♪ brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. tonight, and impassioned plea for help to the united state >> we are fighting for the values of europe. brent: in a video, president zelensky made the plea for more sanctions and military support to fight russia. also coming up, how efforts in

the ukrainian capital are you tense a fine. -- are intensifying. and the russian too star who is risking his own future at home to rap against the war. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of your around the world, it's good to wednesday. today, ukrainian president vladimir zelensky said that since russia began the invasion of his country three weeks ago, every day is like 9/11. it was part of an emotional appeal for more help to defend his country against russia. >> right now, theid -- the destiny of our countries being

decided. the destiny of our people where the youth -- whether the ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to preserve their democracy. russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values. basic human values. through tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to live freely in our own country, choosing our own future. brent: just hours after president zelensky made the case before the u.s. congress, u.s. president joe biden offered a response from the white house. the u.s. standing strong in its position against any u.s. involvement directly with a no-fly zone, but the president said he was offering what he called unprecedented assistance for ukraine, an additional 800 million dollars in military aid, including drones, antitank and

air defense weapons. it brings to a total of $1 million -- $1 billion, the u.s. will keep its pressure on vladimir putin in other ways as well. pres. biden: we are crippling prudence economy with punishing sanctions that will only grow more painful over time with the entire nato and e.u. behind us and many other countries. what's at stake here are the principles that the united states and the united nations across the world stand for. it's about freedom. it's about the right of people to determine their own future. it's about making sure ukraine will never be a victory for putin, no matter what advances he makes on the battlefield. brent: for more on today's events, let's go to our correspondent in washington, good evening to you, oliver. we had president zelensky on a huge screen in front of the entire u.s. congress today. describe what it was like there.

how did u.s. lawmakers react? oliver: a very emotional speech, and the president at -- who has become the symbol of ukrainia resistance talking live in front of his embattled capital kyiv. he showed a very graphic video with children as casualties, a lot of civilian casualties, and his last words were in english, saying we are fighting for the values of europe and the world and sacrificing our lives in the name of the future. he wants to give the war a higher meaning, that it was about freedom and democracy and human rights, certainly all values that american lawmakers can resonate with, and a chance to reiterate his calls for a no-fly zone and more sanctions. he received standing ovations for that knowing that not all of his demands can be met.

brent: he got an answer hours later from the u.s. president on $800 million in additional aid for ukraine. what do you make of that? oliver: it is certainly a strong signal, also the timing, as you mention, right after president zelensky's speech in front of congress, just a reminder last week u.s. provided $1 billion so now it is a hundred million dollars on top. it is largely used for defensive weapons, it's important to point out stinger and javelin rockland -- rockets for drones. it also reflects what is not on the list, and that is the no-fly zone. the fear is that it could draw the united states and nato into an armed conflict with russia that could trigger a larger war, and those mig fighter jets from poland, also a lot of reluctance here to help facilitate that deal for the same reason.

brent: the u.s. president will travel to europe next week, to join an extraordinary nato summit, and also participate in the european council summit. this is true transatlantic ties at work. what can we expect from this visit? oliver: first and foremost, a symbolic visit. nato has closed its ranks, and that's what we will see here after years of and certainty, a few years ago they debated the words of the former president that nato is obsolete. it's an important aspect for poland and the baltic states. they all fear russian aggression and what could be the next moves of vladimir putin. that will be one part of the visit. and of course president biden wants to see eu leaders and brussels, they will precisely talk about economic sanctions and humanitarian aid, so we can

expect more crime people -- more concrete steps also from the state department. brent: oliver, thank you. russia is escalating its attacks across ukraine. the u.s. embassy says russian forces shot dead 10 people as they waited in line for bread in one city northeast of the capital. at 35 hour curfew remains in effect tonight. >> for residents of the ukrainian capital, every passing day means further shelling, more homes lost, and more casualties. is she alive? yes, she is alive. get her in the car. a citywide curfew was imposed on tuesday and will last until thursday morning. ahead of the curfew, people rushed to the stores to stock up on food and supplies.

the situation in the city is not bad. people are holding up. we are supported by the volunteers in the territorial defense. meanwhile, president volodymyr zelensky said he saw hope for compromise and ukraine, even as moscow stepped up its assault. >> is important. it's difficult, but important, because anymore inns in an agreement. meetings continue. as i've told -- as i'm told, the positions sound more realistic but there is more time to be in ukraine's interest. >> leaders from three e.u. countries visited ukraine, bringing support. they discussed a way to bring

ukraine into the new as soon as possible. >> the candidacy could be given by the end of this year at the latest. >> this medical team has set up a field hospital and a bomb shelter for the worse case scenario of having to treat the wounded here. the people of kyiv know their ordeal is far from over. brent: i'm joined by our correspondent in the city of lv iv in western ukraine. you left kyiv last night just before the curfew went into effect. what can you tell us about the situation in the capital city right now? reporter: it's a second time such a curfew has been enacted there. it's two nights in one complete day since the beginning of the

