CNN: “Stiffer than expected Ukrainian resistance and Russia’s own logistical missteps have bogged down Russia’s advance, sparking a fragile optimism. The US has also continued sharing downgraded intelligence with the Ukrainians, including about Russian military moves, in an attempt to help Ukraine on the battlefield.”

“But intelligence and defense officials closely tracking the Russian campaign say that Putin still holds a number of moves in reserve that could devastate the Ukrainian resistance.”

The United States has asked 12 Russian United Nations diplomats to leave the United States, accusing them of “espionage activities,” CNN reports.

Wall Street Journal: “Diplomatic ties between Russia and the U.S. have been deteriorating for months, and it wasn’t clear if the move or timing had a connection to the war in Ukraine.”

Jonathan Last: “Biden did not draw lines in the sand. He did not personalize the conflict. He did not turn himself into the star of the show. He did not allow anyone, anywhere, to believe that this was about America.”

“Since the invasion, Biden has been a full partner with our European allies. He has not pushed them into decisions. He recognized that having a united front was more important than any particular aspect of the response. And after only four days Europe came to the conclusion—on its own—that it would do everything the American foreign policy establishment had wanted. Biden understood that these countries needed to come to the decision to fight back on their own, and not be publicly cajoled into it.”

“Biden also understood that the EU and NATO are actually very powerful allies and that when they work in concert with the United States, we represent a significant geopolitical force.”

“Superyachts owned by Russian billionaires who have ties to President Vladimir Putin are on the move as the United States and their allies prepare further sanctions on their property following the invasion of Ukraine,” CNBC reports.

“If he wants to kill himself he doesn’t need to use a nuclear arsenal. He has to do what the guy in the bunker did in Berlin in May 1945.”

— Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya, speaking about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“President Joe Biden will send a delegation of former senior defense and security officials to Taiwan on Monday, a senior official of his administration said, a sign of support for the island claimed by China after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Nikkei Asia reports.

Ukraine has asked to join the European Union under a special procedure, according to a video message posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Washington Post reports.

Media outlets later shared photographs they said showed Zelensky signing an application for membership.

“The first talks between Russia and Ukraine over Moscow’s invasion ended with the two nations agreeing to continue discussions in coming days,” the Washington Post reports.

“Talks went on for almost five hours in southern Belarus near the Ukraine border, said the head of the Russian delegation, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.”

Wall Street Journal: “What Europe’s populists saw in Mr. Putin was a kindred spirit, a leader willing to disregard the rules of international cooperation that emerged in the wake of World War II, underpinned by the military might of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They admired Mr. Putin’s unapologetic nationalism and his deep-seated distrust of the U.S.”

“That admiration is now running up against the reality of Mr. Putin’s forces pouring into Ukraine. Some populists are rushing to distance themselves, branding Mr. Putin’s aggression a setback of historic proportions.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging President Biden and NATO to impose a “no-fly zone” over “significant parts” of the country, telling Axios that Ukraine “can beat the aggressor” if the Western allies “do their part.”

“World soccer’s global governing body suspended Russia and its teams from all competitions on Monday, ejecting the country from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup only weeks before it was to play for one of Europe’s final places in this year’s tournament in Qatar,” the New York Times reports.

“A large convoy of Russian armed forces is moving closer to Kyiv,” the New York Times reports.

“The group of at least several hundred vehicles was initially detected in satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies on Sunday. On Monday, it was approximately 20 miles north of Antonov Airport on the outskirts of Kyiv, and 30 miles from the city limits. The convoy is stretched out over at least 17 miles, with some gaps in the column of vehicles. The line of vehicles is so extensive that it was not entirely captured in today’s satellite imagery. In some areas, the vehicles are two to three rows deep.”

The Ukrainian border guards who refused to surrender to a Russian warship telling them to “Go fuck yourself” are still alive and in Russian captivity, the Jerusalem Post reports.

“It was initially reported that 13 Ukrainian soldiers, stationed in the small Black Sea island, were killed by Russian forces after keeping two Russian military ships out of the island for several hours.”

Tom Nichols: “For now, the sensible, and confident, American answer should be to do nothing. This might seem counterintuitive: The Russians have gone to higher alert, and it would seem only prudent to answer this with a reciprocal raising of U.S. alert status.”

“But that Cold War reaction would, I suspect, exactly what Putin wants. He’s in a jam and he’s trying to look strong, and part of the way he can do that is to turn his hare-brained scheme in Ukraine into a gigantic Russian-American confrontation. Putin would like nothing better than to take everyone’s mind off Ukraine and focus us all on a game of nuclear chicken.”

“President Emmanuel Macron of France reiterated calls on Monday for an immediate cease-fire in a phone conversation with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and urged an end to all attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure,” the New York Times reports.

Interestingly, the call lasted an hour and a half.