Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to make direct appeal to US Congress as Russian bombing escalates

Russian troops are trying to cut off Kyiv from transport arteries and destroy logistical capabilities

Ukraine’s president was preparing to ask the US Congress directly for more help on Wednesday, even as Russia continued its bombardment of the Ukrainian capital.

There were still some reasons to be optimistic negotiations with Russia might yield an accord, Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested.

“Efforts are still needed, patience is needed,” Mr Zelenskyy said in a video address to the nation. “Any war ends with an agreement.”

Previewing his appeal to the US Congress, a rare speech by a foreign leader to the legislature, Mr Zelenskyy thanked President Joe Biden and “all the friends of Ukraine” for $13.6 billion in new support and appealed for more weapons and more sanctions to punish Russia.

He repeated his call to “close the skies over Ukraine to Russian missiles and planes”, AP reported.

Mr Zelenskyy said Russia’s demands were becoming “more realistic” after their delegations met on Tuesday via video. The sides were expected to speak again on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is visiting the Gulf as he tries to wean the West off Russian energy, said there is "no way Ukraine is going to join Nato anytime soon".

Mr Johnson said he understood the "reality of the position" expressed by Mr Zelensky during an address to London, where Mr Zelenskyy expressed his frustration that Ukraine had not been allowed to join Nato, but said: "This is the truth and we have simply to accept it as it is."

Mr Johnson, speaking to broadcasters at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, said: "I talked to Volodymyr (Zelensky) again yesterday and of course I understand what he is saying about Nato and the reality of the position.

"And everybody has always said - and we've made it clear to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin - that there is no way Ukraine is going to join Nato any time soon."

Earlier, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was sceptical about peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, adding that Mr Putin had to be stopped at all costs.

"I am sceptical about the peace talks whilst Putin is still waging war in Ukraine," Ms Truss told BBC TV. "He has to implement a ceasefire and withdraw his troops for those peace talks to be taken to be taken seriously."

At least three loud explosions were heard just after dawn in the western part of Kyiv, and thick clouds of smoke billowed into the sky, AFP reported.

Emergency services said two residential buildings were damaged and two people were wounded. The Ukrainian capital was placed under curfew late on Tuesday following what its mayor called a "difficult and dangerous moment".

Images released by the emergency services showed the top corner of one building had been partially destroyed, while another had damage and scorch marks to its roof and upper part.

Battles continue to rage in cities like Mariupol, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, as well as in suburban towns just outside Kyiv.

Mr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had been unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory but had continued their heavy shelling of cities.

The number of people fleeing Europe’s heaviest fighting since the Second World War has eclipsed three million.

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Mr Zelenskyy said 28,893 civilians were able to flee through nine humanitarian corridors in the past day, although the Russians refused to allow aid into Mariupol.

In addition to air strikes and shelling by ground forces, Russian naval ships fired overnight on a town south of Mariupol on the Azov Sea and another near Odesa on the Black Sea, according to local officials.

Russian forces have intensified fighting in the Kyiv suburbs, notably around the town of Bucha in the north-west and the highway leading west towards Zhytomyr, head of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, said.

He said Russian troops are trying to cut off the capital from transport arteries and destroy logistical capabilities, even as they plan a wide-ranging attack to seize Kyiv.

Twelve towns around Kyiv are without water and six without heat.

Smoke rising in Kyiv, which mayor Vitali Klitschko says faces a 'difficult and dangerous moment' as Russian forces step up strikes. AFP

Pope Francis meets visitors holding the Ukrainian flag during his weekly general audience in the Vatican. AFP

An anti-war protester demonstrates against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in front of the Nato headquarters in Brussels. AFP

A poster in Saint Petersburg carries the letter Z, a symbol of support for the invasion, and reads: "We are proud of Russia! We are not ashamed!" AFP

Amid the Ukraine war, there's time for a seaside stroll in Odesa. Reuters

A child who fled from Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office in Brussels. EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation as he appears via videoconference to make an address to Canada's Parliament. AP

A woman walks with a bicycle next to a building damaged during the conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, Donetsk region. Reuters

A firefighter outside a destroyed apartment building in a residential area of Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian soldiers pay tribute to Col Valeriy Gudz, who was killed in battle against Russian troops, at a cemetery in the town of Boryspil. AP

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a housing block hit by shelling in the Sviatoshynsky district, in western Kyiv. AFP

Two people were killed as a series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts in Kyiv just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume. AFP

The Met Opera and Chorus performs during 'A Concert For Ukraine' in New York City. AFP

A worker welds metal at the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. Hundreds of Interpipe’s 10,000 employees have joined the fight against Russia. AP

A woman is rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building that was hit by artillery shells in Kyiv. AP

Rescuers work at a building damaged by an air strike, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman who fled Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office, in Brussels. EPA

Cars stuck at the Irpin River bridge, as Russia unleashes a barrage of air strikes on cities across Ukraine. AFP

A firefighter looks at a section of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile on a street in the separatist Donetsk region. The Russian military said 20 civilians were killed by a ballistic missile launched by the Ukrainian forces. AP

Musician Davide Martello plays a piano near the Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland. More than 1.76 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Polish Border Guard reported on March 14. EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, snaps a selfie with a wounded man during a visit at a military hospital after fighting in the Kyiv region.AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles as they walk towards the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

Troops carry an elderly woman on a stretcher across a makeshift bridge as Ukrainians flee Irpin. AFP

Irina Moprezova, 54, stands in front of a house that was damaged by an air strike in Irpin. AFP

The flags of Russia and Ukraine are projected on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, which a representative from the Jerusalem Municipality said is a show of support for diplomatic dialogue between the countries. Reuters

A person holds a Ukrainian flag during an anti-war demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier takes cover as people flee Irpin. AFP

Ukrainians shelter in an underground train station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

A Ukrainian serviceman walks carefully with his weapon in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian people flee the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen carry an elderly woman on a stretcher from the city of Irpin. AFP

A girl plays games on her tablet inside a subway carriage being used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv. AFP

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an air strike on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian troops with a Javelin anti-tank missile on the front line in the northern Kyiv region. Reuters

A woman carries her dog during an evacuation in Irpin. Reuters

A Ukrainian woman takes shelter in a metro station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

A member of the Ukrainian armed forces on patrol in Irpin. Reuters

A Ukrainian fighter takes cover behind a car in the city of Irpin. AFP

Firefighters at work after air strikes hit residential buildings in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine. AFP

A man wounded in an air strike is helped by medical staff in Novoiavorivsk, western Ukraine. Getty

The ruins of the Ukraine Hotel after recent shelling in Chernihiv. EPA

Russia has occupied the city of Ivankiv, 80 kilometres north of Kyiv, and controls the surrounding region on the border with Belarus, Mr Kuleba said.

The Russians were using long-range fire to hit civilian targets inside Kyiv with increasing frequency but their ground forces were making little or no progress around the country, a senior US defence official said.

The troops were still about 15 kilometres from the centre of the capital, the official told AP.

Before Tuesday’s talks with Ukrainian officials, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would enforce its demands that Ukraine drop its bid to join Nato, adopt a neutral status and “demilitarize”.

In a statement that seemed to signal potential grounds for agreement with Moscow, Mr Zelenskyy told European leaders he realises Nato has no intention of accepting Ukraine.

“We have heard for many years about the open doors, but we also heard that we can’t enter those doors,” he said. “This is the truth, and we have simply to accept it as it is.”

Nato does not admit nations with unsettled territorial conflicts.