war, that's when security forces took on sleeper agents that they suspected to be in the city and there were fights in the street. today we are seeing a similar thing. what we are hearing is that kyiv has been intensively shelled, shelling has intensified in the past few days. there have been apartment blocks that have been hit for several days in a road now. we are also hearing that ukrainian forces have started a counteroffensive, although we ow very ttle about that. the aims are torive these artillery positions further away from the city so they can do less harm to the people living in the city, and we have also heard about new actions against these agents, although we know nothing about it. the curfew applies to most journalists as well, so we have very little information coming

out of the city now. but the fighting has intensified, that's all we know. brent: and where you are right now in the city of lviv, it has been considered something of a safe haven for ukrainians. reporter: it is much more safe than other places. no place in ukraine is sa from rocketor planes. bombs have been dropped on lviv as well as other cities that are far away from the front lines, especially on military objects and training centers. there have been attacks on the airport in the same is true for other cities further away from the front line, but so far the city center, residential areas have not been targeted, and that's why the city is relatively safe. we see the difference when we are in the street, not right

here now because i'm in a further residential place, but downtown you see lots of people in the street. not all the shops are open but it is much more lively than kyiv . brent: we got news from the u.s. today that almost a billion dollars more in aid is going to the country. what do ukrainians think now about the prospect for peace? reporter: i don't think anybody has hope that there will be peace quickly. of course that's what people want, but the question here is also about the future of the country. so far what russia has demanded, and offering demilitarization and neutrality of the country, a country that would basically be more vulnerable than before the war to russian aggression is something few people here would settle for, and the demands that kyiv has basically that russian troops leave the country.

that's the most important demand. it's also not likely to be met by moscow. so i don't see that there are any prospects for a long-term solution. but some are saying talks are easier now today than a few days ago, so there seems to be some kind of possibility, on smaller things like humanitarian corridors that we have seen in the past few days. but these have been violated, people have been shelled today again when leaving their city via one of these agreed corridors. so trust is not very high in these negotiations. brent: our correspondent in lviv tonight, thank you. from the west to a town near ukraine's capital city, this has become a distribution hub for supplies and aid destine for the area around kyiv.

it has been hit hard by the fighting. our reporter met a loc resident whose life has taken a tragic turn since the invasion began. reporter: residential houses reduced to rubble, people morning the loss of their loved ones. this is a neighborhood in a city around 150 kilometers west of kyiv that has been under constant shelling since the beginning of pressure upon war on ukraine. -- of russia's war on ukraine. the house was completely destroyed by russian missiles. >> the bombs dropped and everything exploded. we just made it out. >> his 29 year old daughter was killed on the spot. he appears calm and withdrawn. it seems like he is still not able to process what happened.

>> the night before, we were sitting together. she said, daddy, you have a difficult personality, but i'm just like you. that's what she told me before she died. those words remain in my heart. reporter: just down the street, a hospital. a missile narrowly missed the building. the doctor tells us he is still shocked. while we are talking, the air raid alarm goes off again. >> it something we had never seen before. it's war, a war waged on the civilian population. we are seeing that more civilians are being killed in ukraine than soldiers. reporter: just 150 kilometers away from the heavy fighting in kyiv, it's become a transit point for aid to the region and refugees fleeing the country. we met with the mayor. his staff told us he is so busy,

he hardly sleeps. >> putin's approach to the cities that don't give in is to intimidate us, to break our will, but he is achieving the opposite. people are uniting, and are determined to fight. reporter: the mayor shows us components of the missiles hitting the city. one of the targets he says was a school in the city center. the building is heavily damaged. fortunately, there were no kids here when the attack happened. back at the ruins of his house, he lost so much, and yet he says he doesn't hate the people of russia. >> the ordinary people are not to blame. it's their leadership. reporter: he wants to rebuild his house as soon as possible. first, he says, we need peace. brent: a look now at some of the other developments in the conflict. the united nations top court has ordered russia to immediately

stop his invasion of ukraine. international court of justice says it has seen no evidence to support the war moscow claims that ukraine is carrying out genocide against russian speakers in the east of the country. the nato secretary-general today said once again that there will be no no-fly zone and the alliance has no plans to intervene on the ground in ukraine. he also said he is encouraged by progress reported in talks between russian and ukrainian negotiators. german chancellor olaf scholz says he would welcome any help from finland enjoying nato -- joining nato. sing a request to join nato is a possibility. for many ukrainians, fleeing the war, berlin's central train station is the first stop here. thousands are arriving in the

german capital every day and officials say they are close to running out of room and accommodations for the refugees. >> a common sight in berlin these days, ukrainian refugee families arriving at the central station. the arrivals pose a serious challenge, a challenge the capital is working on. >> together with local authorities, we are doing everything we can to help the war refugees who come to us quickly and comprehensively. >> around 100 75,000 ukrainian refugees have entered germany, the interior minister says. but the actual number of arrivals could be higher, and is expected to increase. or than 3 million refugees have fled ukraine to neighboring countries, the united nations says. the majority of them going to poland. for almost all of those who

