Here are the latest developments in Ukraine.
Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, now in its fourth week, has essentially stalled as its military sustains heavy losses and suffers supply and morale problems, British and American defense officials said on Thursday. But Russian forces are still mounting a siege campaign against major cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol, often hitting civilian targets and deepening human suffering.
One of those Russian strikes reduced a theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of people had been sheltering, to a smoldering ruin. Rescuers began pulling out survivors on Thursday, even as bombs continued to fall. With many still unaccounted for and communications in the besieged port city shredded, the extent of the casualties was unknown as of early Friday morning. Also hit this week were a bread line in Chernihiv and a 16-story apartment building in Kyiv, the capital.
The relentless bombardments have deprived urban populations of food, water and heat. Conditions appear to be no better in some eastern cities controlled by Russia, where witnesses have described desolation and ruin.
The toll on civilians has led President Biden to sharpen his rhetoric. He has called the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, a “war criminal” and a “murderous dictator” over the last two days, prompting protests from the Kremlin. The secretary of state, Anthony J. Blinken, backed up Mr. Biden’s language on Thursday, saying that “intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime.”
Here are the latest developments:
With Mr. Biden scheduled to talk to China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, Mr. Blinken warned China against giving military aid to Russia. He said on Thursday that Mr. Biden would “make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs.”
The United Nations, in an emergency session of its Security Council on Thursday, highlighted widespread human suffering in Ukraine, estimating the number of civilian casualties to be 1,900, with 726 people killed — 52 of them children — since the invasion began. The actual numbers are likely a lot higher. The Russian ambassador strongly denied that his country’s forces had deliberately attacked civilians.
Russia has called for another emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday, to discuss its widely debunked allegations that the United States is helping Ukraine to develop biological weapons. The American and Ukrainian governments have strongly denied the claims, and the U.N. has said it has no evidence of such programs.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to strip Russia of its preferential trade status with the United States, moving to further penalize the country’s economy in response to the invasion of Ukraine.