Pavel Polityuk, Vitalii Hnidyi

LVIV/KHARKIV (Ukraine) – Before dawn, sirens sounded in Ukraine as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were preparing to meet in Turkey. Kyiv was seeking a ceasefire that did not compromise on its sovereignty or territory.

The United States and Ukraine have little chance of reaching an agreement at this meeting. It was the first direct negotiations between them in over two weeks.

The war is the largest attack against a European country since World War Two. More than 3.8million people have fled to Europe in the past month. Many have been hurt or killed. Russia’s economy has suffered from sanctions.

Mariupol is a besieged port city in the south. According to mayor figures, almost 5000 people were killed. Reuters couldn’t verify the figures immediately.

People have been left with heartbreaking stories about people who died due to lack medical attention, bodies that were buried anywhere there was space, or women who gave birth in basements.

Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, stated that Turkey talks were not about “trading peoples or land.”

On national television, he stated: “The minimum programme is humanitarian questions and the maximal programme is reaching an accord on a ceasefire.”

An American State Department senior official stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t appear willing to accept compromises in order to end war.

Vadym Denysenko, a Ukrainian adviser to the interior ministry said that he was skeptical about any breakthrough.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated that talks have not resulted in any significant progress so far but that it was vital they continue to meet face-to-face. He refused to provide further information.

SUPPLIES FOR ENERGY

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, made repeated appeals to the West during Monday’s address asking for more punishment for Moscow.

We, the people still alive, must wait. Isn’t it right that everything Russia has done so far warrants an oil embargo?

Although Western nations have placed a string of harsh sanctions on Moscow, Europe relies heavily upon energy imports from Russia. However, Europe has so far been reluctant to take any action to stop them.

German and U.S. officials will be meeting in Berlin next week to talk about ways to improve alternative supplies for Germany.

While the Kremlin demanded that “unfriendly” nations pay in roubles for Russian gas, it is still trying to find a way that this could be done.

Hirokazu Matsuno (Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary) stated on Tuesday that Russia would ask Japanese companies to reject rouble payments.

In its most recent response to war, Tokyo has also prohibited the export to Russia of luxurious goods. It was effective April 5. The items that were prohibited included motorcycles, luxury vehicles and fashion accessories.

TRAPPED

Two Ukrainian officials stated that Russian aggression has prevented civilians from leaving the besieged cities of Ukraine, where life is difficult.

Mariupol mayor claimed that around 160,000 people are trapped.

The children are starving, and especially infants. After reaching Zaporizhzhia, a Mariupol grocery worker named Nataliia said that they delivered the babies in basements.

While the human toll is on the rise, UN officials said they were able bring medical and food supplies to Kharkiv. This city is the second largest in Ukraine and the hardest-hit.

« CHANGING THEIR STATEMENTS» 

Russia refers to its actions in Ukraine as “special military operation” meant to dearm and “denazify its neighbor. The West and Ukraine both believe that Putin started an unprovoked conflict of interest.

The talks Tuesday between the two countries will mark the return to person of the acrimonious March 10th meeting among foreign ministers. This is a signal that Russia’s battle momentum has slowed down.

“We destroyed the Russian army myth. “We are fighting against aggression from one of the most powerful armies in this world, and we have succeeded in changing their goals,” Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv Mayor said.

His statement stated that 100 people, including four children and four adults, had been killed in the capital. He also said that 82 buildings of multiple stories had been demolished. These figures were impossible to confirm.

Russia’s military indicated last week that it will concentrate its efforts on expanding the separatist-held territories in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv however stated that Russian troops were still trying to surround Kyiv.

The Ukraine accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, of not listening to pleas for a ceasefire. Lavrov, however, stated that a cessation in fighting is not the goal.

They have been in contact via videolink and discussed publicly a plan under which Ukraine could accept a neutral status.

Russia is demanding territorial rights, including Crimea that Moscow annexed in 2014 and the Donbass, eastern territories, from which Moscow asks Kyiv not to give up to pro-Russian separatists.