Ukraine: Tensions Rising Between U.S. and Europe, Russians Pushed Back From Kharkiv

Ukraine: Tensions Rising Between U.S. and Europe, Russians Pushed Back From Kharkiv

Tensions have risen between the U.S. and its European allies when it comes to Russia. France is reportedly “frustrated” with the U.S. sending aid, military weapons, and sanctions.

Humanitarians have described Mariupol as a “medieval ghetto” but most of the civilians have evacuated from the steel plant.

On the plus side, Ukraine has pushed Russia back from Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.

Ukraine Pushes Russia Back From Kharkiv, But Russians Leave Behind Traps

Ukraine is getting closer to pushing Russia completely out of Kharkiv:

The apparent success at pushing back Russian troops outside Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second largest city, which is about 20 miles from the Russian border — appears to have contributed to reduced shelling there in recent days, even as Russia makes advances along parts of the front line to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Closer to Russia than any other large Ukrainian city, Kharkiv has been a major target of Russia’s invading forces during the war. With a large population of Russian speakers and ethnic Russians, the city has a special place in the Kremlin’s version of history, which portrays it as the place that demonstrates the folly of Ukraine trying to live apart from Russia.

Shelling in Kharkiv had halted on Tuesday for the first time since Russia’s invasion started in February, according to the Ukrainian military and local officials. “For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion, we have been living without constant shelling of Kharkiv for the second day,” Kharkiv’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, said in a video interview on Tuesday. “The city is reviving, and business is starting to work.”

But officials warned people to stay in their shelters to avoid any “deadly traps” left behind by the Russians.

Civilians in Mariupol Steel Plant Likely Gone

Some good news:

Ukrainian Capt. Svyatoslav Palamar, who is hunkered down inside Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant, tells CNN that he believes all civilians sheltering inside the plant are now out — with the caveat that due to the constant bombardment, it is difficult to make a full assessment of the situation across the massive facility.

Palamar, the deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, made the comments to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday.

“If you’re talking about the Azovstal plant itself, then the civilians that we knew about, the civilians that we had with us, the civilians that we were taking care of, they are not with us. They managed to leave the plant. And as far as the – I cannot tell you for sure, maybe there’s someone else further down in the territory because no international organization at any point came or had access to come and assess the situation,” he told CNN.

Palamar added that a ceasefire was needed so that an international NGO could enter the steel plant to properly assess the situation, because the current siege did not allow for a proper assessment of current conditions.

“Basically what needs to be done is [that] a ceasefire is called upon so that some international organization can come and assess the situation, because under this constant bombardment, we are not able to go around and check anything,” Palamar said.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s President Voldomyr Zelensky said in his nightly addressed that “phase one” of the Azovstal evacuations was over and that essentially all civilians —meaning women, children and elderly — had exited the plant.

The president said “phase two” would involve the exodus of the wounded and medics, as well as military still inside the plant.

But Mariupol is Described as a “Medieval Ghetto”

Doctors have to amputate limbs:

Mariupol has become a “medieval ghetto” with medics forced to amputate limbs to stop new epidemics erupting, officials in the devastated southern port city have warned.

The country’s human rights chief Lyudmyla Denisova appealed to the UN and Red Cross to help evacuate wounded fighters stuck in the city’s Azovstal steel works. She said the destruction of a makeshift hospital there meant many were dying as power and water supplies are cut off.

“Due to the risk of infection because of a lack of antibiotics, medical instruments and sterile dressings, doctors are forced to amputate the limbs even with minor injuries,” she wrote online.

The city’s mayor Vadym Boichenko, who has fled, said “the [Russian] occupiers have turned Mariupol into a medieval ghetto,” while one of his aides said Azovstal was ablaze again after fresh bombing, warning: “If there is hell on earth, it is there.”

“Without medicine and medical care, the restoration of the water supply and proper sewerage in the city, epidemics will erupt. Today, the majority of the current population is old and sick. Without proper conditions, mortality among vulnerable groups will increase exponentially,” Boichenko said.

Russia Tells Poland to Apologize

Russia demanded Poland apologize after someone threw red paint on its ambassador to Poland. The Kremlin also threatened reprisals:

The ambassador, Sergey Andreev, was accosted by people protesting against Russia’s intervention in Ukraine as he went to lay flowers at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw on Monday.

Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski to receive its protest.

“Russia expects an official apology from the Polish leadership in connection with the incident and demands the safety of the Russian ambassador and all employees of Russian foreign institutions in Poland are ensured,” it said in an angry statement.

“A decision on further steps will be taken depending on Warsaw’s reaction to our demands.”

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said authorities had warned Andreev that attending the cemetery, when Russia was commemorating Victory Day, risked provoking an incident.

U.S. vs. Europe

The New York Times detailed the fracturing relationship between the U.S. and France caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. keeps sending money and military aid to Ukraine along with military intelligence to take out ships and generals.

France wants a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal. It also wants diplomatic dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin:

“We must, together, never cede to the temptation of humiliation, nor to a spirit of revenge, because they have already, in the past, ravaged the paths of peace,” President Emmanuel Macron said this week in a speech in Strasbourg.

He added: “We are not at war with Russia. We are working in Europe for the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and for the return of peace on our continent.”

A person close to Macron said France has grown frustrated with the U.S. due to all the aid but also the constant sanctions on Russia:

France, he said, wants to push hard for negotiations because there is no other way to secure Ukrainian security and strategic security on the European continent.

The official said that in the end, a relationship with Mr. Putin was unavoidable.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi echoed similar thoughts in front of President Joe Biden on Tuesday:

“We must support Ukraine,” Mr. Draghi said. “But we must also start talking about peace.” He added: “All parties must make an effort to sit around a table, even the United States.”

Mr. Draghi continued: “We must not try to win, the victory is not defined. For Ukraine it means rebuffing the invasion, but for others?”

Poland and the Baltic States are in line with the U.S. Can you blame them? They know a thing or two about Russian occupation.

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