Zelenskyy: No deal without Russian withdrawal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country could not accept a deal with Moscow that would allow Russian troops to remain in occupied territory.
Speaking Wednesday to participants at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had halted the Russian offensive in what he described as the first stage of the conflict. In the second stage, he said, Ukraine will expel Russian troops from its territory, and in the third, it will move to fully restore its territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy said he would not accept a cease-fire deal that would allow Russian forces to remain in their current positions — insisting that “we will not accept a frozen conflict” ‒ but gave no further details.
Some Ukrainians evacuate Mariupol steel plant as E.U. announces new sanctions on Russia
Ukraine lost connection with soldiers amid heavy fighting at Azovstal steel plant, Mariupol mayor says
Mariupol’s mayor has said he lost contact on Wednesday with the city's last Ukrainian forces amid heavy fighting at the Azovstal steel plant.
“Unfortunately, there is no connection with the guys today, there is no possibility to reach out to them to understand what is happening, whether they are safe or not,” Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on Ukrainian TV.
He said there were at least 30 children still waiting to be rescued from the plant, after the first evacuees arrived in a safer city on Tuesday.
Russia's chief rabbi says Lavrov should apologize for Hitler comments
Russia's chief rabbi has criticized comments by the country's foreign minister and suggested he should apologize.
"It would be nice if he apologized to the Jews and simply admitted that he was mistaken,” Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots and suggested Jews were the worst antisemites, remarks that drew global condemnation and threatened to undermine relations with Israel.
Ukraine digital transformation minister says internet restored in Kherson
E.U. considers additional military support to Moldova
The European Union is considering significantly increasing support to Moldova by providing additional military equipment and countering disinformation, E.U. Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday in a visit to the country's capital, Chisinau.
Lviv residents clean up after attacks
Russian ally Belarus begins snap combat readiness drills
The armed forces of Belarus began sudden large-scale drills on Wednesday to test their combat readiness, the defense ministry of Ukraine’s neighbor said.
Belarus is a close ally of Russia, which invaded Ukraine in late February immediately after holding joint drills with Minsk which had allowed it to move more forces closer to the Ukrainian border.
“It is planned that the [combat readiness] test will involve the movement of significant numbers of military vehicles, which can slow down traffic on public roads,” the Belarusian ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the exercise posed no threat to its neighbors or the European community in general.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and the two discussed the Russian operation in Ukraine, among other issues, according to official statements.
Russia confirms strikes on power substations near Lviv, warns NATO transports
Russia's defense ministry confirmed Wednesday strikes on power substations in western Ukraine including near the city of Lviv.
The ministry also said in a briefing that it struck 40 Ukrainian military assets. NBC News has not verified those strikes.
Russia said the targets of some strikes were supplies and weapons sent by the U.S. and E.U.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that it could target NATO transports.
"I would like to note that any transport of the North Atlantic Alliance that arrived on the territory of the country with weapons or material means for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces is considered by us as a legitimate target for destruction," Shoigu said in the briefing.