14/3/2022–|Last update: 3/14/202205:29 AM (Mecca)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his demand for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country “before Russian missiles land on the alliance’s territory,” while Washington condemned the Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian base near the Polish border on Sunday.
Zelensky’s call came after 35 people were killed and more than 130 others were injured in the missile attack on the base, which is located in Yavoriv, near the Ukrainian border with NATO member Poland.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times and Washington Post quoted US officials as saying that Russia has asked China for military equipment and economic aid since the start of the war on Ukraine.
For its part, the White House said that a US delegation headed by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet – on Monday – in the Italian capital, Rome, with the Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi, to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Sullivan said during a television interview that Washington had told Beijing that it would not allow any country in the world to compensate Russia for its losses from sanctions.
Here are the latest developments on the 19th day of this war:
US-Ukrainian talks
The US State Department said in a statement that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba discussed, during a phone call, the ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop the Russian war.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken reiterated “the United States’ unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in countering the Kremlin’s ongoing brutal aggression.”
White House:
- Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about Ukraine.
- Biden and Macron reaffirmed their commitment to holding Russia accountable for its actions and supporting the Ukrainian government and people.
Elysee:
- The French president spoke by phone with his American and Ukrainian counterparts, and they agreed to tighten sanctions against Russia.
- Macron agreed with Biden to support Ukraine and to consult on all initiatives that lead to a cessation of hostilities.
- Macron explained to Zelensky the details of the additional aid that the European Union decided to provide to Kiev during the Versailles summit.