The Latest on the War in Ukraine - Day 16

The US called for a war crimes investigation as slowly advancing Russian forces continued the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas.

• Yesterday’s talks between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart in Turkey failed to yield a cease fire or any deal to protect civilians.
• In fact, Lavrov appeared to use the meeting to continue to spread Kremlin propaganda, saying Russia had not attacked Ukraine and that the Russian troops were seeking to rid Ukraine of “nazis.”
• Russian troops continued to slowly advance in Ukraine, encircling major cities and continuing their indiscriminate bombardment. Ukraine’s strategic port city of Mariupol suffered a renewed attack.
• Some 400,000 people in Mariupol are without food, running water and electricity. The mayor says young children are dying of dehydration as families cower in cellars to survive the shelling.
• The US ambassador to the United Nations said Russian actions constituted war crimes. With Putin’s plans for rapid victory foiled, Western officials fear the bombardment of cities will continue.
• Oil prices continued to rise sharply following the US and UK ban on Russian oil imports. Analysts feared the price rise would throw off economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic.