Ukrainian servicemen and volunteers carry a injured man into hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Photo / AP
Ukrainian servicemen and volunteers carry a injured man into hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Photo / AP
An estimated 20,000 civilians fled Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor in the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged Ukrainian port city, while Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites.
On the diplomatic front, talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have become "more constructive," and Russia has stopped airing its demands for Ukraine to surrender according to Ukrainian presidential aide Ihor Zhovkva.
Ukraine said that Russia seemed to soften its stand in the talks aimed at halting the fighting, even as Moscow's forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites.
Zhovkva said that Ukrainian representatives felt "moderately optimistic" after the talks, adding that it would be necessary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin to meet to make major progress.
President Joe Biden speaks at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, Monday, March 14, 2022, in Washington. Photo / AP
US President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week for face-to-face talks with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday.
Biden will meet with NATO and European leaders at a summit in Brussels on March 24. He will also attend a scheduled European Council summit, where efforts to impose sanctions and further humanitarian efforts are underway.
The trip follows on Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to eastern flank NATO countries of Poland and Romania last week to discuss with leaders the growing refugee crisis in eastern Europe sparked by the Russian invasion and to underscore the Biden administration's support for NATO allies.
Kyiv will impose a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday night amid a "difficult and dangerous moment" after several Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Russian soldiers to surrender in his latest public address, as the invasion continues to be "stalled".
"What are you dying for?" Zelenskyy asked, addressing the Russians directly.
"I know you want to survive. We hear in your intercepted calls what you really think of this war, of this shame, and of your state. Your conversations with each other, your calls home to your families, we hear everything. We know who you are.
"That is why I offer you a choice: if you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as humans have to be treated, with dignity. The way you have not been treated in your army. And the way your army doesn't treat our people. Choose."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Russian soldiers to surrender in his latest public address, as the invasion continues to be "stalled". Photo / AP
More than three million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
"We have now reached the three-million mark in terms of movement of people out of Ukraine," Paul Dillon, spokesman for the UN's International Organisation for Migration, told reporters in Geneva.
US officials say "almost all" of Russia's military advances in Ukraine have made no significant progress in recent days, as the war stretches well into its third week.
Meanwhile a retired US army general has suggested Russia will "run out of time, people and ammunition" if Ukraine can hold out for another 10 days.
Kyiv to impose curfew for 'difficult and dangerous' 36 hours
Kyiv will impose a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday night amid a "difficult and dangerous moment" after several Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Photo / AP
The announcement of a 36-hour curfew for Kyiv came as Russia launched fresh attacks in Ukraine's capital, which has nearly been encircled by Moscow's troops in the third week of the invasion and that has lost an estimated half of its 3.5-million pre-war population.
"Today is a difficult and dangerous moment," former boxing champion Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram.
"This is why I ask all Kyivites to get prepared to stay at home for two days, or if the sirens go off, in the shelters."
The curfew from was a "decision of the military command", he said.
It comes as the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers were travelling to Kyiv by train on Tuesday in the first visit by foreign leaders to the capital.
"Movement around Kyiv without special permits is forbidden. It is only allowed to go outside with the aim to get to the shelters," he added.
Kyiv imposed a similar curfew on February 26 just after Moscow launched its invasion.
Fox News cameraman killed
Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for Fox, according to a memo sent to the network's employees. Photo / AP
The slain videographer, Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for Fox, according to a memo sent to the network's employees.
"His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched," Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, said in the memo.
Reporter Benjamin Hall has been hospitalised since yesterday, when their vehicle was hit in Horenka, the network said.
Zakrzewski, who was based in London, was the second journalist killed in Ukraine in two days.
Brent Renaud, a documentary filmmaker and another veteran of covering war zones, died on Monday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle.
European PMs taking train to Kyiv in 'truly remarkable stand'
An elderly woman is helped by policemen after she was rescued by firefighters from inside her apartment after bombing in Kyiv. Photo / AP
The Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers were travelling to Kyiv by train in the first visit by foreign leaders to Ukraine's besieged capital since Russia invaded last month.
The visit comes as Russia pummels targets across Ukraine including Kyiv, which has nearly been encircled by Moscow troops, and as Russia and Ukraine are due to resume talks to end the nearly three-week war.
Mateusz Morawiecki, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa are visiting as "representatives" of the European Union and are due to meet with Zelenskyy, the Polish government said in a statement.
"In such crucial times for the world, it is our duty to be in the place where history is being made," Morawiecki said in a Facebook post.
"Because this is not about us, it is about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny," he said.
CNN anchor Jim Sciutto described it as a "truly remarkable stand given current the threat to Kyiv".
