Biden to travel to Europe next week for NATO summit on war in Ukraine: LIVE UPDATES
President Biden is scheduled to travel to Europe next week for a NATO summit about the war in Ukraine, the White House says.
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President Joe Biden speaks at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference on Monday in Washington. (AP/Patrick Semansky)
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that sanctions it's imposing on President Biden and other top U.S. officials are "the inevitable consequence of the extremely Russophobic course taken by the current U.S. Administration."
"In response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting, among other things, entry into the United States for top officials of the Russian Federation... the Russian 'stop list' includes on the basis of reciprocity President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley, as well as a number of departmental heads and well-known American figures," it said in a statement.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Hunter Biden and Hillary Clinton are also among those Russia says it is sanctioning.
"This step, taken as a counter reaction, was the inevitable consequence of the extremely Russophobic course taken by the current U.S. Administration, which, in a desperate attempt to maintain American hegemony, has staked, discarding all decency, on the frontal containment of Russia," it added.
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A social media account for Vice President Kamala Harris stated Tuesday in a now-deleted tweet that the United States is supporting Ukraine "in defense of the NATO alliance," which the Ukraine is not a part of.
"When I was in Poland, I met with U.S. and Polish service members, thanking them for standing with our NATO allies for freedom, peace, and security," a tweet from the @KamalaHarris account stated. "The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance."
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Ukrainian Leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy won’t be the first world leader to speak to both the House and Senate when he speaks virtually tomorrow. But this could be the most any world leader has had on the line when they spoke to Congress in 81 years.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke to Congress on December 26, 1941 — weeks after the U.S. entered World War II following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Churchill addressed lawmakers in the Senate chamber before movie cameras and added klieg lights. Multiple microphones from NBC, CBS and MBS (the Mutual Broadcasting System) sprang up in front of Churchill on the Senate dais.
President Biden on Tuesday announced that he was signing a bill aimed at furthering assisting Ukraine amid the continuing Russian invasion of the country.
"We’re moving urgently to further augment our support for the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their country," the White House said on social media Tuesday.
The aid will come in the form of food, water treatment, hygiene kits, soap, laundry detergent, and food. It will also include "weapons and military aid" for Ukraine.
The U.K. government on Tuesday announced more than 300 more sanctions on Russia and Belarus over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine -- bringing the number of sanctions on individuals and other entities to more than 1,000.
The government imposed the sanctions after the passage of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act which allows the government to pass sanctions quickly.
The new sanctions target 370 individuals, 30 of whom are oligarchs or their family members to the tune of more than $130 billion, the Foreign Office said in a statement. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the announcement shows that the U.K. is going "further and faster" to hit those connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Working closely with our allies, we will keep increasing the pressure on Putin and cut off funding for the Russian war machine," she said.
The State Department on Tuesday warned that any attempt by Russia to push sanction relief as the UN looks to secure a nuclear deal with Iran will fail.
"The JCPOA is not going to be an escape hatch for the Russian Federation and the sanctions that have been imposed on it because of the war in Ukraine," State Department press secretary Ned Price told reporters.
Price’s comments come after talks on reaching a nuclear deal with Iran have once again stalled, though this time over Russian demands.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech to the Canadian parliament on Tuesday urging them to exert more economic and military pressure on Russia as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.
"Justin, can you imagine you and your children hearing all these severe explosions, the bombing of the airport, the bombing of the Ottawa airport?" Zelenskyy said, speaking to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "Cruise missiles are falling down and your children are asking you ‘What happened?’"
You can now listen to Fox News articles!Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech to the Canadian parliament on Tuesday urging them to exert more economic and military pressure on Russia as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.
"Justin, can you imagine you and your children hearing all these severe explosions, the bombing of the airport, the bombing of the Ottawa airport?" Zelenskyy said, speaking to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "Cruise missiles are falling down and your children are asking you ‘What happened?’"
Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott released a statement on the death of journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova, who died along cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski while reporting in Ukraine Monday.
"In our effort to keep you updated on yesterday's tragic events, we wanted to report that journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova was also killed alongside our cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire yesterday while in the field with Benjamin Hall.
Sasha was just 24 years old and was serving as a consultant for us in Ukraine. She was helping our crews navigate Kyiv and the surrounding area while gathering information and speaking to sources. She was incredibly talented and spent weeks working directly with our entire team there, operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country.
