U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel Thursday to Belgium for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before heading to the Polish border with Ukraine to meet refugees. He'll also visit Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Elsewhere, the Russians pressed their offensive on multiple fronts. Heavy fighting is also continuing on the outskirts of another strategic port city on the Azov Sea, Mariupol, plunging it into darkness, isolation and fear. Electricity and phone connections are largely down, and homes and shops are facing food and water shortages.
The U.N. refugee agency has predicted that up to 4 million people could eventually leave Ukraine, a country with a population of 44 million. The U.N. human rights office says at least 227 civilians have been killed and 525 wounded in Ukraine since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service has said more than 2,000 civilians have died, though it’s impossible to verify the claim.Another meeting by Ukrainian and Russian officials is expected to take place in Belarus on Thursday, in the Brest region that borders Poland.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said his country was ready for talks to resume, but noted that Russia’s demands hadn’t changed and that he wouldn’t accept any ultimatums.The U.N. General Assembly voted on Wednesday to demand that Russia stop its offensive in Ukraine and withdraw all troops, with nations from world powers to tiny island states condemning Moscow. The vote was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions.
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