Russia Keeps Up Attack, Again Halting Evacuation of Ukrainian Port City

Mr. Blinken additionally confirmed stories that america was discussing with Poland tips on how to provide Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, with American F-16s going to Poland to interchange them, after pleas from Mr. Zelensky for jets that Ukrainian pilots know tips on how to fly.

“We’re trying actively now on the query of airplanes that Poland could present to Ukraine and how we would be capable of backfill, ought to Poland resolve to produce these planes,” Mr. Blinken stated. “I can’t communicate to a timeline, however I can simply say we’re it very, very actively.”

However Polish officers appeared lower than enthusiastic. After President Andrzej Duda stated final week that Poland wouldn’t provide planes, the workplace of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter on Sunday: “Poland gained’t ship its fighter jets to #Ukraine in addition to enable to make use of its airports. We considerably assist in many areas.”

And Moscow warned in opposition to the thought, threatening international locations that enable the Ukrainian navy to make use of their airfields.

Over the previous week, america, Europe and others have frozen lots of of billions of {dollars} of Russian property, eliminated Russian banks from a system that allows worldwide funds and erected steep boundaries to funding in Russia. Companies are pulling out at an ever-accelerating tempo, the Moscow inventory market has but to reopen, the ruble has plunged and residents face the prospect of extreme shortages. On Sunday, the bank card firm American Categorical suspended its operations in Russia, a day after Visa and Mastercard did the identical.

In Russia, the crackdown on impartial media continued as BBC World Information was taken off the air and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the U.S.-funded media outlet based in the course of the Chilly Conflict, introduced that it could stop operations there.

However hundreds of Russians braved the police and rallied throughout the nation on Sunday in opposition to the conflict in Ukraine, regardless of the specter of lengthy jail phrases. The rights group OVD Data reported that no less than 1,950 individuals have been arrested on Sunday in 44 cities, bringing the full variety of Russians arrested at antiwar protests since Feb. 24 to greater than 10,000.