Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues into its third week. While efforts to end the attacks have failed to produce results, the international community continues to get more and more involved in supporting Ukraine.
*****
Russian forces continue to gradually push forward into Ukrainian population centers today as they face fierce opposition from territorial defense forces. Russian troops also laid siege to Chernihiv, near the Belarus border. The city’s death toll continues to rise.
Heavy fighting continues near the Capital of Kyiv. Russian forces gained control of the town of Bucha and moved southwest to try to encircle the capital.
Russia also continued its attack on the port city of Mariupol, where Russian forces shelled a maternity hospital Wednesday killing three people and injuring at least seventeen - according to Ukrainian officials.
During a joint press conference in Warsaw this morning with Poland’s President, U.S. Vice president Kamala Harris called for investigation of potential Russian war crimes.
KAMALA HARRIS: Just limited to what we have seen: Pregnant women going for healthcare being injured by -- I don’t know -- a missile, a bomb in an unprovoked, unjustified war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called the bombing of the hospital a war crime on Wednesday, and then he said it was “final proof, proof of a genocide of Ukrainians taking place.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross described the situation in Mariupol as “increasingly dire,” and warned that hundreds of thousands of people there have no access to food, water, heat, electricity, or medical care. Here is Red Cross official Sasha Volkov speaking about the situation in Mariupol.
SASHA VOLKOV: Many have no water at all for drinking. All the shops and pharmacies were looted four to five days ago. Some people still have food but I’m not sure for how long it will last.
Foreign ministers for Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey earlier today. But, their meeting failed to make any progress towards ending the violence in Ukraine.
Ukraine is insistent on an immediate cease-fire, something Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said was never going to be on the table during Thursday’s conference.
Following the conference the Ukraine’s foreign minister said “We can’t stop the war if the country that started the attack has no willingness to do that.”
It is unknown when the next peace talks will be held between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats. However, stagnation seen in today’s negotiations signal that a resolution might not be agreed upon anytime soon.