Ukraine, Briefly

Listen to Today's Edition:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Russia are planning to hold peace talks on the border between Ukraine and Belarus, the Hill reported, even as Belarus prepares to send soldiers to fight in Ukraine alongside Russians.

• President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear forces to be placed on high alert on Sunday in reaction to what he called “aggressive words” by NATO’s key members, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Belarus on Sunday renounced its non-nuclear status following a referendum.

• The European Union and Canada said it is closing down airspace to Russian planes and the bloc will finance weapons purchases to Ukraine, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the EU is also planning to block the Kremlin’s access to its sizable foreign currency reserves in the West and cut off some Russian banks from the SWIFT financial system. Russia’s central bank raised its key interest rate from 9.5 percent to 20 percent Monday, a significant hike designed to shore up the ruble, which fell 30 percent in value in early morning trading.