NATO fighting a war against Russia in Ukraine would be World War III, Joe Biden has warned.
The US President said American troops will not be sent to Ukraine. But he added: "I want to be clear: We will defend every inch of Nato territory with the full might of a united and galvanised Nato."
In a video address released in the early hours of this morning, President Biden said: "We will make sure Ukraine has weapons to defend against an invading Russian Force... We will send money and food and aid to save the Ukrainian people - and I will welcome Ukrainian refugees. We should welcome them here with open arms.
"We're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and and send an unmistakeable message: We'll defend every single inch of NATO's territory, with the full might of the united and galvanized NATO.
"We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III - something we must strive to prevent.
"But we already know Putin's war against Ukraine will never be a victory. He hoped to dominate Ukraine without a fight, he failed. He hoped to fracture European resolve, he failed.
"He hoped to weaken the trans-Atlantic alliance, he failed. He hoped to split apart American democracy in terms of our positions, he failed.
"The American people are united, the world is united and we stand with the people of Ukraine. We will not let autocrats and would-be emperors dictate the direction of the world.
"Democracies are rising to meet this moment, rallying the world to the side of peace and the side of security. We're showing our strength and we will not falter.
"God bless all of you. God bless Ukraine and God bless our troops."
10,000 dead in city, claims adviser to mayor
Officials now estimate that 10,000 people have been killed by Russian attacks in the Sea of Azov city Mariupol - with fears that number will rise to 20,000.
Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the city’s mayor, told Canadian press: "We now estimate that number of people killed has reached 10,000. And if the Russians keep shelling, we may see more than 20,000 people killed because of the Russian attacks."
Mr Andryushchenko's claims have not been independently confirmed, but Mariupol has been held under siege for nearly two weeks. Mr Andryushchenko, who was was able to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, told The Globe and Mail that some people have taken to drinking water from heating radiators because they had been cut off from water and electricity.
Kyiv and Mykolayiv heavily shelled overnight
Ukraine's capital Kyiv and surrounding towns reportedly came under heavy attack last night - as did the strategically important Black Sea port of Mykolayiv. CNN reported several explosions in Kyiv.
Chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward noted “a nonstop volley… of just heavy booms in the distance” overnight on March 12.
"Heavy fighting continues in the areas outside Kyiv, including in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel," tweeted The Kyiv Independent.
Meanwhile, The Economist's correspondent in Ukraine shared video purportedly showing multiple blasts in Mykolayiv. Oliver Carroll tweeted: "Nightmarish scenes in port of Mykolayiv this evening. Regional governor Vitaly Kim says Ukraine has repelled the attack. The city is key to any future assault on Odessa, further down on the Black Sea coast."
As morning dawned on Ukraine today, air raid sirens once again blared across more than 15 regions and multiple cities at around 6am local time. The BBC reported they had "sounded in the capital Kyiv, along with key cities like Odessa in the south, Sumy in the north, Kharkiv in the east and Dnipro in the south-east".
ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers tweeted: "I am witnessing Air strikes near Kropyvytskyi this morning. Multiple impacts on edge of the town - you can hear impact on this clip."
Kropyvnytskyi is a city in central Ukraine on the Inhul river with a population of more than 220,000.
In an 'intelligence update' issued late last night, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia was relying on "relatively inaccurate and indiscriminate" weapons. The use of these "unguided dumb munitions... significantly increases the likelihood of civilian casualties," added the MoD.
In a further update this morning, the UK MoD said: "Fighting north-west of Kyiv continues with the bulk of the Russian ground forces now around 25km from the centre of the city.
"Elements of the large Russian column north of Kyiv has dispersed. This is likely to support a Russian attempt to encircle the city. It could also be an attempt to encircle the city. It could also be an attempt by Russia to reduce its vulnerability to Ukrainian counter attacks, which have taken a significant toll on Russian Forces.
"Beyond Kyiv, the cities of Kherkiv, Cherniv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and continue to suffer from heavy Russian shelling."
Russian forces 'abduct mayor and arrest locals'
Russia has been accused of abducting the mayor of a city it has occupied and arresting locals, as its invasion of Ukraine entered its 17th day.
In a video shared on Facebook late on Friday night, President Vladimir Zelensky accused Russia of behaving like ISIS terrorists, and condemned the alleged kidnapping of a “mayor who bravely defends Ukraine and the members of his community”. Video purportedly shows Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov, with a plastic bag over his head as he is taken out of a building by masked men.
Anton Heraschenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, said 10 Russian soldiers had taken the mayor to an unknown location.
“This is obviously a sign of weakness of the invaders,” said President Zelensky. “They have moved to a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of legitimate local Ukrainian authorities. The actions of the Russian invaders will b e equated with the actions of [Islamic State] terrorists."
He called on all Ukrainians to resist the Russians, and appealed to Russian mothers. "Do not send your children to war in a foreign country," said Zelensky. "Check where your son is. And if you have the slightest suspicion that your son could be sent to war against Ukraine, act immediately".
Meanwhile, in the city of Kherson, Russian troops have been accused of rounding up and arresting locals with links to the Security Service of Ukraine , Ukrainian police, the Territorial Defence and volunteers. Citizen journalist KherRadio claimed on twitter: "Where they are failing in making a blockaded Leningrad out of Kherson, they have started making a concentration camp."
A third Russian general has reportedly been killed in action in Ukraine.
A third Russian general has reportedly been killed in action in Ukraine. The death of Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army has not yet been independently confirmed, but was reported by the Ukrainian military's official account.
"The Russian occupiers continue to lose their officers in the war against Ukraine," read the tweet. "The Armed Forces managed to eliminate Major General Andriy Kolesnikov, the commander of the Eastern Military District."
It comes after Maj. Gen. Andrey Sukhovetsky was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian sniper, and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, died outside Kharkiv. Approximately 20 Russian major generals are thought to be fighting in Ukraine.
UK seeks to hit Kremlin with ban on exporting luxury goods to Russia
The UK Government is intending to further ramp up pressure on the Kremlin with plans to ban exports of luxury goods to Russia, in the latest move to isolate Vladimir Putin. Details of the plans will be set out in the coming days, Downing Street said.
It came as Boris Johnson joined with other G7 leaders on Friday to commit to further increase the pressure on the Russian president’s regime. The group agreed to take steps to deny Russia “most favoured nation” status on key products, which No 10 said would significantly reduce the ability of Russian businesses to export.
Sharing the news on Friday evening, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK stood “united with our G7 partners”, and would “continue strengthening our response” to put a halt to Russia’s aggression against its neighbour.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
