Russia-Ukraine War: 18 Latest Developments After Peace Talks

On Monday, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border for the first talks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine last Thursday.

After the talks, both countries agreed to consult and meet again on a yet-to-be-announced date.

However, the Ukrainian presidency had demanded an immediate Russian ceasefire and troop withdrawal ahead of the talks.

Here are the 18 latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine after Monday’s peace talks:

– Kyiv braces –

Satellite images show a vast military column amassing just north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where residents are braced for a Russian assault.

The Russian army tells them they can “freely leave” on one highway going south as it hints of attacks on civilian areas.

– Kharkiv assault –

Russian forces shell Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, killing at least 11 civilians in residential areas, its mayor says.

AFP reports that a school was destroyed, Russian armoured vehicles burnt and corpses of Russian soldiers after earlier fighting were seen.

– Russians reach Kherson –

Russian forces reach the southern city of Kherson near Moscow-controlled Crimea, setting up checkpoints on its outskirts, its mayor says. Moscow claimed to have besieged the city two days ago.

– ‘352 civilians killed’ –

Kyiv says 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children, since the invasion began last Thursday.

– Half a million refugees –

Nearly 520,000 people have fled Ukraine in the last five days, the UN’s refugee agency says, with tens of thousands more displaced inside the country.

– War crimes –

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan says he is investigating the “situation in Ukraine”, saying there is a “reasonable basis” to believe “war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed” since 2014.

– Turkey blocks warships –

Turkey blocks warships from the Bosphorus and Dardanelles strait, limiting the movement of Russian and other naval assets by invoking a 1936 treaty.

– Talks to continue –

Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia end a first round of talks with no breakthrough. Both sides agree to conduct a second round “soon”.

– Putin’s demands –

In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian leader Vladimir Putin demands the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine and that the West recognise his annexation of Crimea.

– Nuclear fear –

The head of the UN atomic energy watchdog, the IAEA, expresses “grave concern” that invading Russian troops are operating close to Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power station in Ukraine.

– Social media curb –

Twitter and Facebook move to curb the online presence of Russian state-linked news outlets.

– Russia kicked out of World Cup –

Russia is expelled from the 2022 World Cup and its teams suspended from all international football competitions “until further notice”, FIFA and UEFA say.

– Ban Russia from sport: IOC

The International Olympic Committee urges sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes in protest at the invasion.

– Russians expelled –

The United States moves to expel 12 members of Russia’s UN mission from America for being “intelligence operatives”.

– More sanctions –

The US and Canada ban all transactions with Russia’s central bank in an unprecedented sanction.

The EU adds more Putin allies to its sanctions blacklist, including Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov and oligarchs Igor Sechin, Alisher Usmanov, Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman.

– Ruble crashes –

Putin orders emergency capital controls and forces exporters to buy rubles to prop up the currency, which plunges by a fifth, reaching record lows.

– Finland to join NATO? –

Lawmakers in traditionally non-aligned Finland — which has a long border with Russia — are to debate NATO membership. It comes after Helsinki took a “historic” decision to supply weapons to Ukraine.