Russian forces bombed areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv and intensified attacks in other parts of the country on Wednesday, adding to already deep doubts about any progress towards ending the punitive war. The talks between Ukraine and Russia were to be repeated on Friday via video, according to the head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arahamia. Meanwhile, a delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians visited Washington to press the United States for more aid, saying its nation needed more military equipment, more financial aid and tougher sanctions against Russia. “We must expel Russian soldiers from our land and for that we need all, all possible weapons,” Ukrainian MP Anastasia Radina told a news conference at the Ukrainian embassy. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred the case directly to US President Joe Biden. “If we really fight for freedom and the defense of democracy together, then we have the right to ask for help at this difficult turning point. Tanks, aircraft, artillery systems. “Freedom must not be armed worse than tyranny,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address to the nation, which he delivered in the dark outside the dim presidential offices in Kyiv. He thanked the United States for additional $ 500 million in aid announced Wednesday. There seemed to be no belief that a solution would emerge soon between Russia and Ukraine, especially after the appearance of the Russian army and its most recent attacks. Russia said Tuesday it would de-escalate operations near Kyiv and Chernihiv in order to “increase mutual trust and create the conditions for further negotiations.” The announcement was met with suspicion by Zelensky and the West. And shortly afterwards, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian bombings had hit homes, shops, libraries, and other civilian areas in or near these areas. Russian troops have also stepped up their attacks in the Donbas area to the east and around the town of Izyum, which is on a key route to Donbas, following the redeployment of units from other areas, the Ukrainian side said. Olexander Lomako, secretary of the Chernihiv city council, said the Russian announcement turned out to be “a complete lie”. “At night they did not decrease, but conversely they increased the intensity of military action,” Lomako said. Five weeks after the invasion that left thousands dead on both sides, the number of Ukrainians who fled the country exceeded 4 million, half of whom are children, according to the United Nations. “I do not know if we can still believe the Russians,” said Nikolai Nazarov, a Ukrainian refugee as he pushed his father in a wheelchair across a border with Poland. “I think there will be more escalation in eastern Ukraine. That is why we cannot return to Kharkov. “ Zelensky said that the ongoing negotiations with Russia were only “words without specific details”. “We know this is not a withdrawal, but the consequences of the expulsion,” Zelensky said of Russia’s commitment. “But we also see that Russia is now concentrating its forces on new strikes in Donbas and we are preparing for that.” Zelensky also said he had recalled Ukraine’s ambassadors to Georgia and Morocco, implying that they had not done enough to persuade those countries to support Ukraine and punish Russia for the invasion. “With all due respect, if there are no weapons, no sanctions, no restrictions on Russian companies, then please look for another job,” he said. In other developments: – US intelligence officials have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about the poor performance of his military in Ukraine because they are too afraid to tell him the truth. The German government said it had received assurances from Russia that European companies would not have to pay for Russian gas in rubles. This prospect had raised fears that Russia might cut them off. Poland also announced measures to end all imports of Russian oil by the end of the year. – The UN is examining allegations that some residents of the besieged and shattered southern city of Mariupol have been forcibly relocated to areas controlled by Russian forces or to Russia itself. In a round of talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, the blurred outlines of a possible peace deal appeared to emerge when the Ukrainian delegation offered a framework under which the country would declare neutrality – abandoning its bid to join NATO. and Moscow for a long time – in exchange for security guarantees from a group of other nations. Top Russian officials responded positively, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying on Wednesday that Ukraine’s willingness to accept neutrality and seek security outside NATO represented “significant progress,” according to Russian news agencies. But the skepticism of Zelensky’s and others’ statements from Russia seemed reasonable. Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of the military administration in the Kiev region, said the Russian shells targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the Bucha, Brovary and Vyshhorod areas around the capital. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the army also targeted fuel depots in two cities in central Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles. Russian forces also hit a Ukrainian special forces headquarters in the southern Mykolaiv region, he said, and two ammunition depots in the Donetsk region, which is part of Donbass. In southern Ukraine, a Russian rocket destroyed a fuel depot in Dnipro, the country’s fourth largest city, regional officials said. The United States has said in the past 24 hours that Russia has begun relocating less than 20 percent of its troops stationed around Kyiv. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said troops from there and some other areas had begun to move heavily north and some had gone to Belarus. Kirby said it appeared Russia intended to supply them and send them back to Ukraine, but it was unclear where. The Ukrainian military says some Russian airborne units have been registered in neighboring Belarus and are believed to have withdrawn from Ukraine. In northern Ukraine, Russian forces did not take any action on Wednesday, focusing on reconnaissance and reconnaissance, the general staff said in a statement. However, Russia is expected to soon step up attacks on Ukrainian forces to protect its own troops as they are repositioned, he said. The Russians are also expected to try to blockade Chernihiv. Top Russian military officials have said in recent days that their main goal now is to “liberate” Donbass, the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial hub where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. Some analysts have suggested that focusing on Donbass and committing to de-escalation may simply be an attempt to give a positive twist to reality: Moscow’s ground forces have been thwarted – and have suffered heavy losses – in their bid to occupy the capital and others. cities.
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.
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