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London – Times of Egypt
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted an offer on Sunday to open talks with Russia near the Ukrainian-Belarusian borders. Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy had rejected a Russian offer to meet in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
“If there weren’t aggressive actions from your territory (referring to Belarus) we could have talked in Minsk. When you were neutral, we talked in Minsk many times. We will accept any other city in a country that hasn’t been used for launching missiles”, Zelenskyy’s remarks stressed.
In his public address, Zelenskyy commented on Saturday night’s Russian assault and cited “shelling and bombardment” of residential areas and civil infrastructure. He announced the creation of the ‘International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine’, which welcomes foreigners who want to join the Ukrainian ranks in their fight against Russia.
“Anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals”, a statement by the Ukrainian Presidency read.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she supported Britons who might want to join the Ukrainian legion against Russia. “That is something that people can make their own decisions about. The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy. Not just for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe, because that is what President Putin is challenging”, she added.
Nuclear threats and conventions
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States condemned on Sunday an order by Russian President Vladimir Putin to put his country’s nuclear defences on high alert.
Meanwhile, Turkey has finally broke its silence and pledged to block Russian warships from entering the Black Sea. “It is not a couple of air strikes now, the situation in Ukraine is officially a war. We will implement the Montreux Convention”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
The Montreux Convention was approved in 1936. It authorises Turkey to fully control the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. The convention also gives Turkey the power to regulate the transit of naval traffic and guarantees the free passage of civilian ships in peacetimes.
Arming Ukraine
On Saturday, Germany announced it will supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons, 500 Stinger land-to-air missiles, 14 armoured vehicles and 10,000 tonnes of fuel. The Deutschland had also allowed the Netherlands to send 400 German made anti-tank weapons.
In addition, it also requested Estonia to transfer soviet-era Howitzer cannons to Ukraine. The cannons were part of Eastern Germany’s post-Soviet Union stocks. They were first moved to Finland and then to Estonia, under a special agreement.
Denmark revealed it will also arm the Ukrainians, in their war, with 200 air defence rockets. While Hungary announced it will no longer send military equipment to Ukraine, following pledges by fellow European powers.
The European Union announced it will arm Ukrainians with lethal weapons and ban all Russian aircrafts from flying through its airspace.
Further, an US weapon supply shipment worth $350 Million is heading to Ukraine, after it was approved by President Joe Biden on Friday.
Unverified war losses
Ukrainian deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said t on Sunday, “the death toll of Russian soldiers has hiked to 4,300. She added that Russia lost 146 tanks and 54 aircraft, including helicopters.
In a public address on Saturday, Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk asked the International Red Cross to shuttle the bodies of 3,000 Russian soldiers back to Russia.
On the other hand, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday, its forces had destroyed six Ukrainian boats attempting to attack Russian ships near Zmiinyi island (known as, Snake island).
Moscow added that it captured 471 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 975 Ukrainian military infrastructures. The Ministry claimed the destruction of 223 armoured tanks, 28 military aircrafts, 39 missile launchers, 86 cannons and 143 special military vehicles belonging to Ukraine. However, no details revealed about losses and death toll among Russian troops.
