The conflict has now displaced half of Ukraine’s children, a United Nations agency says. On the battlefield, Moscow’s advance has stalled around the capital, Kyiv. While pouring new energy into an offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces appear to have switched to the defensive near Kyiv, according to U.S. and U.K. assessments — though Ukrainian officials have painted an overly rosy view of their success in some counterattacks.
UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
Russia trade bill stalls in Congress as senators quarrel over sanctions
A bill that would add Russia and Belarus to a short list of pariah states that do not enjoy preferential U.S. trade status has stalled in the Senate as lawmakers spar over whether to attach other measures, such as a ban on Russian oil and gas imports.
The trade bill passed the House on a 424-to-8 vote last week, and Democrats are pushing to quickly pass it in the Senate so President Biden can sign it as he meets with key allies in Europe later this week to strategize further responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is so important we show unity right now [as] President Biden meets with our European allies,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in floor remarks Wednesday. “Swift Senate action, combining Democrats and Republicans with one voice supporting [an end to Russia’s trade preferences] would do just that.”
But Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho), the top Republican on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, objected to Schumer’s request to immediately pass the House bill — citing the other chamber’s decision to drop language on banning Russian energy imports that had previously been included in a handshake agreement between key congressional leaders.
Brittney Griner, detained in Russia, is doing ‘as well as can be expected,’ U.S. official says
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia since mid-February, was visited by a U.S. Embassy official Wednesday and “is doing as well as can be expected,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a news conference.
“The consular officer who visited with Brittney Griner was able to verify that she is doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances,” Price said. “We’ll continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly and that her rights are respected.”
Griner, 31, was arrested Feb. 17 and accused by Russian officials of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, an offense that could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A seven-time all-star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner was returning at the time to Russia, where she plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason.
Russia committed war crimes, U.S. says. These world powers agree.
The United States has concluded that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, a week after President Biden first publicly called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”
The United States has led the global response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, but it is not the first country to accuse Putin’s troops of war crimes.
In early March, more than three dozen nations — mostly in Europe, but also including Australia, Canada, Colombia and Costa Rica — expedited an investigation into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine by submitting a referral to the International Criminal Court. (The United States has not ratified the Rome Statute, the tribunal’s founding document.)
Even among the countries that have refused to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion, most have called for restraint and an end to violence.
Here are some of the world powers that have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine and the specifics of what they say Putin is responsible for.
G-7 expected to warn Russia against using chemical or nuclear weapons
BRUSSELS — The Group of 7 nations is expected to issue a statement Thursday warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an announcement that has not yet been made public.
The statement will come as Biden meets with G-7 leaders Thursday as part of a trio of multilateral meetings he has in Brussels. Western allies are meeting to continue coordinating their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, efforts that will include levying new sanctions against Moscow and facilitating additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
As the Russian military has stalled in its efforts to take control of Ukraine, U.S. and international officials have raised concerns that Moscow may escalate its aggression by using chemical warfare.
“I think it’s a real threat,” Biden said Wednesday before leaving the White House for Europe.
Ukrainian circus artists find refuge — and a chance to keep training — in Hungary
More than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country in the wake of Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations — with more than 300,000 arriving in Hungary.
About 100 circus art students, and their adult chaperones, managed to escape Kyiv and Kharkiv and make their way to Hungary’s capital, Budapest, the Associated Press reports.
The circus community there has offered them food and shelter, and facilities to keep up their training.
Mental health experts say giving children space to engage in childhood activities and take part in normal routines can play a strong role in supporting their mental health.
Hungary, which has previously hardened its policies and borders against other waves of refugees, has welcomed refugees from Ukraine. Last month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told journalists that “everyone fleeing Ukraine will find a friend in the Hungarian state.”
Half of Ukraine’s children forced from their homes, U.N. agency says
Roughly half of the children in Ukraine have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, which provides aid to children around the world.
“One month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children — more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population,” it said Thursday. “This includes more than 1.8 million children who have crossed into neighbouring countries as refugees and 2.5 million who are now internally displaced inside Ukraine.”
“It’s mind-boggling,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder told CNN. “Since the start of the war a month ago, out of every boy and girl in the country, one out of two now has had to flee their homes.”
The flood of people out of Ukraine — now topping 3.6 million — has become Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. As The Washington Post previously reported, the wave is striking not just for its historic scale and speed but also because half of the first 3 million people who fled are children.
