Russia invades Ukraine

By Julia Hollingsworth, Joshua Berlinger, Sana Noor Haq, John Sinnott, Adrienne Vogt, Veronica Rocha and Emma Tucker, CNN

Updated 12:17 a.m. ET, April 3, 2022
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6:12 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Ukrainian negotiator claims advances in talks with Russia, possibility of 'direct consultations' between Zelensky, Putin in future

From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Nathan Hodge in Lviv

David Arakhamia, left, Mykhailo Podolyak, center and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev speak with the media after their meeting with Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Turkey on March 29.
David Arakhamia, left, Mykhailo Podolyak, center and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev speak with the media after their meeting with Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Turkey on March 29. (Mehmet Emin Caliskan/Reuters)

David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team in talks with Russia, said the Russian side has responded positively to Ukrainian positions on several issues and there is a possibility of "direct consultations" between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, something he said had been facilitated in part by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

"We announced our Ukrainian position in Istanbul," Arakhamia said in nationally televised remarks. "And the Russian Federation has given an official answer to all these positions, which is that they accept this position, except for the issue of Crimea."

Ukrainian officials have outlined their vision of a roadmap to a potential truce, which would include possible neutral status for Ukraine backed by a broad alliance of security guarantors.

The status of Crimea -- annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 -- has been a sticking point in potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine and most of the international community consider the peninsula to be illegally occupied. The Kremlin consistently says the status of Crimea is settled. 

The Ukrainian side said there had been agreement to suspend negotiations on the status of Crimea for 15 years, but the Russian side has not confirmed, and the Kremlin has publicly reiterated its position Crimea is part of Russia.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said there was no official confirmation of those positions in writing, according to Arakhamia.

However, Arakhamia added: "Orally, as of yesterday, in a video conference, we heard that the Russian side does not object to such [Ukrainian] positions."

Arakhamia held out the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, saying, "The drafts of the documents were sufficiently developed to hold direct consultations between the two leaders, the presidents of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Therefore, our task now is to quickly prepare the final stage not of the document itself, but of the issues we have already touched upon, and to prepare for a possible meeting of the presidents."
Arakhamia added: "Yesterday, Mr. Erdogan called both us and Vladimir Putin. He also allegedly confirmed for his part they are ready to organize a meeting in the near future. Neither the date nor the place is known. But we believe that with a high probability it will be in Istanbul or Ankara, that is, in Turkey."

The possibility of a role for China as a potential security guarantor for Ukraine appears to be credible, according to Arakhamia. 

Asked about the status of talks with China on the matter, Arakhamia said: "We are negotiating through diplomatic channels. The state of negotiations with China is probably the least ready compared to the countries that are now actively helping us, and we keep in touch twice a day. With China, it's getting a little harder."
9:20 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Russia shifting focus to victory by early May in eastern Ukraine, US officials say

From Barbara Starr, Jim Sciutto, Katie Bo Lillis, Alex Marquardt and Jeremy Herb

A column of tanks marked with the Z symbol stretches into the distance as they proceed northwards along the Mariupol-Donetsk highway on March 23.
A column of tanks marked with the Z symbol stretches into the distance as they proceed northwards along the Mariupol-Donetsk highway on March 23. (Maximilian Clarke/SOPA/Sipa/Reuters)

Russia has revised its Ukraine war strategy to focus on taking control of the Donbas and other regions in eastern Ukraine with a target date of early May, according to several US officials familiar with the latest US intelligence assessments. 

More than a month into the war, Russian ground forces have been unable to keep control of areas where they have been fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is under pressure to demonstrate he can show a victory, and eastern Ukraine is where he is most likely to achieve that, officials say. US intelligence intercepts suggest Putin is focused on May 9, Russia’s “Victory Day,” according to a US official.

May 9 is a prominent holiday on the Russian calendar, a day on which the country marks the Nazi surrender in World War II with a huge parade of troops and weaponry across Red Square in front of the Kremlin. The officials say Putin wants to celebrate a victory of some kind in his war that day. 

But other officials note even if there is a Russian celebration, an actual victory may be further off. 

“Putin will have a victory parade on 9 May regardless the status of the war or peace talks,” a European defense official said. “On the other hand: a victory parade with what troops and vehicles?”

