News Snapshot:
The Biden administration is raising alarm that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to call for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine, warning that support for such a move would play to the favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that an unconditional cease-fire halting Russia’s offensive in Ukraine would legitimize Moscow’s hold on an estimated 17 percent of Ukrainian territory that was taken by force. “A cease-fire now is … effectively the ratification of Russian conquest,” Kirby said. “And of course, it would be another continued violation of the U.N. Charter.”...