Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived late Sunday in Kyiv and met with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. They discussed President Volodymyr Zilenskiy’s concerns as Russia invades Ukraine for the third time.

Zelenskiy will likely have requested more powerful weapons from them to resist a Russian offensive to the east and south, which he calls the Battle of the Donbas.

Zelenskiy announced that Blinken’s and Austin’s visit would mark the first high-level U.S. official to Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Washington didn’t confirm Austin and Blinken being in Ukraine, because it usually withholds sensitive information regarding visits to conflict zones.

Oleksiy Arestovych (an adviser to Zelenskiy) said late Sunday that Austin and Blinken had arrived in Kyiv, and they were having talks with the Ukrainian president.

Blinken earlier tweeted that “We are inspired to the resilience Orthodox Christians Ukraine face President Putin’s brutal war on aggression.”

Zelenskiy, via Twitter, thanked Joe Biden (the United States President) and all those who helped Ukraine.

Zelenskiy stated earlier on Sunday that his country would overcome “dark times” in an emotional speech at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, 1,000 years old. This was to commemorate Orthodox Easter when fighting in the East had overshadowed religious celebrations.

Moscow has now begun to attack the southern region of Ukraine and eastern Donbas after Ukrainian fighters forced Russia from Kyiv.

Many countries are allowing normal life to return to the capital. Some residents fleeing the fighting have returned home for Easter.

Moscow describes the actions it took in Ukraine as “special military operations”. It denies attacking civilians, rejects Ukraine’s claims of atrocities and claims that Kyiv orchestrated them to undermine peace negotiations.

Pope Francis insisted on an Easter truce. He said: “Stop the attacks!”

Ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual head for Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world and called for humanitarian corridors to Mariupol, Ukraine. He said that “an indescribable human disaster” was unfolding.

Ukrainian refugees flooded churches throughout central Europe.

Nataliya Krasnopolskaia fled Odesa to Prague last month. She is one of more than 5,000,000 Ukrainians who have managed to flee the country.

NOTES AND EQUIPMENT – MORE TALKS

In preparation for Austin’s visit, Blinken and Austin had prepared a list containing weapons from the United States that was urgently needed, Zelenskiy aide Igor Zhovkva said to NBC News.

NATO allies and the United States have demonstrated increasing willingness to provide heavier equipment and advanced weapon systems. Britain promised military vehicles, and it is looking at supplying British tanks in Poland. This would allow Warsaw to get rid of its Russian-built T-72s.

The European Union is preparing “smart sanctions” against Russian oil imports, possibly some form of oil embargo, The Times reported https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brussels-prepares-to-hit-russia-with-smart-sanctions-on-oil-imports-k3f230l3j on Monday, citing the European Commission’s executive vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis.

After talks with Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president, said that Ankara is ready to help in the negotiations with Russia. Zelenskiy claimed that he spoke with Erdogan about the urgent evacuation of civilians from Mariupol (the site of what was the most bloody battle in the conflict).

Russian troops attempted to attack the Azovstal Steel plant on Sunday, which is the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold at Mariupol. Officials from Ukraine said that over 1,000 civilians have also been sheltering in the Azovstal facility.

Ukraine suggested Sunday that Russia hold a special round to negotiate the fates of those still in city and civilians. Moscow, however has yet to reply publicly.

According to Ukraine’s Arestovych the aim of these talks was to reach an immediate ceasefire for Mariupol as well “multi-day” humanitarian corridors and free or trade Ukrainian fighters that are trapped at the plant.

SerhiyVolyna is the commander in Ukraine of Ukraine’s 36th marine brigade forces at Mariupol.

Volyna explained that they are currently taking casualties. “The situation is critically critical…we have very many injured men, some are dying…the situation rapidly worsens.”

Moscow declared victory over the city before and stated that it didn’t need to seize the plant.

The capture of Mariupol would connect pro-Russian separatists in control of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk regions that form the Donbas to the Crimean peninsula at the Southern Black Sea. Moscow took Mariupol in 2014.

The Ukraine claims that tens to thousands of civilians died in Mariupol. It also estimates that 100,000 civilians remain in the area. Red Cross and United Nations estimate that the civilian casualty is only in the thousands.