Our team in Ukraine tells me that Sasha had a passion for music, the arts and photography and was a joy to work with. Several of our correspondents and producers spent long days with her reporting the news and got to know her personally, describing her as hard-working, funny, kind and brave. Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories and she fulfilled that through her journalism.
We held off on delivering this devastating news earlier today out of respect for her family whom we have been in touch with throughout and we extend our deepest condolences to them.
Below is a picture of “Sasha” in the field with Trey Yingst and Pierre Zakrzewski that we wanted to share with deep admiration for her work:"
Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova
President Biden maintains that creating a no-fly zone over Ukraine "could prompt a war with Russia," the White House said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists that NATO order Russian planes not to fly over his country.
Zelenskyy is expected to repeat his plea when he addresses Congress virtually Wednesday morning. Members of Congress have stopped short of calling for a no-fly zone, with many echoing Biden’s concerns that the move could be escalatory.
"It is also true that the president has to look at decisions that are made through the prism of what is in our national security interest and global security interest," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
"He continues to believe that a no-fly zone would be escalatory, could prompt a war with Russia," she continued. "I don’t believe there is a lot of advocates calling for that at this point in time from Capitol Hill, but we certainly understand and recognize that is still a call from President Zelenskyy."
President Biden has signed a $1.5 trillion measure that will fund federal operations through September and provide Ukraine $13.6 billion as the country continues to fight back against a militarized invasion from Russia.
Prior to signing the bill, Biden, speaking from the White House on Tuesday, told those in attendance that America is “moving further to augment support to the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their country.”
Biden also suggested that America will be “better positioned to provide for the rapidly growing humanitarian need of the Ukrainian people.”
The billions of dollars will be used to fund defensive training and military equipment for Ukrainians, as well as aid for Ukrainian refugees.
“This war has turned nearly 3 million Ukrainians into refugees, with numbers growing every single day,” he said. “That's on top of the 12 million people who require humanitarian assistance inside of Ukraine. The United States is helping to lead the global humanitarian response with our partners in Europe, as well as beyond Europe.”
Russia has imposed "retaliatory sanctions" against President Biden, a number of his top administration officials, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Biden's son Hunter Biden amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.
According to Russian state-owned news agency Tass, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday imposed "personal sanctions against representatives of the U.S. leadership and persons associated with them."
The sanctions, according to the report, were imposed "in response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting, among other things, entry into the United States for top officials of the Russian Federation."
Russian forces have fired more than 950 missiles but have not made much progress in advancing on key Ukrainian cities, senior defense officials tell Fox News.
Russian forces continue their bombardment of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, hitting residential areas and civilian targets with increasing frequency in recent days but have not been able to advance on the city with ground forces.
Shelling has also continued around the cities of Mariupol and Kharkiv, but Russian forces have faces stiff Ukrainian resistance and have not been able to gain control of those cities as well.
DoD officials also estimate that Russia has committed about 90% of the combat power they amassed on the Ukrainian border to the invasion, while there is still no indication that Belarus has inserted troops into the war.
Ukrainian people in Taiwan and supporters hold posters to protest against the invasion of Russia during a march in Taipei on Sunday. (AP/Chiang Ying-ying)
Hundreds of Taiwanese protesters took to the streets of Taipei on Sunday to show solidarity with Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, according to reports.
Foreign policy experts have drawn parallels between Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to control Ukraine's democratic government and Chinese President Xi Jinping's desire to make Taiwan part of China.
Both Ukrainian and Taiwanese protesters gave speeches, sang the Ukrainian national anthem, and chanted, "Taiwan stands with Ukraine," according to the Taipei Times.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday. (AP/Patrick Semansky)
President Biden is expected to travel to Brussels, Belgium, next week for a NATO summit on Russia's war in Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday.
Biden will join the "extraordinary" NATO summit that will convene March 24.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president will "discuss the ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine as well as to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies."
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that he has "convened an extraordinary summit" for next Thursday.
"We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense," he said in a tweet.
China asserted Tuesday that it was completely "impartial" over the conflict in Ukraine and dismissed so-called "disinformation" from the U.S. government, suggesting that China agreed to send military equipment to Russian troops.
China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian – who hasn’t openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching an invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago and has called the conflict the "Ukraine issue" instead of war – made the remarks to reporters during his daily press conference.
