Apple and Major League Baseball on Tuesday announced that Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and post-game shows, will be available exclusively on Apple TV+ — whenever the regular season begins, that is. Additionally, fans in the U.S. will be treated to MLB Big Inning, a live show featuring highlights and interviews airing every weeknight during the regular season. Subscribers in North America will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games and more, as well as a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content…
Netflix has renewed Mindy Kaling‘s coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever for a fourth and final season, according to Deadline. The series, which follows the life of an Indian American teen, stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez and Ramona Young, with narration from John McEnroe. Season three, which just wrapped production, will launch this summer. Production on season four will reportedly kick off in the coming months and launch sometime in 2023…
More Love Is Blind is also coming to Netflix. Season three of the reality series, which was produced back-to-back with season two, is already in the can and took place in Dallas, according to Variety. The show brings together 30 singles who are looking for love — but there’s a catch: the singles won’t be able to see what the other person looks like until they get engaged. If any couples form a connection, they’ll agree to spend four weeks together in Mexico and then tie the knot. Season three will likely air next year…
Travis Scott is not just talking the talk, he’s walking the walk.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday — four months after the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 dead — the rapper announced the launch of Project HEAL, a “multi-tier, long-term series of community-focused philanthropy and investment efforts.”
“Over the past few months I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” Travis began the announcement. “Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change.”
“This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family,” added Travis, who has two children — four-year-old daughter Stormi Webster and one-month-old son Wolf Webster — with Kylie Jenner.
Travis went on to state that “as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need” and explain that he and his team “created Project HEAL to take much needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be. I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.”
“Giving back and creating opportunities for the youth is something I’ve always done and will continue to do as long as I have the chance. This program will be a catalyst to real change and I can’t wait to introduce the rest of the technology and ideas we’ve been working on. See you all so soon,” he concluded.
The new multi-tier initiative will work in tandem with Travis’ Cactus Jack Foundation and includes a $1 million pledge to college seniors through the Waymon Webster HBCU Scholarship Fund. Other initiatives include making mental health resources more available, as well as the expansion of Houston’s CACT.US Youth Design Center.
(NEW YORK) — More and more American companies are suspending their businesses in Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Pepsi became the latest corporations to add their names to the list.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people,” McDonald’s chief executive officer, Chris Kempczinski, said in a statement. “As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace.”
The fast food chain, which employs 62,000 people in Russia, said it would be temporarily closing its restaurants and pausing operations in Russia. However, it will continue to pay salaries for all its employees in Russia.
Kempczinski said it is impossible to predict when the company will be reopening its restaurants.
“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation,” he said.
Starbucks, in announcing it will immediately be suspending all its operations in Russia, condemned the “horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia.”
“We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products,” the company’s chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement.
The company said its licensed partner agreed to immediately pause store operations and provide support for its nearly 2,000 workers.
Beverage giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi also announced they were ceasing operations in Russia.
“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” the Coca-Cola Company said in a press release. “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve.”
Pepsi, which has been operating in Russia for more than 60 years, “must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business,” CEO Ramon Laguarta wrote in a letter to PepsiCo associates.
“Our first priority continues to be the safety and security of our fellow Ukrainian associates,” Laguarta said. “We suspended operations in Ukraine to enable our associates to seek safety for themselves and their families, and our dedicated crisis teams in the sector and region continue to closely monitor developments in real time.”
Pepsi will also continue to provide aid to assist Ukrainians refugees in neighboring countries, including donating milk and refrigerators to relief organizations, and “we’re ramping up production of foods and beverages in neighboring countries to meet the increased need,” Laguarta said.
(NEW YORK) — Sitting in his living room at home in the U.S., Maurice “Mo” Creek holds his mother’s hand days after escaping Ukraine as she holds back tears.
“I still sit here and I cry every day,” Pammy Morgan told ABC News. “Maurice was over there and it was not looking good. It was sickening. I mean, I’ve lost like 10 pounds. We couldn’t sleep. We couldn’t eat — phone’s ringing off the hook.”
Creek, who played for the University of Indiana and George Washington University, spent last Saturday and Sunday in and out of a bomb shelter in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. He said he then traveled 130 miles to Odessa on Monday before arriving at the Moldovan border, where he spent nine hours in the immigration line.
By Tuesday, Creek was in Iasi, a city in eastern Romania, miles away from the madness with plans of catching the first flight to the United States. He was reunited with his family last Thursday.
“When he made it here, it was a breath of fresh air. I knew he was safe” his mom said.
“The thing that kept me together was my spiritual glue,” Morgan said. “I had to keep it strong for him and I was telling people please pray, fast pray. You know, I know media doesn’t like to hear that a lot. I didn’t care. I needed my son home.”
Creek, who moved to Mykolaiv in December to play basketball for MBC Mykolaiv, a professional basketball team in Ukraine, said he is grateful that he got to escape. However, he still thinks about his teammates and friends who remain at war.
“I just pray for them every day and their families,” Creek told ABC News. “Because when I saw them for the last time, I shedded some tears because it’s like not only will I maybe not ever see you again on the basketball level. I may not never see you on the livelihood level because of what’s going on right now.”
