INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Almost 100,000 people are trapped by Russian bombardment and facing starvation in the ruins of Mariupol, Ukraine's leader said, as Moscow
accused Washington of undermining peace talks.Tens of thousands of residents have already fled the besieged southern port city, bringing
harrowing testimony of a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings," according to Human Rights Watch.As the UN
humanitarian corridors for refugees, and Ukraine says it is willing to countenance some Russian demands subject to a national referendum.But
summit in Brussels joined by U.S
Wednesday."It's hard to avoid the impression that our American colleagues are holding their hand," he said, claiming that Washington
if it were facing an "existential threat," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby slammed Moscow's
stalls.Charred landscapeFor Ukrainians besieged in Mariupol and other cities, Russian talk of peace rings hollow as they come under
indiscriminate shelling that Western countries say amounts to a war crime."Failing in their war against the Ukrainian people, the enemy is
executing the total destruction of critical infrastructure," Ukraine's armed forces command said on Facebook.In his latest video address,
Zelensky said more than 7,000 people had escaped Mariupol in the last 24 hours, but one group travelling along an agreed humanitarian route
west of the city were "simply captured by the occupiers.""Today, the city still has nearly 100,000 people in inhumane conditions
Without food, water, medication, under constant shelling and under constant bombing," he said.Satellite images of Mariupol released by
private company Maxar showed a charred landscape, with several buildings ablaze and smoke billowing from the city.Ukrainian forces also
reported "heavy" ground fighting, with Russian "infantry storming the city" after they rejected a Monday ultimatum to surrender.UN relief
agencies estimate there have been around 20,000 civilian casualties in Mariupol, and perhaps 3,000 killed, but they point out that the
actual figure remains unknown."Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house," United
Crimea to the southwest and Russian-controlled territory to the north and east.Putin threatens 'Russia's future'"Putin's offensive is stuck
despite all the destruction that it is bringing day after day," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a speech to the Bundestag, warning of
future," he said.Along with NATO, Biden was also due to attend EU and G7 summits Thursday before heading to Poland, which has received the
bulk of more than 3.5 million Ukrainians fleeing the war.The president will consult with allies on new sanctions, and on potentially
and in the international community," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.Washington has also not observed any
economies."The G20 is the main forum for international economic cooperation," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said
some advances in the southeast of Ukraine and boasted of strikes using next-generation weaponry against "military infrastructure" across the
country.But Ukraine and its allies have claimed Russian forces are severely depleted, poorly supplied and still unable to carry out complex
operations.For the first time, there are signs that Ukrainian forces are going on the offensive, retaking a town near Kyiv and attacking
Russian forces in the south of the country.'Morale is high'In the southern city of Mykolaiv, one bulwark of the fightback, residents said
they were determined to stay despite incessant bombardmentAt the burial of soldier Igor Dundukov, 46, his brother Sergei wept as he kissed
Where would we run to? We grew up here."In the capital Kyiv, a 35-hour curfew ended early Wednesday after Russian strikes laid waste to the
their efforts to encircle the city, but we are much more confident, the morale is high and inspiring," he told AFP.
