Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials said they hoped to get thousands of women and children out of the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol as Russia pressed ahead with a new offensive along front lines in eastern Ukraine.
More than five million people have now fled Ukraine, the United Nations refugee agency said.
Coming up
- President Vladimir Putin is due to meet representatives of the metals industry, which the Kremlin said was facing "hostile attitudes." Gold miner Petropavlovsk said sanctions-hit Russian lender Gazprombank had called on it to immediately repay a term loan worth $201 million.
- President Joe Biden will host U.S. military leaders in an annual gathering that takes on extra significance as the war enters a risky new phase. Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have pledged to send more artillery weaponry to Ukraine.
- European Council President Charles Michel is on an unexpected visit to Kyiv. Latvia said the EU was preparing new measures to prevent Russia from evading sanctions.
- State-owned Russian lender Rosselkhozbank said British sanctions had prevented it from making a $21.25 million interest payment on Eurobonds maturing in 2023, the latest Russian company to flag debt servicing issues.
- Western nations are preparing to stage coordinated walk-outs to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine at Wednesday's meeting of G20 finance ministers in Washington.
Fighting
- Russia is still building up its military presence on Ukraine's eastern border and fighting in the southeastern Donbas region is intensifying as Russian forces seek to break through Ukrainian defenses, a British military update said.
- Russia called on Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to surrender, saying its troops will observe a ceasefire while the proposal is in effect. Russian-backed separatists later said five people had surrendered, a day after Russia said no one had responded to a similar surrender call. Ukraine hopes to send 90 buses to Mariupol to evacuate about 6,000 women, children and elderly people, the city's mayor Vadym Boichenko said. He said about 100,000 civilians remain in the city. Russia said some 120 civilians living next to the Azovstal plant evacuated on Tuesday.
- Norway has donated about 100 Mistral air defense missiles to Ukraine, the Norwegian defense ministry said.
Quotes
- "Irish people are very friendly, very kind," said Maria Nazarchuk, 20, an accountancy student among 11 Ukrainians staying in a medieval castle in the west of Ireland who has found work in a local garden center. "I have a good job, a good home. I never thought that someday I will live in a castle."
