Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday he is prepared to negotiate a deal directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with Ukrainian television channels, Zelenskyy said he would be willing to discuss a commitment from Ukraine to not seek NATO membership in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops, and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.
“It’s a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to NATO, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn’t want further NATO expansion,” Zelenskyy said.
He also repeated his call for direct talks with Putin — without them, it remains unknown whether Russia even wants to stop the war, Zelenskyy ad.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army said it forced Russian troops out of Makariv, a strategically important Kyiv suburb, after a fierce battle. That prevents Russian forces from encircling the capital from the northwest, the Defense Ministry said.
The Ukrainian army said early Tuesday that it had forced Russian troops out of a strategically important Kyiv suburb following a fierce battle. The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway to the west and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.
But Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces battling toward Kyiv were able to partially take other northwest suburbs, Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, some of which had been under attack almost since Russia’s military invaded late last month.
USA TODAY ON TELEGRAM:Join our new Russia-Ukraine war channel to receive updates straight to your phone.
THE NEWS COMES TO YOU:Get the latest updates on the situation in Ukraine. Sign up here.
Latest developments
►Four children being evacuated were among those wounded Monday when Russian forces shelled along a humanitarian border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address.
►Russian troops used stun grenades and fired in the air Monday to break up demonstrators in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
►France and Mexico are pressing U.N. members to mention Russia’s invasion in a resolution on the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine. But South Africa is arguing against that approach, saying that inserting political issues may block consensus on helping civilians.
Russia increases military flights, senior US official says
Russian forces have increased the number of military aircraft sorties over Ukraine in the past two days, a senior U.S. defense official said.
The official said Russians have done up to 300 sorties — a combat mission of an individual aircraft — in the past 24 hours. Most of the flights involve air-to-ground strikes, mainly on stationary targets, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the military’s assessment.
Russia has much more aircraft than Ukraine but has yet to take air superiority over the country.
— Celina Tebor
Biden confirms Russia used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine
President Joe Biden confirmed Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, warning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “back is against the wall,” which means he could resort to using more severe tactics as the war stretches into another week.
Speaking at the Business Roundtable’s CEO Quarterly Meeting on Monday, Biden said Russia used the fast-flying missiles “because it’s the only thing that they can get through” Ukrainian defenses. He called it a “consequential weapon” that’s “almost impossible to stop.”
“There’s a reason they’re using it,” Biden said.
Russia has said it twice used its Kinzhal aviation missile system to strike targets in Ukraine. Hypersonic missiles can move at five times the speed of sound or more. The Russian military said these missiles are capable of hitting targets at a range of more than 1,200 miles, or roughly the distance from New York City to Kansas City.
— Courtney Subramanian
Contributing: The Associated Press
