Diplomacy hits the bombs: Russia touches NATO territory like never before with a massacre at a base in western Ukraine

War diary, day 18. History repeats itself, but much more aggravated. Russia has again attacked the gates of NATO, in a bombing against an air base attached to Poland where at least 35 people have died.

A “warning” to the West that comes after an exchange of statements (and threats) between Washington and Moscow, which announced its intention to attack the convoys with weapons to Ukraine.

More bombs, also on civilian infrastructure, and a new, albeit slight, Russian advance towards Kiev, with the other major military front in the south towards the desired Odessa.

How are the war fronts advancing?

Among the multiple open fires, the main focuses are four: Kiev, Kharkov, Mariúpol and Mikolaiv.

In the capital, the massive attack of the troops is still expected, already some 20 km away, while bombs continue to fall, like the one that killed the American journalist Brent Renaud. Nor do they stop in Kharkov or in the other two towns, further south, key points for the advance towards Odessa.

The humanitarian situation in Mikolaiv and, even more so, in Mariúpol continues to worsen, with a siege that continues to suffocate these towns.

What happened in Yavoriv?

Russia has bombed, first thing in the morning, the air base, the largest in the west of the country and only 25 kilometers from the border with Poland, which is to say the border with NATO and the EU.

The bombing has left, confirmed, 35 dead and 134 wounded according to local authorities, although Moscow even speaks of “180 mercenaries eliminated”.

Is NATO moving?

Not yet, but the attack near the western border is worrying. The US has insisted that NATO will respond “with full force” if Russia attacks its territory. Article 5 is back on the scene, which justifies joint action by the entire alliance if one member state is attacked by another. What has been about to happen this Sunday.

US President Joe Biden already warned on Friday of the consequences of an attack in the territory of the Atlantic Alliance: “It would be the Third World War”.

What is expected on Monday?

In view of Russia’s air offensive, the expectation is not too positive. A little more hope offers a new round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, which will meet, by videoconference, this Monday.

Both sides are already talking openly about some progress. “Comparing the positions of the Russian and Ukrainian sides at the beginning of the negotiations and today, we can talk about significant progress,” the head of the Russian Duma Committee on International Affairs and a member of the Russian delegation to the negotiations explained today. peace, Leonid Slutsky.

And on the Kiev side, President Zelensky sees “some positive signs”. “Now the Russian side, in the negotiations, has begun to talk about things and not just issue ultimatums. I think this is a fundamentally different approach. And it should be like that.”

Also this Monday the approval of the new EU sanctions package is expected, the one agreed last week with the G7 and which means denying Russia the status of “most favored nation” in its markets, revoking important benefits in the framework of the World Trade Organization.

What has been agreed at the Conference of Presidents?

With Ukraine as the axis, Pedro Sánchez and the territorial leaders have agreed on the response to give to the war. A text has come out of the summit, signed by all and known as Declaration of La Palma Which collects “unity” before the position of the Government in Europe to deal with the energy issue and greater coordination in the management of refugees and European funds, which will serve to respond to this emergency.

Sánchez’s commitment to lower some taxes, without specifying them, to alleviate the rise in prices related to energy, a key issue that several regional presidents had asked of him, also came out of the meeting.

In that meeting, Pedro Sánchez’s support for initiating proceedings against Putin for war crimes has also come out.

What is the known balance of victims?

The UN has updated its balance of dead civilians, which are already 596, although they always point out that the victims will be more. Also the wounded, of which 1,067 people are confirmed among the attacked populations.

Among those killed are at least 85 children, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office. According to it, most of the victims occurred in Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk, Sumy, Kherson and Mikolaiv, and in the Zitomir region.

There have been no new announcements from either Moscow or Kiev. The latest data, offered by Zelenski on Saturday, put at least 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers dead, compared to more than 12,000 Russians.

The exodus of refugees due to the war already amounts to 2.69 million, with the data updated to this Sunday from UNHCR. More than half have reached neighboring Poland, which is home to 1.6 million Ukrainians, while 246,000 are in Hungary, 195,000 in Slovakia, 105,000 in Russia, 104,000 in Moldova, 84,000 in Romania and about 900 in Belarus. among other countries.

This article originally appeared on The Huff Post and has been updated.

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