Minutes ago, a 12-hour ceasefire agreed by Russia and Ukraine came to an end. The ceasefire agreement applied to six Ukrainian regions. In areas such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and the outskirts of Kyiv, where Russian shelling has been the most severe. Earlier, a Ukrainian diplomat claimed 40,000 civilians were able to flee war-torn cities, though humanitarian corridors in Mariupol and Kharkiv did not hold very long.
It is understood civilians were able to leave the north-eastern city of Sumy, parts of the Kyiv region and Enerhodar in southern Ukraine. The ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are at a critical juncture, Israeli officials said today. Meanwhile they said they feel there is a softening of positions on both sides in the last 24 hours, with the Russians saying they only want to demilitarize the Donbas region and Zelensky telling ABC news he has "cooled down" about joining NATO.
A senior Israeli official said Zelensky is at a crossroads and has to choose between two options:
- He can accept the Russian proposal, which is very tough, but would preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and stop the war.
- Or he can reject the proposal and risk a serious escalation in the Russian attack that could end in a catastrophe for both Zelensky and the Ukraine.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has called on Russia to fulfil its promises to continue with the ceasefire agreement in order to evacuate Ukrainian civilians from cities under fire.
"Residents of Volnovakha are addressing us and begging that the promises of the Russian Federation to be fulfilled today and people could leave the places where there are hiding."
Civilians in the besieged port of Mariupol, in south-eastern Ukraine, are anxiously waiting for news of evacuation efforts as they struggle to survive in a city where bodies have been left uncollected on the streets. A hospital in Mariupol was bombed overnight. The latter has been without water, heat, sanitary systems or phones for several days, one of the most desperate scenes since the start of the war.
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-10/ukraine-russia-war-live-blog-zelenskky-putin-kyiv/100897344
https://www.axios.com/israel-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-critical-point-5cb18c61-deba-46fb-b637-571614138dd8.html