{O/C} On the war front, Ukrainian forces claimed to have regained control of a Kiev suburb and an eastern town from Russian hands.
While the back-and-forth stalemate stretches into another day, the U.N. Secretary-General has called for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter the country.
{SOT}
As negotiators try to draw the threads of a diplomatic solution to the excruciating crisis together, the defiance of Ukrainian forces saw them liberate Irpin, a northwest Kiev suburb.
But Zelenskyy cautioned against being too optimistic as he exhorted the nation's forces to fight till the bitter end in a nighttime video address.
All eyes are on Irpin after photos circulated online of a mother and her two children being killed amid bestial Russian shelling.
The stalemate persists on the ground today prior to scheduled talks, with Ukrainian troops trying to kill the Russian offensive stone-dead.
The stalemate is grist to Ukraine's mill, as Ukrainian forces have kept Russia out of Kiev.
Meantime, a cyberattack rendered Ukraine's national telecommunications provider offline, with a second missile attack on an oil depot in western Ukraine's Rivne region.
It was a stunning scene of devastation here in Makariv as materiel abandoned by Russian troops and Russian corpses lay in ruins.
With Ukraine's population falling like a stone, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, says a humanitarian ceasefire must be achieved in order for the delivery of humanitarian aid for those shorn of daily necessities.
{Soundbite} ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. General-Secretary: I am therefore appealing for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow for progress in serious political negotiations, (aimed) at reaching a peace agreement. A cessation of hostilities will allow essential humanitarian aid to be delivered and enable civilians to move around safely.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly has been chafing at the bit to cease the fighting, having called for an end twice this month.
While the genie is officially out of the bottle, all is not lost regarding a peaceful solution.
A new round of negotiations will take place in the Turkish capital of Istanbul later today to take stock of the situation and hopefully put an end to the tormenting crisis.
Comments