Nearly 1 in 4 people in Ukraine have been forced from their homes — either to other parts of the country or across the borders — in just under a month. The figure, outlined by the U.N. refugee agency, amounts to about a quarter of the prewar population, which the World Bank estimated at 44 million in 2020.
“The war has caused one of the fastest largescale displacements of children since World War II,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “This is a grim milestone that could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Children’s safety, wellbeing and access to essential services are all under threat from non-stop horrific violence.”
Oligarch Roman Abramovich played a role in initial peace talks, Russia says
By Mary Ilyushina7:12 a.m.
The Kremlin confirmed Thursday that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich played an early role in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“Indeed, [Abramovich] took part [in the organization of talks] at the initial stage,” Dmitry Peskov, chief spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters in a briefing. “Now the negotiations are going on between two negotiating teams — Russian and Ukrainian.”
The United States held off imposing sanctions on Abramovich after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Biden not to do so because the oligarch could prove important as an intermediary in the negotiations with Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Britain and the European Union introduced sanctions on Abramovich in a coordinated effort earlier this month over his links to Putin. Abramovich’s assets were frozen in these jurisdictions. He also moved to sell Britain’s Premier League soccer club Chelsea.
In late February, Ukrainian film director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky told sports news website the Athletic that Abramovich is involved in the talks due to his connections with both the Russian and Ukrainian Jewish communities.
“I can confirm that the Ukrainian side have been trying to find someone in Russia willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution,” Rodnyansky said at the time. “They are connected to Roman Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help.”
“Although Roman Abramovich’s influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and taken it upon himself to try,” he added.
Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks, but so far they have not yielded significant results, and the two sides appear to be far apart on a number of major issues.
At meeting of world leaders, China’s role looms large
BERLIN — Western leaders have spoken much in recent weeks about the unity in their ranks as they respond to Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine.
But at three back-to-back meetings in Brussels, one of the key subjects will be a country not represented in the discussions: China.
“I expect leaders will call on China to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council, refrain from supporting Russia’s war effort and join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate, peaceful end to this war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters this week in Berlin, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, had harsh words for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“President Xi says he’s being neutral in this conflict,” Gutmann said. “There is no neutrality in this conflict. He is not being neutral in this conflict. This is a conflict where not to denounce Mr. Putin’s aggression as aggression, not to denounce it as a violation of the sovereignty of a country, not to join us in leveling sanctions against Mr. Putin is taking a side. China is taking Mr. Putin’s side in this conflict.”
That move, she added, should prompt Western countries to reevaluate their economic dealings with China, which could no longer be treated simply as a “trading partner, who is trading with us on fair and free grounds.”
One month into Ukraine war, a defiant nation is forever changed but adapting
ODESSA, Ukraine — A month has passed since blasts woke Ukrainians at 5:07 a.m. on Feb. 24. The sounds of explosions still scare but don’t surprise. Each day since has brought the wail of air raid sirens, the screech of breaking glass and numbingly frequent moments of silence for the dead.
A month of war with Russia has forced every fourth Ukrainian out of their home. It has shown that Moscow’s forces fire indiscriminately on civilians in their apartments, businesses, hospitals and schools. It has exposed weaknesses in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military, which seems stunned and disoriented by the month-long fight. And it has focused the world’s attention on the unexpected ferocity and power of ordinary people uniting to defend their homes and nation.
Four weeks of explosions, fire and death have devastated Ukrainians and empowered them. Their “new normal” is always knowing where the nearest bomb shelter is while indulging in a cappuccino at a local coffee shop or a visit to the barber. It’s martial-law-imposed sobriety with a ban on alcohol sales. It’s asking the United States and NATO for a no-fly zone that could significantly damage Russia’s ability to attack from the sky — even as allies refuse, citing fears of touching off the world war that Moscow and the West have managed for so long to avoid.
It’s the population’s — and the world’s — growing belief that Ukraine’s military could actually win. It has already kept Russia’s massive and feared armed forces from the easy victory Putin seemed to expect.
“The aggressors planned three weeks ago to be in the capital, to be here because it is the heart of the country,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told journalists Wednesday, as the now all-too-familiar sound of artillery shelling echoed in the background. “Everybody is surprised,” he said.
Bearak reported from Lviv, Ukraine, O’Grady and Raghavan from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Dixon from Riga, Latvia.
