Outgunned but determined Ukrainian troops slowed Russia's advance and held onto the capital and other key cities — at least for now. However, the relative lull in warfare Monday morning in Ukraine was unlikely to last as neighbouring Belarus could send troops to help Russia soon according to a senior American Intelligence official with direct knowledge of current US Intelligence assessments. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.
US officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned, though that could change as Moscow adapts.
The British Defense Ministry said Monday that the bulk of Putin's forces are about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Kyiv, their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces.
Western nations ramped up the pressure with a freeze on Russia's hard currency reserves, threatening to bring Russia's economy to its knees. In addition to sanctions, the US and Germany announced they will send Stinger missiles to Ukraine among other military supplies.
The European Union — founded to ensure peace on the continent after World War II — is supplying lethal aid for the first time, including anti-tank weapons and ammunition.
At least one Western country is studying a request from Ukraine to provide fighter jets, a European official said. She spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not yet public.
EU defence ministers were to meet Monday to discuss how to get the pledged weaponry into Ukraine.
Germany's Defence Minister said without elaborating that her country has “channels and possibilities” to do that, and a trainload of Czech equipment arrived late on Sunday night. Blocking off those shipments will clearly be a key Russian priority. It remains to be seen how much the weaponry will help Ukraine fend off Russia's vastly greater arsenal.
Even as Putin raised Russia's nuclear posture on Sunday citing “aggressive statements” by NATO as a reason for US and British officials played down Putin's nuclear threat, and said its practical meaning was not immediately clear. Russia and the United States typically have land- and submarine-based nuclear forces that are prepared for combat at all times, but nuclear-capable bombers and other aircraft are not.
With the Ukrainian capital besieged, the Russian military offered to allow residents to leave Kyiv via a safe corridor, raising fears a further onslaught is coming. The mayor of the city of nearly 3 million had earlier expressed doubt that civilians could be evacuated.
Authorities have been handing out weapons to anyone willing to defend the city. Ukraine is also releasing prisoners with military experience who want to fight, and training people to make firebombs.
Battles also broke out in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and strategic ports in the country's south came under assault from Russian forces.
Mariupol, a strategic port city on the Sea of Azov, is “hanging on,” said Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich.
The Russian military claimed Monday it had taken full control of Ukraine's airspace after showering its air bases and air defense batteries with air and missile strikes. But a similar claim on the
first day of the invasion turned out to be untrue, and US officials said Sunday that Moscow has failed to fully control Ukrainian skies.