"China’s position and statement on the Ukraine issue is completely objective, impartial and constructive," Zhao said, according to a translation by The Associated Press. "We have a clear goal, that is to promote the de-escalation of the situation and end the conflict as soon as possible."
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Mariupol Regional Intensive Care Hospital (Google Maps)
Residents of Mariupol, Ukraine, have reportedly contacted a human rights organization with complaints that Russian forces have occupied an intensive care hospital.
The Media Initiative for Human Rights in Ukraine said in a Tuesday Facebook post that residents of the city contacted its hotline to report the occupation of Russian troops at the Mariupol Regional Intensive Care Hospital.
"Hospital staff and patients are held hostage," the media hotline said.
Russian forces are apparently firing at the windows of the hospital in an effort to trigger a response from Ukrainian soldiers, according to the Media Initiative for Human Rights.
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Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram joins 'America's Newsroom' to report on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's upcoming address to Congress.
Russian state media is reporting Tuesday that Russia has withdrawn itself from the Council of Europe -- a European-based human rights organization.
Russia's foreign ministry announced Tuesday that has sanctioned President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other American officials, according to Reuters.
European countries that are part of NATO. (Fox News)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he knows his country does not have an open door to NATO membership and should instead find ways to protect itself with the help of security guarantees, Reuters reports.
"If we cannot enter through open doors, then we must cooperate with the associations with which we can, which will help us, protect us... and have separate guarantees," he reportedly said in a video address.
Current Russian military activity in Ukraine. (Fox News)
Russian ambassador to U.N. Vassily Nebenzia said Tuesday that Russia will halt its invasion of Ukraine when Moscow's demands are met.
"Conditions are demilitarization of Ukraine, defensification of Ukraine. No threat which would come from the territory to Russia. No joining NATO," he added.
Separately, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Tuesday that talks have resumed between the two sides.
"Negotiations are ongoing. Consultations on the main negotiation platform renewed. General regulation matters, ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country…," he tweeted.
Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
A firefighter comforts a woman outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (AP/Vadim Ghirda)
Three European leaders are expected to travel to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Tuesday before a 35-hour curfew for civilians takes effect as Russian forces advance and the city is under sustained shelling.
The prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic – all NATO member countries – are to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted on Tuesday that he and his deputy prime minister, Jarosław Kaczyński, as well as Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša would be traveling to Kyiv as representatives of the European Council.
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Satellite images show burning and destroyed apartment buildings Monday in western Mariupol, Ukraine. (Maxar Technologies/Getty Images)
Mariupol's city council said Tuesday that around 2,000 civilian cars have managed to leave the besieged Ukrainian port city through a so-called humanitarian corridor leading west.
The council said another 2,000 cars are in the city but waiting to leave along the route, which runs for more than 160 miles to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media the corridor would be open from 8 p.m. local time Tuesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday urged northern European leaders to send more weapons to his country and to institute a full trade embargo with Russia.
Zelenskyy made the pleas while talking with leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) -- a grouping of 10 north Atlantic countries designed to react quickly to international crises, according to the Associated Press. It includes NATO members such as Britain and the Baltic states, as well as non-NATO countries such as Sweden and Finland.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian military is rapidly using up weapons and other hardware that western nations have shipped to his country.
“We have to acknowledge Russia as a rogue state and there has to be a trade embargo with Russia,” he added. “This is something that we need and you need as well, just like the rest of the world, to make sure there is peace in Europe and Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy also repeated his frustration with NATO over its refusal to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he addressed the JEF leaders meeting Tuesday in London.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Smart AID director Dr. Iryna Rybinkina speaks about leaving her family and risking her safety to help with medical efforts in Ukraine.
Russian state-run media pundits have been discussing the possibility of hanging Ukrainian people in cities that have been overrun and occupied by Russian troops since the invasion began on Feb. 24.
During a Sunday show broadcast on Russia-1, a state-owned Russian television channel, one pundit advocated for public hangings through a military tribunal once Russia’s dominance is established in certain areas of Ukraine.
The journalist, whose name was not initially reported, cited the "special military operation" in Ukraine, a term pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an attempt to justify the invasion to the Russian populous by claiming troops must liberate the Ukrainian people from the Ukrainian government run by neo-Nazis.
"I would restore the death penalty by hanging through military tribunal," the pundit, speaking Russian, said, according to a translated quote by Newsweek. "There are people in Ukraine who threaten Russian citizens and create a threat for us. … In my view, this is of utmost importance."
