Ukraine Demands Cease-fire, Sanctions Hit Russia
2022-03-01
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1Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met on Monday near the Ukraine-Belarus border.
2The meeting came as Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances while defending their capital and other cities.
3The meeting came a day after Russia put its nuclear forces on alert.
4Ukraine demanded an "immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian troops."
5In the capital city of Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used social media to urge Ukrainians to defend their country.
6He said Russia wants to destroy Ukraine by targeting him and his family.
7Ukrainian officials said that when the United States offered to evacuate Zelenskyy from Kyiv, he answered, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
8Zelenskyy said 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion.
9He also said in a video message Monday that over 4,500 Russian troops have been killed.
10He called on Russian soldiers to lay down their guns and leave.
11Those numbers could not be confirmed by independent sources.
12Zelenskyy said that Western sanctions have weakened the Russian currency, the ruble.
13He asked the European Union for immediate membership in the group.
14On Monday, explosions and gunfire in Kyiv appeared to quiet down.
15The Associated Press reported that long lines formed outside food stores as locals were permitted to leave bomb shelters and their homes for the first time since Saturday.
16From Moscow, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin did not comment on the progress of Russian troops.
17The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday, "I don't think this is the time to sum up the results of the [military] operation, we need to wait for completion of the operation."
18Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC that Putin's order to put its nuclear forces on alert was an effort to take away attention from the troubles his invasion is facing.
19Wallace said, "He's put it out there and we're all talking about it, rather than the lack of success they're currently having in Ukraine."
20British intelligence noted that most of the Russian forces were still 30 kilometers to the north of Kyiv.
21Fighting also took place in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
22Ukraine military said Russian forces fired on neighborhoods on Monday, killing more than 20 people and wounding hundreds more.
23The United Nations refugee agency reported Monday that millions of Ukrainians are now homeless and more than 500,000 have fled to neighboring countries.
24About 250,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland.
25The country's border guard has also reported that more than 22,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Ukraine from Poland since the start of the invasion.
26At a border checkpoint in southeastern Poland, one man told the AP,
27"We have to defend our homeland. Who else if not us?" Another Ukrainian man added,
28"The Russians should be afraid. We are not afraid."
29NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke with the Ukrainian president by phone.
30He said he "commended him for the bravery of the people and armed forces of Ukraine."
31"NATO allies are stepping up support with air-defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.
32Over the weekend, the European Union closed its airspace to Russian airlines.
33The E.U. agreed to provide Ukraine with weapons and other supplies worth over $500 million.
34Around the world, the United States and allies joined the E.U. to freeze Russian assets and ban Russia from the SWIFT international banking system.
35Without SWIFT, Russian banks cannot send and receive payment orders.
36The country receives as much as 40 percent of its money from oil and gas payments.
37The effect was immediate.
38On Monday, Russia's currency, the ruble, dropped 30 percent against the American dollar.
39The drop came just after another major drop in value last week.
40As long lines of Russian pulled money out of banks, Russian officials raised the interest rate.
41They also closed the Moscow stock exchange.
42The pressure expands to other areas, including culture and sports.
43The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged international sports organizations to exclude Russia from events, including soccer's World Cup.
44The IOC said the move was needed to "protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants."
45The head of New York City's Metropolitan Opera said the organization would not work with Russian artists or organizations that support Putin until the country's invasion of Ukraine ends.
46The United Nations General Assembly opened a rare emergency special session Monday with appeals for peace in Ukraine.
47The last U.N. emergency session took place in 1997, when Israel built housing in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem.
48I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell.
1Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met on Monday near the Ukraine-Belarus border. The meeting came as Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances while defending their capital and other cities. 2The meeting came a day after Russia put its nuclear forces on alert. 3Ukraine demanded an "immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian troops." 4In the capital city of Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used social media to urge Ukrainians to defend their country. He said Russia wants to destroy Ukraine by targeting him and his family. Ukrainian officials said that when the United States offered to evacuate Zelenskyy from Kyiv, he answered, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." 5Zelenskyy said 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion. He also said in a video message Monday that over 4,500 Russian troops have been killed. He called on Russian soldiers to lay down their guns and leave. Those numbers could not be confirmed by independent sources. Zelenskyy said that Western sanctions have weakened the Russian currency, the ruble. He asked the European Union for immediate membership in the group. 6On Monday, explosions and gunfire in Kyiv appeared to quiet down. The Associated Press reported that long lines formed outside food stores as locals were permitted to leave bomb shelters and their homes for the first time since Saturday. 7From Moscow, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin did not comment on the progress of Russian troops. The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday, "I don't think this is the time to sum up the results of the [military] operation, we need to wait for completion of the operation." 8Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC that Putin's order to put its nuclear forces on alert was an effort to take away attention from the troubles his invasion is facing. Wallace said, "He's put it out there and we're all talking about it, rather than the lack of success they're currently having in Ukraine." British intelligence noted that most of the Russian forces were still 30 kilometers to the north of Kyiv. 9Fighting also took place in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Ukraine military said Russian forces fired on neighborhoods on Monday, killing more than 20 people and wounding hundreds more. 10The United Nations refugee agency reported Monday that millions of Ukrainians are now homeless and more than 500,000 have fled to neighboring countries. 11About 250,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland. The country's border guard has also reported that more than 22,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Ukraine from Poland since the start of the invasion. At a border checkpoint in southeastern Poland, one man told the AP, "We have to defend our homeland. Who else if not us?" Another Ukrainian man added, "The Russians should be afraid. We are not afraid." 12Worldwide pressure against Russia 13NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke with the Ukrainian president by phone. He said he "commended him for the bravery of the people and armed forces of Ukraine." 14"NATO allies are stepping up support with air-defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter. 15Over the weekend, the European Union closed its airspace to Russian airlines. The E.U. agreed to provide Ukraine with weapons and other supplies worth over $500 million. 16Around the world, the United States and allies joined the E.U. to freeze Russian assets and ban Russia from the SWIFT international banking system. Without SWIFT, Russian banks cannot send and receive payment orders. The country receives as much as 40 percent of its money from oil and gas payments. 17The effect was immediate. On Monday, Russia's currency, the ruble, dropped 30 percent against the American dollar. The drop came just after another major drop in value last week. As long lines of Russian pulled money out of banks, Russian officials raised the interest rate. They also closed the Moscow stock exchange. 18The pressure expands to other areas, including culture and sports. 19The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged international sports organizations to exclude Russia from events, including soccer's World Cup. The IOC said the move was needed to "protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants." 20The head of New York City's Metropolitan Opera said the organization would not work with Russian artists or organizations that support Putin until the country's invasion of Ukraine ends. 21The United Nations General Assembly opened a rare emergency special session Monday with appeals for peace in Ukraine. The last U.N. emergency session took place in 1997, when Israel built housing in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem. 22I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell. 23Hai Do wrote this for Learning English based on reporting from VOA News, The Associated Press and Reuters. 24_______________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26evacuate - v. to remove someone from a dangerous place 27ammunition - n. bullets for weapons 28sanction - n. action taken to force a country to follow international law 29sum up - v. to tell important information again in a few words 30asset - n. something that is owned by a person, organization or country 31integrity - n. the quality of being honest or fair 32global - adj. involving the entire world 33participant - n. a person who is involved in an activity or event