Ukraine, Mar 19,2022: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Saturday for meaningful talks with Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine, warning it would take “several generations” for Moscow to recover from battlefield losses if it does not reverse course.
Since launching an assault on Feb. 24, Russian troops facing tough resistance have largely stalled in their advance, even as they encroach on the capital Kyiv. Looking to regain momentum, they have laid siege to cities and blasted urban areas to rubble.
Unprecedented Western sanctions aimed at isolating Russia’s economy have done little to halt what President Vladimir Putin calls a “special operation” to reduce its neighbour’s military capabilities and “denazify” its government.
After Russia said it was “tightening the noose” around the key port of Mariupol on the Azov Sea, Ukraine’s defence ministry acknowledged on Friday it had “temporarily” lost access to that body of water, which connects to the Black Sea and would be a major loss for Ukraine.
But Western officials say that Russia has taken heavy losses with signs of flagging morale amongst its troops, a trend Zelenskiy alluded to in a video message in which he urged renewed negotiations to end the war.
