US to host Ukraine defense talks in Germany | Ukraine latest

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host allies at Ramstein Air Base to discuss Ukraine's security needs. Meanwhile, Moscow's top diplomat said NATO is engaged in a "proxy war" with Russia.

Ukraine has urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol. Guterres is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. The UN chief "should focus primarily on one issue, evacuation of Mariupol," Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview. "This is really something that the UN is capable of doing. And if he demonstrates political will, character, and integrity, I hope that will allow us to make one step forward," he said. Russian forces have surrounded fighters in the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Azovstal steel plant, but an estimated 100,000 civilians are also trapped in the city. Kuleba also said he was concerned Guterres could fall into a Kremlin "trap." He cited trips to the Russian capital by foreign officials ahead of the invasion on February 24 as evidence of the Kremlin dictating diplomacy. On Thursday, Guterres is expected to head to Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Kuleba.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called Ukrainians to think of how to make "the presence of occupiers at our land even more unbearable." In his nightly address, Zelenskyy predicted Russia would lose the war, but said it would require sacrifice. "Every day of the fight will add years and years to the peaceful life after this war, after our victory," Zelenskyy said. He was aware the Ukrainians wanted to know "when it all be over," but said "there is no simple answer to that at this time."

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