While in Ukraine, Creek said what he saw reminded him of the popular military combat video game, Call of Duty. Hearing sirens, seeing pilot jets dart above his head, and having to stay at a bomb shelter himself, Creek said being terrified was an understatement.
“You start really feeling the actual effects of the war. Like, I was getting jets going across my building, then I have to go to the bomb shelter and I look on social media, you see one jet hit one lady’s house like with a bomb like you know, with a missile,” Creek said. “And it’s like, dude, I’m not sleeping today. I’m not doing that. I’m paranoid, terrified.”
But Creek said that wasn’t the scariest part of being an American trapped in Ukraine. He said he was scared every night since the city was pitch black due to Marshall law.
“The scariest moments for me that I felt was when it hit at nighttime and it’s no light; it is no lights,” he said. “I’m talking about it looked like if you had a plug, and you could plug every light to the city like somebody just took the plug out and the whole city was black.”
“So now you can’t feel nothing and you can’t see nothing. I’m like, ‘Yo, I can’t even see if a Russian is coming up in my building trying to shoot,'” he said
“Because they have night vision,” his mom said.
“Exactly,” he echoed. “They are going to see everything and you ain’t going to see them because they have dark suits on because they are trying to figure out where are the Ukrainians and shoot them and Ukrainians are trying to do that back.”
Creek said what got him through his time in Ukraine was the phone calls, emails, texts, social media outreach and most importantly, the prayers from people. Creek said his biggest advice for anyone who is currently stuck in Ukraine and is losing hope as he once felt, is to keep your hope alive.
“Don’t lose faith and keep hope,” said Creek. “My motto is strive or starve. You either strive and do what you need to do or you are going to starve by not doing what you need to do, but always keep hope, anything is possible at the end of the day.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Since then, more than two million refugees have fled the country, including more than 1.2 million children, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. About half of those who have fled the country have gone to bordering Poland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the U.K. Parliament Tuesday that his country will not give up the fight.
“We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs. We will fight in the fields, in the seas, in the streets. We will fight on the banks of different rivers,” Zelenskyy said.
(NEW YORK) — A police retired officer who was acquitted last month for shooting and killing a fellow moviegoer who threw popcorn in his face during an argument said he stands by his actions, saying he was defending himself.
Curtis Reeves, 79, told ABC News’ Nightline that he wished the fatal fight between him and Chad Oulson didn’t happen and he feels sadness for the 43-year-old’s family. However, the former SWAT captain contended he had no choice but to use deadly force in what he called “a vicious attack.”
“I wish that none of this would have happened at all, but I don’t feel like an instigator,” Reeves told ABC News.
Reeves and his wife, Vivian, and Oulson and his wife, Nicole, had attended a showing of Lone Survivor at the Cobb Theater near Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 13, 2014.
Oulson was checking text messages from his 22-month-old daughter’s daycare during previews, according to investigators.
Reeves said he was bothered by Oulson’s phone and asked him to turn it off, which led to an argument. Reeves left the theater to alert a manager, but the argument escalated when he returned to his seat.
Surveillance footage showed Oulson throwing popcorn at Reeves’ face, and then the former SWAT captain took out a .380 semi-automatic handgun and opened fire. Oulson was killed, and his wife was shot in a finger as she had her hand on her husband’s chest to hold him back during the confrontation.
Nicole Oulson told ABC News shortly after the 2014 shooting that her husband did not threaten Reeves before the gun was drawn.
“It was a couple of words. No threats. No harm. No nothing,” Nicole Oulson said.
Reeves told ABC News he was unaware that popcorn had hit him until after he opened fire.
“What was in my mind was he was either trying to hit me or he was trying to come over the seat,” he said.
Reeves was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He was held under house arrest as his case made its way through criminal court.
Reeves tried to use Florida’s “stand your ground” law as his defense, but a judge denied his request in 2017.
The case went to trial earlier this year, and a jury acquitted Reeves on his charges on Feb. 25. Even without the “stand your ground” defense, Reeves’ attorneys successfully argued self-defense. They emphasized that an attack on someone over 65 is considered a felony in Florida and argued that Reeves actions were a “justifiable use of force.”
After the verdict, Nicole Oulson said in a statement to ABC News that the jury “got it wrong.”
“I want everyone to know that even though they tried to make Chad out to be a monster and the aggressor, he was an amazing man, husband, son, brother, friend and father,” she said.
“I will not just accept this result lying down,” Nicole Oulson said. “Chad may be gone, but he will never be forgotten, and I will use my voice to try and make sure no one has to experience what myself and my family had to go through.”
Reeves said he hasn’t had contact with the Oulson family but said he feels the same sadness for them as he does his own family. However, he said Oulson could have prevented the incident.
“It was something that was, I had no control over. He’s the only one that could have kept it from happening,” he said. “Certainly none of us, and I’m sure on both sides of the families, none of us wish it had happened like it did.”
(NEW YORK) — Officials in every U.S. state and jurisdiction have now ended, or announced an end, to their indoor universal masking requirements.
Over the last month, states from coast to coast have moved to end mask mandates as coronavirus cases have plummeted. By the end of March, there will be no more statewide or school mask mandates in effect.