NATO summit opens without German chancellor following all-night coalition talks in Berlin
BERLIN — The “family photo” snapped Thursday morning of the leaders of NATO’s 30 members was taken with one conspicuous absence: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Scholz was delayed in his travel to Brussels for the meeting, following all-night talks in Berlin aimed at hammering out a relief deal addressing rapidly rising energy prices. Germany was represented in the photo by its ambassador to NATO, Rüdiger König.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy and its de facto leader, has been forced by Russia’s war in Ukraine to step into a more commanding role on the international stage, promising to increase its military spending. Already, it has supplied arms to Ukraine, reversing a long-standing policy against sending arms into conflict zones.
But the German leader’s absence from the opening of the emergency summit in Brussels magnified what German media have described as the country’s “massive image problem.” A column published Thursday morning in Süddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich-based daily, described Germany as a “helpless giant.” The country, despite its domestic prosperity, is “seen as weak in leadership, self-centered and helpless,” the columnist wrote.
Russia ‘deliberately targeting and destroying’ Ukraine’s food stocks, E.U. commission says
Russian forces are “deliberately targeting and destroying” Ukrainian food stocks and storage locations, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission’s vice president, said Wednesday. The attacks are creating “a multitude of problems,” leading to soaring food prices and widespread insecurity, he said.
“When it comes to food, now is the time for Europe to show its solidarity: to help Ukraine, its people and farmers, as well as vulnerable food-importing countries around the world that face surging prices and potential shortages,” Dombrovskis said.
The commission called for European countries to work together to stabilize agriculture and food supply chains, helping them become “more resilient and sustainable” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and in preparation for future crises.
Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Union’s commissioner for agriculture, said the commission would support farmers and help support Ukrainians in “the face of Russian aggression” by planting and growing resources and helping to facilitate exports.
The commission said its E.U. emergency program of 330 million euros ($362 million) would help keep Ukrainians safe amid Russia’s bombardment while also providing access to what it called “basic goods and services.”
Photo: Biden appears with NATO chief and all 29 other leaders of member countries
During the NATO “family photo” Thursday, Biden shook hands and said a few words to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Biden and other NATO summit leaders begin emergency talks on Ukraine
BRUSSELS — Biden and other NATO heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels for emergency talks on the alliance’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The NATO summit begins an extraordinary day of diplomacy in which the U.S. president will also meet with Group of Seven leaders and attend a meeting of the European Council.
At NATO headquarters Thursday morning, leaders are expected to announce the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
“I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference Wednesday. He said this would involve “major increases to our forces in the eastern part of the alliance.”
Stoltenberg said the leaders will also discuss longer-term shifts in the 30-member alliance’s posture, particularly in Eastern Europe. “There is a need to reset our deterrence and defense,” he said ahead of the meeting, “and I expect that to be a substantial increase in our presence for the long term.”
The G-7 and European Union meetings are expected to focus on additional sanctions as well as efforts to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.
Britain on Thursday announced additional sanctions on “strategic industries, banks and business elites,” including six more banks and several companies, notably Russian Railways; Kronshtadt, a producer of Russian drones; and the Wagner Group, a notorious mercenary outfit. Individuals on the list include Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and Polina Kovaleva, the stepdaughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.
Those added to the sanctions list Thursday will have their assets in the United Kingdom frozen. Individuals subject to travel bans will also prohibited from traveling to or from Britain.
NATO: 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops dead in Ukraine
Roughly 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in four weeks of fighting in Ukraine, a senior NATO military official said Wednesday.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under NATO ground rules, said the estimate was based on several factors, including information from Ukrainian officials, what the Russian side has released and open sources.
NATO estimates that in total, 30,000 to 40,000 Russian troops have been killed, wounded or taken prisoner — a figure based on the assumption that for every soldier killed, three are wounded, the official said.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said Wednesday that he had not seen casualty estimates for the Russians that were “as high as NATO’s.” But he declined to disclose current U.S. estimates, saying the Pentagon has low confidence in them.
U.S. military officials have thus far been hesitant to discuss Russian casualty figures. More than two weeks ago, on March 8, Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director the Defense Intelligence Agency, told House lawmakers that the best estimate is 2,000 to 4,000 Russian fatalities. He noted, however, that he had low confidence in the figure.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Russia could struggle to fill its ranks and that Moscow has “almost certainly suffered thousands of casualties” during its invasion of Ukraine.
