“Ukraine is the gateway to Europe for the Russian army – they want to break in. But the barbarism must not happen,” Zelenskyi said in a video address to Italy’s parliament on Tuesday, part of his intensive lobbying efforts to win over world leaders who support Ukraine but are unwilling to engage in a larger conflict with it to involve Russia.
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The state of the battlefield on Tuesday remained much the same as it had been for weeks, with the death toll rising as artillery shelling continued to hit several Ukrainian cities, destroying infrastructure and terrorizing civilians. This was especially true in the besieged port city of Mariupol, which has seen some of the worst violence since hostilities began on February 24. But even as the Kremlin escalated its attacks, the Ukrainian resistance appeared to be holding its ground — at least for the time being.
in a (n Interview with CNN’s Christiane AmanpourPresident Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, acknowledged that Russia has not yet achieved any of its military goals in Ukraine. When asked what Putin had achieved so far, Peskov replied: “Well, first of all, not yet. He hasn’t reached it yet.”
Peskov insisted that what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” should be “conducted in strict accordance with previously established plans and purposes.” He has also repeatedly refused to rule out Russia’s use of nuclear weapons if Moscow faced an “existential threat”.
The claim that Makariv, some 40 miles from Kyiv, is in Ukrainian hands appeared to mark another setback for Russian forces, whose convoy outside the capital has been held up for weeks by logistical challenges and Ukrainian resistance. The Associated Press reported that control of the territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake a key highway and prevent Russian troops from encircling the capital from the northwest.
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“Thanks to the heroic actions of our defenders, the state flag of Ukraine was raised over the city. … The enemy was turned back,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry wrote in a Facebook update about Makariv, home to about 10,000 people.
According to videos and images released by local officials, Ukrainian police resumed patrols in the city despite the high cost of fighting there. The city’s video posted by Andriy Nebytov, head of the national police in the Kyiv region, and Alexander Omelyanenko, the Makariv police chief, showed severe damage at places including the Makariv Cultural Center, the police station and several residential buildings. A highway was overshadowed by shell craters. The video was verified by the Washington Post.
“There are no people on the street. Every second house is damaged or destroyed,” Nebytov said.
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The Pentagon sounded a little more optimistic than in recent days, with a senior defense official noting that Ukraine had had limited views Success in reclaiming the site. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the official declined to comment on specific locations, but said “we are beginning to see signs” that Ukraine is “now able and ready to retake territory.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity under terms set by the Pentagon.
Russian forces have barely moved from their positions outside of Kyiv, the official said, claiming some troops have suffered from fuel problems, food shortages and even frostbite. The official said Russia has a little less than 90 percent of the combat capability it had deployed in the areas around Ukraine before the invasion began.
“We just haven’t seen much movement on their part,” the official said. Near the southern city of Mykolaiv, the official said, there were signs the Russians were repositioning themselves to the south after heavy resistance outside the city.
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However, officials warned that the outlook in Ukraine is far from rosy.
“This war will not end easily or quickly,” said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Still, he added: “Whether Russia captures a city, or captures a city, or captures more territory, they will never be able to achieve the goal they have set themselves, which is to subjugate this country, to control this country because the Ukrainian people have made it very clear that they will not be subdued, no matter the cost.”
Russian forces have begun shelling Mariupol from the sea, the senior Pentagon official said, escalating the Russian attack on the southern port city.
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As many as seven Russian warships were in the Sea of Azov, according to a count by the official, who added that the city was an “anchor” for Russian efforts to take over the region from Ukrainian forces.
A risky evacuation operation was underway in Mariupol as residents attempted to flee Bombs, street fights and a crushing siege. Entire city blocks now lie in smoking ruins and thousands of civilians huddle in underground temporary shelters, according to witness testimony and video confirmed by The Post.
Stories of civilian suffering have been leaked through fleeing residents and occasional social media posts as Mariupol is largely cut off from the world. Perhaps the clearest picture of the toll comes from harrowing reports from AP journalists, who themselves were forced to leave as Russian troops closed in.
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Mariupol City Council and an aide to Ukraine’s president said by telegram that buses left for nearby areas on the Azov Sea on Tuesday to pick up residents who had fled the city.
“We will definitely not leave anyone behind and will continue the evacuation every day… until we transport everyone out,” Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video on Tuesday.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, described the war in Ukraine as “unwinnable” on Tuesday and called for an end to the fighting and serious negotiations at the “peace table”.
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Guterres told reporters that the fighting had only gotten “more destructive and unpredictable.” The Ukrainian people, he said, “are living through hell on earth – and the aftermath is being felt around the world as food, energy and fertilizer prices soar and threaten to become a global hunger crisis.”
Biden will land in Brussels on Wednesday night, trying to hold together a Western alliance that is beginning to show rifts between allies wanting to supply Ukraine with offensive weapons like fighter jets and others wary of escalating the confrontation with Moscow.
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The President’s decision to visit Poland reflects that country’s position at the epicenter of a deepening refugee crisis, as some 300,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Warsaw since the conflict began. Biden, who may be visiting a refugee camp while in Poland, is expected to pledge substantial US aid in the crisis.
The World Health Organization called Calls on the European Union to help countries hosting waves of refugees from Ukraine, as border states feel the weight of the influx.
The priority is to ensure that “all countries involved in humanitarian response have the infrastructure and expertise to meet this challenge, which is a huge drain on both human and financial resources,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, on Tuesday in Moldova – a small country on Ukraine’s southern border that has taken in more than 360,000 refugees.
The UN Human Rights Agency says it has documented the killing of 953 civilians and the wounding of more than 1,500 others since the invasion began, though the real number is believed to be exponentially higher. The WHO said on Tuesday at least 62 health facilities have been hit by attacks, killing 15 and injuring 37.
As the war nears the one-month mark, officials are warning of side threats, including an increased risk of radioactive contamination and miles of Ukrainian territory now riddled with explosives.
At least seven wildfires have broken out around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s parliament said on Monday, stoking fears they could spread radiation. Ukrainian officials and firefighters could not perform their usual duties in the area to put out the fires due to Russian control of the plant.
Allam and Demirjian reported from Washington. Suliman and Francis reported from London. Annabelle Chapman in Warsaw; Annabelle Timsit in London; Amy Cheng in Seoul; Stefano Pitrelli in Rome; Miriam Berger in Jerusalem; Rachel Pannett in Sydney; and Paulina Firozi, Dan Lamothe, and Matt Viser in Washington contributed to this report.