Still, US and European officials say any deadlines Moscow may set rhetorically don’t change the reality on the ground that Russia appears to be preparing for the prospect of an extended conflict.

A European diplomat said while the Kremlin is talking optimistically, Putin is preparing for a “Chechnya-style long, drawn-out war, because he, to a certain extent, has nowhere else to go on this.”

There are several reasons behind the May timeframe, the officials say. As the winter freeze ends and the ground softens, it will be harder for heavy Russian ground units to maneuver, meaning it’s vital for those forces to get into place as soon as possible, US intelligence assesses. 

Russian-backed fighters have also already been in that region for years. The Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine is where Russian separatist forces took control of territory in 2014.

Ukrainian officials have publicly pointed to the date as well. "Ahead of May 9, Putin set the goal of a victory parade for this war," Ukrainian Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on Thursday.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Friday the Ukrainians believe they are facing a “very complex and difficult month” as Putin tries meet a deadline.

“His ultimate goal is, was, and will be to take over Ukraine, but he failed. He failed due to a very strong resolve of Ukrainian military and very strong unity of Ukraine and the Western world, and the sanctions that have been imposed by the United States and G7 and the European Union,” Yatsenyuk said. “So now, as far as I see, Putin switched to Plan B. My take is that this Plan B has a, kind of, deadline.”

The US also assesses Putin is now preparing, for the first time, to name an overall commander of the war to achieve greater Russian successes, two US officials said. The US believes Putin will likely name a general who has been in the southern part of Ukraine because that is a place where Russians have succeeded in their objectives.

4:39 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

It's 11 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

A humanitarian convoy of 42 buses from Mariupol arrives at a refugee center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 1.
A humanitarian convoy of 42 buses from Mariupol arrives at a refugee center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 1. (Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

As Sunday approaches in Ukraine, catch up on the latest developments here.

Russians move out of Kyiv region as officials look to the east: Ukraine's deputy defense minister said Saturday the Kyiv region had been "liberated" from Russian forces. Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said heavy fighting is still expected in the east of Ukraine, near Mariupol, and in the country's south. He warned that the military effort "will not be easy" in those regions. 

Further evacuations: More than 4,000 civilians were evacuated through corridors in Ukraine on Saturday, according to the country's deputy prime minister, including over 2,000 people for the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The International Committee for the Red Cross team that departed Zaporizhzhia on Saturday morning as part of renewed attempt to reach Mariupol have yet to reach the city, an ICRC spokesperson told CNN.

US to facilitate tanks transfer: The US is expected to help facilitate the transfer of Soviet-era tanks "within days" to Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the plan.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak earlier on Saturday called on the US and its allies to deliver heavier weaponry to Ukraine as the Russian military shifts its campaign focus

Gas keeps flowing: Russian gas continues to enter Germany despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's ultimatum on Thursday for "unfriendly" nations to pay for their energy in rubles starting Friday or risk being cut off from vital supplies. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russia would not turn off gas supplies to Europe immediately.

"Deliveries are incoming. Supply security is still guaranteed," a German government spokesperson told CNN.

4:08 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Kyiv region "liberated" from Russian forces, senior Ukrainian defense official says

From CNN staff in Lviv

Civilians cheer along with a Ukrainian serviceman as a convoy of military and aid vehicles arrives in the formerly Russian-occupied Kyiv suburb of Bucha, Ukraine on Saturday, April 2.
Civilians cheer along with a Ukrainian serviceman as a convoy of military and aid vehicles arrives in the formerly Russian-occupied Kyiv suburb of Bucha, Ukraine on Saturday, April 2. (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, said Saturday that the Kyiv region had been "liberated" from Russian forces.

She said in a post on Facebook that Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel and "the whole Kyiv region was liberated from the invader."

CNN could not immediately verify that the entire Kyiv region had been cleared of Russian troops by Ukrainian forces, but the Ukrainian military has in recent days regained control of suburbs around the capital, which has remained under government control. The Russian military has said it is "de-escalating" around Kyiv.

3:51 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

US will facilitate transfer of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine, source says

From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jim Sciutto

The US is expected to help facilitate the transfer of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the plan.

