Ukraine survives Putin's 'winter terror' but might retreat from embattled Bakhmut: Live updates
Spring doesn't officially start until March 20, but for some Ukrainians the winter's over, or at least the Vladimir Putin winter.
The Russian president tried to use winter weather as a weapon of war, relentlessly attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure to pierce the citizens' resolve by leaving them in the cold while also cutting off gas supplies to European countries.
And yet, resistance to his invasion remains steadfast, as Ukrainians continue to fiercely defend their country while the European Union stands solidly behind them.
"On March 1, 2023, Putin suffered another major defeat,'' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. "Despite the cold, darkness, and missile strikes, Ukraine persevered and defeated his winter terror. Furthermore, Europe has not 'frozen' despite Russian predictions and mockery.''
Zelenskyy warned that Russia may continue to target power plants, but took a moment during his nightly video address to acknowledge getting past some tough days.
"This winter is over,'' he said. "It was very difficult, and every Ukrainian without exaggeration felt this difficulty. But we still managed to provide Ukraine with energy and heat.''
PUTIN ISSUES ALERT:Drone strikes 60 miles from Moscow; Russian death toll surpasses all wars since WWII: Ukraine updates
Developments:
►The presidents of China and Belarus, meeting in Beijing, joined in urging a cease-fire and negotiations to bring about a political settlement in Ukraine.
►Russia’s Defense Ministry said several drones were shot down by air defense forces in Crimea, and others were disabled by electronic warfare systems.
Ukraine may pull out of Bakhmut
The situation in and around embattled Bakhmut is "extremely difficult" and Ukrainian forces may withdraw from the eastern city, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Alexander Rodnyansky said his country's military "would retreat, or they would give up Bakhmut strategically if they believed the costs of holding Bakhmut outweighed the benefits."
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said this week reinforcements have been sent to the city, but it's not clear what their role will be.
Bakhmut is considered valuable as a gateway to a swath of the Donbas region, and deadly battles have been fought around it for weeks. The Ukraine military, in its daily update Wednesday on battles in various regions, noted that in Bakhmut "the enemy continues to advance."
Rodnyansky, speaking on CNN International, said that Russian casualties have already surpassed any value taking the city would provide the invading forces, but that such losses appear inconsequential to the Kremlin.
“We’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing,” he said. He also said modern Western weaponry has begun arriving "late."
"That was the the whole tragedy about it," he said. "We could have started training our troops, preparing our troops, equipping them, sending them to Germany months ago in order to prepare. But now we’re facing this lag and Russia is trying to exploit that time lag for its own benefit.”
Still, Rodnyansky said, the tanks, ammunition, artillery systems and possibly even air power will help Ukraine in coming months.
"Our counteroffensives will be around the corner," he said. "Trust me, they will be very effective."
Finland may join NATO before Sweden after Parliament votes in favor
Finland's Parliament voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of joining NATO, putting the country on track to enter the alliance, possibly ahead of Sweden.
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries yet to approve the inclusion of the two Nordic nations, which requires unanimity. The holdout members are expected to support bringing in Finland, but Turkey objects to Sweden on grounds that it hasn't cracked down on what Ankara considers terrorists and on Kurdish separatists.
Finland and Sweden, both EU members, remained militarily unaligned for decades until Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted them to revise their stance. NATO leadership has intended to accept them together this year, but Finland -- which shares an 800-mile border with Russia -- may get there first.
Russian official says Kremlin, US discussing strategic offensive weapons
Russia and the United States are discussing strategic offensive weapons through closed channels, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday. But Ryabkov also told Russia's Interfax news agency "until the United States changes its behavior, until we see signs of common sense in what they are doing in relation to Ukraine, in Ukraine, we see no chance for the decision to suspend START to be reviewed or reexamined."
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty places verifiable limits on nuclear weapons. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for reaction to Ryabkov's comments.
Putin formally signed a law Tuesday suspending Russia's participation in parts of the New START. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will not resume participation in the treaty until there is a change in the "attitude of the collective West."
Battered tanks displayed in Baltics draw supporters of both sides of war
Burnt-out Russian tanks seized by Ukrainian forces are on display in the capitals of the Baltics, and most Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians are expressing support for the Ukrainians defending their homeland. But some of those visiting the tanks are members of the countries’ ethnic Russian minorities, and they placed flowers and lit candles to commemorate the fallen Russian soldiers and express support for Moscow.
In Estonia, Anatoly Yarkov, 78, showed up to see the tank in Tallinn. The Soviet army veteran said he feels bitter about Ukraine fighting Russia.
“Russian tanks are burning again like it happened during the war with the Nazis,” Yarkov said. “The Russian people always stood against the Nazis, no matter what flag they used. And I’m very sorry to see that the Ukrainians aren’t on our side today.”
Russia auditing its war spending
Russia's Federal Treasury said it is auditing spending for the Kremlin's "special military operation" in Ukraine to ensure money is being properly used for personal armor, communications equipment and fuel, treasury chief Roman Artyukhin said Wednesday. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, after meeting with Artyukhin, is to "ensure transparency in the allocation of funds for all needs, so that ... not a single ruble is spent inefficiently." Lawmakers in the U.S. also have called for reviews of spending on the war.
Contributing: The Associated Press