Although some districts may opt to still mandate mask use, many schools have already decided to drop the requirement.
On Tuesday, Hawaii, the nation’s lone indoor mask holdout, became the last state to end its universal mask mandate, effective March 25 at 11:59 p.m.
“We’re committed to moving the state forward and learning to live with COVID,” Gov. David Ige said during a press conference.
Although the Hawaii Department of Education wrote in a press release that face coverings will still be required indoors in Hawaii schools, State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble later clarified in a press conference that the department’s recommendations are “guidance” for schools to take into consideration, as they create their own policies and requirements.
Officials in Washington, D.C., also announced on Tuesday that they are recommending that most people no longer wear masks indoors or outdoors at educational facilities, unless COVID-19 community levels are high.
If COVID-19 community levels are medium, people who are immunocompromised or at higher risk for severe COVID-19 are encouraged to wear a mask, or respirator, indoors, the new guidance states.
However, for many students, the change will not go into effect immediately, as D.C. public school officials said on Tuesday that they are still considering next steps.
“For the immediate future, masks are still required indoors at all DC Public Schools for students, staff, and visitors. We will engage our union partners on next steps and continue to communicate with the DCPS community about any decisions that are made,” Lewis Ferebee, chancellor of D.C. public schools, wrote in a tweet following the announcement.
The moves came shortly after Puerto Rico announced that it too would drop its universal requirement on Monday.
In addition, on March 11, Oregon and Washington will end their universal and school mask mandates, while California will also drop its school mask requirement.
The mass ending of mask requirements comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for mask use and unveiled their new plan for determining COVID-19 risk in communities.
Under the new risk levels, approximately 90% of the U.S. population now lives in areas deemed to have low or medium threats to their local hospitals, and thus can stop wearing masks.
“Americans in most of the country can now be mask-free,” White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said in a briefing on the plan last week.
Many health officials have cautioned, however, that should there be a viral resurgence, mask requirements may have to return.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, don’t appear to have advanced closer to the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 08, 6:27 pm
Zelenskyy ‘personally grateful’ to Biden, Ukrainian president says in new address
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked President Joe Biden for additional sanctions taken against Russia on Tuesday, saying they will “significantly weaken the occupiers.”
The new measures include a ban on imports of oil, petroleum products, gas and coal from Russia. U.S. citizens are also now prohibited from investing in Russia’s fuel and energy sector.
“A ban on oil imports to the United States will weaken the terrorist state economically, politically and ideologically, because it is about freedom — about the future, about where the world will move,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he is “personally grateful” to Biden.
Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson for instating a similar ban, describing Johnson as “a man of his word, a sincere friend of Ukraine.”
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 5:32 pm
US could tighten sanctions against Russia even more, experts say
Even with a series of harsh measures already taken on Russia, including a ban on Russian imports, the sanctioning of Russia’s central bank and the enactment of export controls, the U.S. could enact even tighter sanctions, several experts told ABC News.
The U.S. could push other countries to make commitments to decrease their reliance on Russian energy — which it and the U.K. are already beginning to do — and to increase their own production of oil and gas to lower the high energy prices Americans and Europeans are starting to face — and it could also get Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and others to increase their exports.
Other current sanctions the U.S. could tighten include imposing “full-blocking” sanctions, the harshest possible financial sanctions, on Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank. The U.S. has already done this for several other banks but has only put limited restrictions on Sberbank in order to limit the impact on the ordinary Russians who use the bank.
The U.S. could also put additional secondary sanctions on banks, put more restrictions on Russian goods, keep pursuing oligarchs and other Russian elites and sanction other Russian sectors such as minerals, chemicals, and coal.
The sanctions the West has already imposed have devastated the Russian economy at a rapid clip. They will continue to compound and inflict more pain on the Russian economy as they continue to play out, the experts said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Mar 08, 4:41 pm
Coca-Cola, Pepsi become latest brands to cease operations in Russia
The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have suspended business in Russia, the companies announced Tuesday.
“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” the release states. “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve.”
Pepsi, which has ben operating in Russia for more than 60 years, “must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business,” CEO Ramon Laguarta wrote in a letter to PepsiCo associates.
“Our first priority continues to be the safety and security of our fellow Ukrainian associates,” Laguarta said. “We suspended operations in Ukraine to enable our associates to seek safety for themselves and their families, and our dedicated crisis teams in the sector and region continue to closely monitor developments in real time.”
Pepsi will also continue to provide aid to assist Ukrainians refugees in neighboring countries, including donating milk and refrigerators to relief organizations, and we’re ramping up production of foods and beverages in neighboring countries to meet the increased need, Laguarta said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Mar 08, 4:11 pm
Americans won’t be asked to stay home to cut down on gas usage, White House says
The White House is not engaging in speculation about how high crude oil prices will spike but said Americans will not be asked to stay home to cut down on gas usage.
“We’re neither going to make a prediction, or – nor are we going to tell Americans to stay home,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
Some House Democrats, such Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Tuesday morning, have suggested that asking the federal government and private business to encourage working from home would ease the demand for fuel and help keep prices stable.
