As Russia finds itself increasingly isolated globally, it has raised the nuclear threat amid bitter criticism from the West. India, meanwhile, has abstained from another vote on Ukraine at the UN as evacuation efforts get challenging at the borders.
While Ukraine mounts a spirited defence, slowing down the advance of Russian forces, the European Union has committed to sending fighter jets to Ukraine at Kyiv’s request to help it counter the Russian air and land assault, news agency AFP reported. Ukraine has also held a meeting with the G7 foreign ministers requesting assistance in the war.
Following harsh economic sanctions by major world powers on Moscow, Russia’s ruble plunged nearly 30 per cent against the dollar on Monday, according to Bloomberg News. The US and EU plan to exclude some Russian banks from the international bank payments system SWIFT and have also personally targeted Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces has claimed that Russia has suffered significant losses of troops and military equipment and that their forces are exhausted and demoralised.
Belarus is set to renounce its non-nuclear and neutral status following a referendum held on Sunday. This comes at a time when the former Soviet republic has become a launchpad for Russian troops invading Ukraine, Russian agencies reported. 65.2% of citizens supported these constitutional amendments, news agency Reuters said.
After initially refusing it, Ukraine has now agreed to hold talks with Russia at its border with Belarus. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has, however, said that he is willing to “try” if there’s a chance to end the war but did not “really believe in the outcome” of the meeting.
With inputs from NDTV
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