A Kremlin spokesperson has said that comments the US made calling Putin a war criminal were “unacceptable” and “unforgivable rhetoric,” reports Reuters citing Russia state-owned TASS News agency.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that Biden’s comments characterising Putin as a war criminal were “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric,” according to TASS.
Earlier, Biden called Putin a “war criminal,” using the term for the first time in reference to Russia’s leader.
Jacqui Heinrich(@JacquiHeinrich)
This marks the first time the administration has referred to the Russian President as a war criminal – until now, officials have shied away from that language.
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It is just before 7am in Ukraine and here is where the crisis currently stands.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy saidhumanitarian corridors failed on Wednesday because “Russian soldiers didn’t stop shelling and didn’t guarantee safety” in a national address late last night. The president called Russia a “terrorist state” and pleaded for more support from the west, including air defence systems, jets, lethal weapons and ammunition.
Russian forces bombed a theatre and swimming poolcomplex where civilians were sheltering in the encircled Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, officials said. Mariupol council posted an image of the city’s theatre showing it sustained heavy damage in today’s attack and said casualty numbers were being confirmed. Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk regional administration, said that pregnant women and children were sheltering at the pool, calling the attack “pure terrorism”. The word “children” had been written outside the theatre. Zelenskiy said “our hearts are broken” by the strike, and likened the siege of the city to that of Leningrad in the second world war.
Satellite imagery revealed extensive damage across Sumy, Chernihiv and Kharkiv. The images, taken by US space technology company Maxar Technologies, shows burning homes in a residential area of Chernihiv, Ukraine, as well as artillery impact craters next to a residential area in Kharkiv and a damaged Olympic sports training centre.
Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal”, his sharpest rebuke yet of the Russian president, after he announced an extra $800m in security assistance to Ukraine, to buy more weapons and military equipment. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Biden’s comments were “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric”, according to Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the US Congress to provide more weapons to help his country fight off Russian airstrikes and for further sanctions against Russia, including the withdrawal of all US businesses.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba said that what his country needs from the west is “weapons and sanctions, and the rest will be done by Ukraine” in an interview with CNN.
The United States committed to more military aid to Ukraine, including long-range missile defence and Switchblade armed drones to better defend against Russian aircraft and armour from a distance.
Russian forces shot and killed 10 people standing for bread in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the US embassy in Kyiv said. Ukrainian officials said the attack took place at 10am local time on Wednesday (8am GMT). Russia’s defence ministry denied the report, claiming no Russian soldiers were in Chernihiv.
The UN security council will meet Thursday at the request of six western nations that sought an open session on Ukraine. The UK’s UN mission tweeted: “Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians. Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to us all.” The meeting comes ahead of an expected vote on a Russian humanitarian resolution that has been sharply criticised for making no mention of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Russian forces released the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, the Ukrainian president said. Ukraine’s state services for communications shared a video showing Zelenskiy speaking to Ivan Fedorov following his release. The president said Fedorov was abducted by Russian forces on 11 March who tried to persuade him to collaborate but “our man withstood. He did not give up.”
China’s ambassador to Ukraine praised Ukraine’s unity and resistance in remarks which appear to contradict the country’s earlier stance. Fan Xianrong said China “will never attack Ukraine” but will support it economically and politically during a meeting with Lviv’s regional military administration, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform originally reported.
British intelligence said set backs for Russian forces has meant its troops are resorting to the use of “older, less precise weapons” which are “less militarily effective and more likely to result in civilian casualties.
“Citizens of Russia”, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during his daily video address. “How does your blockade of Mariupol differ from the blockade of Leningrad during the years of the second world war?”
His comments come after a Russian plane dropped a bomb on a theatre where civilians were sheltering in the besieged city. On the same day in Chernihiv, 10 people were killed while waiting in line to buy bread. Zelenskiy added that Russia had become a “terrorist state”.
Watch Zelenskiy’s powerful remarks in the video below.
Mariupol attack no different from siege of Leningrad, Zelenskiy says – video
Japan’s military has said it spotted four large Russian amphibious warfare ships sailing close to its islands as they traveled west, possibly towards Europe, Reuters is reporting.
Pictures of the amphibious transports, typically used for landing expeditionary forces ashore, published by Japan’s defence ministry showed what appeared to be military trucks loaded onto the deck of one of the vessels.
The exodus of refugees fleeing Ukraine continues with most seeking refuge in neighbouring Poland.
Refugees from Ukraine arrive at Kroscienco on the Ukraine-Poland border Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock
A child is seen at a camp in Kroscienco on the Ukraine-Poland border Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock
Two women travel with their dogs Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock
A family arrives at a Red Cross clinic at the Ukraine-Poland border Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock
China’s ambassador to Ukraine has praised Ukraine’s unity and resistance in remarks which appear to contradict the country’s earlier stance.
Fan Xianrong said China “will never attack Ukraine” but will support it economically and politically during a meeting with Lviv’s regional military administration, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform reported, citing the administration’s press service.
China will never attack Ukraine, we will help, in particular in the economic direction.
In this situation, which you have now, we will act responsibly. We have seen how great the unity of the Ukrainian people is, and that means its strength.
