Into the late night hours local time, there were widespread reports of a series of large explosions outside Kiev's city limits. This as there's said to be a convoy of infantry, tanks, and artillery that stretches "forty miles" that's still approaching Kiev - though it's believed the Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital has been severely hampered by logistical, supply, and fuel issues.
Calls have grown in US Congress to give Ukraine "everything they need as rapidly as possible" - as the latest words from Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell ahead of Biden's evening State of the Union indicated. Both in the media and in some corners of Europe calls for "confronting" Russia's militarily have grown, as expected.
Ukrainian government officials, including top ministers apparently, are reportedly working to run the country from bomb shelters and metro stations under Kiev. Tuesday evening into overnight hours it appears most of the heavy Russian shelling is still focused on Ukraine's second largest city.
Also on Tuesday European Parliament moved closer to granting Ukraine "candidate status" - ironically not long after Turkey's Erdogan chided the body for suddenly seeking to fast-track Ukraine after Turkey has sought EU entry for years:
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Tuesday calling on the European Union institutions "to work towards granting" Ukraine the status of EU candidate country, it said in a statement.
The resolution, which also demanded the EU to impose "tougher sanctions" on Russia, was voted in favor by 637 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). It condemned "in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and demands that the Kremlin end all military activities in the country."
Meanwhile the economic war against Russia from the West has continued ratcheting up, with the latest including the UK barring any ships with Russian ties access to British ports. A UK government statement said:
"The ban on Russian ships from UK ports, and new economic sanctions against key Russian financial institutions including its central bank, in close coordination with our allies, will degrade Russia’s economy and help make sure Putin loses," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in the statement.
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