Austria’s chancellor Karl Nehammer said after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow that the Russian president is "in his own war logic" over Ukraine. He told NBC in an interview that he thinks Mr Putin believes he is winning the war.
The politician was the first European leader to meet the Russian leader in Moscow since since the invasion was launched on February 24. He said: "We have to look in his eyes and we have to confront him with that, what we see in Ukraine".
Before arriving in Moscow last Monday, Mr Nehammer had visited Bucha, Ukraine, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. The chancellor told Meet the Press that he confronted Mr Putin with what he had seen in Bucha, and "it was not a friendly conversation".
He said Mr Putin said "he will co-operate with an international investigation, on one hand, and on the other hand, he told me that he doesn’t trust the Western world. So this will be the problem now in the future".
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke on Saturday with the leaders of Britain and Sweden about how best to help those defending Mariupol and the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the besieged city. Mariupol’s fate can be decided either through battle or diplomacy, Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address to the nation.
"Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade. Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive," he said.
Russia’s bombardment of cities around Ukraine on Saturday included an explosion in Kharkiv that destroyed a community kitchen. Associated Press journalists at the scene recorded the immediate aftermath of the apparent missile attack. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 wounded by missile strikes on Saturday in that city alone.
The kitchen was set up by World Central Kitchen, which is run by celebrity chef Jose Andres to establish feeding systems in disaster and war zones. Mr Andres tweeted that the non-governmental organisation’s staff members were shaken but safe. The organisation says it has now reached 30 cities across the country, providing nearly 300,000 meals a day.
Mr Andres said the attack in Kharkiv shows that “to give food in the middle of a senseless war is an act of courage, resilience and resistance”, adding his group’s chefs will keep cooking for Ukraine.
President Zelensky, meanwhile, also used his speech to outline plans for rebuilding Ukrainian cities destroyed by warfare. He spoke in depth about a number of housing related issues including the provision of homes for veterans and the military and temporary accommodation for IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons).
"Today I held a meeting dedicated to the reconstruction of our cities," he said. "Of course, this is a huge amount of work. But still less than defending the state in war. Than that we all – all Ukrainians, our army and all our people – are already really doing. So don't be afraid of the scale.
"What is important in our project of reconstruction of Ukraine? The task is not only to physically rebuild the houses, apartments, bridges and roads, businesses and social infrastructure that were destroyed by Russian troops. Not just to give people back everything they lost and give them a new foundation in life.
"Last year, I set a task for the government – to do everything possible to provide all veterans, who were waiting in line, with housing this year. Next, we planned to provide all our military with housing. Today, I set a task to provide temporary housing to all our internally displaced persons (IDPs)."
Elsewhere, Russian forces have reportedly resumed scattered attacks on Kyiv and western Ukraine in a reminder to Ukrainians and their western supporters that the whole country remains under threat - despite Russia’s pivot towards a new offensive in the east. Stung by the loss of its Black Sea flagship and alleged Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, Russia’s military command warned a day earlier of renewed attacks on Ukraine’s capital and said it was targeting military sites.
Associated Press reporters, meanwhile, documented civilian deaths in strikes this week on the eastern city of Kharkiv, and each day brings new discoveries of civilian victims in a war that has shattered European security. In the Kyiv region alone, Ukrainian authorities have reported finding the bodies of more than 900 civilians, mostly shot dead, in towns such as Bucha after Russian troops retreated two weeks ago.
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