Before the meeting of NATO defense ministers, Poland is bringing up a “peace mission”. Zelenskyj sees rapprochement in the negotiations with Russia. Follow the developments on the 20th day of the war in the star-Live blog.
It is day 21 of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine – and the attacks continue with undiminished severity. According to the US government, however, the Russian ground forces are making little progress. The capital, Kyiv, will continue to be bombed from long ranges, a senior US defense official said on Tuesday. More and more civilian targets such as residential areas would be hit.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, NATO is considering a significant and permanent reinforcement of the eastern flank. At a meeting of defense ministers on Wednesday, a discussion about the long-term strengthening of security in all areas should be started, explained Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Poland also brought up a NATO “peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine. This should be of a humanitarian nature, but protected by armed forces.
The most important news of the day in brief:
- 10:36 am: Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov optimistic about negotiations
- 8.25 a.m.: Several powerful explosions in Kyiv
- 2.47 a.m.: According to the Ukrainian general staff, the Russian army has already lost up to 40 percent of the units that have been involved in fighting since the Russian invasion on February 24. These troops were either completely destroyed or lost their combat effectiveness, the General Staff said in Kyiv
- 12:36 a.m.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has again ruled out military intervention by NATO in the Ukraine war. The West continues to rely on the sanctions imposed on Russia, Scholz said at an event organized by “Welt” in Berlin.