Ukraine war: Biden vows Putin will ‘pay a price’, underscores support for Ukrainian in phone talks

U.S. President Joe Biden has warned that if Russia is not made to “pay a price” for the invasion, the aggression will not stop with one country.

Biden also announced that the US is banning Russian flights from its airspace following similar moves by the European Union and Canada in his State of the Union address on early morning Wednesday CET.

Meanwhile, Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine, unleashing a campaign of violence in urban areas as its forces closed in on the main cities. The long military convoy outside Kyiv continues to advance slowly on the capital.

Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv saw more civilian casualties as Russian forces intensified their bombardment, hitting residential areas.

Russia says it plans to target key security infrastructure in the capital, warning residents to flee. Moscow has denied targeting civilian areas, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

On Tuesday US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone.

The White House said that during the 30-minute conversation, “President Biden underscored the United States’ sustained help for Ukraine, including ongoing deliveries of security assistance, economic support, and humanitarian aid.”

Zelinsky wrote on his Twitter account after the talks that they discussed sanctions on Russia and defense assistance to Ukraine.

He added, “We must stop the aggressor as soon as possible.”

Zelinsky gave an interview to Reuters news agency in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Tuesday.

He said during the interview that Russia should “at least stop bombing people, just stop the bombing and then sit down at the negotiating table.”

Zelinsky called for support from the West, saying that if Ukraine falls, Russian troops “will be on the borders of your NATO member countries … and you will be facing the same question there.”

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Tuesday that 150,000 people fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in less than 24 hours, totaling 677,000 in the past six days.

Grandi said around half had fled to Poland, while about 90,000 went to Hungary, 60,000 to Moldova, 50,000 to Slovakia, and 40,000 to Romania.

He warned, “We are looking at what could become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century.”

The UN refugee agency is calling on nearby countries to keep their borders open and accept those who have been displaced.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice said on Tuesday that it will hold public hearings on March 7 and 8 over the case brought by Ukraine against Russia.

The UN court in The Hague, the Netherlands, says the hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Ukraine.

Ukraine has filed an application at the court, saying Russia has no lawful basis to take military action.

LENS with Reuters, AFP, AP