Lviv’s governor of the regional military administration, Maksym Kozytskiy, also confirmed the meeting in a statement earlier this week, noting that China sent two batches of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people, with a third expected this week. He said:
China and Ukraine are strategic partners, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries.”
Xianrong added:
China is a friendly country for the Ukrainian people. As an ambassador, I can responsibly say that China will forever be a good force for Ukraine, both economically and politically. We will always respect your state, we will develop relations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We will respect the path chosen by Ukrainians because this is the sovereign right of every nation.”
The Guardian’s correspondent in Taipei, Helen Davidson, has provided a helpful explainer addressing the question: How close are China and Russia? It’s a question that has come under increased scrutiny in light of recent claims that Beijing knew of Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine.
Under the rule of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin China and Russia have become increasingly isolated from the west – and closer to each other.
A joint statement from the two leaders said the bonds between the two countries had “no limits” and there were “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation”. It called on the west to “abandon the ideologised approaches of the cold war”, and expressed support for each other’s stance on Ukraine and Taiwan.
The timing of the partnership signed between Russia and China has also raised questions about what China’s government knew of the invasion. Some analysts and US officials have suggested it was likely Beijing knew of the Russian plans for Ukraine but not the extent of them, and was caught somewhat by surprise. Beijing denies this. In the Washington Post on Wednesday, China’s ambassador to the US said any assertions it “knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported this war are purely disinformation”.
A before and after comparison photo shows the extent of damage inflicted upon the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
Russian forces bombed a theatre and swimming pool complex where civilians were sheltering, officials said.
Mariupol council posted an image of the city’s theatre showing it sustained heavy damage in the attack and said casualty numbers were being confirmed. The word “children” had been written outside the theatre. Zelenskiy said “our hearts are broken” by the strike, and likened the siege of the city to that of Leningrad in the second world war.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called the attack “another horrendous war crime” and said the building is now fully ruined.
Another horrendous war crime in Mariupol. Massive Russian attack on the Drama Theater where hundreds of innocent civilians were hiding. The building is now fully ruined. Russians could not have not known this was a civilian shelter. Save Mariupol! Stop Russian war criminals! pic.twitter.com/bIQLxe7mli
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba has said that what his country needs from the west is “weapons and sanctions, and the rest will be done by Ukraine”.
Speaking to Anderson Cooper about negotiations with Russia in an interview with CNN, Kuleba said:
There are a number of factors that make a difference in the Russian position in the talks, the first one is the fierce resistance of the Ukrainian army and Ukrainian people on the ground; the second is sanctions imposed on Russia, sanctions which cause the Russian economy to go down and to suffer.
Continued resistance and sanctions has forced Russia to slightly change its position, Kuleba added.
Its position becomes different but I could not call it a dramatic change or serious change in the position. But under the circumstances every change in the Russian position is a constructive one. Because they start with unilateral ultimatums which if put together constitute a unilateral surrender of Ukraine and that is not acceptable … But I have to be clear, both delegations the Russian and Ukrainian one are far away from reaching an agreement on the current situation …”
Asked about his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, reviving rhetoric about “denazification” of Ukraine, Kuleba said: “Listen, Russia will never, never admit that they made a concession or that they realised the goals they had set for themselves were not achievable. They will always publicly say everything is fine, everything is going according to plan and it’s exactly what we wanted.
Whatever Minister Lavrov said in the press conference, I know two things: if Ukraine gets sufficient amount of weapons to defend itself, if sanctions pressure will be continued, then Russia will make serious concessions.
Kuleba called for caution in reading Russian messages.
[We should] understand two things and I will say it again because it’s crucially important: weapons and sanctions, and the rest will be done by Ukraine”.
Finally, Zelenskiy said plans are already underway to restore Ukraine after the war.
We are already working on the program for the restoration of our country after the war.
I promise to every Ukrainian who lost their house or apartment as a result of shelling, that the state will rebuild everything.
I am confident that we will be able to rebuild our country quickly. No matter how big the losses are…. It will be a historic reconstruction, a project that will inspire the world just as our fight for freedom, our fight for Ukraine.”
(Translation provided by Bermet Talant.)
Wrapping up his late-night address, Zelenskiy said Russia has become a terrorist state.
The war has not stopped yet. Russia’s war crimes continue. The Russian economy is still able to maintain the military machine. That’s why we need new sanctions against Russia. The world must finally recognise officially that Russia has become a terrorist state.”
Zelenskiy also pleaded for more support, including air defence systems, jets, lethal weapons and ammunition to stop Russian occupants.
What else do the occupants have to do, how many people do they have to kill for western leaders, Nato leaders to say “yes” to Ukraine’s request for a no-fly zone or give us fighter jets that we need so much?”
Zelenskiy said he called on the United States about the creation of a new union, U-24, that will “guarantee that every aggressor will receive a coordinated pushback from the world” in the first 24 hours of an attack.
We can’t trust the existing institutions anymore. We can’t hope that bureaucrats in international organisations will adapt so quickly. That’s why we have to look for new guarantees, create new instruments.”
This marks the first time the administration has referred to the Russian President as a war criminal – until now, officials have shied away from that language.
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