US President Joe Biden departed Wednesday for Europe on one of the highest-stakes presidential trips in recent memory.
His visits to Brussels and Poland could still underscore the alliance’s limits in ending the bloodshed in Ukraine, with Western leaders struggling to find ways to halt Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. So far, punishing Western sanctions haven’t stopped Putin, and it’s unclear whether the new steps expected this week — including sanctions on hundreds of members of Russia’s lower legislative body and changes to NATO’s force posture along its eastern edge — will be different.
Here are more of the headlines from today in the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
- Biden will unveil new sanctions against Russian political figures and oligarchs during Thursday’s summits: President Biden will unveil new sanctions on Russian political figures and oligarchs when he attends a series of summits in Brussels on Thursday. Speaking aboard Air Force One as Biden headed to Europe, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden would also discuss NATO’s force posture on its eastern edge and contingency plans for a potential Russian use of chemical or nuclear weapon in his talks. Biden will begin at NATO by meeting Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg “to check signals” and get on the same page for the ensuing summit. Biden will attend the extraordinary NATO summit for about 3 hours, Sullivan said.
- Nearly 1,000 residential buildings have been destroyed in Kharkiv, mayor says: About 1,000 residential buildings have been destroyed in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terehov said Wednesday. The city, which is regarded as a key target for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces and has sustained weeks of heavy assault, sits just 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) from the Russian border. Terehov revealed the extent of the damage done, reporting a total of 1,143 buildings destroyed by Russian fire, of which 998 were residential buildings.
- US government formally declares Russian military has committed war crimes in Ukraine: The US government has formally declared that members of the Russian armed forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday. The official US declaration that Moscow has committed the violations of the laws of conflict come after Blinken, Biden and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman all said it was their personal opinion that war crimes have taken place. “Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” Blinken said.
- Biden urges governors to shore up defenses in face of potential Russian hacking threat: Biden has asked the governors of all 50 US states and the mayor of the District of Columbia to bolster the cybersecurity of state computer systems and critical infrastructure in the face of potential Russian hacking threats. “[T]here are things that only you as governor can do to secure your state’s computer systems, your critical infrastructure, your citizens, and through those efforts, our Nation,” Biden wrote in a March 18 letter to the governors and mayor reviewed by CNN. Biden reiterated in the letter that “we must prepare for any contingency, including cyber attacks on our homeland” from Russia.
- 700 people escape from towns in eastern Ukraine despite “massive” Russian shelling, governor says: About 700 people have managed to escape towns in the far east of Ukraine on Wednesday, according to Luhansk’s regional governor, despite continued Russian shelling through the day. Authorities had posted the addresses of collection points on Facebook where people could pick up buses and small vans to drive them to railway stations and then onward to the west of Ukraine. In addition to the evacuations, Gov. Serhii Haidai said about 600 tons of aid had made it into the region, even though he suggested Russia’s observation of a ceasefire around the evacuation corridor had been “nominal.”
- Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who championed NATO’s expansion, has died: Madeleine Albright — who championed the expansion of NATO and was the first woman US secretary of state — has died. She was 84 years old. She pushed for the alliance to intervene in the Balkans to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing, sought to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, and championed human rights and democracy across the globe. The news of her death comes as NATO leaders, including US President Joe Biden, prepare to meet Thursday in Brussels for a summit on Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
- US and European officials held “intense back and forth” on Russian energy dependence: US and European officials have held an “intense back and forth” on reducing dependence on Russian energy in the lead-up to emergency summits in Brussels this week, the White House said. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the matter would be a “substantial topic of conversation” among US President Joe Biden and other leaders at G7 and EU summits Thursday, and was a “major priority” for them. Sullivan said leaders have weighed a “practical roadmap” for ending European dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, and that Biden would have more to say on the matter on Friday.
- Up to 15,000 Russians have been killed in ongoing Ukraine invasion, senior NATO military officials estimate: Up to 15,000 Russians soldiers have been killed in one month in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, two senior NATO military officials said. The officials made the estimate during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday. The officials specified the range could be as low as 7,000 or as high as 15,000 in total Russian soldiers killed in the conflict so far. Their estimate is based on what Ukraine is telling them, what they know from Russia “intentionally or by mistake” and from “open source” information, one of the officials said.
- WHO reports 64 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine: The World Health Organization has confirmed 64 attacks on health facilities in Ukraine so far, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. “WHO has now verified 64 attacks on health care since the start of the war, and we are in the process of verifying further attacks,” Tedros said in a media briefing. “Attacks on health must stop. Health systems, facilities, and health workers are not and should not, [ever] be a target,” he said.
- Bill to ban Russian oil sent to the US Senate: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has sent a bill to ban importing Russian oil, natural gas, and coal to the US Senate, a source familiar tells CNN. The House passed the bill on March 9.
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