Happy Monday! Five days into Russia’s assault, Ukraine is still holding strong, and the world’s position against the Kremlin is hardening. Let’s get to the news.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday in response to a weekend of what he deemed “aggressive” NATO statements and hard-hitting economic sanctions. Intense fighting and shelling continued in cities across Ukraine, with Russians making some gains in the South while Ukrainian defense forces persisted in “frustrating” Russian efforts in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv. As we hit send on this newsletter, Ukrainian and Russian officials were beginning to meet for peace talks near the Pripyat River on the border of Belarus and Ukraine. According to U.S. and British defense officials, Russian forces have yet to take control of a major city despite committing about two-thirds of their amassed troops and firing over 300 missiles. 

• A lot more weaponry is headed to Kyiv, with President Joe Biden approving on Friday the release of up to $350 million worth of military aid to Ukraine. Germany followed suit on Saturday, reversing a decades-old policy of not sending weapons into war zones by issuing 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defense systems to Ukraine, as well as authorizing the Netherlands and Estonia to send German-controlled RPGs and howitzers. On Sunday, the European Union agreed to provide Ukraine with approximately €500 million worth of arms.

• President Biden announced on Friday his intent to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Stephen Breyer’s impending retirement.