Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy called on people worldwide to gather in public Thursday to show support for his embattled country as U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders met for talks focused on pressuring Russia to end the invasion that is entering its second month.
Brussels was the center of diplomatic activity on Thursday. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg opened an emergency summit bringing together Biden and other leaders by saying that the alliance is determined to continue to notch up the costs on Russia for its aggression.
The countries will agree to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe and increase military aid to Ukraine as the Russian assault on its neighbour entered its second month.
The first U.S. shipment from a new, $800 million arms package for Ukraine will start flying out in the next day or so, a U.S. defence official said.
European Union nations signed off on another 500 million euros ($550 million) in military aid. And Biden was expected to discuss new sanctions on Russia, along with more military aid for Ukraine, with NATO members. He will also talk with leaders of the G7 industrialized nations and the European Council in a series of meetings on Thursday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would boost its forces in Eastern Europe by deploying four new battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia.
Unfolding humanitarian crisis
After four weeks of conflict, Russia has failed to seize any big city and with its ground advances seemingly stalled has engaged in aerial bombardments of cities, causing a humanitarian crisis. For civilians, the misery has been unrelenting.
Though Kremlin denies targeting civilians, their forces are reoprted to have taken heavy losses and face supply problems.
In Mariupol, the southern port city that has come to symbolise Ukraine's plight, people were burying their dead and queuing for rations in pauses in the bombing.
The invading troops have surrounded the city and attacked it with no mercy, from air, land and, in recent days, also from the sea.
There is no electricity, no gas, no running water. Some have melted snow to drink. Reports say children have died from dehydration.
Efforts to get desperately needed food and other supplies to those trapped have often failed.
Ukraine's armed forces chief of staff said on Thursday Russia was still trying to resume offensive operations to capture the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.
Germany says it has sent about 10,000 metric tons of essential aid to Ukraine using a recently created “rail bridge” of trains shuttling back and forth between the two countries.
Russian warship destroyed
Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian landing ship has been destroyed and two other boats damaged in the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk.
Video posted by the navy and on social media showed explosions and a big ship on fire at the port, about 70km (44 miles) west of Mariupol, at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Thursday.
The Ukrainian military said its forces had struck a Russian vessel called the Orsk.
-AP/Reuters/BBC