Russia’s military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities Monday. This comes a day after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south.
The corridors will open at 10 a.m. Moscow time Monday, the 12th day of the war, for civilians from the capital Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and Sumy. According to Reuters, the corridors are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron who spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
The announcement follows two failed attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, from which the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated 200,000 people were trying to flee. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the failure.
But despite the announcement, Russia’s armed forces continued to pummel Ukrainian cities, with multiple rocket launchers hitting residential buildings. Officials from both sides planned a third round of talks Monday.
NATO countries supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion have a “green light” to send fighter jets as part of their military aid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.
The push for more air support comes as Russia battered a string of southern cities in Ukraine, throttling evacuation efforts and leading to rising numbers of civilian deaths and displacement. Ukraine’s military has used fighter jets, drones and anti-aircraft systems largely supplied by NATO to down the Russian aircraft bombing the area.
“We’re talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if, in fact, they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians,” Blinken said during an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for a no-fly zone over his country continues to draw no support. Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday that “the world is strong enough to close our skies.” He also appealed for stronger sanctions on Russia.
NATO countries have ruled out policing a no-fly zone, which would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as “participation” in the armed conflict.
Blinken also said the U.S. and its allies are in talks to ban Russian oil imports, a move that would require successful efforts to provide an “appropriate supply of oil on world markets.” Russia supplies about 30% of Europe’s oil and 40% of its natural gas.
Over the weekend, the Russian military continued seeking to isolate Ukraine’s major cities, including Kyiv, a senior Defense Department official said Sunday. But forces attacking near Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv in northern and eastern Ukraine are facing strong resistance, the official said.
The airspace over Ukraine remained contested, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings.
