The 162nd day of the war began with reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants a chance to speak directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping so that the country can harness the influence it has in Russia and help end the war. Also on Thursday morning, eight people were killed and four wounded in a Russian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Toretsk.

What happened during the morning?

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that he wants a chance to speak directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping so the country can leverage its influence in Russia and help end to the war;
• The NATO secretary general also warned that the Russian offensive in Ukraine is a “challenge to the world order” and that Russian forces cannot win the conflict. Stoltenberg further warned: “An attack on one NATO country will trigger an Alliance-wide response.”
• Eight people were killed and four wounded in a Russian shelling on Thursday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Toretsk in the Donetsk region, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. The attack took place at a bus stop;
• In the most recent report on the situation in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense noted that Russia feels “threatened by the increased range and accuracy of Western-supplied systems”;
• The Mozambican Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy admitted the possibility of the African country buying Russian oil in rubles, if that option is viable, after Moscow presented Maputo with its availability for this mechanism;
• Amnesty International has warned that Ukrainian forces endanger civilians by setting up military bases in residential areas and launching attacks from civilian-inhabited areas.
• The European Commission welcomed the decision by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to condemn Russia’s actions to circumvent European Union (EU) aviation sanctions, criticizing “deliberate non-compliance” with safety requirements.