But Psaki dismissed the suggestion of ramping up work from home, as the administration has been working to move into the “endemic” phase of COVID-19, returning to more normalcy.
Upon arriving to Texas Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden told reporters that there’s little he can do about the soaring gas prices, blaming Russia for sparking the crisis.
“They’re gonna go up,” Biden said about gas prices after arriving in Fort Worth. “Can’t do much right now. Russia’s responsible.”
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Mar 08, 3:58 pm
Russian forces 95% intact on Day 13 of invasion: US official
Despite losing troops, ground vehicles and aircraft in the fighting, Russia’s invading forces remain roughly 95% intact, a senior U.S. defense official said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Ukrainian resistance efforts are continuing to slow down Russian forces, particularly in the north, where they have not moved any closer to Kyiv’s city center since yesterday, the official said. Fighting and resistance against the Russian advance on Chernihiv and Kharkiv have been reported as well, the official said.
Russian air and missile attacks are increasing as the ground effort has been frustrated, and bombardment of the capital continues, he added. Much of the airspace of Ukraine, in the north and south, is under some umbrella of “Russian surface-to-air missile capability,” the official said.
“We still have every reason to assess that their effort is to encircle and force the surrender of Kyiv,” the official said.
In the south, Russians advancing to the northwest out of Crimea are about 25 miles out of Mykolayiv, the official said. Russian forces have isolated the city of Mariupol and continue to bombard it, he added.
In addition, Ukraine’s military is struggling to overcome shortages of fuel and food, he said.
The deconfliction line set up last Tuesday about has been used by the U.S. and Russia about a dozen times now, but so far only for test calls to make sure “somebody’s picking up on the other end.”
-ABC News’ Mattew Seyler
Mar 08, 3:35 pm
Officials ‘deeply concerned’ about staff and potential nuclear risks at Chernobyl
The safety of the hundreds of staff who are still on duty at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is becoming more precarious, according to multiple agencies.
About 210 personnel have on duty since Feb. 24, the day before Russian military forces entered the disaster site, and have not rotated out, according to the agency.
Nuclear material and facilities demand continuous coverage, which requires employees to operate on a rotation, fixed, or modified shifts, according to a publication from the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many psychological and physiological impacts that can affect work performance, safety, and security without an organization, the material states.
Today, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine told the IAEA that it is becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the site to replace the current personnel.
While the staff has access to food, water and medicine to a limited extent, the situation is worsening, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the IAEA.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there,” Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in a statement Tuesday.
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator also asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan for replacing the current team, which will include pausing the handling of nuclear material at the site, which includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 3:29 pm
Starbucks suspends operations in Russia ‘immediately’
Starbucks announced Tuesday it will immediately suspend all its operations in Russia, condemning the “horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia.”
“We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products,” the company’s chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement.
The company said its licensed partner agreed to immediately pause store operations and provide support for its nearly 2,000 workers.
“Through this dynamic situation, we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency,” Johnson said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 3:10 pm
McDonald’s to temporarily close restaurants, pause operations in Russia
McDonald’s announced Tuesday it is temporarily closing its restaurants and pausing operations in Russia, as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace,” the company’s chief executive officer, Chris Kempczinski, said in a statement.
McDonald’s employs 62,000 people in Russia, operating in 850 communities, the company said. It will continue paying salaries for all its employees in Russia.
“Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine,” said Kempczinski.
Kempczinski said it is impossible to predict when the company will be reopening its restaurants.
“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation,” Kempczinski said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 2:51 pm
Poland announces it is ‘ready’ to handover all its MIG-19 fighter jets
The Polish government announced Tuesday it is ready to immediately handover all its MIG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. and deploy them at the Rammstein Air Base in Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the West and NATO to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Poland, in a statement, said it is ready to provide the MIGs free of charge and asked the U.S. to backfill them with used aircrafts with “corresponding capabilities.”
“The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein,” Poland said in a statement.
A senior U.S. defense official said “we have seen the Polish government’s announcement and have nothing to offer at this time.”
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou and Luis Martinez
Mar 08, 2:06 pm
Ukrainian intelligence claims Russian general has been killed in fighting near Kharkiv
Ukrainian intelligence claimed Tuesday that a Russian general was killed in fighting near the eastern city of Kharkiv. If confirmed, this would be the second general Russia has lost in Ukraine in a week, according to reports from Russian media last week.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency identified the general as Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency also published audio of an alleged intercepted phone call between two officers from Russia’s FSB intelligence agency discussing Gerasimov’s death.
Russia has not confirmed or denied the death.
The executive director of the open source group Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, said he had confirmed Gerasimov’s death with a Russian source. Grosev said Bellingcat had also identified the FSB officer in the alleged recording.
Last week, the 41st Army’s deputy commander, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, was confirmed by Russian media to have been killed.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 08, 1:37 pm
Zelenskyy asks UK parliament to increase pressure of sanctions, make Ukrainian skies safe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.K.’s parliament Tuesday, asking it to increase the pressure of sanctions and “make our Ukrainian skies safe.”
Zelenskyy has been asking NATO and the West to enforce a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine, but the U.S. and its allies have declined the request.
The Ukrainian president was greeted with rousing applause from members of the House, who stood before he spoke.
