Ukraine urges Israel for help, war ravages Mariupol
STORY: In his latest appeal for help from abroad, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday questioned reluctance by Israel to sell its Iron Dome missile defense system, which he referred to as the 'best'.
"We can ask many times why we aren't getting weapons from you, and why Israel hasn't imposed powerful sanctions on Russia, or isn't putting pressure on Russian businesses. But either way, the choice is yours to make, brothers and sisters, and you must then live with your answer."
But Zelenskiy also welcomed the mediation efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has held numerous calls with him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are thankful for that, for every effort, so that sooner or later we will start talking with Russia. Maybe in Jerusalem. That’s the right place to find peace, if that is possible."
And early on Monday, Ukraine continued to reject Russia's calls to surrender the port city of Mariupol, which has suffered some of the heaviest bombardments since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow calls it a 'special military operation'.
As the fierce fighting showed little sign of easing on Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Mariupol's residents were left besieged with little food, water and power.
The last EU diplomat to evacuate Mariupol, Greece's consul general, said the city was joining the ranks of places known for having been destroyed in wars.
"Coventry, Aleppo and Grozny, Leningrad."
Meanwhile, video released by Ukraine's State Emergency Service on Sunday night showed a large blast in the suburbs of the capital Kyiv.
Though Reuters was unable to verify the report, the material was geolocated to a district where Kyiv's mayor reported several explosions and at least one death.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left thousands of people dead, while more than three million have been left displaced.
The UN human rights office said more than 900 civilians had been killed as of Saturday, though the real toll was probably much higher.
Russia denies targeting civilians.
The crisis also has raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States.
