20,000 evacuate besieged port city of Mariupol in Ukraine as Kyiv is hit
Kyiv: An estimated 20,000 civilians fled Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday in the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged Ukrainian port city, while Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites.
On the diplomatic front, a top Ukrainian negotiator, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, described the latest round of talks with the Russians as very difficult and sticky" and said there were fundamental contradictions between the two sides, but added that there is certainly room for compromise. He said the talks will continue Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, another aide to Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy, Ihor Zhovkva, struck a more optimistic note, saying that the talks had become more constructive and that Russia had softened its stand by no longer airing its demands for Ukraine to surrender.
In other developments, the leaders of three European Union countries including Poland, a NATO member on Ukraine's doorstep visited the embattled capital in a bold show of support amid the danger. And the number of people fleeing the country eclipsed 3 million.
Meanwhile, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia's assault on the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged closer to the city centre.
Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city and killed dozens. The strikes, carried out of the 20th day of Russia's invasion, disrupted the relative calm that returned after an initial advance by Moscow's forces was stopped in the early days of the war.
A senior US defence official, speaking condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment, 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 official said Russian troops were still about 15 kilometres from the centre of the capital.
The official said the US has seen indications that Russia believes it may need more troops or supplies than it has on hand in Ukraine, and it is considering ways to get more resources into the country. The official did not elaborate.
Before Tuesday's talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would press its demands that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, adopt a neutral status and demilitarize.
In a statement that seemed to signal potential grounds for agreement with Moscow, Zelenskyy told European leaders gathered in London that he realizes NATO has no intention of accepting Ukraine.
We have heard for many years about the open doors, but we also heard that we can't enter those doors, he said. This is the truth, and we have simply to accept it as it is.
NATO does not admit nations with unsettled territorial conflicts. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he realizes NATO isn't going to offer membership to Ukraine and that he could consider a neutral status for his country but needs strong security guarantees from both the West and Russia.
The UN said close to 700 civilians in Ukraine have been confirmed killed, with the true figure probably much higher.
New efforts to bring civilians to safety and deliver aid were underway around the country. The Red Cross said it was working to evacuate people from the northeastern town of Sumy near the Russian border in about 70 buses.
One of the most desperate situations is in Mariupol, the southern city of 430,000 where officials say a weekslong siege has killed more than 2,300 people and left residents struggling for food, water, heat and medicine.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, said that about 20,000 people managed to leave Mariupol in 4,000 private vehicles via a humanitarian corridor leading to the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Fighting has intensified on Kyiv's outskirts in recent days, and air raid sirens wailed inside the capital. The mayor imposed a curfew extending through Thursday morning.
Tuesday's artillery strikes hit the Svyatoshynskyi district of western Kyiv, adjacent to the suburb of Irpin, which has seen some of the worst fighting of the war.
