THE LATEST: Fox News reporter is injured near Kiev

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The latest events in the war in Russia and Ukraine:

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Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall was injured while reporting outside Kiev on Monday and was hospitalized, the network said.

Hall is a correspondent in Washington who covers the US Department of State for Fox News, where he has been working since 2015.

“We have a minimal level of detail right now, but Ben is hospitalized and our field teams are working to gather more information,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a message to Fox employees.

John Roberts, of Fox, read Scott's statement on Hall on the air.

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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has had another phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin reported on Monday.

Bennett informed Putin about his contacts with other heads of state, and Putin shared his appreciation of the dialogues between representatives of Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a press release.

An Israeli official revealed that the call lasted 90 minutes, and that it discussed the possibility of a ceasefire and humanitarian issues. The source asked to remain anonymous as it was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Bennett traveled to Moscow for talks and had several telephone conversations with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Western leaders, in an attempt to mediate the crisis over Ukraine.

Israel is one of the few countries that have good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, although Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid has recently been more critical of Russia.

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WASHINGTON — The White House is evaluating the possibility that President Joe Biden will travel to Europe in the coming weeks to speak in person with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, three officials knowledgeable of the deliberations reported.

The details of the possible trip have not been finalized. One possible destination would be Brussels, where NATO headquarters is located, one of the sources said. Another source said that Biden is exploring the possibility of visiting NATO barracks on March 24, with other possible stopovers in Europe.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about the issue publicly.

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland and Romania a few days ago to talk to the leaders of those countries about the refugee crisis caused by the Russian invasion.

Biden's trip would serve to highlight to the allies the United States' support for NATO. The first media to report Biden's possible trip was NBC News.

Correspondents Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this news.

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KIEV, Ukraine — Russia launched rockets at a television tower in the Ukrainian village of Antopol, killing nine people, the governor of the Rivne region reported. Village a is only about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the border with Poland, which is a member of NATO.

Ukrainian authorities also said that two people were killed and seven injured when Russian forces bombed an aircraft factory in Kiev, and that two people were killed in Obolonskyi, a district in the northern sector of the Ukrainian capital, when Russian artillery hit a nine-story residential building.

They added that a Russian bombardment of central Kiev killed one person and injured six others.

The United Nations has recorded the deaths of 596 civilians since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, although it has emphasized that the true number is possibly much higher.

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MEXICO CITY — Grupo Bimbo announced on Monday that it suspended sales under its brand and new investments in Russia due to the war conflict with Ukraine, becoming the second Mexican company to cease operations in that country.

The Mexican multinational bakery company has been present in Russia since 2017 and for last year operations in that country accounted for less than 0.5% of its net sales. The Bimbo Group operates a bakery in Moscow with 362 employees.

The group also had operations in Ukraine that were suspended due to the war.

Earlier this month, the Mexican auto parts company Nemak reported in a statement the halt of its operations in Russia.

For his part, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ratified on Monday that Mexico will not impose sanctions on Russia, as other countries have done, nor will it send weapons, and called for dialogue between the parties to be sought.

López Obrador said Mexico will no longer need to renew the contract with Russian vaccine producer Sputnik because it has enough vaccines

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MADRID — Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and asked Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to end the war against Ukraine.

“This is a historic moment that requires all world leaders a sense of responsibility and vision of the future,” said Albares, who also acknowledged that “sanctions are not easy for anyone, but we are fully committed and willing to bear the consequences.”

The telephone conversation also served to reiterate Spain's condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“Russia has undermined the foundations of peace and stability in Europe, already threatening the international community as a whole,” Albares warned.

“Spain is fully committed to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine,” said the Spanish diplomat.

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KIEV — A Russian airstrike in central Kiev on Monday killed one person and left six wounded, Ukrainian officials reported.

The attack took place near a review post and caused extensive damage to a residential area, added the Emergency Services of Ukraine.

Kateryna Lot said she was in her apartment with a son doing her homework online when they heard a loud explosion.

“Our windows and balcony were shattered, part of the floor collapsed,” said Lot. “We were very, very afraid” and added that they ran to shelter after the explosion.

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WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to the US Congress on Wednesday, Democratic leaders announced on Monday.

“Congress, our country and the world are amazed by the people of Ukraine,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. They indicated that all legislators are invited to the videoconference.

Congress recently approved $13.6 billion in emergency military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

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MOSCOW - Twenty civilians were killed after the launch of a ballistic missile by Ukrainian forces, the Russian Army reported.

Defense Minister Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said that the Soviet Tochka-U missile hit the central part of the eastern city of Donetsk, the center of the separatist region of Donetsk on Monday.

He added that 28 other civilians, including minors, were seriously injured by the missile that had an explosive head full of shrapnel.

Konashenkov said the missile was launched from an area in the northwest controlled by Ukrainian forces and denounced that the bombing of the Donetsk area, which has no military installations, represents a war crime.

