Your Evening Briefing: Russia Bombing Continues Amid Ceasefire Talks

Russia’s war on Ukraine has displaced almost 5 million people both in and out of the country, according to the United Nations, which warned that Moscow’s aggression could sow instability around the globe. In Mariupol, a key city that’s been a focus of the Kremlin’s assault, Associated Press journalists on the ground who documented a Russian attack on a maternity hospital reported that a pregnant woman and her baby injured in the bombing had died. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher have circled the world. Russian officials falsely called the photos fake.

On Wednesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will make a rare wartime address by a foreign leader to both chambers of the U.S. Congress, pleading with lawmakers by video conference for more aid. Russia meanwhile is reportedly considering suspending grain exports, driving wheat prices higher. On Monday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with China’s top diplomat in Rome as the Biden administration seeks to enlist Beijing’s help in pushing Vladimir Putin to end his attack. Also, President Joe Biden is mulling a possible trip to Europe.