolate it fully. Help Ukraine force Putin into failure and you will avert a larger war." The EU and US, among others, have already brought in a raft of sanctions against Russia, that have seen the value of the ruble fall to historic lows. However, while the US and UK have pledged to stop buying Russian oil and gas, some EU countries, including Germany, have so far refused this proposal due to their reliance on Russia's fossil fuels. Kyiv has also repeatedly called for a no-fly zone, but NATO has rejected this idea saying that it risks bringing Russia and NATO countries into direct conflict and triggering a much larger-scale war.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk says the country is set to try to evacuate trapped civilians through 10 humanitarian corridors. The routes to be established would run from towns near the capital Kyiv and in the eastern region of Luhansk. Vereschuk also said the government would try again to move a humanitarian convoy carrying food and medicine into the surrounded port city of Mariupol.

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