Konashenkov's claim could not be independently verified.

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DUBAI — Russia's war in Ukraine has become “nothing short of a nightmare” for the inhabitants of besieged cities, according to a Red Cross official on Monday, who called for safe passage for civilians to leave and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered across the front lines.

Robert Mardini, director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also called the war “catastrophic” for civilians affected by the fighting, as people run out of drinking water, food, medical supplies and heating oil, especially in the fenced city of Mariupol. In addition, medical facilities continue to suffer attacks.

And while Red Cross maintains contacts with Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Mardini said no routes had been established so far for people to safely evacuate Mariupol and other areas under attack.

“People desperately need to find shelter, and that's why the situation can't, it can't go on like this,” he told The Associated Press during a visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. “History witnesses what is happening in Mariupol and other cities, and civilians must be protected. So whether it's a ceasefire or a combination of ceasefire and safe evacuation of civilians, it's a must.”

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LVIV, Ukraine — The power line supplying the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster has been damaged by Russian forces once again after being repaired, Ukraine's state-owned power company said on Monday.

Ukrenergo technicians had begun to resume service on Sunday night, but “before the power supply was completely restored, the occupying forces damaged it again.” The company said it would try another repair.

The energy is used to power pumps and other equipment that keep the nuclear fuel used in the old nuclear plant cold to prevent radiation leaks.

The compound also has diesel generators and Belarusian authorities said last week that they had enabled an emergency power supply from across the border.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has downplayed fears about the safety of nuclear waste in Chernobyl and notes that the cooling ponds in the area are large enough to keep the fuel used safe even if electricity is cut off.

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TEL AVIV - Israel will not serve as a “route to evade sanctions” imposed by Russia on the West, Israel's foreign minister said on Monday.

Israel, which has become an unlikely mediator between Ukraine and Russia, has not joined the sanctions imposed by the United States, Great Britain, the European Union and other countries. But the pressure builds as the war in Ukraine continues.

In statements sent by his office, Yair Lapid said that the Israeli authorities were working on ways to ensure that Israel did not breach harsh sanctions by maintaining its special position.

Lapid also reiterated his criticism of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has avoided condemning Russia.

Lapid made his remarks after meeting with his Slovak counterpart Ivan Korcok, in the Slovak capital, Bratislava. Lapid's office said they had talked about how to help Jewish refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

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LVIV, Ukraine - Two people were killed and seven injured after Russian forces hit an aircraft factory, according to Ukrainian authorities. Another person was shot dead at a residential building.

The Antonov aircraft factory is the largest in Ukraine, known primarily for producing many of the largest freight aircraft in the world.

The local government in Kiev stated that there had been a major fire following the attack on the factory. One person died and three were injured when the residential building was hit, according to authorities.

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LVIV, Ukraine — Fighting outside Kiev continued on Monday, west, northwest, east and northeast, according to the office of the Ukrainian president. Regional authorities were preparing more evacuations from the affected areas.

Anti-aircraft alarms sounded in cities and towns across the country during the night, from the Russian border to the east to the Carpathians in the west.

The airstrikes hit residential buildings near the important southern city of Mykolaiv, as well as in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and knocked down a television tower in the northwest Rivne region, according to the Ukrainian presidency. During the night, explosions were heard around the port of Kherson, by the Black Sea and occupied by Russia.

Three airstrikes hit the northern city of Chernigov during the night and most of the city was unheated. Several areas had been without electricity for days. Power company workers tried to restore power, but they were often targeted by shells.

The government announced plans for new humanitarian and aid corridors, although continued attacks have disrupted similar efforts in the past week.

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LVIV, Ukraine - Russian forces attacked during the night with artillery suburbs northwest of Kiev and punished areas east of the capital, the head of the Kiev regional government said on Monday.

A councillor from Brovary, east of Kiev, was killed in the fighting there and shells fell in the towns of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel, which have seen some of the worst fighting in Russia's unsuccessful efforts to seize the capital, the head of the regional government, Oleksiy Kuleba, said on Ukrainian television.

The Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday morning that Russian forces had not made much progress in the previous 24 hours, despite the expansion of attacks to the west.

Ukrainian forces were attacking Russian bases and targeting their logistical capacity, according to a statement published by the army on Facebook on the 19th day of the war.

The General Staff accused Russian forces of taking firing positions and installing military equipment in churches and other civilian infrastructure to prevent Ukrainian forces from returning fire. It was not possible to verify that claim independently, although journalists from the Associated Press have seen armored vehicles in residential areas.

A nine-storey residential building was targeted by artillery in the Obolonsky district north of Kiev on Monday morning, destroying apartments on several floors and causing a fire. Two people were killed, three were hospitalized and nine wounded were treated at the scene, according to Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko.

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