Russian forces launched new deadly attacks on Ukraine, killing at least nine people on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), a day before the leaders of countries that are some of Ukraine's biggest backers were to discuss how to slow Moscow's offensive.
Ukrainian authorities said that along with the nine killed, 29 others, including five children, were wounded when Russian missiles hit an apartment block in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown.
Zelenskyy said the strike had again proven that "Ukraine, together with its partners, must strengthen its air defences" - something that he has repeatedly appealed for with Ukraine's Western partners. The United States has agreed to send another Patriot missile system, two US officials said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine's air force said it shot down more than two dozen air targets, including cruise missiles, a Kinzhal ballistic missile and Shahed drones. Several people were wounded, authorities said.
Several diplomatic events over the next few days are aimed at how to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion or how to bring about an end to the war.
Today, President Joe Biden and the other Group of Seven leaders will gather in Italy for their annual summit to discuss ways to help Ukraine, including how to divert more frozen Russian assets to Kyiv's defence.
Separately, the Biden administration said it had broadened sanctions against Russia by targeting companies that help Moscow's war effort and raising the stakes for foreign financial institutions that work with sanctioned Russian entities.
The more than 300 new sanctions are largely aimed at deterring individuals and companies in countries such as China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey from helping Moscow circumvent Western blocks on obtaining key technology.
Seven Chinese and Hong-Kong-based companies were targeted for shipping millions of dollars of material to Russia, including items which could be used in Russian weapons systems.
US officials say China is the leading supplier of critical components to Russia, supplying both Chinese and Western technology.
They also threaten foreign financial institutions with sanctions if they do business with almost any sanctioned Russian entity, underscoring the US view that the Kremlin has pivoted the Russian economy on to a war footing.
While the G7 meets in Italy, defence chiefs from the US, Europe and other nations will meet in Brussels for their monthly meeting on Ukraine's security needs. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will host the event.
Ukraine defenders 'bending but not breaking' in fierce fighting
And this weekend, representatives of nearly 90 countries and organisations, half from Europe, are expected to attend a summit in Switzerland aimed at charting a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine, though Russia won't be attending.
Both sides in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II have been reaching out to friendly nations to help keep their armed forces supplied. The war has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides, including more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, a fleet of Russian warships reached Cuban waters on Wednesday ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean that some see as a projection of strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine.
The fleet, made up of a frigate, a nuclear-powered submarine, an oil tanker and a rescue tug, crossed into Havana Bay after drills in the Atlantic Ocean. The flagship frigate, adorned with the Russian and Cuban flags, was greeted by a 21-cannon salute.
US officials expect the Russian ships to remain in the region through the summer and possibly also stop in Venezuela.