War in Ukraine: The UN said 2,032 civilian deaths have been reported in Ukraine so far.
New Delhi:
Three weeks after their devastating invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have stalled their advance into Ukrainian cities amid heavy casualties, but there are no signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “willing to stop”.
Despite setbacks on the battlefield and punitive sanctions by the West, Putin has shown little leniency. His government is counting on China to help Russia withstand the blows to its economy, Reuters news agency reported.
The US, which this week announced $800 million in new military aid to Kiev, has warned that Beijing “is considering helping Russia directly with military equipment for use in Ukraine”.
While the US says it wants to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, Chinese military aid to Moscow would put Washington and Beijing – the world’s two largest powers – on opposite sides of the biggest attack on a European state since World War II.
China has refused to condemn Russia’s action in Ukraine or call it an invasion. It says it recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty but that Russia has legitimate security concerns that need to be addressed.
A school and cultural center in the city of Merefa were the latest in the hard-line attack on civilian targets in Ukraine. The new attacks on civilians fuel allegations that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion has largely stalled on all fronts in recent days amid heavy casualties, British military intelligence and the Ukrainian armed forces said.
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said on Thursday he saw no sign that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “willing to quit”. “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction in recent weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise,” he said, following warnings from the G7 that those behind such crimes “will be held responsible.” .”
In the latest of a series of resonating speeches to Western lawmakers, Zelensky told the German parliament that Moscow was building a new Cold War wall through Europe, “between freedom and slavery.”
The United Nations said it had registered 2,032 civilian casualties in Ukraine so far – 780 killed and 1,252 injured. Some 3.2 million civilians, mostly women and children, have now fled to neighboring countries, the United Nations said.
The OECD estimates that the war could knock off more than 1 percentage point of global growth this year. Some creditors have received payment from Russian bond coupons maturing this week, market sources said, meaning Russia has been able to avoid default for the time being.
