Biden claims Putin miscalculated Ukraine invasion; Zelenskyy demands 'air shield'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a fresh wave of sanctions on Russia following its deadly missile strike across Ukraine which left 19 dead on Monday. Zelenskyy implored the Western powers to help Ukraine create an 'air shield' to resist Russian attacks. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "significantly miscalculated" his prospects of occupying Ukraine.
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The Russian defense ministry confirmed earlier that it launched "mass strikes" on Ukraine's military command facilities and energy systems on Monday. This was the deadliest attack in months since the Russia-Ukraine crisis began in February. Before this, a suicide bomb attack on Saturday allegedly by Ukraine blew up portions of the bridge connecting Russia to Crimea — which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Will support as long as it takes: G7 to Ukraine
Meeting the G7 group of countries in a virtual conference on Tuesday, Zelenskyy called on the West to come up with new ways of applying political pressure on Russia to support Ukraine. The G7 constituted by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US assured Ukraine of continued financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic, and legal support for "as long as it takes."
Russian forces kidnap Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant deputy: Ukraine
Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom said on Tuesday that Russian forces had kidnapped a deputy head of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian occupation. The company said that the deputy was held captive in an undisclosed location. Ukraine claimed to have recaptured the eastern Donetsk region from Russian forces and discovered the sites of mass burial of civilians.
The US condemned the Russian attacks on Ukraine
Kremlin says open to talks with the West
On Tuesday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that they were open to talks with the West on the war but hadn't received any "serious proposal" to negotiate. Putin told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that he was ready for a dialogue on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said they were considering providing military training to Ukrainian forces.
Putin must be held accountable for war crimes: G7
Meanwhile, Biden said he considered Putin a "normally rational actor" and doubted that he would use nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that they expected the confrontation with the West to continue. The G7 countries said they would hold Putin accountable for attacks on civilian areas and subjects which amount to war crimes.
