On Tuesday, Russian soldiers attempted to seize control of Mariupol as part of a huge attack throughout eastern Ukraine, while defensive forces fought hard to keep them at bay. Russia is said to be attempting to link seized Crimea with Moscow-backed rebel areas Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbas and has encircled the strategically positioned city, which formerly housed over 400,000 people.

Senior governing party legislator David Arakhamia claimed on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine is continuing to engage in online negotiations in order to secure future foreign security assurances for the nation.

The envoy of Ukraine to the Holy See voiced “concerns” on Tuesday over a proposal for Russian and Ukrainian women to carry a cross together at a Good Friday ritual attended by Pope Francis. The peace gesture will take place during the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession in Rome’s Colosseum on Friday evening, against the background of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that peace talks with Ukraine had reached a stalemate, vowing that his troops would win and chastising the West for failing to bring Moscow to heel. It was Putin’s first public comment on the conflict in more than a week, and he used his first public comment on the conflict in more than a week to vow that his troops would win and to chastise the West for failing to bring Moscow to heel.