NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Russian forces escalated their bombardment of the Ukrainian capital Tuesday, edging closer to the heart of Kyiv in a relentless and fiery onslaught that is deepening a humanitarian crisis that has led to 3 million refugees fleeing the country. Still, a narrow diplomatic channel remains open, with more talks between the two sides planned Tuesday despite the failures of diplomacy so far. Meanwhile, leaders of three European Union countries planned a bold visit to Kyiv amid the shelling.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
11:30 a.m. - Russia sanctions Biden, other top US officials
The Russian Foreign Ministry says that U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other top Biden administration officials have been put on the Russian sanctions list.
The ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that the measure is a response to the U.S. sanctions against the Russian leadership.
At the same time, it noted that Russia may not renounce official contacts with the U.S. officials targeted by the sanctions if such contacts are in the country’s national interests.
A firefighter walks outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
11:15 a.m. - Zelenskyy says Ukraine realizes it ‘won’t be able to join’ NATO
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country realizes that it can’t join NATO.
Speaking Tuesday to representatives of the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Zelenskyy said that “we heard for years about the allegedly open doors” of NATO, but “we have already heard that we won’t be able to join.”
He added that “it’s the truth we must recognize, and I’m glad that our people are starting to realize that and count on themselves and our partners who are helping us.”
The JEF may consist of Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.
Zelenskyy again urged Western allies to provide Ukraine with warplanes.
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of one of the Ukrainian military servicemen, who were killed during an airstrike on a military base in Yarokiv, during a funeral ceremony in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
10:45 a.m. - Zelenskyy to address Canada's Parliament
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to deliver a speech to Canada's Parliament at 11:15 a.m. ET. Live video is above.
The virtual address comes as Zelenskyy has been pleading for more help from the international community, with Russia escalating its bombardments on Ukrainian cities during the third week of the invasion and moving closer to the center of Kyiv.
Among those attending the speech in Ottawa will be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who invited Zelenskyy to speak to Parliament during a trip to Europe this month.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Monday that Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday in an event that will be livestreamed for the public.
The speeches in the U.S. and Canada follow an address Zelenskyy delivered last week to the U.K. Parliament.
10:00 a.m. - Explosions rock Kyiv; ‘Ukraine is on fire,’ UN chief warns
Fighting for Kyiv has intensified, with artillery fire echoing through the city and Russia launching a flurry of strikes that early Tuesday blew out windows and ignited a huge fire in an apartment in western Kyiv. At least one person was killed as rescue efforts continued.
Large explosions thundered across the capital before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia’s assault on the city appeared to become more systematic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city and caused dozens of deaths.
Firefighters work at the scene of an apartment building after it caught on fire from artillery shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.AP Photo/Felipe Dana
Firefighters extinguish fires in an apartment building after being hit by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.AP Photo/Felipe Dana
One projectile slammed into a 15-story apartment building, sparking a huge fire and frantic rescue effort. At least one person was killed, officials said.
“Ukraine is on fire,” the U.N. chief, Antonio Guterres, warned on Twitter. “The impact on civilians is reaching terrifying proportions.”
Explosions around the city caused significant structural damage, with shockwaves from a blast tearing through the entrance of a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter and another igniting a fire in Kyiv's northern Podilsky district.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
The day before, Russian rockets destroyed a television tower in the western city of Rivne, where authorities said the death toll had risen to 19. At least four people were killed and more wounded when Russian strikes on Kyiv slammed into Ukraine’s largest aircraft factory and a nine-story apartment building.
Russian forces also unleashed scores of new artillery strikes on downtown Kharkiv in the country's east. Thousands were trying to flee on evacuation trains amid the chaos and destruction.
After days of relentless Russian shelling on encircled Mariupol, 150 cars carrying hundreds of civilians managed to escape the besieged city. But hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in without heat, food or clean water as Russia renewed its offensive on Mariupol.
Ukrainian firefighters work in an apartment building after bombing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.AP Photo/Felipe Dana
A resident reacts after being rescued from her apartment by firefighters at a residential apartment building after it was hit by a Russian attack in the early hours of the morning in the Sviatoshynskyi District on March 15, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images
9:00 a.m. - Zelenskyy pleads for help as Ukrainian military uses up Western weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told northern European leaders that they could “help yourself by helping us,” as he appealed for more weapons to counter Russia’s invasion of his country.
Zelenskyy, speaking to leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force via videolink Tuesday, said the Ukrainian military is rapidly using up weapons and other hardware that western nations have shipped to his country.
He also appealed for a full trade embargo on Russia, saying sanctions have not been enough to counter the Russian advance.
“We have to acknowledge Russia as a rogue state and there has to be a trade embargo with Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “This is something that we need and you need as well, just like the rest of the world, to make sure there is peace in Europe and Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy also repeated his frustration with NATO over its refusal to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he addressed JEF leaders meeting Tuesday in London.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses by video link attendees attending a meeting of the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) at Lancaster House on March 15, 2022 in London, United Kingdom.Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images
8:30 a.m. - Ukraine-Russia talks to continue Tuesday
Ukrainian negotiators were set to meet their Russian counterparts again on Tuesday after a brief pause. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the previous round as “good,” without offering details.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman later described negotiations as “difficult.”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted Tuesday: “Negotiations are ongoing. Consultations on the main negotiation platform renewed. General regulation matters, ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country…”
A flurry of diplomatic activity drew in leaders around the world. The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia were traveling Tuesday to Kyiv on an EU mission of solidarity.
8:00 a.m. - Ukrainian refugees top 3 million
The International Organization for Migration says more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded last month.
The new milestone also indicated that some 157,000 third-country nationals — people who aren’t Ukrainian — were part of the outflow in what U.N. officials have called the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
IOM spokesman Paul Dillon said at a U.N. news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that the totals were compiled from figures provided by national authorities.
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, which provides a more detailed count than the IOM though based on similar data, has reported that more than 1.8 million of the refugees were in Poland.
AP Photo/Daniel Cole
7:00 a.m. - China says it's 'impartial' on Ukraine, denies aiding Russia
China insists that its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “impartial and constructive.”
The Chinese government is also repeating its accusations that the U.S. is spreading misinformation over reports Beijing has responded positively to a Russian request for military supplies.
Speaking to reporters at a daily briefing Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused the U.S. of “immoral and irresponsible” conduct by spreading misinformation.
“What the U.S. should do is to deeply reflect on the role it has played in the development and evolving of the Ukraine crisis and do something practical to ease the tension in Ukraine,” he said, in a nod to China’s contention that Russia was provoked by NATO’s expansion and threats to its security.
China has refused to criticize Russia over its invasion and the ensuing war, or even to refer to the conflict as such. In keeping with Russian preferences, Zhao referred to the war as the “Ukraine issue.” Beijing also opposes sanctions on the Russian economy.
The Ukrainian armed forces said this image shows a destroyed Russian tank in the Luhansk region.@ArmedForcesUkr/Twitter
6:00 a.m. - European leaders traveling to besieged Ukrainian capital
The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are traveling on Tuesday to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital which is currently under fire, on a European Union mission to show support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion intensifies.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a tweet: “The aim of the visit is to express the European Union’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence.”
He will be joined by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is Polish the deputy prime minister for security but also the conservative ruling party leader.
Russia’s offensive in Ukraine edged closer to central Kyiv on Tuesday, with a series of strikes hitting a residential neighborhood in the capital as the two countries planned a second day of talks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
