Ukraine pressures Russia to withdraw troops from Kyiv

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said that the country’s priority is to stop the war, hoping to join NATO after the conflict.

Pope Francis offered his condolences to veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrevsky, who was killed this month while covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that Russian forces are creating a “catastrophic” situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and dead bodies.

“It is still not possible to return to normal life, as it was before, even in the areas we are returning after the fighting,” the president told his country in a nightly video message.

“We have to wait until the mines are removed from our land, we wait until we assure you that there will be no new bombing,” he said.

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On March 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mayor Vitali Klitschko invited Pope Francis and Ukrainian religious leaders to visit the city.

The Vatican has not previously indicated travel plans, but the Pope said on Saturday the visit was “on the table” and did not provide further details.

The Pope previously described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war as “unjustified aggression” but he avoided let alone guilt in the war, according to The Guardian.

Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency, announced on Saturday that Russia has ended its cooperation with Western countries on the International Space Station until the end of sanctions.

Rogozin claimed that the sanctions were aimed at “killing the Russian economy, plunging our people into despair and starvation, and bringing our country to its knees.”

“That is why I believe that restoring normal relations between partners on the International Space Station (ISS) and other projects is only possible with the complete and unconditional removal of illegal sanctions,” he said in a tweet.

The British Ministry of Defense said, on Saturday, that Russian forces withdrew from key areas around Kyiv as Ukrainian forces regained control of some nearby villages.

The Russian forces abandoned Hostomel airfield, which had been a major target from the first day of the invasion.

Ukrainian forces secured a decisive route into Kharkiv after heavy fighting, adding to another victory after the liberation of Trostianets, near Sumy.

Translation: “This week, the Ukrainian National Guard and Defense Forces actively expelled the occupiers from the settlements of the Kyiv region.”

Red Cross spokesman Ewan Watson described a tragic reality as workers look to help injured Ukrainians amid the country’s war with Russia.

“We have run out of adjectives that we use to describe the atrocities suffered by the people of Mariupol,” Watson said.

The Russian war has killed thousands and forced more than 4 million refugees to leave Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address that Russian forces are withdrawing.

“The occupiers are withdrawing their forces from the north of our country,” Zelensky said. The withdrawal is slow but noticeable.”

“Somewhere they are driven out in battles. Somewhere they leave their posts on their own. And after them there remains a complete disaster and many dangers,” the Ukrainian president added.

Translation: “In the Chernihiv region, the enemy in recent days has suffered great losses – more than 50 units of armored vehicles and [other] vehicles.”

“A number of settlements have been liberated, in particular the village of Chistovitsia near Chernihiv. Let us win together!”

Ukrainian state energy company Energoatom said on Friday that Russian forces had retaken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Energoatom claimed that the withdrawal occurred after soldiers received “large doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the woods in the restricted area around the closed factory.

Read more: Ukraine says Russian forces have left Chernobyl and handed over control

The US Department of Defense has announced that the United States will provide an additional $300 million in military equipment to Ukraine as their war with Russia continues.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby shared the additional assistance in a statement Friday night, saying that the new package “marks the beginning of a contracting process to provide new capabilities” to Ukraine.

The United States has provided more than $1.6 billion to Ukraine since the start of the war.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least 53 historical sites in Ukraine have been damaged, according to a report.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for additional precautionary measures to be implemented to protect these priceless sites, amid the ongoing Russian war.

In total, the UNESCO report listed 29 religious sites, 16 historical buildings, four museums and four monuments that were completely or partially damaged.

“We are very concerned about the situation at the human level and (cultural) heritage. The heritage of humanity is in danger (in Ukraine),” Ernesto Otton, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, told a press conference.