Russia-Ukraine War: Russia keeps up attacks in Ukraine as two sides hold talks, plan to meet again on Tuesday

Lviv (Ukraine), March 14

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held a new round of talks on Monday as Russia’s military forces bombarded Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine with a punishing assault that the Red Cross said has created “nothing short of a nightmare” for the country’s civilians.

After an airstrike on a military base near the Polish border brought the war dangerously close to NATO’s doorstep, the talks raised hopes for progress in evacuating civilians from besieged Ukrainian cities and getting emergency supplies to areas without enough food, water and medicine.

“Everyone is waiting for news,” Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a new video address on the 19th day of the war.

The negotiations, which took place by video conference, were the fourth round involving higher-level officials from the two countries and the first held in a week.

The two sides expressed some optimism in the past few days. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said over the weekend that Russia was “listening carefully to our proposals.” He tweeted on Monday that the negotiators would discuss “peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops amp;amp; security guarantees.”

The talks ended without a breakthrough after several hours.

Podolyak said the negotiators took “a technical pause” and planned to meet again on Tuesday.