Russia-Ukraine live updates: Kharkiv is bombarded; high-stakes talks end with plans to continue

Ukraine has asked to join the European Union under a special procedure, according to a video message posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

“We appeal to the European Union for the urgent accession of Ukraine [under] a new special procedure,” he says in the video.

“We are grateful to our partners for being with us,” he continued. “But our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure we earned it. I’m sure it’s possible.”

Media outlets later shared photographs they said showed Zelensky signing an application for membership.

In recent days, the 27-member bloc has made dramatic moves to back Ukraine and isolate Russia, including financing the sale and delivery of weapons to Kyiv, blocking Russian planes from E.U. skies and tough economic measures.

In an interview with Euronews on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen again voiced support, saying Ukraine is “one of us and we want them in the European Union.”

However, von der Leyen did not offer details on if or how Ukraine might join — nor have other senior officials.

Global markets reeled Monday, with the Dow slumping more than 450 points at the open as investors reckoned with the fallout from fast-growing sanctions penalizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Stocks declined ahead of another busy week of earnings and economic data as investors kept their focus on the fast-unfolding crisis, with emergency United Nations meetings Monday while delegations from Russia and Ukraine convened for the first time on the Belarusian border. Recent sanctions targeting major Russian banks and companies have enraged Putin, who called the measures “illegitimate” and ordered his nuclear forces to a higher state of alert.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow had shed more than 1.4 percent, while the broader S&P 500 index had given up 1.1 percent, wiping out much of the gains from last week’s late rally. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined nearly 0.7 percent. All three indexes are down 7 percent or more year to date, according to MarketWatch.

With pressure intensifying for sports organizations to sanction Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board recommended Monday that international federations and organizations “not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials” in competition and to move events from those countries.

The IOC’s executive board said in a statement that it was moving “to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”

If that is not possible because of short notice, the IOC urged organizations to “do everything in their power to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus. Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colors, flags or anthems should be displayed.”

An overwhelming majority of Americans support stiffer economic sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine but oppose sending U.S. troops to intervene, according to a new poll by CNN released Monday.

Some 83 percent of poll respondents said they supported the U.S. imposition of tougher sanctions, while 17 percent opposed it. The responses were collected between Feb. 25 and 26 as Western European allies were imposing historic sanctions on Russia — including barring Russia from the global financial messaging system known as SWIFT, a move that would seriously hinder the Russian economy.

The CNN poll demonstrates that American support for economic sanctions against Russia continues to grow. Earlier, 67 percent of Americans favored sanctions by the United States and European allies, while 20 percent opposed them, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted between Feb. 20 and 24.

The CNN poll shows that a smaller majority of Americans want to see the United States do more to stop Russian military action in Ukraine: 62 percent said Washington should do more, while 38 percent said it has already done enough.

A majority of Americans still don’t support direct U.S. military intervention in Ukraine, according to the poll. Fifty-eight percent of respondents were opposed to military action if sanctions fail, while 42 percent were in favor.

The poll indicates that Americans remain lukewarm on President Biden’s handling of the crisis, with 42 percent saying they trust Biden to make the right decisions regarding Ukraine.

MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say at least 11 people were killed and more were wounded in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Monday morning after Russia launched rocket strikes, targeting Ukraine’s second-largest city with some of the heaviest shelling and street fighting since the invasion began Thursday. Suspected cluster munitions struck buildings in the city.

Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, said Monday that “dozens are dying” and that at least 11 people were confirmed dead.

He called the attacks in three areas of the predominantly Russian-speaking city that had been considered more friendly to Russia “a war crime.”

“The Russian enemy is shelling entire residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the Russians could aim at,” he said in a message on Telegram.

Mark Hiznay, associate director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch, told The Washington Post that Russian forces had used Smerch cluster munition rockets — which disperse submunitions or bomblets — in the attack, according to footage he reviewed.

“This attack clearly illustrates the inherently indiscriminate nature of cluster munitions and should be unequivocally condemned,” he said.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and open-source group Bellingcat have identified the use of cluster munitions in other Russian attacks in Ukraine over the past couple of days in what analysts say is a worrying sign that Russia may be turning to even more deadly military tactics.

PARIS — Switzerland on Monday announced that it will join the European Union in sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, filling a key gap in Western resolve against the Kremlin following widespread criticism of the Swiss government.

The Swiss had for days held off on following the E.U. and the United States, citing the nation’s long-standing role as a neutral and diplomacy-focused country that has often acted as a mediator in conflicts.

Switzerland’s government now says it will implement the measures already agreed on by the European Union last Wednesday and Friday. As a result, Swiss authorities will take action against the same entities that are being targeted by its European neighbors.

“The assets of the persons and companies listed in the annex to the ordinance are frozen with immediate effect,” the government said in a statement. Switzerland will also close its airspace to flights from Russia or with Russian markings and bar five oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin from entering the country. Authorities did not provide their names.

Switzerland will also directly sanction Putin and other members of the Russian government. The United States, the European Union and Britain had announced last week that they were targeting assets of Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“The attack of Russia against an independent, European country — Ukraine — is an attack on sovereignty, freedom, democracy, the civil population and the institutions of a free country,” Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said Monday.

E.U. and domestic pressure on the Swiss government had mounted for days. On Friday, an E.U. spokesman said the bloc expects Switzerland “to follow suit in standing up for defending the principles on which our communities and countries are based.”

Switzerland is not a member of the E.U., a bloc of 27 nations. The country’s status in the geographical center of Europe but on its political sidelines has long allowed its banks to uphold ties to entities and individuals whose businesses would probably run into obstacles elsewhere.

Video posted to Instagram on Monday and verified by Storyful showed smoke billowing over Chernihiv after reports that a shopping mall had been hit.

The recording, taken at a residence less than a mile from the shopping center, shows smoke rising over a densely populated area in the northern Ukrainian city.

In a Twitter post, Ukrainian Emergency Services said the Russians shelled the area on Monday.

Russia has now banned flights from three dozen countries, including numerous European nations and Canada, a move that comes after a growing number of nations, including the entire E.U. bloc, closed their airspace to Russian aircraft.

The bans were announced by the Russian aviation agency, the Associated Press reports, a response to the coordinated pushback by nations in Europe and beyond against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The agency said planes from banned countries could enter Russian airspace if they receive special permits.

E.U. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that E.U. airspace would be closed to Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.

“They won’t be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the E.U.,” she said. “Including the private jets of oligarchs.”