Zelensky: Peace Talks Can't Progress Until Russia Stops Bombing

As Russia stepped up its shelling of Ukrainian cities on the sixth day of its invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO to bring in a no-fly zone—and expressed hope that President Biden would use his State of the Union address to deliver a strong message against the invasion. In an interview with Reuters and CNN from a Kyiv bunker, Zelensky accused Russia of indiscriminately attacking civilians and historic landmarks in what amounted to "state terrorism." He said that for peace talks to make and progress, Russia must first "stop bombing people." Zelensky said Russian bombardment killed numerous people around the country Tuesday, including at least 17 children. More:

• "Frank, undisguised terror." Zelensky slammed the "frank, undisguised terror" of the Russian bombardment and described the shelling of Freedom Square in the city of Kharkiv as a war crime, the AP reports. A strike on an administrative building on the square killed at least six people. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said its consulate was also destroyed in the strike.

• Kyiv residents urged to be "extremely cautious." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told the capital's residents to stay off the streets and be "extremely cautious" Tuesday night, the BBC reports. "It is better to spend this night in a shelter," he said. A missile strike in Kyiv Tuesday killed five people. A TV tower and a Holocaust memorial were damaged.
• US says coalition will "devastate" Russian economy. White House chief of staff Ron Klain says the US has formed a coalition to "devastate" Russia's economy. "The concern is that he continues to target civilians in Ukraine," Klain said of Putin in an interview with NBC ahead of Biden's State of the Union address. "I care less about what hour of the day or night this happens and more about the fact that what Vladimir Putin is doing in Ukraine is wrong."
• Maternity clinic hit. Yet another Russian strike hit a maternity clinic on the outskirts of Kyiv Tuesday night, the Guardian reports. "A missile hit the maternity clinic. Much damage was done but the building is standing," the clinic's chief said. "Everyone has been evacuated.”
• Convoy appears stalled on the way to Kyiv. An ominous convoy of Russian tanks and other combat vehicles that stretches for some 40 miles appears to be stalled around 20 miles away from Kyiv, a US defense official said Tuesday. The American official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said the Russians appear to be dealing with food and fuel shortages, the Washington Post reports.

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)