The European Union is considering a ban on Russian coal after the atrocities in Bucha, but a total fossil fuel import ban could follow. DW has the latest.
EU Council president believes sanctions on Russian gas will eventually be necessary
Top US general says Ukraine war could last for years
Zelenskyy aware of renewed Russian offensive in east
US expected to enact new sanctions on Wednesday
Germany's Scholz calls on Putin to end Ukraine war
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and remove Russian forces from the country.
Scholz said Russian soldiers committed a massacre on Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. He added that those responsible for the atrocities must be held accountable.
In a speech to lawmakers on Wednesday, the German leader defended his government's decision to send arms to Ukraine while also ensuring Germany and other NATO members are not active participants in the war. Scholz added that Germany would continue to support Ukraine "in all ways we can."
China's called the carnage in Bucha 'deeply disturbing'
China described reports of civilian deaths in Bucha as "deeply disturbing" and called for an investigation.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian added that no blame should be apportioned until all facts are known.
"The truth and the cause of the incident must be verified," Zhao said. "All parties should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations before a conclusion of the investigation is drawn."
Russia has made a series of unfounded claims that the carnage in Bucha was staged, but images from several different sources rebut Russia's assertions.
China has previously called for talks while refusing to criticize Russia.
It opposes economic sanctions on Moscow and blames Washington and NATO for provoking the war and fueling the conflict by sending arms to Ukraine.
Russia wants diplomatic relations despite expulsions of diplomats
Russia wants to maintain diplomatic relations with Western countries despite a series of expulsions of its diplomats, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
Greece became the latest European country to expel Russian diplomats. The Greek Foreign Ministry declared 12 diplomats "personae non-gratae" and ordered them to leave.
Earlier in the week, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy have expelled Russian diplomats. Grushko was assessing the decisions by European countries.
"Nevertheless, our position remains absolutely the same: we advocate for diplomatic channels to remain open," he said.
Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said, "For every such unfriendly act, we will give an appropriate response."
She warned the suspensions would "lead de facto to putting bilateral relations into suspended animation."
Ukraine says Russia's war kills 167 children so far
The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said 167 children had been killed and 279 have been wounded in the war so far.
Of the total, 78 children have been killed or injured in the Kyiv region, the office said.
A further 112 children have died or were wounded in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the latest targets of Russian aggression. There were also fatalities in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv.
DW was not able to immediately verify the report.