Zelenskiy shares footage showing destruction of 600-bed complex with children’s and maternity wards in south-eastern city as US House passes huge aid package
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned a Russian attack on a children’s hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol as evidence of “genocide” as the US moved to drastically bolster support to the war-ravaged country with a $13.6bn aid package.
The Ukrainian president shared video footage showing massive destruction at the hospital – a combined 600-bed complex with children’s and maternity wards – in the southern port city that has been under relentless bombardment for nine days.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has landed in Turkey for the face-to-face talks on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the highest-level meeting between the two countries since Russia invaded. Kuleba warned in a Facebook video his expectations were “limited”. So far, the parties have been engaged in lower-level talks in Belarus, largely over humanitarian issues and involving only Ukrainian officials.
Leaders of the 27-nation EU are to meet in Versailles on Thursday and Friday. A draft declaration prepared for the summit said: “Russia’s war of aggression constitutes a tectonic shift in European history.” The leaders are expected to discuss reducing the bloc’s energy dependency on Russia, and Ukraine’s request to join the EU
The US is weighing sanctions on nuclear power supplier Rosatom, a senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday.
Nestle, cigarette maker Philip Morris and Sony on Wednesday joined the list of multinationals stepping back from the country.
Agencies contributed to this report
