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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were in Kyiv late on Sunday for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to an adviser to the Ukrainian president.
Air raid sirens were heard across most of Ukraine on Sunday evening. Earlier in the day, Zelenskiy hailed accelerated weapons supplies that he said could help Ukraine step up its counteroffensive, and said the American envoys “should not come here with empty hands.”
Attacks continue on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol where some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holding on. Russia said it struck a “large consignment” of foreign weapons in Odesa on the Black Sea coast. The missile attack killed eight people, including an infant, and wounded 18, Zelenskiy said.
UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine in coming days.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
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All times CET:
Blinken and Austin in Kyiv: Zelenskiy Adviser (11:06 p.m.)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin were in Kyiv late on Sunday for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to an adviser to the Ukrainian president.
The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, told an interviewer on YouTube that appeared to stream live about 10 p.m. local time that the two Americans were talking with Zelenskiy “right now.” Arestovych said the talks would center on weapons supply and joint policies toward Russia.
Air Raid Alarms Sound Across Ukraine (6:45 p.m.)
Air raid sirens were heard across much of Ukraine early Sunday evening, from Lviv in the far west to Odesa on the Black Sea to Kharkiv in the north, according to a national alert system on Telegram.
The sirens typically warn residents of the potential for Russian air strikes. Authorities have warned Ukrainians of the possibility of stepped up strikes over the Orthodox Easter weekend.
Earlier, one person was killed and three injured by an artillery strike on the town of Chuhuiv, southeast of Kharkiv, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
Shmyhal Hails ‘Symbol’ of U.S. Officials’ Visit (5:38 p.m.)
The expected visit to Kyiv of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is a “very important political symbol,” Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday on CBS.
Shmyhal said Ukraine is having “negotiations with the United States, with all of our partners,” on its proposal that Kyiv could use frozen Russian assets as part of its recovery funds.
Ukraine Aide Says ‘Not a Good Idea’ for UN Chief to Meet Putin (3:55 p.m.)
Igor Zhovkva, a senior aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said it was “not a good idea” for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to meet with Russia’s leader on Tuesday.
“We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and to talk to President Putin,” Zhovka said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that he doubted the talks would “end up with any result.”
Guterres will travel to Kyiv after the Putin meeting. On Saturday, Zelensky said Guterres should “visit our towns where people were tortured and killed, and only after that find time for those esteemed in Moscow.”
No Civilian Corridor Out of Mariupol on Sunday, Official Says (3:59 p.m.)
Ukraine was unable to evacuate civilians from Mariupol on Sunday without a cease-fire guarantee from Russia, deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks, adding, “We will continue trying tomorrow.”
Vereshchuk urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to demand in his planned meeting with…