The conflict has now displaced half of Ukraine’s children, a United Nations agency says. On the battlefield, Moscow’s advance has stalled around the capital, Kyiv. While pouring new energy into an offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces appear to have switched to the defensive near Kyiv, according to U.S. and U.K. assessments — though Ukrainian officials have painted an overly rosy view of their success in some counterattacks.UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICTRussia trade bill stalls in Congress as senators quarrel over sanctionsReturn to menuA bill that would add Russia and Belarus to a short list of pariah states that do not enjoy preferential U.S. trade status has stalled in the Senate as lawmakers spar over whether to attach other measures, such as a ban on Russian oil and gas imports.The trade bill passed the House on a 424-to-8 vote last week, and Democrats are pushing to quickly pass it in the Senate so President Biden can sign it as he meets with key allies in Europe later this week to strategize further responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“It is so important we show unity right now [as] President Biden meets with our European allies,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in floor remarks Wednesday. “Swift Senate action, combining Democrats and Republicans with one voice supporting [an end to Russia’s trade preferences] would do just that.”But Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho), the top Republican on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, objected to Schumer’s request to immediately pass the House bill — citing the other chamber’s decision to drop language on banning Russian energy imports that had previously been included in a handshake agreement between key congressional leaders.Updates continue below advertisementBrittney Griner, detained in Russia, is doing ‘as well as can be expected,’ U.S. official saysReturn to menuBrittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia since mid-February, was visited by a U.S. Embassy official Wednesday and “is doing as well as can be expected,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a news conference.“The consular officer who visited with Brittney Griner was able to verify that she is doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances,” Price said. “We’ll continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly and that her rights are respected.”Griner, 31, was arrested Feb. 17 and accused by Russian officials of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, an offense that could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A seven-time all-star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner was returning at the time to Russia, where she plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason.Updates continue below advertisementRussia committed war crimes, U.S. says. These world powers agree.Return to menuThe United States has concluded that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, a week after President Biden first publicly called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”The United States has led the global response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, but it is not the first country to accuse Putin’s troops of war crimes.In early March, more than three dozen nations — mostly in Europe, but also including Australia, Canada, Colombia and Costa Rica — expedited an investigation into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine by submitting a referral to the International Criminal Court. (The United States has not ratified the Rome Statute, the tribunal’s founding document.)Even among the countries that have refused to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion, most have called for restraint and an end to violence.Here are some of the world powers that have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine and the specifics of what they say Putin is responsible for.Updates continue below advertisementG-7 expected to warn Russia against using chemical or nuclear weaponsReturn to menuBRUSSELS — The Group of 7 nations is expected to issue a statement Thursday warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an announcement that has not yet been made public.The statement will come as Biden meets with G-7 leaders Thursday as part of a trio of multilateral meetings he has in Brussels. Western allies are meeting to continue coordinating their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, efforts that will include levying new sanctions against Moscow and facilitating additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.As the Russian military has stalled in its efforts to take control of Ukraine, U.S. and international officials have raised concerns that Moscow may escalate its aggression by using chemical warfare.“I think it’s a real threat,” Biden said Wednesday before leaving the White House for Europe.Updates continue below advertisementUkrainian circus artists find refuge — and a chance to keep training — in HungaryReturn to menuMore than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country in the wake of Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations — with more than 300,000 arriving in Hungary.About 100 circus art students, and their adult chaperones, managed to escape Kyiv and Kharkiv and make their way to Hungary’s capital, Budapest, the Associated Press reports.The circus community there has offered them food and shelter, and facilities to keep up their training.Mental health experts say giving children space to engage in childhood activities and take part in normal routines can play a strong role in supporting their mental health.Hungary, which has previously hardened its policies and borders against other waves of refugees, has welcomed refugees from Ukraine. Last month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told journalists that “everyone fleeing Ukraine will find a friend in the Hungarian state.”Updates continue below advertisementHalf of Ukraine’s children forced from their homes, U.N. agency saysReturn to menuRoughly half of the children in Ukraine have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, which provides aid to children around the world.“One month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children — more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population,” it said Thursday. “This includes more than 1.8 million children who have crossed into neighbouring countries as refugees and 2.5 million who are now internally displaced inside Ukraine.”