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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than a twelve Western leaders attended events successful Ukraine connected Monday marking the 3rd day of the country's warfare with Russia, galore pledging much subject assistance successful a conspicuous amusement of enactment for Kyiv arsenic uncertainty deepened implicit the committedness of U.S. President Donald Trump's medication to helping it fend disconnected Russia’s invasion.
The 4th twelvemonth of warring could beryllium pivotal, arsenic Trump uses his instrumentality to bureau past period to property for a bid deal. But Ukrainian and European officials person been rattled by his cordial attack to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his pugnacious words for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
World information is astatine involvement successful talks implicit however the warfare ends, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned.
“The autocrats astir the satellite are watching precise cautiously whether there’s immoderate impunity if you interruption planetary borders oregon invade your neighbor, oregon if determination is existent deterrence,” she told a league successful Kyiv.
Some observers accidental Russian occurrence successful Ukraine could embolden China’s ain ambitions. Just arsenic Moscow claims that Ukraine is rightfully Russian territory, China claims the self-governing land of Taiwan arsenic its own.
In a cascade of unwelcome developments for Kyiv, Trump has successful caller days called Zelenskyy a dictator, suggested Ukraine is to blasted for the warfare and ended Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. U.S. officials person besides indicated to Ukraine that its hopes of joining NATO are improbable to beryllium realized and that it astir apt won’t get backmost the onshore that Russia’s service has occupied, amounting to astir 20% of the country.
Meanwhile, Putin’s troops are making dependable advancement connected the battlefield portion Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons.
Some of Ukraine’s astir important backers, including European leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were among the watercourse of dignitaries arriving by bid successful Kyiv. Others spoke astatine a league via video link.
The guests had akin messages: Ukraine and its European partners indispensable beryllium consulted successful immoderate bid negotiations, Putin’s ambitions indispensable beryllium thwarted, and Europe indispensable instrumentality connected much of the load for its ain defense.
Alarm bells dependable successful Europe arsenic Washington changes course
The displacement successful Washington's argumentation has acceptable disconnected alarm bells successful Europe, wherever governments fearfulness being sidelined by the U.S. successful efforts to unafraid a bid woody and are mulling however they mightiness prime up the slack of immoderate chopped successful U.S. assistance for Ukraine. The changes person besides placed strain connected transatlantic relations.
European Council President Antonio Costa connected Sunday announced that helium would convene an exigency acme of the 27 EU leaders successful Brussels connected March 6, with Ukraine astatine the apical of the agenda.
“We are surviving a defining infinitesimal for Ukraine and European security,” helium said successful a station connected societal media.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are to some sojourn Washington this week.
EU overseas ministers connected Monday approved a caller raft of sanctions against Russia. The measures people Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet” of ships that it uses to skirt restrictions connected transporting lipid and gas, oregon to transportation stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU said 74 vessels were added to its shadiness fleet list.
Asset freezes and question bans were imposed connected 83 officials and “entities” — usually authorities agencies, banks oregon companies.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his state would supply a 1 billion-euro ($1.04 billion) subject systems bundle to Ukraine this year.
Starmer said Ukrainians’ voices “must beryllium astatine the bosom of the thrust for peace,” portion Trump’s involution had “changed the planetary conversation” and “created an opportunity.”
“Russia does not clasp each the cards successful this war," helium said.
Coming disconnected a triumph successful Sunday’s German elections, blimpish person Friedrich Merz — besides a staunch backer of Ukraine — posted connected X Monday: “More than ever, we indispensable enactment Ukraine successful a presumption of strength.“
“For a just peace, the state that is nether onslaught indispensable beryllium portion of bid negotiations,” helium wrote.
Diplomacy ramps up aft grounds Russian drone onslaught
On Sunday, Russia launched its biggest azygous drone onslaught of the war, pounding Ukraine with 267 drones.
The EU’s apical diplomat, Kaja Kallas, insisted that the U.S. cannot seal immoderate bid woody to extremity the warfare without Ukraine oregon Europe being involved. She highlighted what she claimed were pro-Russian positions being taken up by the Trump administration.
“You tin sermon immoderate you privation with Putin. But if it comes to Europe oregon Ukraine, past Ukraine and Europe besides person to hold to this deal,” Kallas told reporters successful Brussels, wherever she was chairing a gathering of EU overseas ministers.
Kallas travels to Washington connected Tuesday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Washington and Moscow gully person
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the 3rd day was “a grim milestone.”
“More than 12,600 civilians killed, with galore much injured. Entire communities reduced to rubble. Hospitals and schools destroyed,” helium said successful Geneva.
Russia's overseas ministry said Saturday that preparations for a face-to-face gathering betwixt Trump and Putin were underway, and U.S. officials person said that they had agreed with Moscow to reestablish diplomatic ties and restart economical cooperation.
Kallas rejected Trump’s earlier inflammatory assertion that Zelenskyy was a dictator for not having held elections aft his regular word expired past year, saying, “Russia hasn’t had elections successful 25 years."
Ukrainian instrumentality prohibits elections being held portion martial instrumentality is successful place, and Zelenksyy said arsenic precocious arsenic Sunday that aft martial instrumentality is lifted, “there volition beryllium elections and radical volition marque their choice.”
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Associated Press writers Lorne Cook successful Brussels and Geir Moulson successful Berlin contributed.
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Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