In his speech, Zelenskyy quoted Shakespeare, saying, “We have to be or not to be. This is a Shakespearean question. Not that I have the answer, but…Yes it is to be.”
He also paraphrased the words of Winston Churchill.
“We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs. We will fight in the fields, in the seas, in the streets. We will fight on the banks of different rivers,” Zelenskyy said.
“We do not want to lose what we have,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Matt Gutman
Mar 08, 12:29 pm
European Commission releases proposal to make EU independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030
The European Commission on Tuesday released its proposed plan to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030, starting with gas.
The plan “will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gases and replace gas in heating and power generation,” according to the European Commission.
This plan could reduce the EU’s demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, according to the European Commission.
“We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
Von der Leyen said she would be discussing the Commission’s proposal with European leaders in Versailles later this week.
“Putin’s war demonstrates the urgency of accelerating our clean energy transition,” the European Commission wrote on Twitter.
Just before the invasion of Ukraine, the EU reported wholesale gas prices were around 200% higher than a year ago. The invasion aggravated the energy crisis even further.
The EU said it is reliant on imports of fossil fuels— gas, oil and coal— to meet its needs.
Last year, Russia provided around 45% of the EU’s total gas imports, 27% of the EU’s total crude oil imports and 46% of the EU’s hard coal imports, according to the European Commission.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 11:57 am
US announces ban on Russian oil imports, other energy products
The United States will ban imports of Russian oil and other energy products but will not be joined in doing so by European allies, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.
“Today, I’m announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy,” Biden told reporters during a press conference from the White House. “We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy.”
Biden said the ban means the U.S. “will deal another powerful blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The move is also expected to trigger sharply higher gasoline and other energy prices in the U.S. and worldwide.
“There will be cost as well here in the United States,” he added. “Republicans and Democrats understand, alike, understand that.”
The decision was made in “close consultation” with U.S. allies and partners around the world, particularly in Europe, according to Biden.
“Because a united response to Putin’s aggression has been my overriding focus, to keep all NATO and all the EU and our allies totally united,” he said. “We’re moving forward, understanding that many of our European allies and partner may not be in a position to join us.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Molly Nagle
Mar 08, 11:52 am
UK to phase out Russian oil by end of 2022
The United Kingdom will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year, as part of its sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, U.K. Buiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced Tuesday.
“Beyond Russia, the vast majority of our imports come from reliable partners such as the US, Netherlands and the Gulf. We’ll work with them this year to secure further supplies,” Kwarteng said on his official Twitter account.
Kwarteng noted that while the U.K. “is not dependent” on Russian natural gas, as it only makes up 4% of the U.K’s supply, he is exploring options to “end this altogether.”
“The market has already begun to ostracise Russian oil, with nearly 70% of it currently unable to find a buyer,” he added.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Mar 08, 11:31 am
Ukrainian morning show host speaks to ABC News from bomb shelter
Yegor Gordeev, host of the Ukrainian television morning show Breaking with 1+1, said he and his coworkers have had to evacuate the studio during broadcast several times as air raid sirens ring out across Kyiv.
“I’m not in studio, I’m in bomb shelter,” Gordeev told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
“In Ukraine, we have no shows now, we have no TV channels now, we have only one big broadcast for controlled information to audience, for communication with audience for everything,” he added.
It was a bloody day in the Ukrainian capital, according to Gordeev. He said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian aircraft in the center of Kyiv early Tuesday morning, while a Russian rocket destroyed the city’s largest bakery, killing 30 people.
Gordeev said he hopes for peace in his home country but he’s “not sure.”
“In 21st century, it’s barbarian war,” he said in disbelief. “Putin is unstoppable.”
Mar 08, 10:21 am
Russian Defense Ministry claims Kyiv is ‘against’ evacuation of Ukrainians to Russia
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that Ukrainian authorities are “categorically against” evacuating residents of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol to Russia.
“The authorities in Kyiv are continuing to categorically reject all main routes of evacuation from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol to the territory of the Russian Federation,” Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said at a briefing.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the Ukrainians only confirmed one of the 10 evacuation routes Russia proposed. The confirmed route is from the city of Sumy, through Poltava and to the border with Poland, Mizintsev said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed more than 2.5 million Ukrainians asked to be evacuated to Russia.
“Following the past day, 2,541,367 appeals from individual Ukrainian citizens, as well as foreigners made via various communication channels requesting to save and evacuate them from 1,917 settlements in Ukraine have already been processed in our database,” Mizintsev said.
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed checkpoints in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania “were virtually ill prepared” to receive Ukrainian refugees.
“People are forced to leave their cars and walk on foot carrying their heavy bags. Lines are up to 40 kilometers long, and the crossing time is over two days,” Mizintsev said.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 9:02 am
US says Russia seems to be observing cease-fire but unclear for how long
While the United States welcomes Russia’s declaration of a temporary cease-fire in several besieged areas of Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday it remains unclear exactly how long Russian forces will hold fire.
