Satellite images show destruction in Mariupol; Zelenskyy says 100,000 trapped in 'inhumane conditions'

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the NATO Summit on Thursday, his spokesperson told NBC News.

Spokesperson Serhii Nikiforov said Zelenskyy will speak to attendees at the summit, which will include NATO heads of state, via video link.

The military alliance will send a "strong message of NATO's unity and solidarity with Ukraine" at the summit, according to a NATO statement that cited Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana on Tuesday. NATO also plans to "focus on resetting NATO's deterrence and defence for the longer term, bolstered by major investments in defence."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will chair the summit, which will be held in Brussels.

Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which wanted NATO membership, has united the Atlantic alliance and prompted member states to assess bolstering their military posture in Europe.

Zelenskyy has addressed several legislative bodies since Russia invaded Ukraine, including the European Parliament at the beginning of March and British Parliament a week later.

Last week, Zelenskyy addressed the U.S. Congress, asking for more weapons and humanitarian support. He was greeted by at least three standing ovations by Republicans and Democrats alike.

— Ted Kemp

There is no global consensus on how to deal with Russia's attacks on Ukraine, according to Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute.

"China is not the only significant power that's not on board with a Western policy of economic punishment of Russia," Carpenter told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Wednesday. He pointed to India, South Africa and some Middle East nations that are not supportive of the U.S. approach as well.

"Once you get outside the traditional U.S.-led network of allies, there is very little global unity on how to deal with Russia," he said.

Carpenter pointed out that more than 30 countries abstained from a UN vote condemning the Russian invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Moscow's forces "even though it was purely a symbolic vote."

Even within NATO, some countries are reluctant to escalate sanctions and disagree with each other on weapons aid for Ukraine, he said.

"There is no real consensus within the alliance and if Washington pushes that, I think we will see some visible splits in NATO's ranks," said Carpenter.

— Abigail Ng

Residential buildings and factories in the southeastern city of Mariupol have been destroyed, according to satellite images taken on Tuesday by U.S. firm Maxar Technologies.

Maxar, which works with U.S. government agencies to provide commercial satellite imagery, released photos that showed damage to apartment buildings and a factory.

The latest batch of images, all dated March 22, also showed smoke billowing from buildings in Mariupol.

— Abigail Ng

Around 100,000 people remain in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol under "inhumane conditions," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"No food, no water, no medicine. Under constant shelling, under constant bombing," he said in a video address, according to an English transcript by NBC News.

Ukraine has been trying to evacuate people from the city and bring in humanitarian aid for more than a week, Zelenskyy said. "Almost all our attempts, unfortunately, are disrupted by the Russian occupiers. By shelling or deliberate terror."

The president also said that Ukrainian representatives are continuing "very difficult" negotiations virtually. "Step by step we are moving forward," he said.

He said he was grateful for the support of international mediators and leaders. "Today was one of those days that allows us to say with confidence that the whole world is with us," he said.

— Abigail Ng

SpaceX, Elon Musk's space company, has sent "thousands" of Starlink satellite internet dishes to Ukraine, company President Gwynne Shotwell told CNBC.

The kits — which comprise an antenna, a mounting tripod and a Wi-Fi router — can be used to connect directly to SpaceX's network in orbit.

Starlink terminals were sent to Ukraine after an official, Mykhailo Fedorov, sought help from Musk after Russian attacks disrupted internet services in the country.

Shotwell said most of the funding for the Starlink kits has come from private sources. She also added that "France helped," and "I think Poland is helping."

— Abigail Ng

Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Hundreds of thousands are believed to be trapped inside buildings, with no access to food, water, power or heat. Both civilians and Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian fire, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Russian forces and Russian-backed separatist units had taken about half of the port city, normally home to around 400,000 people, Russia's RIA news agency said, citing a separatist leader. But in an early morning address, Zelenskiy held out hope for negotiations, which have yielded little since the Feb. 24 invasion began.

"It's very difficult, sometimes confrontational," he said. "But step by step we are moving forward."

— Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden and his European counterparts will announce new sanctions against Russia and new measures to tighten existing sanctions during his trip to Brussels this week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Biden also will discuss longer-term adjustments to NATO force posture and contingencies in the case of nuclear weapons use, Sullivan said. Biden also will announce "joint action" on enhancing energy security in Europe, which is highly reliant on Russian gas.

The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia as punishment for invading Ukraine and supplied billions of dollars in weapons and aid for Ukraine's defense. Biden has pledged not to send U.S. soldiers into Ukraine, but promised to keep Washington's commitment to defend NATO members if they were attacked.

Biden leaves on Wednesday for Brussels, where NATO and the European Union are based, for meetings on Thursday with fellow leaders. He will attend an emergency NATO summit, meet with G7 leaders, and address European Union leaders at a meeting of the European Council, Sullivan said.

— Reuters

Intense Russian air strikes are turning besieged Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land," the city council said, as the United States and Europe planned more sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Street fighting and bombardments raged in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, a day after it rejected an ultimatum from Russia to surrender. Hundreds of thousands are believed to be trapped inside buildings, with no access to food, water, power or heat.

Russian forces and Russian-backed separatist units had taken about half of the port city, normally home to around 400,000 people, Russia's RIA news agency said, citing a separatist leader.

"There is nothing left there," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address to Italy's parliament.

— Reuters

 People hide in one of the official underground shelters in Lviv during an air alarm. 

— Getty Images

Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar is no longer accepting campaign contributions from Koch Industries after the conglomerate decided to remain in Russia despite Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

"Congressman Cuellar has not received any money from the Koch Brothers this year and will not accept any future campaign contributions until they disassociate from Russia," Jake Hochberg, a chief advisor for Cuellar, told CNBC in an emailed statement.

Cuellar's decision to distance himself from Koch comes after CNBC first reported on two other Democratic lawmakers who said they stopped taking campaign contributions from Koch Industries' political action committee after the company refused to cut its operations in Russia. Many other business are fleeing Russia as the U.S. and its Western allies levy harsh sanctions on the country.

Koch Industries' glass manufacturer Guardian Industries, which has two facilities in Russia, will remain fully active despite the Kremlin's war with Ukraine, Koch Industries President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Robertson said in a statement last week.

— Brian Schwartz

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for Covid, and won't travel with President Joe Biden on his upcoming trip to Europe to meet with other NATO leaders, she said.

Biden tested negative for Covid after taking a PCR test on Tuesday, according to Psaki, who said she and the president had two "socially distanced meetings" Monday.

Biden is departing for Brussels on Wednesday to join NATO leaders at a summit to discuss the organization's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Biden will also attend a meeting of the G7 where world leaders are expected to discuss additional sanctions against the Kremlin.

— Dan Mangan

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration has asked U.S. energy and electric companies to be "hyperalert" for potential retaliatory Russian cyberattacks.

"It's not a surprise to anybody who has been watching Russia's activities that their expertise in this realm causes great concern. So this is why it's really important for individual actors and governments to be shields up as we say," Granholm told reporters on a conference call.

Granholm said companies should be