NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the U.S. Congress in a livestreamed speech Wednesday. President Joe Biden then announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's military forces continued to blast Ukraine's capital region and other major cities as they tried to crush a Ukrainian defense that has frustrated their progress nearly three weeks after invading, though the two countries have signaled some optimism for negotiations to end the war.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
6:58 p.m.: Russia released Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol, in exchange for nine Russian prisoners of war, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Office of the President.
Fedorov was detained on March 11 when Russian troops captured the city.
He says he refused to cooperate despite pressure from the Russians to endorse the occupation.
5:40 p.m. - France opens war crime probe into killing of Fox News cameraman
The French government has opened an investigation into the slaying of French-Irish Fox News cameraman Pierree Zakrzewski.
Zakrzewski was killed on Monday when Russian forces opened fire on his car and two others as they drove near Kyiv. In the attack, Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova was killed.
France's investigation will examine if there was an "intentional attack on a person protected by international law" and if the there was a "deliberate attack on civilians not taking part in hostilities."
5:15 p.m. - Russian warships fired missiles on Ukrainian coast
Russian warships around midnight fired missiles and artillery at the Ukrainian sea coast near Tuzla, to the south of Odesa, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said.
“They fired a huge amount of ammunition from a great distance,” he said on Facebook.
Gerashchenko said Russia wanted to test Ukraine’s coastal defense system.
He said there was no attempt to land troops. He didn’t say whether any of the shelling hit anything.
4:35 p.m. - Zelenskyy suggests Russia might have begun World War III
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News' Lester Holt that the Russians may have already ignited World War III with their invasion of Ukraine.
"Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It's very hard to say," Zelenskyy said. "And we've seen this 80 years ago, when the Second World War had started ... nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start."
He also said the outcome of the war had the "whole civilization at stake."
4:00 p.m. - Mayor of Melitopol freed by Russian forces 5 days after capture
The mayor of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol has been freed after he was seized by Russian forces five days ago, a Ukrainian official said Wednesday.
Andriy Yermak, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, announced the news but did not share details about how Ivan Fedorov became free.
Surveillance video last week showed Fedorov being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.
Prior to the start of the invasion, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration had warned of Russian plans to detain and kill targeted people in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy himself likely top target.
3:15 p.m. - Biden calls Russian President Putin a 'war criminal'
President Joe Biden told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal" in a major first.
Biden said the leader is a "war criminal" after he was pressed by a Fox News reporter.
2:30 p.m. - Mariupol theater where 1k people sheltered destroyed by Russian forces
A theater in Mariupol where 1,000 people were sheltered inside due to the Russian invasion was attacked by forces on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
“The Russian military attacked #Mariupol's Drama Theater, where a large number of citizens were hiding!,” the Ukrainian parliament tweeted. “It is unknown how many people died under the rubble. Now there are fierce battles. No one can reach the blockages, we don’t know if there are any survivors.”
1:25 p.m. - Biden announces $800M in additional security assistance to Ukraine, this week’s total now $1B
President Joe Biden announced that he has authorized another $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine as it “fends off Russia’s assault,” bringing the total of new U.S. security assistance to the besieged country to $1 billion this week.
“We’re going to give Ukraine the arms to fight and defend themselves through all the difficult days ahead," Biden said.
He said the assistance includes 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, 7,000 small arms like machineguns, and some 20 million rounds of ammo, including artillery and mortar rounds. It also includes “cutting-edge” security systems like drones.
“These are direct transfers of equipment from the Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military,” he said.
The president said “more will be coming” as the U.S. sources additional stocks of equipment to transfer.
The $800 million is in addition to $350 million in aid that was sent when the invasion started in late February, as well as $200 million that was authorized Saturday to “keep the steady flow of weapons and ammunition moving to Ukraine.”
Biden said that assistance included hundreds of anti-air systems, thousands of anti-tank weapons, transport helicopters, armed patrol boats, radar systems, secure communications equipment, and tactical gear.
“It’s clearly helped Ukraine inflict dramatic losses on Russian forces,” Biden said.
The president warned that “this could be a long and difficult battle, but the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine.”
“We are united in our abhorrence of [Vladimir] Putin’s depraved onslaught, and we’re going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival,” Biden said.
During his address, Biden said nothing about the “no-fly zone” that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the U.S. Congress to impose during a virtual speech Wednesday morning.
The Biden administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
Biden wouldn’t comment when asked about the Polish jets during his announcement Wednesday.
