Ukraine to appeal to US for more help amid Russian bombing

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president was preparing to make a direct appeal for more help in a rare speech by a foreign leader to the U.S. Congress, even as Russia continued its bombardment of the Ukrainian capital Wednesday.

Three weeks into the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested there was reason for optimism that negotiations with the Russian government might yet yield an agreement.

Previewing his speech to the U.S. Congress, Zelenskyy thanked President Joe Biden and “all the friends of Ukraine” for $13.6 billion in new support. He appealed for more weapons and more sanctions to punish Russia and repeated his call to “close the skies over Ukraine to Russian missiles and planes.”

He said Russian forces had been unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory but had continued their heavy shelling of cities; meanwhile, he said after delegations from the two countries met, Russia’s demands were becoming “more realistic." The sides were expected to speak again later Wednesday.

“Efforts are still needed, patience is needed,” he said in his video address to the nation. “Any war ends with an agreement.”

Developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground occurred as the number of people fleeing Ukraine amid Europe’s heaviest fighting since World War II eclipsed 3 million.

Zelenskyy said 28,893 civilians were able to flee through nine humanitarian corridors in the past day although the Russians refused to allow aid into Mariupol.

Shrapnel from an artillery shell slammed into a 12-story apartment building in central Kyiv on Wednesday, obliterating the top floor and igniting a fire that sent plumes of smoke over the area, according to a statement and images released by the Kyiv emergencies agency. The neighboring building was also damaged. The agency...