Moldova immediately summoned the Russian ambassador in the capital, Chisinau, to express its concerns about forces potentially advancing toward the separatist region of Transnistria.
The Russian commander’s comments came after President Biden said the Kremlin was setting the stage for a new phase of the war, as he announced $800 million of new military aid for Kyiv, tailored for combat in the eastern Donbas region.
As Russia focuses its fire on Ukraine’s east and south, outgunned fighters remain with civilians in a final holdout, the Azovstal steel plant, in the southern port of Mariupol. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Russian forces had captured most of the city in a crushing siege.
Mariupol’s mayor renewed his appeal Friday for a “full evacuation.” Satellite images provided to The Washington Post by U.S.-based Maxar Technologies showed a mass grave outside the city — evidence of possible war crimes, according to Ukrainian officials.
What else to know
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday that more than 20 countries already have responded that they will participate in a “consultative” meeting next week at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Defense ministers and senior military officers from the United States and partner nations will discuss what long-term assistance Ukraine’s military needs to remain potent, including after the war with Russia.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does not have a specific outcome in mind for the meeting, first announced Thursday, Kirby said.
“He’s not going into this meeting on Tuesday with a preset list of things that we have to drive to,” Kirby said. “He wants to hear from allies and partners, and from the Ukrainians themselves about what they are doing and what they will need going forward.”
Kirby said the meeting is not meant to get security guarantees for Ukraine.
About 40 nations have been invited, including some in NATO, he said….