- The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now on its 12th day. A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus achieved no breakthrough on Monday. [USA Today / John Bacon, Tom Vanden Brook, and Kelly Tyko]
- The Kremlin demanded Ukraine cease its military operations and amend its constitution so the county cannot join NATO or the European Union. Russia offered to create routes for civilians to flee. However, two proposed routes were to sites in Ukraine, and others led to Russia and its close ally Belarus. Ukraine rejected the demands and refugee options. [Guardian / Jon Henley and Peter Beaumont]
- An estimated 1.5 million people have fled the war in Ukraine; Poland, Romania, and Slovakia have taken in hundreds of thousands. [Reuters /Muvija M and William James]
- Western efforts to provide Ukraine with weapons are facing significant challenges. Most countries can’t enter Ukrainian airspace for delivery, and ground access to conflict zones is limited due to fleeing civilians and Russian convoys. [Washington Post / Steven Zeitchik, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Annie Linskey]
- Arming Ukrainians could now be more critical than ever. According to a Pentagon official, nearly all of the 190,000 Russian troops amassed at the border have entered Ukraine. Russian forces have as yet been unable to capture Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kharkiv and Kyiv. [CNBC / Christina Wilkie]