First, AP’s summary that appears in hundreds of U.S. daily newspapers. Second, a Reuters summary made available at about 6:20 a.m. EDT. Third and fourth, the U.S. Secretary of State and the Economist’s Beijing bureau chief are interviewed on NPR. — MCM

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Ukraine sees room for compromise: As Kyiv bombing intensifies, estimated 20,000 leave Mariupol, by Andrea Rosa | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine said it saw possible room for compromise Tuesday in talks with Russia, while Moscow’s forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, and an estimated 20,000 civilians fled the desperately encircled port city of Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor. The fast-moving developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground came . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia and Ukraine looking for compromise in peace talks, By Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets and Omer Berberoglu | Reuters * About 20,000 flee Mariupol in private cars-Ukraine  * Hundreds of thousands still trapped in city  * U.K. says Russian forces struggling to make progress. * Ukraine president says peace talks more ‘realistic’. * U.S. President Biden to meet NATO leaders | LVIV/KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine both emphasised new-found scope for compromise on Wednesday as peace talks were set to resume three weeks into a Russian assault that has so far failed to topple the Ukrainian government by force. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the talks were becoming . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken sets a standard for lifting sanctions: an ‘irreversible’ Russian withdrawal. Steve Inskeep of NPR’s “Morning Edition” speaks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (NPR) Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that merely stopping the invasion of Ukraine may not be enough for Russia to gain relief from Western economic sanctions. The U.S. also wants an assurance that there will never be another such invasion. In an interview last night, Blinken spoke of Western sanctions that cratered the Russian ruble, led global firms to shutter their Russian operations, and closed the Moscow stock market. He said the unplugging of much of Russia’s economy from the West is beginning to wreak long-term effects that are “growing over time.” He insisted that U.S. sanctions against Russia are “not designed to be permanent,” and that they could . . . READ MORE . . . or listen to and watch interview HERE.

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If China aligned itself with Russia, that could impact its reputation and economy. Rachel Martin of NPR’s “Morning Edition” speaks with David Ronnie, the Economist magazine’s Beijing bureau chief, Listen HERE.

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TO BE CONTINUED