3 European leaders head to Kyiv as attacks continue
KYIV — Three European leaders headed to Kyiv on Tuesday (15) in a show of “unequivocal support” for Ukraine, a dramatic visit undertaken as intense fighting raged around the capital.
Traveling by train, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia crossed into Ukraine on Tuesday morning, hours after a series of loud predawn blasts shook Kyiv, killing at least four people, according to its mayor, Vitali Klitschko.
Warning that the city was in “a difficult and dangerous moment,” the mayor announced a 35-hour curfew beginning Tuesday night, ordering residents to stay home unless going to a bomb shelter.
President Joe Biden, too, plans to head to Europe, aides said Tuesday. He will be in Brussels next week to meet with NATO and European Union officials.
The announcement came as fighting continued throughout Ukraine.
Its advance stalled on several fronts as Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in parts of the east and south. Russia continued to bombard areas around Kyiv, striking residential buildings and other civilian targets.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed to have captured the entire Kherson region, after seizing the regional capital two weeks ago. A senior Ukrainian military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Russian forces were in control of much of the Kherson region, but said Ukrainian forces had launched several punishing attacks on their positions.
Offering a glimmer of hope amid the worsening humanitarian catastrophe, talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators resumed Tuesday. Here are some of the latest developments:
— Representatives from Russia and Ukraine were discussing a possible cease-fire, said Mikhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian delegate to the talks. The two sides were meeting via a video link.
— Officials in Mariupol said 2,000 vehicles had managed to escape the city Tuesday and another 2,000 were packed and ready to leave. It marked a significant increase from Monday (14), when about 150 cars left the city, which is encircled by Russian forces.
— In an impassioned speech to Canada’s Parliament, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine urged support for a no-fly zone over his country and tougher sanctions against Russia. Zelenskyy plans to address Congress on Wednesday (16) in a virtual speech that could increase pressure on the Biden administration to send fighter jets to Kyiv.
— A Russian state television employee who staged an anti-war protest during a live broadcast appeared in a Moscow courtroom, where she was charged with organizing an unauthorized public event. She was also being investigated for violating Russia’s “false information” law, which carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
— A Fox News cameraman was killed Monday when his vehicle came under fire outside Kyiv, the network said. The cameraman, Pierre Zakrzewski, was a veteran war reporter who had been reporting in Ukraine since February.
— Russia, hammered by international sanctions since the invasion began, responded in kind, placing sanctions against 13 Americans, including Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Russia also targeted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
-New York Times