Russia declared Tuesday that the “next phase” of the war in Ukraine was underway, kicking off a major assault on key areas in the east in what senior Defense Department officials said was a likely “prelude” to a larger offensive yet to come. Russia’s redoubled attacks in the east include giving Ukrainian holdout forces in Mariupol a new deadline to surrender.
“All who lay down their arms are guaranteed the preservation of life,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, giving Ukrainian forces until midday local time to surrender. The deadline has passed. Overtaking the southern port city would give Moscow a coved land corridor linking Russian-annexed Crimea to eastern Ukraine.
Hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops “have begun the battle for Donbas,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Moscow would seek the “complete liberation” of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east. Luhansk’s regional governor said Tuesday that the eastern city of Kreminna is now “under the control” of Russian forces. Control of Kreminna could allow Russia to advance toward Kramatorsk, capital of the Donbas region. Russia’s assault is also coalescing around the Kharkiv region.
President Biden is due to host a call Tuesday with U.S. allies to discuss the ongoing war. His administration said it has stepped up equipment deliveries to Ukraine, which are taking place at “unprecedented speed.”
ROZADKY, Ukraine — Along Ukraine’s eastern front, soldiers man the sprawling maze of trenches and bunkers that form the backbone of defensive positions that stretch for hundreds of miles.
Carved into the hard earth during eight years of bloody fighting, these rugged outposts are occupied by soldiers who have weathered intense shelling and artillery strikes battling Moscow-backed separatists to a standstill.
“Farther from here is only the enemy,” said Andre, 23, an army officer who leads a unit at a deeply dug Ukrainian defensive position within range of enemy rifle fire. “It is only a matter of time before they send more of their forces.”
President Biden and 11 other world leaders spoke Tuesday morning about their ongoing efforts to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, the White House said.
Biden convened a video conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“The leaders reiterated their commitment to continue providing security, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in its time of need,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. “The leaders affirmed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and condemned the humanitarian suffering caused by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.”
Psaki said Monday that the Biden administration was weighing additional sanctions on Russia, a topic the leaders discussed Tuesday, according to the White House.
The Pentagon expects to send about seven more flights with weapons to Ukrainian forces within the next day, with howitzer artillery prioritized, as the United States moves to its next phase of supplying arms to Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said.
The flights will carry weapons from an $800 million package of weapons that President Biden approved last week. It’s expected to include howitzer artillery that will require U.S. officials to provide some familiarization training to Ukrainian forces that are accustomed to launching artillery more common in Eastern Europe.
Flights continue to arrive in the region every day, with Ukrainian forces taking possession of Western weapons and bringing them into Ukraine through a complex network that includes railroad and convoys. Even as operations have shifted farther to the east, away from NATO countries such as Poland, Ukrainian officials say the weapons are still able to get into the hands of Ukrainian forces, the senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon.
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