“We think this is obviously a welcome step that the cease-fire seems to be being observed by the Russians. They don’t exactly have a good track record in that regard. So it’s welcome to see people are able to get out,” Kirby told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“But,” Kirby added, “that cease-fire’s going to expire in a number of hours and so it’s yet to be seen how much more violent the shelling and the bombardments are going to get.”
While Ukraine has continued to call on NATO to establish a no-fly zone over the country — something Washington has already ruled out — along with more help from the U.S., Kirby said there are other steps being taken.
“We are accelerating and expediting the shipment of arms and materiel to Ukraine. In fact, another shipments arrived in eastern Europe just overnight and they will be sent in to Ukraine in the coming hours and days, and there’s more coming,” Kirby said. “And it’s not just the United States. Fourteen other nations are also providing security assistance to Ukraine to help them fight.”
But on the potential of the U.S. replacing Polish fighter jets, should Poland send theirs to Ukraine, Kirby said it was a “possibility” but was non-committal.
“We’re not going to stand in the way of another sovereign nation if they want to provide aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force. Now that’s certainly their decision and we respect that,” he said. “This issue of whether we backfill it with American jets — we’re looking at that as a possibility here, but there’s an awful lot of logistical and financial issues that have to be dealt with on how that would happen. No decision has been made yet.”
When asked about the risk of a wider war if that happens, Kirby said: “That’s a possibility that we’re always looking at.”
“That’s certainly in the back of everybody’s mind, not just the United States but in NATO nations as well. You don’t want to escalate this conflict any bigger and any worse than it already is. You’re talking about Russia, a nuclear armed power. The consequences for escalating this conflict could be devastating, not just for the people of Ukraine but for the European continent,” he said.
Mar 08, 8:40 am
US to ban Russian oil imports, source says
The White House is expected to announce a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil as soon as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Mar 08, 8:26 am
Child died from dehydration in besieged Mariupol, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a child has died from dehydration in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
“Russia is for sure to blame for the deaths of people from airstrikes and in the blocked cities,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address. “But the responsibility is also on those who during these 13 days can’t make a decision in their offices in the West, an obviously necessary decision. Those who don’t secure Ukrainian sky from Russian murderers, who didn’t save our cities from airstrikes, these bombs and missiles, although they can.”
“We have been hearing promises about support for 13 days that the jets are about to arrive,” he added. “We have heard promises about securing humanitarian corridors. They didn’t work. We don’t have time to wait. People in Mariupol don’t have time to wait.”
Zelenskyy said trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been sent to Mariupol. He accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of “forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars,” but did not give further details. Videos posted to social media on Tuesday purportedly show vehicles heading to Mariupol from other Ukrainian cities bearing signs with a red cross, but it’s not clear who pasted them there.
“The drivers are heroes who understand they can be killed by Russian troops,” Zelenskyy said. “If you kill those people, the whole world will be the witness.”
Mar 08, 7:33 am
One million children among those who have fled Ukraine: UNICEF
Out of the more than two million people who have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, half of them are children, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder called it a “dark historical first.”
Mar 08, 7:15 am
Shell pledges to stop buying Russian oil and gas
Energy giant Shell announced Tuesday plans to withdraw from its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil and natural gas, amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“As an immediate first step, the company will stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil. It will also shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia,” Shell said in a statement.
Shell will immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and not renew term contracts. The company will also change its crude oil supply chain to remove Russian volumes, but said “this could take weeks to complete and will lead to reduced throughput at some of our refineries.”
In addition, Shell will shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia, and will start a phased withdrawal from Russian petroleum products, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas.
The company apologized for buying Russian oil last week.
“We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel — despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking — was not the right one and we are sorry,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. “As we have already said, we will commit profits from the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil we will process to a dedicated fund. We will work with aid partners and humanitarian agencies over the coming days and weeks to determine where the monies from this fund are best placed to alleviate the terrible consequences that this war is having on the people of Ukraine.”
Mar 08, 6:49 am
Two children among at least 21 killed by Russian airstrike in Sumy: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 civilians, including two children, were killed by a Russian airstrike in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy on Monday night, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
The strike hit a residential area of Sumy, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which the regional prosecutor’s office said was still on the scene searching for victims Tuesday.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on Russian forces to maintain the agreed upon temporary cease-fire in Sumy and four other Ukrainian cities to allow civilians to evacuate Tuesday. She said Russian authorities have confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one evacuation route out of Sumy will be open, but Ukrainian officials are awaiting confirmation on the other routes they submitted.
Mar 08, 6:19 am
Over two million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR
More than two million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Over 1.2 million of the refugees from Ukraine are in neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.
“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Tuesday in a post on his official Twitter account.
Mar 08, 5:36 am
Russia declares temporary cease-fire for humanitarian corridors in five Ukrainian cities
Russia declared Tuesday a temporary cease-fire in five besieged cities of Ukraine, including the capital, to let civilians leave.
“For safe evacuation of civilians from populated areas, a cease-fire is declared and humanitarian corridors are opening from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol from 10:00 a.m. today,” Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing.
All five cities except Kyiv had sustained brutal, indiscriminate bombardment in recent days.
