This comes as Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky warned of “even more horrific” devastation in the areas retaken by Ukrainian troops around the capital.
Civilians in eastern Ukraine struggled to evacuate Friday as Russia redirects its firepower.
This comes as Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky warned of “even more horrific” devastation in the areas retaken by Ukrainian troops around the capital, FRANCE24 reports.
Meanwhile, in a show of support, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Kyiv on Friday with the bloc's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell for talks with Zelensky.
The prospects for peace talks, meanwhile, appeared to fade further as Russia accused Ukraine of shifting its position from earlier discussions in Istanbul.
Ukrainian residential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak warned Moscow to "lower the degree of hostility" if it was interested in peace.
Meanwhile, Pentagon says Vladimir Putin has given up on taking Kyiv but ‘significant battle’ still ahead for southeastern Ukraine
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that Russian President Putin has given up on conquering Kyiv after his forces were soundly beaten back by the Ukrainian military.
“Putin thought that he could very rapidly take over the country of Ukraine, very rapidly capture this capital city. He was wrong,” Austin told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee in Congress.
“I think Putin has given up on his efforts to capture the capital city and is now focused on the south and east of the country,” said Austin.
But the path of the overall war, six weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, remains uncertain, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, told the same hearing.
For Ukraine to “win” the fight, it needs to remain a free and independent nation, with its recognised territory intact, he said.
“That’s going to be very difficult. That’s going to be a long slog,” Milley said.
“The first part of it has probably been successfully waged,” he said of the war that began on February 24.