Kyiv, Ukraine – U.S. Secretaries of state and defense met sunday night with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in in the highest visit of the American delegation to the capital of the war-torn country with start of Russian invasion, according to adviser Zelensky.
“Yes, they are dating. with the president. Let’s hope something works out on further help”, – said the presidential adviser Alexei Arestovich. in interview on Ukrainian TV of meeting with US secretary of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
This happened when Ukraine pushed the West for more powerful weapon against Russia campaign in Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow forces tried to dislodge last Ukrainian troops in shabby port of Mariupol.
Before the session, Zelensky said he was looking for for Americans produce results, both in weapons and security guarantees. “You can’t come to us today empty-handed and we expect not just gifts or something of cakes, we are waiting for specific things and specific weapons,” he said.
The visit would first on senior US officials since Russia invaded Ukraine 60 days ago. Blinken briefly set foot on Ukrainian soil in March to meet with foreign minister during a visit to Poland. Zelensky last face-to-face meeting with the US leader was February 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris.
While the West sent military equipment Ukraine, Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that she needs more heavy weapons, including long-barreled range air defense systems, as well as combat aircraft.
In sheer amplification for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron won re-election over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. result welcomed by France’s allies in European Union as reassuring sign of stability and continuation support for Ukraine. France played leading role in international attempts to punish Russia with sanctions and supplies weapons systems to Ukraine.
Zelensky’s meeting with US officials were set to accept place how Ukrainians and Russians celebrated Orthodox Easter, when believers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Speaking from Kyiv ancient Sophia Cathedral, Zelensky, who is a Jew, emphasized his significance for a nation that survived almost two months of war.
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” great holiday gives today us great hope and unwavering faith that light overcome the darkness good will conquer evil, life will conquer death, and therefore Ukraine will definitely win!” he said.
Still the war cast a shadow over celebrations. Inhabitants of rural villages, battered by war, the day was approaching with some cautious defiance.
“How do I feel? I’m very nervous. Everyone is nervous,” said Elena Koptyl, preparing the Easter cake. in northern village of Ivanovka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads. “Easter holiday does not bring joy. I cry a lot. we can’t forget how we lived.”
Earlier, during his late-night address to the nation, Zelensky said that intercepted messages recorded a discussion by Russian military personnel “how they hide traces of their crimes” in Mariupol. The president also emphasized death of 3 month old girl in Russian missile attack on Saturday on Black Sea port of Odessa.
Zelensky said, military equipment received from Western supporters, was big help for now, but also stressed that Ukraine needs more heavy weapons, including long-barreled range air defense systems, as well as combat aircraft to repel off Russian attacks.
Russian military reported that it hit 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, and Russian warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military facilities, including an explosives factory and several ordnance depots.
Majority of Fighting Sunday focused on eastern Donbass region, where Ukrainian forces are concentrated and where Moscow-backed separatists controlled part of the territory before the war. Because it failed capture Kyiv, the Russians seek to capture full the control over Eastern industrial center of Ukraine.
Russian troops launched new airstrikes on a Mariupol Metallurgical Plant where about 1,000 civilians take shelter along with about 2000 Ukrainian fighters. Metallurgical plant “Azovstal”, where the defenders are hiding up This last corner of resistance in in a city which the Russians otherwise occupied.
This was announced by Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak. for localized Easter truce. He called Russia allow civilians leave the factory and offered to negotiate to negotiate a way out for Ukrainian soldiers.
Podolyak tweeted that the Russian military attacked the plant with heavy bombs and artillery, accumulating forces and equipment for direct attack.
Mariupol was in the spotlight of fierce battles since start of war over her location on sea of Azov. His capture deprive Ukraine of vital port, free up Russian troops in fight elsewhere and allow Moscow will create a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Over 100,000 people — down from pre-war population of about 430,000 is considered remain in Mariupol with poor food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities believe that over 20,000 civilians were killed.
Satellite images released this week showed what looked like mass graves. in cities in the west and east of Mariupol.
Zelensky blamed the Russians of commission of war crimes by killing civilians, and of parameter up “filtration camps” near Mariupol for people caught trying to leave city. From there, he says, Ukrainians are sent to Russian-occupied areas or Russia itself, often to Siberia or the Far East. Many of they, according to him, children.
These claims cannot be independently verified.
In attacks on the day before of Orthodox Easter, Russian troops storm cities and towns in south and east of Ukraine. 3 months baby was among eight people Ukrainian authorities said they died when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odessa.
Ukrainian news UNIAN agency with reference to social media messages, reported that the baby mother Valeria Glodan and grandmother also died when the rocket hit residential area. Zelensky promised to find and punish responsible for hit.
“The war started when baby was one month,” he said. Can you imagine what’s going on? “They’re filthy bastards, for This is.””
For the Donbas offensive, Russia again gathered troops who fought near Kyiv and in north of Ukraine earlier. British ministry of On Sunday, the Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had repulsed numerous attacks. in in past week and “caused significant cost on Russian forces.
“Poor Russian morale and limited time to rebuild, recover equipment and reorganize forces from previous offensives is likely to hinder the Russians combat efficiency,” the ministry said in a statement. in intelligence update.
spiritual leaders of in the world, Orthodox Christians and Catholics have converted for relief for suffering population of Ukraine.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Istanbul said a “human tragedy” was unfolding. Bartholomew, considered first among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs equal to him, citing in especially “thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and more children.”
Pope Francis, speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, resumed call for Easter truce, calling it “minimal and tangible sign of wish for world.”
“The attacks must be stopped in order to respond to the suffering of exhausted populationFrancis said without naming the aggressor.
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