February 25, Friday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to talks. Zelenskyy said in a video message on Friday that fighting is continuing across Ukraine. He urged Putin to sit at the negotiating table with him to prevent people’s lives from being lost. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on the same day that Moscow is ready to hold talks if the Ukrainian armed forces stop resistance and lay down their arms.
2.Officials in Ukraine say they expect Russian tanks to launch an attack on the capital city, Kyiv. An adviser to the interior minister warned on social media, “it could become the hardest day in the war.” The adviser said they were ready to defend Kyiv with anti-tank missiles supplied by other nations.
3.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aim is to topple the Ukrainian government. Blinken was asked in a TV interview with ABC News on Thursday if he was convinced Putin would overthrow Ukraine’s government. He answered, “I’m convinced he’s going to try to do that.”