The Latest on the War in Ukraine - Day 36

The Kremlin quashed hopes of a negotiated ceasefire amid signs Russian troops are repositioning for an renewed assault on eastern Ukraine.

• Russian forces renewed their bombardment of the outskirts of Khiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, despite earlier Russian pledges to scale back its assault on those cities.
• A Kremlin spokesman, meanwhile, said there had been no headway made in diplomatic talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators meeting in Istanbul, playing down hopes of a ceasefire deal.
• Putin’s closest advisors have been reluctant to tell him the truth about Russian military failures in Ukraine out of fear of Putin’s wrath, according to US and UK intelligence reports.
• Russia’s foreign minister is traveling to India and China this week in an effort to prevent diplomatic and economic isolation. Both India and China have avoided overt criticism of Putin’s invasion.
• Germany is preparing for the possibility that it will have to ration natural gas. German officials fear the Kremlin is planning to cut off supply. Russia is demanding Germany pay for gas in rubles.
• More than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on February 24. Half of them are children. It’s the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since near the end of World War II.