(UTV | UKRAINE) – Ukraine refused Russian demands to surrender Mariupol on Monday, with the besieged port city the focal point of a war.
Ukraine refused Russian demands to surrender Mariupol on Monday, with the besieged port city the focal point of a war that has reached a brutal stalemate but is fueling a devastating humanitarian crisis.
Kyiv rejected the demand to give up the city after Moscow promised to allow civilians trapped amid the bombardment without water, heat or medicine to escape if its defenders laid down their arms.
Seizing control of the strategic city would represent a significant victory for Russian forces, with their advance seemingly ground to a halt elsewhere and their campaign shifting to intensifying aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
A fresh attack on Kyiv on Sunday night left at least eight people dead and a shopping center destroyed, Ukrainian officials said. An official death toll was still being determined.
President Joe Biden will head to Europe this week as the United States and its allies seek to bolster Ukraine and punish the Kremlin for its invasion. The trip will include a visit to Poland, a NATO ally neighboring Ukraine, the White House announced late Sunday.