LVIV, Ukraine — A day after Russia said it would “drastically” reduce attacks on strategic northern cities in its war against Ukraine, those regions came under fresh bombardment Wednesday, deepening Ukrainian and Western officials’ skepticism over any easing of the offensive.
As Moscow offered mixed signals about its war aims and negotiating prospects, the White House said Wednesday that U.S. intelligence indicates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s senior aides have been “too afraid to tell him the truth” about an invasion seemingly gone awry.
Five weeks into the war, the humanitarian crisis sparked by the fighting reached stunning new heights, with the United Nations saying Wednesday that more than 4 million people, including 2 million children, have fled Ukraine since the invasion began.
