The bomber struck shortly after noon in
front of a police recruiting center, about 50 miles from the Polish border, after President Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping not to provide military assistance to Russia in the midst of a diplomatic standoff. Efforts to end violence in Ukraine
In a nearly two-hour video call, Mr Biden called on Russian President Vladimir V. Mr Putin, a close ally of Putin, warned that “if China provides material assistance to Russia, it will have implications and consequences.” Ukrainian cities and citizens, “according to the White House.
But a senior administration official declined to discuss what kind of fines China would face if it provided Moscow with military equipment or financial relief. The official declined to say how Mr. Xi responded to Mr. Biden’s warning.
“We’ll keep an eye on them until we see what they do or don’t do,” said Jane Sackie, a White House spokeswoman.
But few calls, if any, showed results. Speaking to Mr Schulz, Mr Putin complained that in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Kiev was “trying to pull off the talks by making a series of new, unrealistic proposals”, according to the Kremlin.
Based on diplomatic efforts, Russia has expanded its attack on Ukrainian targets.
A Russian missile strike about four miles from the western city of Lviv destroyed several buildings used to repair aircraft, shattering the city’s relative calm, and is now a haven for civilians fleeing heavy fighting in the south and east. Capture Kiev and its suburbs.
According to Western governments and independent analysts, Russia’s recent regional gains have been largely in the south and east, including the area around the devastated port city of Mariupol. But the Russian military has also moved from the southern city of Kherson, which it has occupied, to the Kryvyi Rih, near the center of Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry says its military and Russian-backed separatists are “tightening the noose” around Mariupol, where residents are preparing mass graves. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the Russians were “completely destroying civilian infrastructure, housing and livelihoods” in the city.
In the capital, Kiev, a massive explosion resembling a cruise missile or aerial bombardment blew up a crater in the courtyard of a residential building on Friday, in the largest attack to hit a civilian area of the city. At least one person has been killed.
In the besieged city of Mariupol, authorities said Wednesday that at least 130 people had been rescued from the rubble of a theater destroyed by a missile attack, but that hundreds – and perhaps 1,300 – were still missing.
The attack on the Drama Theater has become a powerful symbol of Moscow’s desire to indiscriminately target civilians; Satellite images showed that the word “children” was written in large white letters in Russian on the front and back of the building.
“Despite the shelling, despite all the difficulties, we will continue the rescue operation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Friday.
Mr Jelensky delivered his speech before his first public appearance since ordering the attack last month, addressing thousands of cheering, flag-waving Russians at Moscow’s largest stadium.
Mr Putin, who has been formally celebrating the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, turned the event into a dramatic show of support for the invasion of Ukraine, telling the crowd that the Russians “have not had such unity for a long time.”
Stadium was covered with posters reading “For a world without Nazism”, citing the Kremlin as one of the reasons for the invasion to “denigrate” Ukraine.
Mr Putin’s declaration of national unity has been mitigated by disagreements and the Kremlin’s growing crackdown on the media. Earlier this month, Mr Putin effectively criminalized public protests and independent news reporting about the war. More than 14,900 people have been detained in anti-war rallies, according to OVD Info, a rights group that tracks arrests in Russia.
