Zelenskiy says Mariupol death toll probably in tens of thousands; Austrian chancellor has ‘direct, open and tough talks’ with Putin
Tens of thousands of people have probably been killed in Russia’s assault on the south-eastern city of Mariupol, Ukraine’s president has said. Speaking in a video address to the South Korean parliament, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “Ukraine needs support for its military, including planes and tanks”.
Ukrainian forces are readying themselves for a “last battle” to control Mariupol, a statement on the Facebook page of the 36th marine brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces said. Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief, Gen Valeriy Zaluzhniy, said Ukrainian forces were still holding out in the port city.
Moscow will not pause its military action in Ukraine before the next round of peace talks, said Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Speaking in an interview with Russian state television, Lavrov said he saw no reason not to continue talks with Ukraine but insisted Moscow would not halt its offensive when the sides convene again.
Russia is probably looking to “double or perhaps treble” the number of troops they have in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, a western official said. Meanwhile, a senior US defence official said the US believes Russia has started reinforcing its troops in Donbas.
The Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer, held “direct, open and tough” talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow. In a statement, Nehammer – the first EU leader to have an in-person meeting with Putin since he ordered his troops to invade Ukraine – was quoted as saying that it was “not a friendly meeting”.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had destroyed a S-300 anti-aircraft missile system near Dnipro that had been supplied to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia’s prime minister, Eduard Heger, whose country donated an S-300 system last week, described the claim as disinformation.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence warned that Russia’s past use of phosphorus munitions in Donetsk “raised the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city intensifies”.
