Russia takes over first major Ukrainian city as talks resume

In an apparent effort to shut down Ukraine’s access to the sea, Russia targeted two port cities, including the first major Ukrainian city to fall since the invasion began. In a virtual briefing Tuesday, a spokesperson for Russia’s defense ministry announced “units of Russian Armed Forces took under its entire control the regional centre of Kherson.”

“The civilian, vital infrastructure and city transport work as usual,” Igor Konashenkov said. “The city doesn’t suffer from a lack of food and basic commodities.”

Kherson, a city of 280,000 people, is a strategic port to the Black Sea. There is also heavy fighting outside Mariupol, which is a strategic port to the Azov Sea. Cutting Ukraine’s access to the coastline would deal a crippling blow to the country’s economy and allow Russia to build a land corridor stretching from its border, across Crimea, all the way west to Romania.

Despite Russia taking over the first major Ukrainian city, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded confident in the “fierce resistance” he’s seen from Ukrainians. He noted “nearly 9,000 Russians have been killed in one week,” saying “the morale of the enemy is falling.”

“Ukraine doesn’t want to be covered by the dead bodies of soldiers,” Zelenskyy said, addressing Russia soldiers. “Go home. With your whole army. Tell your officers that you want to live. That you don’t want to die but to live. We need to stop the war and restore peace as soon as possible.”

Just hours after Zelenskyy’s update, a second round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began in Belarus Thursday. Negotiators for Ukraine demanded a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian residents, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine it must accept the Kremlin’s demand for its “demilitarization” and formally renounce its bid to join NATO. Speaking to his Security Council Thursday, President Putin said the Russian military has offered corridors to Ukraine.

While there have now been two rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, Putin and Zelenskyy have yet to meet directly. Zelenskyy called for this at a Thursday news conference, saying “sit down with me to negotiate.”

“I don’t bite,” Zelenskyy said. “What are you afraid of?”