12:35 p.m. - NATO leader rules out no-fly zone over Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has categorically ruled out any role for the military organization in setting up and policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian airstrikes.
Stoltenberg says “NATO should not deploy forces on the ground or in the air space over Ukraine because we have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict, this war, doesn’t escalate beyond Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed for NATO to set up a no-fly zone given Russia’s air superiority, as civilian casualties mount three weeks into the war.
Speaking Wednesday after chairing a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Stoltenberg conceded that “we see human suffering in Ukraine, but this can become even worse if NATO (takes) actions that actually turned this into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia.”
He says the decision not to send air or ground forces into Ukraine is “the united position from NATO allies.” Earlier Wednesday, Estonia urged its 29 NATO partners to consider setting up a no-fly zone.
11:45 a.m. - Biden to deliver remarks on support for Ukraine
President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine during a 12:30 p.m. address in Washington, D.C.
Biden's address follows a speech to the U.S. Congress by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who urged U.S. lawmakers to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine.
The Biden administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
10:45 a.m. - Ukraine, Russia negotiators reportedly draft 15-point peace plan to end war
Ukraine and Russia are working on a tentative 15-point peace plan that would lead to the withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and several concessions from Kyiv, according to the Financial Times.
The proposed deal would include Ukraine renouncing its interest in joining NATO and other outside military alliances, as well as accepting limits on its armed forces and promising not to host foreign military bases or weaponry, three people involved in the talks told the outlet.
The tentative deal was first discussed by negotiators on Monday and significant progress has been made, according to the report.
Instead of hosting foreign military bases or weaponry, Ukraine would get protection from allies like the U.S. and U.K. It would still be allowed to keep its armed forces.
The report noted that guarantees about Ukraine’s security from the West, as well as Russia’s acceptance of those guarantees, was still up in the air and could be an obstacle to the potential plan.
Another obstacle is the status of the territories that Russia has seized from Ukraine over the past decade, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that a “business-like spirit” is emerging at talks with Ukraine that are now focused on a neutral status for the war-torn country.
“A neutral status is being seriously discussed in connection with security guarantees,” Lavrov said.
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that any deal would include “the troops of the Russian Federation in any case leaving the territory of Ukraine.”
News of a tentative peace plan comes as Russia continued to bombard Ukrainian cities and edged closer to the center of Kyiv on Wednesday, and as Zelenskyy pleaded for a no-fly zone over his country in an address to the U.S. Congress.
10:30 a.m. - Sullivan warns counterpart about ‘consequences and implications’ of use of chemical, biological weapons
White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Gen. Nikolay Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, spoke by phone on Wednesday, the highest level engagement between the U.S. and Russia since the invasion nearly three weeks ago.
Sullivan warned Patrushev “about the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine,” according national security council spokesperson Emily Horne. The White House last week accused China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Patrushev spoke of “the need to stop Washington’s support for neo-Nazis and terrorists in Ukraine and to facilitate the transfer of foreign mercenaries to the conflict zone, as well as to refuse to continue supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime,” council spokesman Yevgeny Anoshin said.
The call marked the highest-level conversation between the two sides since the invasion began.
9:30 a.m. - Zelenskyy address US Congress, pleads for no-fly zone: ‘Right now the destiny of our country is being decided’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed U.S. Congress virtually from Kyiv, saying, “the destiny of our country is being decided” and urging the U.S. to impose a no-fly zone over the country.
The president received a round of applause from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers in an auditorium at the U.S. Capitol.
Zelenskyy talked about Pearl Harbor and 9/11, saying those attacks would allow Americans to “understand Ukrainians” and why they need help.
Speaking in Ukrainian through a translator, Zelenskyy called 9/11 a “terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities into battlefields, when innocent people were attacked from the air.”
“Our country experiences the same every day,” he said as he again asked for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years.”
“Is this a lot to ask for to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people,” he said, urging the U.S. and its allies to “reply to this terror.”
Zelenskyy then showed a graphic video of the violence in Ukraine, including attacks on civilians in its cities. The video ended with the words, “Close the sky over Ukraine.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
In lieu of a no-fly zone, Zelenskyy asked the U.S. for more defense systems and continued pressure, including through sanctions, on Russia. He said “peace is more important than income.”
The U.S. aid to Ukraine so far includes over 600 “Stinger” anti-aircraft missiles, 2,600 “Javelin” anti-tank missiles, 200 grenade launchers and ammunition, and five helicopters, three boats and 70 other vehicles, according to ABC News.
