Russia-Ukraine war: Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that they are seeking full restoration of territory – including Crimea.
So far, Zelensky has mentioned three top goals: to halt Russia’s advance, reclaim territory and restore Ukraine’s entire territory through diplomacy, reported Ukrainian media – the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian President also accused Russia of breaching agreements to pause fighting long enough to allow vulnerable civilians to be moved to safety, even the UN-coordinated operation at the steel works in Mariupol.
More than 5.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24. These are the latest figures from the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Monday.
Just over three million fled to Poland; Romania has taken in 817,000 and Slovakia nearly 372,000, as of April 29.
US President Joe Biden has also proposed a $33 billion package for arming and supporting Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a recent interview said that the Russian troops came very close to capturing him and his family.
These stark revelations were made while speaking to Time magazine.
In late February when Russia began its invasion Zelenskyy recalled how it became apparent that he was a target.
The Ukrainian President is being praised globally for his courage in the eye of the storm.
It has been more than 62 days since Russia began shelling and air raiding Ukraine in an invasion.
The unprovoked war has left several parts of Ukraine in total devastation. Also, the Russian troops have been relentlessly bombing the steel plant of Mariupol.
This comes despite giving several surrender deadlines to Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine conflict
As per reports, Polish and Bulgarian officials stated that Russia is cutting off gas deliveries to the two countries.
The recent Russian move comes after their refusal to pay in Russian roubles.
It was a demand made by Russia’s Putin as the Western countries tightened sanctions over a belligerent Moscow.
Poland’s PGNiG, citing Russia’s Gazprom, said that the suspension would come into effect at 8 am local time.
Earlier, this week, US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had even said that America wants a weakened Russia.
The warring country should not invade Ukraine again and for the same, it is important to weaken it.
Pentagon Chief further said that Ukraine can win the war if it has the right equipment.
His remarks come as he returned from a trip to Kyiv.
He reiterated, “the first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win.”
The most important US delegates met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
They were the first high-profile US officials to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February.
Austin and Antony Blinken together said that the US diplomats will begin a gradual return to Ukraine this week.
They also announced $700 million (653 million euros) in additional military aid.
Moreover, Russia now seems to have lost a lot of military capability. Earlier, Vladimir Putin had ordered his troops to seal off Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.
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