Ukraine Demands Cease-fire, Sanctions Hit Russia

Delegations¹ 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.

The meeting also came a day after Russia put its nuclear forces on alert.

Ukraine demanded an "immediate² cease-fire and withdrawal³ of Russian troops."

In 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 evacuate⁴ Zelenskyy from Kyiv, he answered, "The fight is here; I need ammunition⁵, not a ride."

Zelenskyy 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.

On 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.

From 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."

Britain's Defense⁷ 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 noted⁸ that most of the Russian forces were still 30 kilometers to the north of Kyiv.

Fighting also took place in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Ukraine military said Russian forces fired on neighborhoods on Monday, killing⁹ more than 20 people and wounding hundreds more.

The United Nations refugee agency reported Monday that millions of Ukrainians are now homeless and more than 500,000 have fled to neighboring countries.

About 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."

Worldwide pressure against Russia

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke⁶ with the Ukrainian president by phone. He said he "commended him for the bravery of the people and armed forces of Ukraine."

"NATO allies are stepping up support with air-defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, as well as humanitarian¹⁰ and financial aid," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.

Over 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.

Around the world, the United States and allies joined the E.U. to freeze Russian assets and ban Russia from the SWIFT international banking¹¹ 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.

The 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.

The pressure expands to other areas, including culture and sports.

The 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."

The head of New York City's Metropolitan¹² Opera said the organization would not work with Russian artists or organizations that support Putin until the country's invasion of Ukraine ends.

The 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.

Words in This Story

evacuate - v. to remove someone from a dangerous place

ammunition - n. bullets for weapons

sanction - n. action taken to force a country to follow international law

sum up - v. to tell important information again in a few words

asset - n. something that is owned by a person, organization or country

integrity - n. the quality of being honest or fair

global - adj. involving the entire world

participant - n. a person who is involved in an activity or event

1 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

12 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。