Switching to English, Zelenskyy closed the speech by saying, “Today the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine, we are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of the future. That’s why today the American people are helping not just Ukraine but Europe and the world to keep the planet alive, to keep justice in history.”
Biden will deliver his own address at 11:45 a.m., in which he is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
8:45 a.m. - Zelenskyy to address Congress, ask for more help
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress virtually around 9 a.m. ET. The speech will follow similar ones to the parliaments of Canada and the U.K. over the past week.
Zelenskyy's livestreamed address will be among the most important in a very public strategy in which he has invoked Winston Churchill, Hamlet and the power of world opinion in his fight to stop Russia.
Nearing the three-week mark in an ever-escalating war, Zelenskyy has used his campaign to implore allied leaders to “close the sky” to prevent the Russian airstrikes that are devastating his country.
It has also put Zelenskyy at odds with President Joe Biden, whose administration has stopped short of providing a no-fly zone or the transfer of military jets from neighboring Poland as the U.S. seeks to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
Instead, Biden will deliver his own address following Zelenskyy’s speech, in which he is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
That would bring the total announced in the last week alone to $1 billion. It includes money for anti-armor and air-defense weapons, an anonymous official told the Associated Press.
8:30 a.m. - Russia says ‘neutral status’ for Ukraine ‘is being seriously discussed’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says a “business-like spirit” is emerging at talks with Ukraine that are now focused on a neutral status for the war-torn country.
“A neutral status is being seriously discussed in connection with security guarantees,” Lavrov said Wednesday on Russian channel RBK TV. “There are concrete formulations that in my view are close to being agreed.”
He didn’t elaborate but said “the business-like spirit” starting to surface in the talks “gives hope that we can agree on this issue.”
Russia’s chief negotiator in the latest round of talks with Ukraine, which started Monday and are set to continue Wednesday, said earlier the sides are discussing a possible compromise idea for a future Ukraine with a smaller, non-aligned military.
“A whole range of issues tied with the size of Ukraine’s army is being discussed,” Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said, according to Russian news agencies.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the country realizes it can’t join NATO. Ukraine’s bid to join the Western military alliance has been a sore point for Moscow.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that Ukraine is not going to join NATO “any time soon.”
8:00 a.m. - European leaders return safely from Kyiv visit
The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have returned safely from a visit to Kyiv, as invading Russian forces menace the embattled Ukrainian capital.
The visit was meant to show support for Ukraine as it endures heavy bombardment.
The leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to send the message that Ukraine is not alone and that they support the nation’s aspirations to one day join the European Union.
They went ahead with the hours-long train trip despite worries within the European Union about the security risks of traveling within a war zone.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Wednesday morning that they had returned safely to Poland.
7:30 a.m. - Explosions continue to rock Kyiv area
A plume of smoke was seen rising up over western Kyiv on Wednesday morning after shrapnel from an artillery shell slammed into a 12-story apartment building in central Kyiv, obliterating the top floor and igniting a fire, according to a statement and images released by the Kyiv emergencies agency.
The neighboring building was also damaged. The agency reported two victims, without elaborating.
Russian forces have intensified fighting in Kyiv suburbs, notably around the town of Bucha in the northwest and the highway leading west toward Zhytomyr, the head of the Kyiv region Oleksiy Kuleba said Wednesday.
He said Russian troops are trying to cut off the capital from transport arteries and destroy logistical capabilities even as they plan a wide-ranging attack to seize Kyiv.
Twelve towns around Kyiv are without water and six without heat.
Russia has occupied the city of Ivankiv, 50 miles north of Kyiv, and controls the surrounding region on the border with Belarus, Kuleba said.
Across the Kyiv region, he said, “Kindergartens, museums, churches, residential blocks and engineering infrastructure are suffering from the endless firing.”
Russian warships around midnight fired missiles and artillery at the Ukrainian sea coast near Tuzla, to the south of Odesa, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported fighting near the separatist-held eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk Wednesday but did not comment on Russian military activity elsewhere.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov claimed Russian forces have destroyed 111 Ukrainian aircraft, 160 drones and more than 1,000 tanks or other military vehicles since the start of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Ukraine said a fourth Russian general has been killed in the fighting.
Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, 46, died Tuesday during the storming of Mariupol, said Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko, who published a photo on Telegram of what he said was the dead officer. There was no confirmation of the death from Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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