continue their travel to germany, this is the first stop in berlin after the difficult journey. thousands arrive here every day. i think those who have arrived here experienced terrible things over the past days. so i think it is important that they can first get some rest here, something warm to drink. something that is only possible with hundreds of volunteers assisting refugees around-the-clock. >> for the most people are very grateful and happy about any help, or carrying their luggage, for collecting children and especially help for the ticket service and all these things. >> despite volunteers in the best efforts of aid organizations, the work remains challenging. city authorities warned that

berlin is nearing its limit, asking others to share the responsibility. brent: my next guest here in berlin is chair better -- chairman of the european stability organization. it is good to have you on the program. let me ask you about the numbers we have. there are 2 million refugees in poland, hundreds of thousands in moldova, which is europe's poorest country, and we understand that germany has registered 200,000 people so far from ukraine. how reliable are these numbers? >> well,hat we know, and it is reliable, is the total number of people who come into the european union. but we do not know is where exactly all of them are. they do not need to register upon arrival, but let's just put these figures in perspective for your viewers.

in 2015,he big refugee movement in the agn, one million people came in one year. now, one million people comes from ukraine to europe in one week. so we've had 3 million people arrive in three weeks. if this continues, and everything indicates it will continue, we will have another 2 million people arrived before the end of march. warsaw, the capital poland, already, the mayor told us, has more than 300,000 people in city of 1.8 million. and moldova has a bigger number of refugees than austria, s it's clear these 2 million people will move on, but the question is, where will they go? brent: you are talking about unprecedented numbers of displaced people here in europe, since 1945. what effect is this going to

have on europe? >> it is unprecedented. it is historic. it is something that nobody could prepare for, which is why some of the chaos we will see in the next weeks is inevitable. there is some reason for hope that the europeans, and this means citizens and many volunteers in poland, in moldova , where most people stay in private houses, but also in munich and berlin and all of europe, they can manage. what we realize and what most europeans see when they see these women and children coming to the european union is that they are -- it is a brutal war against civilians i vladimir putin, destroying social infrastructure, attacking schools and hospitals. so i am sure that vladimir putin

has the intention that these people will destabilize europe, and it's not happening. when europeans mobilize, then -- they can defy putin. brent: unfortunately we are out of time, but we appreciate you helping us put these numbers into context and perspective. thank you. here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. u.s. federal reserve has raised interest rates by point when he 5%. this is the first -- by .25%. it is geared at taming inflation which is out of 40 are high. six more rate hikes are expected this year. a powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of japan, triggering a powerful tsunami. a trimmer knockdown power to more than 2 million households. a british a reigning aid worker has been freed after six years

of detention on spy charges. -- british iranian aid worker. she is on the way back to the u.k. her family fought for years to have her released. one of russia's most influential and famous rappers is taking a public stand against the war back home. he has canceled six sellout concerts and russian protest. instead, he stage an antiwar concert this week in the turkish city of istanbul. there were hundreds of russians at the concert. >> a rap consort against the war in ukraine. the show played at this istanbul club would probably land him in jail back home in russia. >> there are tens of millions of russians who categorically

disagree with this war, and it should be said as loud as possible. >> the rap star sentiment resonated with many concertgoers. hundreds lined up to get a glimpse of the artist. most of them were russians. >> we are all supporting the ukrainians and those who still remain there. we want to show you that as russians, we stand together against what is happening now. he and his tm have held this concert in protest. >> i don't want this war. i don't believe that it's a special operation. i've been against putin for many years, against his claim to power. i'm ashamed of what our country has become. >> he is one of russia's best known rappers. he recently postponed his shows

in moscow and st. petersburg and announced a series of charity concerts abroad, called russians against war. proceeds wilgo towards helping ukrainian refugees, he says. many russians who oppose the war are trying to go abroad. turkey is still allowing russian flights in its airspace. thousands are estimated to have escaped to istanbul in recent weeks. >> we flew from russia on march 8 because we felt very insecure and scared and we didn't want to stay there. we were afraid to get stuck there. that's why we moved here. >> there is very serious repression taking place against those who protest in russia, and it has become impossible to take to the streets, because people are beaten up and being taken into custody. this is a nightmare. >> a nightmare that the rapper

has decided he must speak out against, even if that might mean he won't be able to return to russia anytime soon. brent: you are watching dw news, live from berlin. after a short break, i'll be back to take you through "the day." stick around, we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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the news. anchor: this is live from paris, these are the headlines. on day 21 of the invasion of ukraine, whose forces killed 10 people as they queue up for bread outside of a grocery store. just hours after the ukrainian president made an appeal to u.s. congress, president joe biden announces a $1 billion aid package and security assistance. yesterday the number of refugees passed the 3 million mark.