Four weeks ago I visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and spoke with residents about a possible Russian invasion. None of them imagined they would soon be besieged by a Russian military that has cut off their water, electricity, and food supplies, and deliberately attacks civilian targets — including a maternity hospital and civilian convoys trying to leave.
My translator is now hunkered down in a basement with her mom, three cats and three other adults. I’ve not been able to make contact with her in nearly two weeks.
Mariupol has become the symbol of an ugly truth that the White House and NATO allies have been too slow to grasp: Despite Russian losses, Vladimir Putin does not want a diplomatic offramp from his Ukraine war.
