Here are the latest developments.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has signaled that the war might be entering a new phase, as a senior general announced that troops were turning their attention to securing control of separatist regions in Ukraine’s east and that taking the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities was not a primary military objective.

The statement Friday seemed to suggest that Russia was giving up, at least for now, on its unstated goal of taking all of Ukraine. It said the “first stage of the operation” had been “mainly accomplished” and claimed that enemy combat power had been “significantly reduced.”

Analysts cautioned that the statement could be intended as misdirection while Russia regroups for a new offensive. But it is clear that fierce Ukrainian resistance has exacted a heavy toll on Russian troops and held back their attempts to capture major cities.

Ukrainian officials said on Friday that the Russian military had been “partially successful” in creating a land corridor between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, a key strategic aim. But its ground forces were digging into defensive positions around Kyiv and no longer trying to take it over, according to a U.S. defense official. Instead, the official said, Russia is shifting its focus to the eastern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.

President Biden is scheduled to speak on Saturday from Poland, a key NATO ally, and meet with its president on the last day of his three-day visit to Europe. He is also expected to meet with some of the millions of Ukrainian refugees who have flooded across the Polish border.

In other major developments:

In the southern port of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said that an estimated 300 people had been killed in a March 16 strike on a theater that was being used as a bomb shelter.

Russian mercenaries with combat experience in Syria and Libya are gearing up for an active combat role in eastern Ukraine, a U.S. official said. The number of mercenaries with the Wagner Group, a private military force with ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, is expected to more than triple in the region, from about 300 just before the invasion to at least 1,000 fighters, the official said.

In a televised address, Mr. Putin delivered a diatribe about “cancel culture,” embracing a term that has become a favorite of the American right and accusing the West of trying to erase Russian culture and history.

The United States announced a deal with European leaders to increase shipments of natural gas to help wean Europe off Russian energy, as European Union countries announced an agreement to jointly buy and store gas, hydrogen and liquefied natural gas. Germany said that it would halve its imports of Russian oil by midsummer and be free of Russian natural gas by mid-2024. Read more

@nytimes