Ukrainian forces regained control of Kyiv’s streets after Russian troops and undercover units in civilian clothes tried to enter the capital city. Russian airstrikes, airborne landings and armored advances continued throughout the country on the third day of Moscow’s invasion. Each side asserted it had inflicted heavy losses on the other.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to keep fighting and denied Russian reports that he had called on his forces to lay down arms. “Truth is on our side. This is our land, our country, our children, and we will keep defending them all,” he said.
A rapid Russian victory would drastically change the geopolitical balance on the continent, giving President Putin control of strategically vital swaths of the former Soviet Union’s territory and placing Russia’s armies on NATO’s doorstep.
Meanwhile, EU officials said there was momentum behind the bloc agreeing to cut Russia out of a crucial global payments system, marking a shift in sentiment after two rounds of Western sanctions. Germany said it would send weapons to Ukraine including antiaircraft missiles and tank-busting rockets.
The State Department said the U.S. would provide up to $350 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including “lethal defensive assistance.” President Biden asked Congress for $6.4 billion in additional funding for needs related to the invasion.
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