“It’s mind-boggling,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder told CNN. “Since the start of the war a month ago, out of every boy and girl in the country, one out of two now has had to flee their homes.”The flood of people out of Ukraine — now topping 3.6 million — has become Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. As The Washington Post previously reported, the wave is striking not just for its historic scale and speed but also because half of the first 3 million people who fled are children.Nearly 1 in 4 people in Ukraine have been forced from their homes — either to other parts of the country or across the borders — in just under a month. The figure, outlined by the U.N. refugee agency, amounts to about a quarter of the prewar population, which the World Bank estimated at 44 million in 2020.“The war has caused one of the fastest largescale displacements of children since World War II,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “This is a grim milestone that could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Children’s safety, wellbeing and access to essential services are all under threat from non-stop horrific violence.”Updates continue below advertisementOligarch Roman Abramovich played a role in initial peace talks, Russia saysReturn to menuBy Mary Ilyushina7:12 a.m.The Kremlin confirmed Thursday that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich played an early role in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.“Indeed, [Abramovich] took part [in the organization of talks] at the initial stage,” Dmitry Peskov, chief spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters in a briefing. “Now the negotiations are going on between two negotiating teams — Russian and Ukrainian.”The United States held off imposing sanctions on Abramovich after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Biden not to do so because the oligarch could prove important as an intermediary in the negotiations with Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter.Britain and the European Union introduced sanctions on Abramovich in a coordinated effort earlier this month over his links to Putin. Abramovich’s assets were frozen in these jurisdictions. He also moved to sell Britain’s Premier League soccer club Chelsea.In late February, Ukrainian film director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky told sports news website the Athletic that Abramovich is involved in the talks due to his connections with both the Russian and Ukrainian Jewish communities.“I can confirm that the Ukrainian side have been trying to find someone in Russia willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution,” Rodnyansky said at the time. “They are connected to Roman Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help.”“Although Roman Abramovich’s influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and taken it upon himself to try,” he added.Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks, but so far they have not yielded significant results, and the two sides appear to be far apart on a number of major issues.Updates continue below advertisementAt meeting of world leaders, China’s role looms largeReturn to menuBERLIN — Western leaders have spoken much in recent weeks about the unity in their ranks as they respond to Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine.But at three back-to-back meetings in Brussels, one of the key subjects will be a country not represented in the discussions: China.“I expect leaders will call on China to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council, refrain from supporting Russia’s war effort and join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate, peaceful end to this war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.Speaking to reporters this week in Berlin, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, had harsh words for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.“President Xi says he’s being neutral in this conflict,” Gutmann said. “There is no neutrality in this conflict. He is not being neutral in this conflict. This is a conflict where not to denounce Mr. Putin’s aggression as aggression, not to denounce it as a violation of the sovereignty of a country, not to join us in leveling sanctions against Mr. Putin is taking a side. China is taking Mr. Putin’s side in this conflict.”That move, she added, should prompt Western countries to reevaluate their economic dealings with China, which could no longer be treated simply as a “trading partner, who is trading with us on fair and free grounds.”Updates continue below advertisementOne month into Ukraine war, a defiant nation is forever changed but adapting Return to menuODESSA, Ukraine — A month has passed since blasts woke Ukrainians at 5:07 a.m. on Feb. 24. The sounds of explosions still scare but don’t surprise. Each day since has brought the wail of air raid sirens, the screech of breaking glass and numbingly frequent moments of silence for the dead.A month of war with Russia has forced every fourth Ukrainian out of their home. It has shown that Moscow’s forces fire indiscriminately on civilians in their apartments, businesses, hospitals and schools. It has exposed weaknesses in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military, which seems stunned and disoriented by the month-long fight. And it has focused the world’s attention on the unexpected ferocity and power of ordinary people uniting to defend their homes and nation.Four weeks of explosions, fire and death have devastated Ukrainians and empowered them. Their “new normal” is always knowing where the nearest bomb shelter is while indulging in a cappuccino at a local coffee shop or a visit to the barber. It’s martial-law-imposed sobriety with a ban on alcohol sales. It’s asking the United States and NATO for a no-fly zone that could significantly damage Russia’s ability to attack from the sky — even as allies refuse, citing fears of touching off the world war that Moscow and the West have managed for so long to avoid.It’s the population’s — and the world’s — growing belief that Ukraine’s military could actually win. It has already kept Russia’s massive and feared armed forces from the easy victory Putin seemed to expect.