Russia Ukraine Conflict: The number of Ukrainian refugees is expected to reach 1.5 million (15 million) on 6 March, as Russia continues its aggression 11 days after invading Ukraine. At the same time, Kyiv has pressured Western countries to act, including demanding more sanctions and weapons against Russia.
Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which was enforced by the Russians to get civilians out of Mariupol and Volnovakha safely. Both these southern cities were besieged by the Russian army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a televised address on Saturday night called on people in areas occupied by Russian troops to be aggressive and fight.
He vowed to rebuild his nation, saying, “We must come forward and drive this evil out of our cities. I believe this will increase our strength and weaken the adversary.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously reiterated that he wanted a neutral Ukraine, which had been “demilitarized” and “denied”, and compared Western sanctions to a “declaration of war”.
Ukraine and the West have denounced Putin’s reasons as a baseless excuse for the offensive launched on February 24 and imposed a series of major sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow and crippling its economy.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba said after a meeting with United States Foreign Minister Antony Blinken at the Ukraine-Poland border that he expected new weapons for Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia in the coming days.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, fighting for his country’s survival, has made a “sentimental” appeal to the US to send more fighter jets and reduce oil imports from Russia so that his country can counter Russian military action.
Zelensky said in a private video call to US lawmakers on Saturday that he may be seeing him alive for the last time. The President of Ukraine is present in the capital Kyiv, to the north of which there is a gathering of Russian armored troops.
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