It’s the fourth attempt to hold fire and allow civilians to escape the onslaught since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have been holding talks in recent days, and the Russian delegation has previously agreed to a temporary cease-fire and opening of humanitarian corridors in parts of Ukraine. But Russia has violated its own cease-fire and shelled evacuation points, while falsely accusing Ukraine of using people as human shields.
The hard-hit cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol were reported to be quiet Tuesday morning, with a local official telling ABC News that the center of Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, is not being shelled for the first time in days.
Ukraine said Russia has agreed this time to allow civilians to evacuate not only to Russia but also to other parts of Ukraine. Columns of buses and trucks with humanitarian aid are currently headed to Sumy, Mariupol and possibly other cities.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia has confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one route out of Sumy will be open. Vereshchuk said she hopes Russia will confirm routes for the other cities and also for the eastern city of Volnovakha. She warned Ukraine has information that Russia may have plans to disrupt the evacuations by leading civilians out of the agreed safe routes, in order to claim that Ukraine is not observing the agreement.
Petro Andrushenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, said the city plans to evacuate people as long as Russian forces do not fire. A column of 60 buses and nine trucks of medical aid and food are headed to Mariupol now, and the hope is that at least 4,000 people can be evacuated via the buses plus an unknown number of private cars that will join the convoy, according to Andrushenko.
“If Russia doesn’t break it, we plan to evacuate people,” Andrushenko told ABC News via telephone Tuesday morning.
Mar 08, 2:05 am
World Bank approves $723 million in emergency support for Ukraine
The World Bank said its board approved a package of loans and guarantees for Ukraine totaling $723 million.
The funding will help the Ukrainian government pay for government services, “including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable,” the bank said in a statement on Monday.
The bank said it’s preparing an additional $3 billion in support for Ukraine and neighboring countries, which have taken in more than 1.7 million refugees since the Russian invasion began.
“The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion,” World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. “The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help.”
The funding announced on Monday includes $350 million in supplemental loans, along with guarantees totaling $139 million from the Netherlands and Sweden, the bank said. Grant financing totaling $134 million will come from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland. Japan is providing $100 million in additional financing, the bank said.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon has been providing daily updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine’s efforts to resist.
Here are highlights of what a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on Tuesday:
Russian forces mostly still intact
Nearly all Russian forces arrayed at the Ukrainian border for the invasion have now gone in, according to the official. Despite losing troops, ground vehicles and aircraft in the fighting, the official estimated these forces remain roughly 95% intact.
Russian ground efforts stalled in the north
Russian troops approaching Kyiv have made little progress in recent days, according to the official.
“We continue to see Ukrainian resistance efforts slow down the Russians, particularly in the north,” the official said.
Another factor is that “they still seem to be plagued by logistics and sustainment challenges,” including fuel and food shortages, the official said.
The Pentagon also continues to see fighting and resistance against the Russian advance in the northern cities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv.
The farthest the main Russian force heading to Kyiv seems to have been able to reach is Hostomel Airport, a site of intense combat some 20 miles northwest of the city.
But their intent is clear, the official said: “We still have every reason to assess that their effort is to encircle and force the surrender of Kiev.”
A new Russian approach emerges
Further out than those advance troops, a Russian push toward the capital is emerging in the northeast, just above the town of Sumy, the official said. These troops are roughly 37 miles from Kyiv.
Russians try to “sow fear and confusion” in the city
While the main invading force has not reached Kyiv, the official was in “no position to refute” reports of minor, isolated skirmishes between Russian “reconnaissance elements” and Ukrainian forces inside the city.
“We think that these reports of street fighting in Kyiv are really the result of their efforts to sow fear and confusion and and try to set the stage for what could be coming later,” the official said.
Strikes on civilians continue
Russian air and missile attacks are increasing as their ground effort has been frustrated, according to the official.
“Whether intentionally or not, they’re hitting military and government infrastructure as well as residential areas and civilian targets,” the official said.
Russians see more success in the south
Russian troops advancing to the northwest out of Crimea are about 25 miles from Mykolayiv, the official said. The official noted that while there is speculation that the move on Mykolayiv is meant to put troops in position to attack the port city of Odessa from the north as amphibious troops assault from the coast, “we don’t see any evidence of amphibious landings” at this point.
On the Sea of Azov coast, Russian forces have isolated Mariupol and continue to bombard it with long-range attacks. Thousands of troops put ashore in an amphibious landing on the second day of the invasion are approaching the city from the southwest as more troops push down from Donetsk.
U.S.-Russia deconfliction line in working order
Last week Pentagon press secretary John Kirby announced it had set up a “deconfliction line” with Russia to “reduce the chances of miscalculations and try to bring down the tensions as that contested airspace over Ukraine now bumps up against NATO airspace.”
The senior defense official said that as of Tuesday, the two countries have used the line about a dozen times, but so far only for test calls to make sure “somebody’s picking up on the other end.”
A problem for any proposed no-fly zone
“Much of the airspace of Ukraine, north and south, is under some umbrella of Russian surface-to-air missile capability,” the official said.
(NEW YORK) — The price for a gallon of gas has surged to a national high.
As of Tuesday morning, AAA said it costs an average of $4.17 for a gallon of gas, the highest price ever recorded.