Together with Deputy PM Jarosław Kaczyński, PM @P_Fiala and PM @JJansaSDS we are going to Kiev to meet President @ZelenskyyUa and PM @Denys_Shmyhal. Europe must guarantee Ukraine's independence and ensure that it is ready to help in Ukraine's reconstruction.
The government statement said that the visit had been organised "in agreement" with European Council chief Charles Michel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
"The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and to present a broad package of support for the Ukrainian state and society," the statement said.
Top Polish government official Michal Dworczyk said the train has crossed into Ukraine, describing it as "a historic event".
The trio is accompanied by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's populist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, and will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal.
"Europe must send a strong signal for peace!" Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller tweeted.
Firefighters battle apartment blaze in Kyiv
A destroyed apartment building in Kyiv. Russia's offensive in Ukraine has edged closer. Photo / AP
With the number of people driven from the country by the war eclipsing three million, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia's assault on the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged closer to the city centre.
Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-storey buildings in the city and killed dozens of people.
A firefighter comforts a woman outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv. Photo / AP
The shelling ignited a huge fire in a 15-storey apartment building and spurred a frantic rescue effort.
It comes as the head of the Kyiv region revealed Russia has increased the frequency of airstrikes overnight in the city's northwest, hitting the suburbs of Irpin, Hostomel and Bucha.
Zelenskyy adviser: 'We are at a crossroads'
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the current war is at a crossroads as officials prepare for another round of peace talks.
"We are at a crossroads. Either we will agree at the current talks or the Russians will make a second attempt and then there will be talks again," Oleksiy Arestovych said on Tuesday.
Firefighters pull a rope to direct the fall of a tree while working to extinguish a blaze in a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in Kyiv. Photo / AP
It came as the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic announced they would travel to Kyiv by train today to meet with the leader under siege.
Footage shows missile hitting Kyiv bus
Video shows a bystander in the foreground look up at the sky, and moments later, the bus explodes.
CCTV footage has captured the moment a deadly missile strike on a Kyiv city bus that caused it to erupt into a ball of flames.
The surveillance video, released by the Kyiv City Council, showed the stationary green bus in a Kyiv intersection around 11am local time.
The video, available in the player above, shows a bystander in the foreground look up at the sky before the bus explodes moments later.
Officials in the Ukrainian capital say the blast killed at least two people and injured nine.
'It's a race': General gives Russia 10-day deadline
A retired US army general has predicted Vladimir Putin's Russian forces will be unable to continue their assault on Ukraine 10 days from now - if Ukraine can hold out that long. Photo / AP
Retired US army General Ben Hodges, who served as commander of United States Army Europe for three years, has predicted Russian forces will be unable to continue their assault on Ukraine 10 days from now – if Ukraine can hold out that long.
He highlighted three key deficiencies holding back the Russian military.
"Russia's decision to transition to a war of attrition – they're smashing cities, putting civilians on the road because of fear of being murdered – they need three things to do this. And they don't have those three things," Gen Hodges told MSNBC.
"They don't have the time, they don't have the manpower, and I don't think they have the ammunition. So, in about 10 days, in my assessment – and this is assuming that we, the West, not only continue but accelerate the delivery of the capabilities Ukrainians need to destroy Russian long-range artillery and rocket launchers and missile sites – assuming we do that, then I think within the next 10 days, Russia is going to culminate.
"That means they won't be able to continue the attack. So it's kind of a race, actually. If we give the Ukrainians enough, where they can outlast Russia until Russia culminates, then in my assessment, unless something dramatically different happens, it's about 10 days."
He said essentially the same thing on CNN as well. For the sake of thoroughness, here are those quotes.
"I believe that we are probably about 10 days away from Russia culminating. In other words, running out of time, running out of people, and running out of ammunition," he said.
"Kyiv is a huge city. I was there five weeks ago, met President Zelenskyy there. It is a very large city, very complex urban terrain, separated by one of the biggest rivers in Europe. I do not believe that the Russians have the numbers, actually, to encircle it, let alone capture it.
"They're having ammunition shortages already because of the poor planning they've done. They have serious manpower shortages, which is why they're recruiting Syrians to come and fight. Numerous accounts of mutiny, desertion, low morale.
"Now is the time for us to pour on the gas, to make it clear that we are in for the long haul. President Zelenskyy is right, Ukraine is going to win this thing, but the next 10 days are going to be decisive."
🇺🇦 "I believe that we are probably about 10 days away from Russia culminating. In other words, running out of time, running out of people, and running out of ammunition." @general_ben tells @LauraAJarrett & @ChristineRomans that Russia does not have the manpower to take Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/VIv9GLxfqo
