Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist (L) delivers remarks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (2nd-R) at the Pentagon on May 18, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. Secretary Austin is meeting with his Swedish counterpart after Sweden and Finland submitted their request to join the NATO alliance in the wake of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
KYIV, Ukraine 鈥斅燯S President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Finland and Sweden on Thursday to discuss their NATO membership bids, while Ukraine said no military option was left to rescue the soldiers still inside a steel plant besieged by Russian forces.
Moscow鈥檚 troops have been accused of widespread atrocities against civilians during their devastating campaign, and Ukraine began its first war crimes trial of the conflict on Wednesday with a Russian soldier pleading guilty.
The brutality of the invasion that began on February 24 shook Sweden and Finland, and the neighbors 鈥� after decades of military non-alignment 鈥� decided to seek NATO membership despite warnings from the Kremlin.
鈥淚 warmly welcome and strongly support the historic applications from Finland and Sweden for membership in NATO,鈥� Biden said in a statement Wednesday, offering US support against any 鈥渁ggression鈥� while their bids are considered.
Biden will meet President Sauli Niinisto of Finland and Sweden鈥檚 Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Washington on Thursday for consultations.
Their bids face stiff resistance from NATO member Turkey, which accuses the two nations of harboring anti-Turkish extremists.
But Western allies remain optimistic they can overcome Ankara鈥檚 objections.
In an effort to lower the diplomatic heat, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkey鈥檚 Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the United Nations, who called the face-to-face discussion 鈥渆xtremely positive鈥�.
Applications for entry into the alliance require the approval of all members.
For now, several including Britain have offered security guarantees to Finland and Sweden to guard against any Russian aggression.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said these applications would not have been expected recently 鈥渂ut Putin鈥檚 appalling ambitions have transformed the geopolitical contours of our continent鈥�.
鈥楥atastrophic mistakes鈥�
On the ground, in the ruined port city of Mariupol, more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers including senior commanders remained inside the besieged Azovstal steel plant, a pro-Russian separatist leader said.
Moscow said 959 of the troops had surrendered this week.
Ukraine鈥檚 defense ministry pledged to do 鈥渆verything necessary鈥� to rescue those still in the sprawling plant鈥檚 tunnels but admitted there was no military option available.
Those who have left the heavily shelled plant were taken into Russian captivity, including 80 who were seriously wounded, Russia鈥檚 defence ministry said.
The defense ministry in Kyiv said it was hoping for an 鈥渆xchange procedure鈥� to repatriate these Ukrainian heroes as quickly as possible鈥�.
But their fate was unclear, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refusing to say whether they would be treated as criminals or prisoners of war.
Mariupol has been devastated by Russian attacks, and a US official alleged Moscow鈥檚 forces of committing atrocities in the city.
鈥淪ome Russian officials recognize that despite claiming to be 鈥榣iberators鈥� of鈥� Mariupol, Russian forces are carrying out grievous abuses鈥� including beating and electrocuting city officials,鈥� the official said.
Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelensky hit out at Moscow in his nightly address to the nation, calling the invasion an 鈥渁bsolute failure鈥�.
鈥淭hey are afraid to acknowledge that catastrophic mistakes were made at the highest military and state level,鈥� Zelensky said.
Despite their last-ditch resistance in places such as Mariupol and the successful defense of Kyiv, Ukrainian forces are retreating across swathes of the eastern front.
The losses often come after weeks of battles over towns and small cities that get pulverized by the time the Russians surround them in a slow-moving wave.
鈥淚 tell everyone that there is no reason to worry when the banging is from outgoing fire,鈥� Volodymyr Netymenko said as he packed up his sister鈥檚 belongings before evacuating her from the burning village of Sydorove in eastern Ukraine.
鈥淏ut when it is incoming, it is time to run. And things have been flying at us pretty hard for the past two or three days.鈥�
In the Russian region of Kursk, one person died and others were injured in an attack on a village on the border with Ukraine, the local governor said Thursday.
鈥淎nother enemy attack on Tyotkino, which took place at dawn unfortunately ended in tragedy,鈥� Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram.
Authorities in Russian border regions have repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of launching attacks.
鈥楥lear signal鈥� on war crimes
The conflict has sparked a massive exodus of more than six million Ukrainians, many bearing accounts of torture, sexual violence and indiscriminate destruction.
Ukraine鈥檚 first trial for war crimes 鈥� expected to be the first of many linked to the Russian invasion 鈥� began in a cramped Kyiv courtroom on Wednesday.
Vadim Shishimarin, a shaven-headed Russian sergeant from Irkutsk in Siberia, pleaded guilty to a war crime and faces a life sentence.
Shishimarin admitted to shooting dead an unarmed 62-year-old man in Ukraine鈥檚 Sumy region four days into the invasion.
鈥淏y this first trial, we are sending a clear signal that every perpetrator, every person who ordered or assisted in the commission of crimes in Ukraine shall not avoid responsibility,鈥� prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said.
Russia鈥檚 government has no information on the soldier, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said, adding that many such cases reported by Ukraine are 鈥渟imply fake or staged鈥�.
The International Criminal Court is deploying its largest-ever field team to Ukraine, with 42 investigators, forensic experts and support staff to gather evidence of alleged war crimes.
Global food crisis
In another step affirming US support for Ukraine, the American embassy in Kyiv reopened on Wednesday after three months.
The Kremlin meanwhile intensified a tit-for-tat round of diplomatic expulsions against European countries, ordering dozens of personnel from France, Italy and Spain to leave.
The Russian invasion has blown a hole in Ukraine鈥檚 finances, as tax revenue has dropped sharply, leaving it with a shortfall of around $5 billion a month.
Finance ministers from G7 nations will meet in Germany on Thursday to try and find a solution for Kyiv鈥檚 budget troubles.
The conflict鈥檚 economic impact has cascaded across the world, fueling a global food crisis that has pushed up prices, especially in developing nations.
Russia and Ukraine produce 30 percent of the global wheat supply.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the conflict 鈥渢hreatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity鈥�.
鈥淢alnutrition, mass hunger and famine鈥� could follow 鈥渋n a crisis that could last for years,鈥� Guterres warned as he and others urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain exports.
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