February 28, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Russian and Ukrainian talks have ended in Belarus and the two parties have returned to their capitals for consultations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser, Mikhaylo Podolyak, told reporters after the talks.

In the last few moments, three large explosions were heard in Kyiv.

The UK will ban all Russian vessels from entering its ports, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday.

"Today I've written to all UK ports asking them not to provide access to any Russian flagged, registered, owned, controlled, chartered or operated vessels,” Shapps said in a tweet.

Shapps shared a letter addressed to all UK ports stating that the "Department for Transport does not consider it appropriate for Russian vessels to continue to enter UK ports,” after its' “unprovoked, premeditated” attack against Ukraine.

Shapps said legislation would follow to implement the change.

US security assistance to Ukraine has continued to arrive, including within the last day, a senior defense official said Monday morning.

Without detailing exactly what type of assistance is going in, the official said it includes both ground and airborne defensive capabilities. 

Over the weekend, the same official said that ground convoys and routes are options the US has evaluated for sending in assistance in light of the contested airspace over Ukraine.

In the period before the invasion, the US had sent in Javelin anti-armor missiles and approved the transfer of Stringer anti-aircraft missiles from NATO allies to Ukraine.

The US has not seen any efforts by Russian forces to “interdict” security assistance the US is sending to Ukraine, according to the senior defense official, despite Russian efforts to capture the airports around Kyiv.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly characterized the US' assistance involving Stringer anti-aircraft missiles.

Russian forces are “causing civilian harm and they are striking civilian targets,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday, but it is unclear “whether it’s intentional and directed,” the official added. 

“We’re not making apologies here for the Russians, we obviously see that residential areas and civilian targets are being struck, there’s no question about that, you can see with the, just in plain sight, in terms of the imagery that’s coming out of Ukraine,” the official said. 

But as for “whether it’s intentional and directed, we’re just not in a position to be able to confirm that,” the official added. 

US officials have not seen Belarusian troops “being readied to move into Ukraine” or “that they are moving or are in Ukraine,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday. 

The forces inside Ukraine are Russian. Russian President Vladimir Putin has “just under 75% of the combat power that he had assembled” for this invasion inside of Ukraine right now, the official said. 

CNN reported earlier that Ukrainian intelligence indicates Belarusian "readiness to maybe participate directly" in the invasion of Ukraine, "in addition to allowing Russians to use their territory as well as letting them cross the border."

A second source close to the Ukrainian government told CNN that in addition to the Ukrainian intelligence, the Biden administration has also conveyed to the Ukrainian government that Belarus is preparing to invade Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, initiated by the French side on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

During the call, the two sides “had a serious and thorough exchange of opinions around the situation in Ukraine,” the Kremlin said.

“French side has expressed its known views" about its hope for a quick settlements through dialogue and negotiations, the Kremlin readout stated. "Vladimir Putin has stressed that such a settlement is only possible with unconditional consideration of Russia’s legitimate defense interests, including recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, solving tasks of demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine and ensuring its neutral status.”

The readout added that Russia is open for negotiations with Ukraine.

It also claimed that the Russian Armed Forces do not pose any threat to civilians [in Ukraine] and blames the threat on Ukrainian nationalists. 

Putin and Macron agreed to remain in contact, the readout concluded.

More background: The ongoing Russian assault has inflicted widespread suffering and casualties on the Ukrainian population. The UN’s Refugee Agency said Monday that more than 500,000 refugees had so far fled Ukraine to neighboring countries amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and military aggression.

The number of known civilians killed in Ukraine is at least 352, with 14 of those children, Ukraine's Ministry of Interior said Sunday.

A senior US official told reporters Monday that Russian forces are “causing civilian harm and they are striking civilian targets," but it is unclear “whether it’s intentional and directed,” the official added.

US has not seen “anything specific” since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he ordered his country’s deterrence forces, including nuclear weapons, on high alert on Sunday, a senior US defense official told reporters Monday.

“We remain comfortable and confident in our own strategic deterrence posture,” the official added.

It is possible that the Russians could take a “more aggressive approach” in their attempts to take the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, because they are frustrated that their progress has slowed and they’ve faced resistance from Ukrainians there, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday.

“Certainly, they have been slowed and they have been frustrated by their lack of progress on Kyiv, and one of the things that could result is a reevaluation of their tactics and the potential for them to be more aggressive and more overt in both the size and the scale of their targeting of Kyiv,” the official said in response to a question from CNN’s Barbara Starr. 

The official said they have “not seen” that more aggressive approach “yet” from the Russians, but “the frustrations could lead to a more aggressive approach.” 

“We still believe that Kyiv is an objective for them. It’s impossible to speculate as to how they may or may not change their plans going forward,” the official said.

The Russian forces are now “roughly 25 km out of Kyiv,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday morning eastern time. 

Russian forces are “advancing on the ground and trying to get closer to Kyiv.” Russian forces “clearly want to encircle Kyiv from multiple locations, not just the north, but to move around it as well from the south,” the official added. 

Germany has vowed to take in all Ukrainian refugees who flee from a Russian invasion of their country.

Baerbock also promised more humanitarian help to Ukraine.

Ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, Baerbock asked all countries who “believe in the Charta of the United Nations" to isolate the Russian leadership for its invasion of Ukraine.

“Today it is already the fifth day of Putin's war against Ukraine and innocent people in Ukraine. He has brought incredible sufferings upon Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands are fleeing, millions fear for their lives and their future. As atrocious as these pictures are, they make us more decisive! Ukraine does not stand alone, Europe, the Western Union of Values firmly stands at the side of the brave Ukrainians,“ Baerbock said.

In a major policy shift, Germany promised weapons to Ukraine on Saturday.

“Putin's war has thrown us into a different era. We will re-evaluate previous certainties and therefore we will help Ukrainians with weapons and other equipment,” Baerbock added.