Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of a broader war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop.
With reports of hundreds of casualties from the warfare — including shelling that sliced through a Kyiv apartment building and pummeled bridges and schools — there were growing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government. It would be his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts agreed at an urgent meeting to send parts of the organization’s response force to help protect its member nations for the first time. NATO didn’t say how many troops would be deployed but added it would involve land, sea and air power, AP reports.
FG assures evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine amid Russia attack
President Putin ready to negotiate
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin has expressed his readiness to negotiate with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin said he is ready to send Russian delegations to the Belarusian capital of Minsk to talk with Ukraine.
The Cable News Network reported that Putin’s decision follows a request made by Zelenskyy.
A statement by Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: “Following Zelensky’s proposal to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine, Putin can send representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Ministry and his administration to negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation.”
The statement said Minsk was chosen as the venue for the proposed talk.
Russia has been attacking some towns in Ukraine since Thursday.
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