- The United States has warned of a chemical weapons attack in Ukraine
- Zelensky denounces hospital bombing as “genocide”
- Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers to Meet in Antalya, Turkey
This article was last updated at 00:35 UTC / GMT
The German government will help Ukrainian artists
The German federal and state governments plan to help Ukrainian artists, Federal Culture Minister Claudia Roth said after a meeting with deputy ministers.
“We have already started a hosting program,” Roth said.
Roth added that 1 million euros ($ 1.1 million) had been allocated for this purpose.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Europe of waging a “witch hunt” against Russian artists.
Zelensky calls for tougher Western sanctions following Mariupol airstrike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy has called on the West to step up sanctions on Russia in his daily video speech following an airstrike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol.
“There is a genocide of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said. He called the strike at the hospital a “war crime”.
Zelensky said 17 people were injured in the attack on the maternity hospital, including pregnant women. He added that people, including children, were trapped under the rubble after the strike.
Mariupol has been under siege by Russian troops for nine days. Zelensky said the siege was “beyond brutality”.
Summary of events in the Ukraine-Russia crisis on Wednesday
The International Monetary Fund has given the green light to $ 1.4 million (€ 1.26 million) in emergency support to help Ukraine deal with the “massive humanitarian and economic crisis”.
The conservative parties of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU / CSU) have called on the federal government to stop importing Russian gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. German Chancellor Olaf Solz also rejected the idea of sending Polish jets to Ukraine via US.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged that Russian troops have been sent to Ukraine despite repeated denials by President Vladimir Putin.
The ministry said it was launching an investigation to punish those who allegedly disobeyed orders not to use conscripts and that “virtually everyone [conscripts] have retired to Russia. “
Russia and Ukraine have announced changes in exports amid the crisis. Observers said the cuts in wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine could be catastrophic for North Africa and the Middle East, which are heavily dependent on both suppliers.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of bombing a children’s hospital and a maternity hospital in the southeastern port city of Mariupol.
An Mariupol official later said the city was “on the verge of death” as there was still no humanitarian corridor to evacuate residents.
The White House has warned that Russia could use chemical or biological weapons as part of a “false flag” attack on Ukraine.
sdi / wd (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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