Ukraine’s Zelenskyy pushes for meaningful talks with Russia; Biden warns Xi of ‘consequences’

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said four American soldiers have died in a plane crash while participating in a NATO military exercise called Cold Response.

“It is with great sadness we have [received] the message that four American soldiers died in a plane crash last night,” Store said via Twitter on Saturday morning.

“The soldiers participated in the NATO exercise Cold Response. Our deepest sympathies go to the soldiers’ families, relatives and fellow soldiers in their unit.”

Local police were said to be investigating the cause of the crash, Reuters reported, although bad weather had stalled their work.

— Sam Meredith

The U.K. Defense Ministry has warned Russia will likely resort to the “indiscriminate use of firepower” after failing to achieve its original objectives so far.

“Russia has been forced to change its operational approach and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition,” the U.K. Defense Ministry said in a Twitter post.

As a result of the change in tactics, Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis could worsen as civilian casualties climb and more infrastructure is destroyed, it warned.

The Defense Ministry reiterated that Moscow “has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian Resistance.”

— Joanna Tan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Russia to come to the table for talks.

“Meaningful peace and security talks for Ukraine are the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes,” he said a video address on Saturday.

“It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that you will not have several generations to rise.”

— Joanna Tan

Biden held a nearly two-hour phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Both Biden and Xi agreed on the need to promote peace and assist with the humanitarian disaster created by the invasion. But they disagreed deeply on who is responsible for the suffering in Ukraine, with the Chinese leader refusing to hold Russia singularly accountable for the unprovoked invasion.

Instead, official readouts from Beijing made it clear that Xi’s position was that the U.S. and Europe had provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin into attacking Ukraine by expanding NATO into Eastern Europe.

During the call, Biden “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia,” the White House said.

— Christina Wilkie