AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands and other NATO countries will continue to deliver weapons to Ukraine even as these deliveries could become the target of Russian attacks, Dutch defense minister Kajsa Ollongren said on Wednesday.

"The Netherlands and other countries will continue to deliver weapons to Ukraine", Ollongren said at her arrival for a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

"Ukraine has the right to defend itself, we will continue to support it."

Russian shelling caused the partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in Kyiv on Wednesday morning.

Two people were injured in the collapse while 35 people were safely evacuated from the building, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service.

The twelfth and technical floors collapsed during the shelling. Officials extinguished across multiple floors. A nearby 9-story building suffered partial damage.

Following Russian shelling in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klischko imposed a curfew in Ukraine's capital. The curfew, which began at 8 p.m. Tuesday, will span 35 hours.

Russian forces are pounding Ukrainian cities and edging closer to the capital, Kyiv, in a relentless bombardment that keeps deepening the humanitarian crisis in this war, now in its third week.

Still, a narrow diplomatic channel remains open, with a Ukrainian official saying Tuesday’s talks with the Russians were difficult, but that there was room for compromise.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders gathered in London on Tuesday that he realizes NATO has no intention of accepting Ukraine. Zelensky has this indicated before but this statement was more explicit. Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, adopt a neutral status and demilitarize.

U.S. President Joe Biden will announce Wednesday the U.S. is delivering more military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-armor and air defense weapons. Zelensky is scheduled to speak to Congress Wednesday via video.

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From the outset of the Russian invasion, the words used to describe Ukraine’s chances covered a range of possibilities — with one glaring exception. Hardly anyone dared even talk about a Ukrainian victory.

Starting now, that must change. China’s apparent willingness to assist Vladimir Putin’s army in addition to helping him avoid economic sanctions dramatically raises the stakes. A Russian victory in Ukraine now would be a triumph for a New World Order led by brutal autocrats and a defeat for the West and democracy itself. 

To prevent that disastrous outcome, the United States and Europe must sharply increase their help for beleaguered Ukraine when they meet next week in Brussels. Short of sending NATO troops or starting any direct military conflict with Russia, they must do everything possible to help Ukraine defeat Putin, or at least deny him the total victory he wants. 

President Biden can make a down payment on the new approach before leaving Washington by finally approving the transfer of 28 fighter jets from Poland.

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The office communications company Slack had cut off Russian businesses from its platform, according to Axios.

Several companies had reported being locked out of their accounts without notice amid international economic sanctions, the outlet reported.

"Slack is required to take action to comply with sanctions regulations in the US and other countries where we operate, including in some circumstances suspending accounts without prior notice, as mandated by law," the company, which is owned by Salesforce, told Axios.

Slack was not deleting data, but companies would be unable to download their information until sanctions were lifted, the outlet reported.

Ukraine destroyed at least three Russian helicopters at a key airport under occupation by the invading army, according to CNN.

Satellite images showed thick black clouds smoke rising from Kherson International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, as multiple choppers were set ablaze.

Kershon, a pivotal Black Sea port city on the Dnieper River, was the first major city to be seized by Russia during its invasion, falling to occupying forces on March 2.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday peace talks were sounding more realistic but more time was needed, as Russian air strikes killed five people in the capital Kyiv and the refugee tally from Moscow's invasion reached 3 million.

Moscow has not captured any of Ukraine's 10 biggest cities following its incursion that began on Feb. 24, the largest assault on a European state since 1945.

Ukrainian officials have raised hopes the war could end sooner than expected, possibly by May, saying Moscow may be coming to terms with its failure to impose a new government by force and running out of fresh troops.

"The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in a video address on Wednesday, ahead of the next round of talks.

Former President Donald Trump said he's “surprised” Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and cracked down on freedoms in Russia, in an interview with the Washington Examiner Tuesday.

“I’m surprised — I’m surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating,” the Republican reportedly said.

“I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate.”

As the unprovoked invasion began, Trump called Putin a "genius," but later said the war would not have happened if he had been re-elected.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not mince words when predicting who would emerge from the war in Ukraine with longevity.

"One way or the other, Ukraine will be there and at some point Putin won't," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CNN's "The Situation Room" Tuesday.

His remarks came as the US tries to find a balance between aiding its ally and not further escalating the Russian invasion.

The US is "working as hard as we can to limit, to stop, to put an end to this war of choice that Russia is committing," he reportedly said.

Ukraine "must admit" that it won't join NATO, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand that. We are adequate people," Zelensky said in a meeting with leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force.

Ukraine launched its bid to join the alliance between 28 European countries and the US and Canada in 2008, and is considered a NATO partner. Russia's unease with the partnership was one of its stated reasons for invading Ukraine.

"For years, we have heard about the supposedly open door, but we have also heard that we should not enter, and this is true and we must admit it," Zelensky said, adding security guarantees would be needed from the group to protect it from Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Zelensky's admission was a “reflection of reality,” in an interview with CNN.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky planned to ask the US for more military equipment, including armed drones and mobile air-defense systems, during his address to Congress on Wednesday, according to the New York Times.

The US had already provided its ally with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, but refused to help arm the country with Soviet-era war planes, out of fears of provoking Russia and escalating the conflict.

Ukraine was set to ask Washington for larger and more powerful air-defense systems than the US had already deployed, and was also in need of anti-ship missiles, satellite navigation technology, tactical radios and communications jamming equipment, according to the article.