Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again called on the United States and its allies to declare a no-fly zone above Ukraine as Russian forces continued to pound civilians in several cities, including the capital Kyiv.
In the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said, Russian forces killed 10 people who were waiting in line for bread, in the latest deadly attack on civilians in the three-week war.
“We need you right now,” Zelenskiy said in an emotional address on March 16 to the U.S. Congress via video link from Kyiv. “I call on you to do more.”
Zelenskiy, who was welcomed with a standing ovation by the U.S. lawmakers, implored Washington to step up military aid and impose a no-fly zone to counter the Russian invasion closing in on Kyiv.
But both U.S. President Joe Biden, who is due to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg rejected yet again the introduction of a “no-fly zone.”
The White House said Biden’s opposition to imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine has not changed.
Stoltenberg, speaking at the end of an emergency meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers on March 16, categorically ruled out any role for NATO in setting up and policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian air strikes.
“NATO should not deploy forces on the ground or in the air space over Ukraine because we have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict, this war, doesn’t escalate beyond Ukraine,” he said.
Meanwhile, video talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators appeared to be making some progress on March 16, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling the discussions “businesslike” and Zelenskiy describing Moscow’s demands as becoming “more realistic.”
Lavrov said on the Russian RBK TV that “serious” discussions on Ukraine having neutral status were taking place, with “concrete formulations that in my view are close to being agreed.”
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Russia’s top diplomat didn’t elaborate on the discussions, but Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Mykhaylo Podolyak, appeared to take a different view, saying that since a war with Russia was under way, “the model can only be Ukrainian and only about legally verified security guarantees.”
“Ukraine has never been a militaristic state that attacks or plans to attack its neighbors, unlike some neighbors,” he said in a statement on Telegram.
The talks are also said to be hitting a sticking point with Ukraine demanding a complete withdrawal of all Russian forces.
The UN’s highest court has ordered Russia to cease its military operations in Ukraine, with the justices noting they were “profoundly concerned” by Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor last month.
In a ruling on March 16 in The Hague, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top judicial tribunal, ordered Russia to cease its military operations in Ukraine, with the justices noting that they were “profoundly concerned” by Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor last month.
While its decisions are binding, Moscow is unlikely to heed the court’s decision, which stemmed from a case filed by Kyiv over Russian allegations of genocide by Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have confirmed that 10 people have been killed by Russian forces in the northern city of Chernihiv.
A statement issued by the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said that the attack took place around 10 a.m. local time on March 16, when “servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces fired at people standing in line for bread near a grocery store.”
The information could not be independently verified.
Russia escalated its bombardment of Kyiv overnight and launched new assaults on the besieged port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.
A Ukrainian official said Russian forces fired heavy artillery at a convoy of people trying to evacuate from Mariupol, where almost 400,000 people have been trapped since the start of the war, with worsening conditions that border a humanitarian catastrophe, according to aid groups.
The Ukrainian military said it was working to confirm the number of casualties, saying the figure included children.
Intensified Attacks
Russian forces have intensified attacks on Kyiv’s suburbs, notably those to the northwest and west, the head of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, said on March 16.
He said the Russians were trying to cut off the capital from transport arteries and destroy logistical capabilities as they plan a broader attack to seize Kyiv.
Kuleba added that Russia had occupied the city of Ivankiv, 80 kilometers north of Kyiv, and controls the surrounding region on the border with Belarus.
Shrapnel from an artillery shell slammed into a 12-story apartment building in central Kyiv on March 16, destroying the top floor, according to a statement and images released by the Kyiv emergencies service. The neighboring building was also damaged. The service reported two victims but did not elaborate.
Bombardment of the capital edged closer to the city center, smashing apartments, a subway station, and other civilian sites.
But a senior U.S. defense official quoted by AP on March 15 said Russian troops were still about 15 kilometers from the center of the capital.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Russians were using long-range fire to hit civilian targets inside Kyiv with increasing frequency but that their ground forces were making little to no progress around the country.
The city remained under a 35-hour curfew early on March 16. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced the restriction the day before, warning that as Russian forces step up their strikes and close in on the capital it faces a “difficult and dangerous moment.”
