Ukraine President requests to join the European Union

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine said on Monday that he had signed an official request to join the European Union.

Zelenskiy has asked the European Union to grant Ukraine quick membership under a special procedure while the country defends itself against Russian soldiers.

On the fifth day of the battle, Russian artillery shelled residential sections of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, killing scores of people, according to Ukrainian officials.

While Russian and Ukrainian officials met near the Belarusian border to establish a ceasefire, the attacks occurred. The talks came to a halt without a breakthrough.

Russia also faced growing isolation and economic instability as a result of Western nations’ unanimous condemnation of its assault, which resulted in a slew of sanctions that reverberated around the globe. Global stock markets fell, but oil prices soared.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, gave no indication that he was reconsidering the invasion of Russia’s western neighbour last Thursday. He called the West a “empire of lies” and responded to the new sanctions by taking steps to prop up Russia’s faltering rouble.

The Russian invasion, which is the largest attack on a European country since World War II, has failed to make the dramatic early advances that Putin had hoped for. However, Kharkiv, in the northeast of Ukraine, has become a significant battleground.

Russian fire blasted residential regions, according to regional administration leader Oleg Synegubov, despite the fact that no Ukrainian army installations or key infrastructure were present. He said that at least 11 individuals had been slain.

“This occurs during the day, when people have gone to the pharmacy, grocery store, or to get some water. It’s a felony “he stated.

Russian missile strikes on Kharkiv on Monday, according to Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko, killed dozens of civilians. The casualty figures could not be independently verified.

The military released video showing dense columns of smoke coming from apartment buildings and bursts of flames.

In a statement to the United Nations in New York, Moscow’s UN representative stated that the Russian army does not constitute a threat to civilians.

According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the chairman of the Donetsk regional government, fighting erupted throughout the night surrounding the port city of Mariupol. He didn’t indicate if Russian forces gained or lost land.

According to the Interfax news agency, Russian forces took two minor cities in southern Ukraine, as well as the territory surrounding a nuclear power facility.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, clothed in military uniform, encouraged his people with a series of defiant communications from the capital Kyiv, which remained under Ukrainian government authority.

Early in the morning, explosions were heard in the city, as Ukrainians set up checkpoints and blocked roadways with sandbags and tyres as they prepared to face Russian soldiers.

Signboards ordinarily used for traffic alerts were displayed on Kyiv’s streets with the message: “Putin was defeated in the battle. Ukraine has the support of the entire world.”