প্রকাশ: 17/03/2022
International
outrage over Russia's invasion of Ukraine grew on Thursday as US and Ukrainian
officials said civilians waiting in line for bread and sheltering in a theatre
had been killed by Russian forces.
US President Joe Biden called Russian leader Vladimir Putin
a war criminal in comments the Kremlin said were "unforgivable" as it
insisted the war in Ukraine was "going to plan" amid talk of
compromise at peace talks.
Moscow has yet to capture any of Ukraine's biggest cities
despite the largest assault on a European state since World War Two. More than
three million Ukrainians have fled and thousands have died as the war enters
its fourth week.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said Russian forces dropped a
powerful bomb on a theatre in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol,
leaving many civilians trapped and an unknown number of casualties. Reuters
could not independently verify the information.
Maxar Technologies, a private US company, distributed
satellite imagery it said was collected on March 14 and showed the word
"children" in large Russian script painted on the ground outside the
red-roofed building.
The theatre had been housing at least 500 civilians,
according to Human Rights Watch.
"This raises serious concerns about what the intended
target was in a city where civilians have already been under siege for days and
telecommunications, power, water, and heating have been almost completely cut
off," Belkis Wille from the rights group said.
Moscow denies targeting civilians and Russia's defence
ministry said its forces had not struck the building, RIA news agency said.
The US Embassy in Kyiv said Russian forces had shot dead 10
people waiting in line for bread in Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv. Russia denied
the attack and said the incident was a hoax.
The United Nations' top court for disputes between states
ordered Russia on Wednesday to immediately halt its military operations in
Ukraine, saying it was "profoundly concerned" by Moscow's use of
force.
'Neutral Status'
There were signs of compromise and progress at ongoing talks
between Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin said negotiators were discussing a status for
Ukraine similar to that of Austria or Sweden, both members of the European
Union that are outside the Nato military alliance.
"Neutral status is now being seriously discussed along,
of course, with security guarantees," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said. "There are absolutely specific formulations which in my view
are close to agreement."
Vladimir Medinsky, Russia's chief negotiator, told state TV:
"Ukraine is offering an Austrian or Swedish version of a neutral
demilitarised state, but at the same time a state with its own army and
navy."
Austria and Sweden, the biggest of six EU members outside
Nato, both have small militaries that cooperate with the alliance.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine could accept
international security guarantees that stopped short of its longstanding aim to
join Nato. That prospect has been one of Russia's primary concerns.
"My priorities during the negotiations are absolutely
clear: the end of the war, guarantees of security, sovereignty, restoration of
territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our
country," Zelenskiy said in a video address released early on Thursday.
In a speech on Wednesday to the US Congress by video link,
Zelenskiy repeated a request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, something the West
won't introduce.
"In the darkest time for our country, for the whole of
Europe, I call on you to do more," he said.
The United States announced an additional $800 million in
security assistance to Ukraine to fight Russia, with the new package including
drones, anti-armour and anti-aircraft systems.
"More will be coming as we source additional stocks of
equipment that...we are ready to transfer," Biden said, later condemning
Putin.
"He is a war criminal," he told reporters.
Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels also pledged
more arms supplies to help Ukraine.
The UN Security Council is due to vote on Friday on a
Russian-drafted call for aid access and civilian protection, but diplomats say
the measure is set to fail because it does not push for an end to the fighting
or withdrawal of troops.
প্রধান সম্পাদকঃ সৈয়দ বোরহান কবীর
ক্রিয়েটিভ মিডিয়া লিমিটেডের অঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠান
বার্তা এবং বাণিজ্যিক কার্যালয়ঃ ২/৩ , ব্লক - ডি , লালমাটিয়া , ঢাকা -১২০৭
নিবন্ধিত ঠিকানাঃ বাড়ি# ৪৩ (লেভেল-৫) , রোড#১৬ নতুন (পুরাতন ২৭) , ধানমন্ডি , ঢাকা- ১২০৯
ফোনঃ +৮৮-০২৯১২৩৬৭৭