Ukraine’s resistance
Ukrainian forces staged a fightback this week, halting the Russian advance in some areas, and regaining territory they had previously lost. Kyiv said its forces had retaken Makariv, a strategically important town west of the capital, and forced Russian troops back from the southern city of Mykolaiv, a key point on the route from Crimea to Odesa. Buoyed by his country’s resistance, Ukraine’s President Zelensky vowed never to surrender major cities to Russia, and rejected a Russian offer of safe passage for civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol if Ukraine’s forces surrendered there. Renewing calls for talks with Putin, he said any major “compromises” would have to be put to the Ukrainian people in a vote.
Russia, however, continued its bombardment of Ukraine. Strikes were reported in residential areas of Odesa and in Kyiv, where eight people died when a shopping centre was destroyed by a missile on Monday. Russia also continued to lay waste to Mariupol (see page 22), which came under fire from warships in the Sea of Azov. Local officials said the city was being reduced to “the ashes of a dead land”. Negotiators said Putin was not yet willing to meet Zelensky, and that there had been “no significant progress” in peace talks so far.
What the editorials said
It was only a month ago that Russia invaded Ukraine, said The Sunday Times, and already Europe has “changed forever”. Thousands of lives have been lost; cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol have been destroyed; the continent faces its biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War. As long as Putin remains in power, Russia will be a “pariah”. Putin wanted to restore Russia to greatness, said The Independent. Instead, he has only succeeded in humiliating his “badly organised” armed forces; in convincing countries to cripple Russia’s economy with sanctions; and in uniting a once fractured West against him.
With Western arms still “pouring into” Ukraine, Putin’s problems will just get worse, said The Economist. Last week, the US announced it was sending another $800m in military aid – a package that includes 800 Stinger antiaircraft systems and 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as drones which are thought to be capable of striking tanks from 25 miles. The West should now press home its advantage, said The Wall Street Journal. By showing such extraordinary resilience, “Ukraine has earned the right to determine what concessions, if any, it can live with” in exchange for peace. In the meantime, the only “exit ramp” Putin should be offered is “complete withdrawal from Ukraine”.