“The aggressors planned three weeks ago to be in the capital, to be here because it is the heart of the country,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told journalists Wednesday, as the now all-too-familiar sound of artillery shelling echoed in the background. “Everybody is surprised,” he said.Bearak reported from Lviv, Ukraine, O’Grady and Raghavan from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Dixon from Riga, Latvia.NATO summit opens without German chancellor following all-night coalition talks in BerlinReturn to menuBERLIN — The “family photo” snapped Thursday morning of the leaders of NATO’s 30 members was taken with one conspicuous absence: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Scholz was delayed in his travel to Brussels for the meeting, following all-night talks in Berlin aimed at hammering out a relief deal addressing rapidly rising energy prices. Germany was represented in the photo by its ambassador to NATO, Rüdiger König.Germany, Europe’s largest economy and its de facto leader, has been forced by Russia’s war in Ukraine to step into a more commanding role on the international stage, promising to increase its military spending. Already, it has supplied arms to Ukraine, reversing a long-standing policy against sending arms into conflict zones.But the German leader’s absence from the opening of the emergency summit in Brussels magnified what German media have described as the country’s “massive image problem.” A column published Thursday morning in Süddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich-based daily, described Germany as a “helpless giant.” The country, despite its domestic prosperity, is “seen as weak in leadership, self-centered and helpless,” the columnist wrote.Russia ‘deliberately targeting and destroying’ Ukraine’s food stocks, E.U. commission says Return to menuRussian forces are “deliberately targeting and destroying” Ukrainian food stocks and storage locations, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission’s vice president, said Wednesday. The attacks are creating “a multitude of problems,” leading to soaring food prices and widespread insecurity, he said.“When it comes to food, now is the time for Europe to show its solidarity: to help Ukraine, its people and farmers, as well as vulnerable food-importing countries around the world that face surging prices and potential shortages,” Dombrovskis said.The commission called for European countries to work together to stabilize agriculture and food supply chains, helping them become “more resilient and sustainable” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and in preparation for future crises.Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Union’s commissioner for agriculture, said the commission would support farmers and help support Ukrainians in “the face of Russian aggression” by planting and growing resources and helping to facilitate exports.The commission said its E.U. emergency program of 330 million euros ($362 million) would help keep Ukrainians safe amid Russia’s bombardment while also providing access to what it called “basic goods and services.”Photo: Biden appears with NATO chief and all 29 other leaders of member countriesReturn to menuDuring the NATO “family photo” Thursday, Biden shook hands and said a few words to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.Biden and other NATO summit leaders begin emergency talks on UkraineReturn to menuBRUSSELS — Biden and other NATO heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels for emergency talks on the alliance’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The NATO summit begins an extraordinary day of diplomacy in which the U.S. president will also meet with Group of Seven leaders and attend a meeting of the European Council.At NATO headquarters Thursday morning, leaders are expected to announce the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.“I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference Wednesday. He said this would involve “major increases to our forces in the eastern part of the alliance.”Stoltenberg said the leaders will also discuss longer-term shifts in the 30-member alliance’s posture, particularly in Eastern Europe. “There is a need to reset our deterrence and defense,” he said ahead of the meeting, “and I expect that to be a substantial increase in our presence for the long term.”The G-7 and European Union meetings are expected to focus on additional sanctions as well as efforts to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.Britain on Thursday announced additional sanctions on “strategic industries, banks and business elites,” including six more banks and several companies, notably Russian Railways; Kronshtadt, a producer of Russian drones; and the Wagner Group, a notorious mercenary outfit. Individuals on the list include Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and Polina Kovaleva, the stepdaughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.“These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.Those added to the sanctions list Thursday will have their assets in the United Kingdom frozen. Individuals subject to travel bans will also prohibited from traveling to or from Britain.NATO: 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops dead in UkraineReturn to menuRoughly 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in four weeks of fighting in Ukraine, a senior NATO military official said Wednesday.The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under NATO ground rules, said the estimate was based on several factors, including information from Ukrainian officials, what the Russian side has released and open sources.NATO estimates that in total, 30,000 to 40,000 Russian troops have been killed, wounded or taken prisoner — a figure based on the assumption that for every soldier killed, three are wounded, the official said.A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said Wednesday that he had not seen casualty estimates for the Russians that were “as high as NATO’s.” But he declined to disclose current U.S. estimates, saying the Pentagon has low confidence in them.U.S. military officials have thus far been hesitant to discuss Russian casualty figures. More than two weeks ago, on March 8, Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director the Defense Intelligence Agency, told House lawmakers that the best estimate is 2,000 to 4,000 Russian fatalities. He noted, however, that he had low confidence in the figure.Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Russia could struggle to fill its ranks and that Moscow has “almost certainly suffered thousands of casualties” during its invasion of Ukraine.