China on Wednesday called images that appeared to show civilians in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities intentionally killed “deeply disturbing” and called for an investigation.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Wednesday that China supports all initiatives and measures “conducive to alleviating the humanitarian crisis” in the country and is “ready to continue to work together with the international community to prevent any harm to civilians.”
Beijing has been reluctant to criticize ally Russia over the war and didn’t actually blame Russia for the killings Wednesday.
India, which has also avoided criticizing Russia over the invasion, said it “unequivocally” condemned the situation in Bucha.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Granting asylum to Russian military deserters is a ‘valuable idea,’ EU official says
European Council president Charles Michel said Wednesday that granting asylum to Russian military deserters is “a valuable idea that should be pursued.”
“If you want no part in killing your Ukrainian brothers and sisters, if you don’t want to be a criminal, drop your weapons, stop fighting, leave the battlefield,” Michel, who represents the bloc’s governments, said in a message to Russian soldiers.
The idea that EU member countries should think about ways of offering asylum to Russian soldiers willing to
desert Ukraine battlefields has previously been circulated by some of its lawmakers, the Associated Press reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zelenskyy accuses Russia of weaponizing hunger
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Irish parliament Wednesday, accused the Russian military of weaponizing hunger as they “are destroying things that are sustaining livelihoods” including food storage depots and “putting mines into the fields.”
“For them hunger is also a weapon, a weapon against us ordinary people,” he said, adding Russia is “deliberately provoking a food crisis” in Ukraine, a major global producer of staples including wheat and sunflower oil.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Man dies after crashing car into gates of Russian embassy in Romania
A man has died in Romania after crashing his car Wednesday into the gates of the Russian embassy there.
Bucharest police said around 6 a.m., the car “left the road and hit the fence of a diplomatic mission.
“The driver died and it took the intervention of fellow firefighters to put out the fire in the car,” it added, without revealing the person’s identity.
Local authorities are now investigating and images show the vehicle being towed away from the scene.
Pope Francis condemns Bucha massacre, kisses Ukrainian flag
Pope Francis on Wednesday is condemning the massacre in Bucha, Ukraine
, saying “they are victims whose innocent blood cries up to the sky and implores that this war be stopped, and that the weapons be silenced.”
Francis made the remark during his general audience, in which he welcomed a half-dozen Ukrainian children up to the stage of the Vatican audience hall and gave them each a giant chocolate Easter egg. He urged prayers for them and for all Ukrainians.
“The recent news from the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, brought testimony of new atrocities, like the massacre in Bucha, even more horrendous cruelty carried out against civilians, defenseless women and children,” the pope said.
The pontiff held up a Ukrainian flag he said had arrived the previous day at the Vatican from Bucha, where evidence has emerged of what appears to be intentional killings of civilians during the city’s occupation by Russian troops.
Kissing it, he said: “This flag comes from the war, from that martyred city Bucha… Let us not forget them. Let us not forget the people of Ukraine.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Czech Republic sends tanks, infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine
The Czech Republic has sent a shipment of T-72 tanks and BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine
, Reuters reports, citing a Czech defense source.
The reported delivery of tanks is the first of its kind amongst NATO member countries, according to The Telegraph.
Video posted online by a Czech television channel purportedly showed a train carrying five each of the vehicles.
Ukraine foreign minister says new sanctions don’t go far enough, urges oil embargo
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he appreciated the strengthening of the European Union’s fifth sanctions package Wednesday morning, but added that a Russian oil embargo and de-SWIFTING all Russian banks would be necessary extra steps to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. “Difficult times require difficult decisions,” he said.
Mariupol humanitarian crisis ‘worsening,’ UK Defense Ministry says
The humanitarian crisis in the besieged city of Mariupol is “worsening” as Russia continues to shell it, U.K. Defense Ministry said in a Wednesday morning update.“Most of the 160,000 remaining residents have no light, communication, medicine, heat or water. Russian forces have prevented humanitarian access, likely to pressure defenders to surrender.
‘Cry for Hope’ single proceeds to go to Ukrainians
Christian singer and songwriter Michael W. Smith discusses his latest release dedicated to providing Ukrainians with aid on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
Is the US just half-fighting the Russia-Ukraine war?
‘Special Report’ All-Star Panel weighs in on Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s pitch to the U.N. and Elon Musk’s free speech influence on Twitter.
US, allies to ban new investments in Russia
The U.S and its allies plan to pile additional sanctions on Russia Wednesday, including banning any new investments in the county because of evidence Russia is intentionally killing civilians in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities, the White House said Tuesday.
Among the other measures being taken against Russia are greater sanctions on its financial institutions and state-owned enterprises, and sanctions on government officials and their family members, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“The goal is to force them to make a choice,” she said. “The biggest part of our objective here is to deplete the resources that Putin has to continue his war against Ukraine.”
The U.S. Treasury Department also plans to block Russia from using U.S. dollars to make debt payments.
Zelenskyy tells UN Russia should be tried for war crimes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council Tuesday, accused Russia of the worst war crimes since World War II.
He said that the Russian army had tortured and killed civilians. “They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to burn the bodies,” he said while calling for those responsible to be tried for war crimes.
Graphic images appearing to show the atrocities Zelenskyy detailed in Bucha and other cities have led to a worldwide outcry.
Associated Press journalists in Bucha have counted dozens of corpses in civilian clothes and interviewed Ukrainians who told of witnessing atrocities. Also, high-resolution satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that many of the bodies had been lying in the open for weeks, during the time that Russian forces were in the town.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gen. Milley issues ‘stark warning’ about Russia-Ukraine war
National security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the latest from the Pentagon on ‘Special Report.’
U.S. to send additional $100M in Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine
The United States will send an additional $100 million worth of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as the country’s war with Russia continues, Fox News has learned.
“Today, the Biden Administration authorized an additional Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to an additional $100 million to meet an urgent Ukrainian need for additional Javelin anti-armor systems, which the United States has been providing to Ukraine and they have been using so effectively to defend their country,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I have authorized, pursuant to a delegation from the President earlier today, the immediate drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $100 million to meet Ukraine’s urgent need for additional anti-armor systems,” Blinken said. “This authorization is the sixth drawdown of arms, equipment, and supplies from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.”
Click here for Tuesday’s live coverage.
Read More: China calls Bucha killings ‘deeply disturbing,’ urges investigation: LIVE UPDATES