White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will hold a briefing with reporters from Washington. Russia’s relentless bombardment of Ukraine edged closer to central Kyiv as a series of strikes hit a residential neighborhood Tuesday, while the leaders of three European Union countries planned a bold visit to Ukraine’s capital and the number of people the war has driven from the country passed 3 million. Large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia’s assault on the city appeared to become more systematic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city and caused dozens of deaths. The strikes targeted a western district of Kyiv, disrupting a relative calm that returned after an initial advance by Russian forces was stopped in the early days of the war. Tuesday's shelling ignited a huge fire in a 15-story apartment building and spurred a frantic rescue effort. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a new curfew for the city, saying it would run for 35 hours from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Thursday As Russia stepped up its assault on Kyiv, the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia set out for Ukraine’s embattled capital by train to show support for the country. “The aim of the visit is to express the European Union’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a tweet. He was joined by Janez Jansa of Slovenia, Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s de-facto leader. EU officials characterized the visit as one the central European leaders had undertaken independently despite security risks. The 27-nation bloc's other leaders were “informed” of the trip but did not sanction it, EU officials said. The International Organization for Migration said the number of people who have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 passed 3 million on Tuesday. The U.N. has described the flood of people crossing into Poland and other neighboring countries as Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held a second day of talks as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reached its 20th day. The Red Cross and the United Nations refugee agency say millions of people face food and medicine shortages along with the immediate conflict threats of shelling and air attacks. MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/ukraines-capital-under-fire/507-c3a6fdca-41f9-43c0-be6d-5a645a882734