The tanks the US is transferring to Ukraine will be Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which Ukrainian military personnel have experience operating, a senior US official tells CNN.

Those tanks will be delivered “within days, not weeks,” the official said, and will be delivered from NATO partner countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked countries for more tanks.

The New York Times first reported on the transfer.

2:20 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Over 4,000 civilians evacuated on Saturday, Ukrainian minister says, including more than 1,200 from Mariupol

From CNN's Mariya Knight and staff in Lviv

Evacuees from Mariupol arrive at a refugee hub in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 1.
Evacuees from Mariupol arrive at a refugee hub in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 1. (Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

A total of 4,217 civilians evacuated through corridors in Ukraine on Saturday, according to the country's deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk.

In a statement on Telegram, Vereshchuk said 1,263 people from the besieged city of Mariupol and the Russian-held city of Berdiansk reached the Ukrainian government-held city of Zaporizhzhia using their own vehicles. 

An evacuation convoy of 10 buses from the city of Berdiansk with more than 300 Mariupol residents also passed Vasylivka en route to Zaporizhzhia, she said. 

Evacuations also continued in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, with a total of 2,650 people leaving the cities of Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, Lysychansk, Kreminna, Popasna and Nyzhne, Vereshchuk said. 

Vereshchuk said 17 buses reached the city of Berdiansk from Zaporizhzhia and were expected Sunday morning to continue the evacuation of Mariupol residents. Some of the buses will try to reach closer to Mariupol, she added.

Mariupol, which is ringed by Russian checkpoints, has been under weeks of intense bombardment. Ukrainian officials have described the situation there for the remaining residents as a major humanitarian emergency. 

1:41 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Red Cross team en route to Mariupol has yet to reach besieged city, spokesperson says

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London

The International Committee for the Red Cross team that departed Zaporizhzhia on Saturday morning as part of renewed attempt to reach Mariupol, have yet to reach the besieged city, an ICRC spokesperson told CNN.

The team is "spending the night en route to Mariupol and are yet to reach the city," the ICRC spokesperson said.

On Friday evening, the ICRC announced in a statement that its team of three vehicles and nine personnel was unable to reach the city "after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed."

2:26 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

What life is like in Odesa right now, as witnessed by a CNN reporter

CNN's Ed Lavandera reports from Odesa, Ukraine.
CNN's Ed Lavandera reports from Odesa, Ukraine. (CNN)

Residents of Odesa are trying to find pockets of normalcy as the threat of a Russian attack from the Black Sea looms over the southern Ukrainian city.

"It's home. And we can, like, live a normal life. But that's for now. We don't know what's going to be tomorrow or in a week," law student Taimur Kravchenko told CNN's Ed Lavandera while enjoying coffee with his friends at a market.

But the center of the city is full of anti-tank barricades to fortify itself against an invasion, and displaced Ukrainians from areas that have seen the worst fighting have escaped to the city to find food and shelter.

Olga Petkovich, her husband and their six children fled their village through a forest to escape shelling. Russian soldiers broke into their home and took everything, according to her husband.

"When we came here, the volunteers told us say what we need, but I'm ashamed. I've worked all my life and never asked anyone for anything. Now I have to ask," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Her young daughter wiped away her tears and asked "Mother, why are you crying?"

"Because they were shelling us a lot," Petkovich responded.

Watch the report:

12:59 p.m. ET, April 2, 2022

Russian gas continues to flow into Germany, government spokesperson says

From CNN's Inke Kappeler in Berlin and Niamh Kennedy in London

Russian gas continues to flow into Germany despite Germany's refusal to adhere to a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin requiring payments for gas contracts to be made in rubles.

"Gas is flowing to Germany. Deliveries are incoming. Supply security is still guaranteed," a German government spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.

The German government is "in close contact" with its European partners and will "monitor the situation closely," the spokesperson added.

German transmission system operator Gascade, which manages the German section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline, told CNN Saturday that it couldn't confirm any cutting off of gas supplies to Germany.

The Russian president delivered an ultimatum Thursday to "unfriendly" nations to pay for their energy in rubles starting Friday or risk being cut off from vital supplies. But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that German companies will continue to make payments for Russian gas only in euros.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russia would not turn off gas supplies to Europe immediately.