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A refugee fleeing the war from neighboring Ukraine looks out a bus window after crossing the border, at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, on Monday. (AP/Andreea Alexandru)
The office of the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees announced Tuesday that nearly 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
Of the 2,969,600 that have escaped its borders since Feb. 24, around 1.8 million have taken refuge in Poland while nearly 500,000 are in Romania, it said.
The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced "a ban on exports to Russia of high-end luxury goods, while also hitting hundreds of key products with new import tariffs that represent a 35 percentage point hike on current rates.
"Russian vodka is one of the iconic products affected by the tariff increases, while the export ban will likely affect luxury vehicles, high-end fashion and works of art," it said in a statement.
"The measures will cause maximum harm to Putin’s war machine while minimizing the impact on U.K. businesses as G7 leaders unite to unleash a fresh wave of economic sanctions on Moscow," it added.
Russian state media is reporting Tuesday that prosecutors are looking to extend Putin critic Alexei Navalny's prison term by 13 years on fraud and contempt of court charges, according to Reuters.
Navalny is currently serving a 2.5-year sentence following parole violations linked to a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he previously dismissed as politically motivated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine, in a video posted on Facebook early Tuesday. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations will continue after the Ukrainian delegation did good work during Monday’s negotiations. He didn't provide further details.
Zelenskyy said he spoke Monday to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as part of efforts to “quickly end the war” and achieve “honest peace.” Bennett, who has sought to mediate a peaceful settlement, also spoke Monday to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy hailed a Russian state TV employee who interrupted the main evening news program on Russian Channel 1 by running into a studio with a poster against the war in Ukraine. The employee was later arrested by police.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Firefighters extinguish flames in an apartment building after being hit by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (AP/Felipe Dana)
The mayor of Ukraine's capital announced Tuesday that a 35-hour curfew will go into effect tonight starting at 8 p.m. local time.
"Today is a difficult and dangerous moment," Vitali Klitschko said, according to Reuters.
"The capital is the heart of Ukraine, and it will be defended," he added. "Kyiv, which is currently the symbol and forward operating base of Europe’s freedom and security, will not be given up by us."
People cover from shelling inside an entryway to an apartment building in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Sunday. (AP/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, claimed Tuesday that "the number of casualties is already approaching 20,000" as Russian forces continue to target the eastern Ukrainian city.
The figure could not be independently verified -- and the Mariupol City Council provided a number of 2,357 casualties as of Monday to the Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper.
"We talked about an ‘optimistic’ scenario four days ago -- about 10,000 casualties as of today. But with the intensity and the brutality increased, we can tell that even if the blockade ends now and we can start searching for these people, the number of casualties is already approaching 20,000," Andryushchenko was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
"The bodies are being buried everywhere: in the yards, on the streets. Due to the intensity of the shelling, people cannot even go outside to bury their loved ones," he added. "Municipal services do not work, the cemetery is located on territory controlled by the Russian army. Death is everywhere, it is visible."
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues for its third week, leaders from three European Union countries have planned a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to show support for the country, according to a report.
Poland’s Mateusz Moravetsky, the Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala, and Slovenia’s Janez Jansa will travel to Kyiv after thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed and 2.8 million people from the city have been forced to evacuate. They will meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Loud blasts were heard throughout Kyiv as recently as Tuesday morning as Russia continues its siege.
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An adoptive mom from Kentucky has made the perilous journey from the U.S. to Poland and now Ukraine, near Lviv, to try to get her daughter-to-be (age 18) out of Ukraine and to safety amid the war that's been raging since Feb. 24, 2022.
Colleen Thompson of Kentucky began the process of adopting a teenager from Ukraine three years ago — a story Fox News Digital originally told earlier this month.
The girl, who just turned 18, can legally leave the orphanage structure in Ukraine — she signed a letter of intent to that effect — but the Russian attacks on Ukraine have not only thrown the entire process into chaos and uncertainty, they've endangered (and are still endangering) the lives of many orphans.
Thompson told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Monday, "Our daughter was in the war zone the night Russia invaded."
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For years, world leaders have accused Russia of funding environmental groups in Europe to steer nations away from energy independence and strengthen Russia’s iron grip over the continent. As nations across the globe begin shunning Russian oil in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. leaders are also questioning how deep Russia’s ties go in the environmental community.
"The Russians actually fund some of the most rabid environmental groups in Europe because they sic them on the energy projects that aren’t Russian," James Carafano, vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital in a recent phone interview.
