A senior U.S. defense official says the Russian convoy still appears to be stalled outside the city center of Kyiv and has made no real progress in the last couple of days.
The official on Wednesday said the convoy is plagued with fuel and food shortages and logistical problems, as well as facing continued fierce resistance from Ukrainians. Some Russian soldiers have also reportedly been sabotaging their equipment and deserting.
He said there has been an increase in the number of missiles and artillery targeting the city, suggesting the Russian commanders are trying to make a more aggressive move to try and take the city.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, said Russians have not been able to achieve air superiority and Ukrainian air defenses remain operable and their aircraft continue to fly.
The official said that about 82% of the Russian troops that had been arrayed around Ukraine are now inside the country — just a slight uptick over the last 24 hours and that Russia has launched more than 450 missiles at various targets in the country.
In other areas of the country, the U.S. official said that the U.S. is seeing preliminary indications that Russian forces are going to try to move south towards Mariupol from Donetsk, in what appears to be an effort to encircle the city.
The White House has announced additional sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus, including extending export controls that target Russian oil refining and entities supporting the Russian and Belarusian militaries.
Among Wednesday’s new measures are sanctions targeting 22 Russian defense entities that make combat aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia’s military.
The U.S. Commerce Department also announced additional export controls on oil and gas extraction equipment that would hurt Russia’s refining capacity over the long term.
The Biden administration, and Western allies, have been criticized for largely staying away from hitting the Russian energy sector, which sells $70 million a day to the United States alone. The White House, however, said in a statement that U.S. and allies “share a strong interest in degrading Russia’s status as a leading energy supplier over time.”
The latest sanctions imposed on Wednesday include the U.S. closing off its air space to all Russian flights. President Joe Biden previewed that he would make the move in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.
A top aide for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said Ukrainians are on their way to Belarus for more peace talks that have been scheduled for Thursday.
“As far as I know, the Ukrainian delegation has already departed from Kyiv, is en route … We’re expecting them tomorrow,” Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, told reporters Wednesday evening
According to Medinsky, the two sides agreed on the Brest region of Belarus, which borders Poland, as the site of the talks.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that the delegation is on its way, but gave no details on the time of the arrival.
The spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry said 498 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine and 1,597 more sustained wounds in the fighting so far.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that number is greater than 6,000 and includes scores of Russian equipment, tanks, trucks, and aircraft.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday rejected reports about these “incalculable losses” of the Russians as “disinformation.” It was the first time Russia has addressed the number of military casualties in Ukraine since the start of the invasion last Thursday. He assured that the families of those killed are receiving all necessary assistance.
Konashenkov also said that neither conscripts nor cadets have been involved in the operation in Ukraine, dismissing media reports and viral videos that show otherwise.
The Associated Press contributed to this article