Filling up a small car of gasoline will now cost you about $50, and GasBuddy predicts we could see the national average price soar to $4.25 a gallon by Memorial Day.
“I think it will probably happen even much sooner than that,” GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan told ABC News, “potentially even by the end of the month, so gas prices continue to go up and defy expectations.”
So how can you keep the pain at the pump to a minimum? Here’s what the experts say:
Change the way you drive
Most cars achieve optimal fuel economy around 55 mph, according to GasBuddy. Driving too fast or too slow won’t give you the most bang for your buck.
AAA recommends reducing your speed if your trip takes you on the highway.
“Aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop off significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph,” the group says.
Experts also said it is key to remember to accelerate gradually and ease up on the brake — braking suddenly or speeding up fast is hard on fuel economy. Cruise control can help you maintain the proper speed and save fuel.
Don’t skip the repair shop
Making sure that your car is properly maintained will ensure a problem with the vehicle isn’t using up more fuel than it should.
The biggest red flag is if the “check engine” light is illuminated.
In that case, “take your car to the repair shop as soon as possible,” AAA says. “This indicates a problem that is causing excessive emissions and likely reducing fuel economy.”
Another thing to stay on top of, according to experts, is your tires.
If your tires are underinflated, you won’t maximize your fuel savings.
Avoid idling and turn off that air conditioner
Even if it is cold out, do not idle your car for long periods. It does nothing but waste fuel.
“If your car will be stopped for more than 60 seconds, shut off the engine,” AAA recommends.
On the flip side, if it is hot out, try to minimize your use of air conditioning.
Keeping your windows down for a breeze will save you more fuel than running your AC.
Take advantage of apps that track prices
Many people use the app Waze for directions, but it also has a gas feature that can show you the nearest gas stations along with prices.
Gas stations near major exits and in bigger cities tend to be more expensive.
The app GasBuddy is another resource constantly updating gas prices in real-time. In addition, you can get alerts on deals sent to your phone.
Another app to check out is Gas Guru. It aims to help you find the cheapest gas prices with information straight from the oil price information service. The app lets you search by fuel grade and amenities as well.
(LVIV, Ukraine) — As millions of people flee Ukraine amid intensifying attacks from Russia, inside a state-run orphanage in Lviv, dozens of children remain.
The children, who range in age from 3 to 16, have already fled war-torn Eastern Ukraine to make it to Lviv, where they are expected to stay through the war.
The principal of the orphanage, Svitlana Havryliuk, told ABC News’ Matt Gutman that if the fighting approaches, the children will take refuge in the orphanage’s bomb shelter. She said the children have already been through too much and need stability, instead of fleeing again.
At the orphanage, which has nearly double its usual population, the children play with toys, watch Paw Patrol, and do enrichment activities with volunteers.
Anna Borshchuk, who was studying political science in college before the conflict, now volunteers with the children.
“I think just time spending with them, being with them is the most important,” she told ABC News. “Not like maybe money, not other games, but just being with them.”
Before the war, 100,000 children in Ukraine were being raised in institutions, according to government statistics, a United Nations Children’s Fund spokesperson told ABC News.
Many of the institutions are located in hot spots, according to the spokesperson, who added that many of the children in institutions, such as boarding schools and orphanages, have disabilities.
These institutions are being evacuated without proper monitoring of the children’s situation, according to UNICEF.
The children sheltering in the Lviv orphanage panic and sob when they hear sirens, according to Havryliuk, who said the children need love and qualified social workers.
“During the first day, it was horrible,” she said. “Probably every child was yelling shouting, screaming, and it was impossible to go downstairs to the bomb shelter.”
Describing how she and volunteers calm the children down, Havryliuk added, “If a child is terrified, you have to stay calm. Then you give them a hug and then he calms down.”
While in non-war times some of the children would be adopted by families, including those in the United States, those adoptions have been put on hold.
Jennifer Mitchell, a mom of eight, including three children adopted from Ukraine, is a co-founder of Host Orphans Worldwide, a U.S.-based organization that matches host families in the U.S. with Ukrainian children.
While Host Orphans Worldwide does not facilitate adoptions, about 75% of kids in its program end up getting adopted by people in the U.S., according to Mitchell. She said Ukraine has a high number of U.S. adoptions because it has both one of the shortest wait times for international adoption and one of the largest populations of children in need.
Mitchell and her husband were in the process of adopting a 12-year-old girl in an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine, but they have not spoken to her in over a week.
With no end in sight to the conflict with Russia, Mitchell said she fears the end result for children in Ukraine.
“The orphan crisis in Ukraine was already bad and this, it’s just going to be a humanitarian emergency,” she said. “It is horrific.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told ABC News they are “closely monitoring the situation” while also continuing to communicate with adoption service providers.
“We understand how difficult this situation is for families pursuing parenthood through adoption in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “We strongly encourage prospective adoptive parents to not travel to Ukraine at this time and for those currently in Ukraine to depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.”
“Prospective adoptive parents should remain in regular contact with their own adoptions service provider,” the spokesperson continued.
According to the spokesperson, prospective adoptive parents may contact the Office of Children’s Issues directly at Adoption@state.gov, and visit the State Department’s website for more information.