Environmental groups have meanwhile feverishly denied any ties to Russia.
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Russian-based cyberattacks against U.S. targets have been well tested, a cybersecurity executive told Fox News Digital.
As the war in Ukraine continues, cybersecurity professionals have warned about the possibility of Russian cyber capabilities being used on the U.S. Russia already has a proven ability to infiltrate U.S. systems, according to Tom Kelly, CEO of cyber breach response company IDX.
"They've demonstrated that they've been able to go into our core infrastructure, be it SolarWinds in technology, be it Colonial Pipeline in energy, across the board we have evidence of their capability," the executive told Fox News.
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On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted victory over Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine and offered Russian troops a "chance to survive" by surrendering.
"The 19th day of our resistance is over. Historical war. Another difficult day, which is still approaching our victory. Approaching peace for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that "the enemy is confused" and did not expect stiff resistance. "Their soldiers know this. Their officers are aware of this. They flee the battlefield. They abandon equipment."
"We take trophies and use them to protect Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "Today, Russian troops are, in fact, one of the suppliers of equipment to our army. They could not imagine such a thing in a nightmare." (READ MORE)
In an interview on "Hannity" Monday, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham revealed under what circumstances he would support a no-fly zone in Ukraine, and urged the Biden administration to take clear and decisive action against China.
Graham said that he did not currently support a no-fly-zone, which NATO-member Estonia became the first interorganizational ally to support.
"But if there's the use of chemical weapons by Putin against the Ukrainian people, I would support a no-fly zone because that would be breaking every war crime rule in the book," Graham added.
"And the ban on chemical weapons would be nothing if we didn't act with a no-fly zone. But right now, no boots on the ground, no-fly zone."
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to media following a meeting of the V4 group of countries at Lancaster House on March 8, 2022 in London, England. The Visegrád Group, also known as Visegrád Four, V4, or European Quartet, is a cultural and political alliance of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia. All members are part of the EU and Nato, and were created in order to advance cooperation in military, cultural, economic and energy matters. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with oil and gas industry leaders on Monday to discuss his country’s energy security as it looks to move away from Russian hydrocarbons following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
"We’ll continue to back them in building up our domestic energy security, where neither the U.K. nor our allies can be blackmailed by the likes of Putin, and in accelerating some of the solutions we need to reach net-zero, from low-carbon hydrogen to carbon capture and storage," Johnson said.
The U.K. said last week it would phase out oil imports from Russia, which account for around 8% of the country’s oil supply. The U.K.’s European allies are anticipated to have a tougher time weening themselves off Russia’s oil, given their great reliance on imports.
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Chinese stocks took a dive on Monday as the country combats its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years and concerns grow over Beijing's close relationship with Moscow.
There are fresh concerns about Beijing's cozy relationship with Moscow after reports came out Sunday that Russia has requested military assistance from China since Putin's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
"The national security adviser and our delegation raised directly and very clearly our concerns about the PRC’s support to Russia in the wake of the invasion, and the implications that any such support would have for the PRC’s relationship not only with us, but for its relationships around the world," State Department spokesman Ned Price warned on Monday.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his people victory in the war against Russia and noted that Russian troops are fleeing the battlefield, leaving supplies for his army. He urged the soldiers to withdraw.
"The 19th day of our resistance is over. Historical war. Another difficult day, which is still approaching our victory. Approaching peace for Ukraine," Zelenskyy began, according to his presidential office.
He noted that "the enemy is confused" and did not expect stiff resistance. "Their soldiers know this. Their officers are aware of this. They flee the battlefield. They abandon equipment," he added.
"We take trophies and use them to protect Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "Today, Russian troops are, in fact, one of the suppliers of equipment to our army. They could not imagine such a thing in a nightmare."
He addressed the Russian soldiers, urging them to surrender.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Monday that would give Russian airlines the ability to seize foreign-owned airplanes so they can be re-deployed for domestic flights amid crippling sanctions that have negatively impacted its aviation industry.
The law would allow the airlines to take and operate planes leased by foreign companies that have stopped businesses operations in the country over its invasion of Ukraine, the state-owned TASS news agency reported. The planes will be certified by certification centers and test laboratories, the news outlet reported.
The move is an attempt to circumvent Western sanctions that have resulted in multiple countries, including the United States, closing their airspace to Russian airliners.
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