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Authorities in Ukraine's western Lviv region on Saturday reported three powerful explosions near the regional capital Lviv and urged residents to take shelter.
"There were three powerful explosions near Lviv from the direction of Kryvchytsy, now there is an air raid warning, so keep calm and take shelter," said regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyy in an online post, referring to an area in the eastern outskirts of the city.
US President Joe Biden on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "butcher" while meeting Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.
Asked what he thought of Putin after meeting refugees, Biden said: "He's a butcher."
Here are the LIVE Updates on the Ukraine-Russia War:
Mar 27, 2022 04:39 (IST)
Ukraine leader demands Western nations give arms, asks if they're afraid of Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, visibly irritated, on Saturday demanded Western nations provide a fraction of the military hardware in their stock piles and asked whether they were afraid of Moscow.
Several countries have promised to send anti-armor and anti-aircraft missiles as well as small arms but Zelenskiy said Kyiv needed tanks, planes and anti-ship systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, visibly irritated, on Saturday demanded Western nations provide a fraction of the military hardware in their stock piles and asked whether they were afraid of Moscow.
Several countries have promised to send anti-armor and anti-aircraft missiles as well as small arms but Zelenskiy said Kyiv needed tanks, planes and anti-ship systems.
Mar 27, 2022 03:08 (IST)
UK says Russian sanctions could be lifted with Ukraine withdrawal - report
British foreign minister Liz Truss says sanctions imposed on Russian individuals and companies could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to end aggression, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.
Britain and other Western nations are using economic sanctions to cripple the Russian economy and punish President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine, seeking to press him to abandon what he calls a special military operation to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.
British foreign minister Liz Truss says sanctions imposed on Russian individuals and companies could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to end aggression, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.
Britain and other Western nations are using economic sanctions to cripple the Russian economy and punish President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine, seeking to press him to abandon what he calls a special military operation to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.
Mar 27, 2022 02:07 (IST)
Kyiv says US has 'no objections' to Poland supplying war planes
Ukraine said Saturday that the United States does not object to the transfer of war planes to Kyiv to help it fend off the Russian invasion, after the Pentagon previously rejected an offer from Poland.
Ukraine said Saturday that the United States does not object to the transfer of war planes to Kyiv to help it fend off the Russian invasion, after the Pentagon previously rejected an offer from Poland.
Mar 27, 2022 01:47 (IST)
US to provide $100 million in civilian security assistance to Ukraine- State Dept
The United States intends to provide Ukraine with an additional $100 million in civilian security assistance, the State Department said on Saturday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the assistance would be to build the capacity of the Ukrainian ministry of internal affairs with a view to aid "border security, sustain civil law enforcement functions, and safeguard critical governmental infrastructure."
The United States intends to provide Ukraine with an additional $100 million in civilian security assistance, the State Department said on Saturday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the assistance would be to build the capacity of the Ukrainian ministry of internal affairs with a view to aid "border security, sustain civil law enforcement functions, and safeguard critical governmental infrastructure."
Mar 27, 2022 01:07 (IST)
Kremlin says it's not for Biden to say if Putin stays in power
The Kremlin dismissed a remark by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," saying it was up to Russians to choose their own president.
Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians."
A White House official said Biden, who was speaking in Warsaw, had not been calling for "regime change" in Russia but his point was that "Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region".
The Kremlin dismissed a remark by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," saying it was up to Russians to choose their own president.
Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians."
A White House official said Biden, who was speaking in Warsaw, had not been calling for "regime change" in Russia but his point was that "Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region".
Mar 27, 2022 01:07 (IST)
Biden not calling for Russia 'regime change': White House
Joe Biden is not seeking "regime change" in Russia, the White House said Saturday, after the US president declared in a major speech that Vladimir Putin "cannot stay in power".
"The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region," a White House official said.
"He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change."
Joe Biden is not seeking "regime change" in Russia, the White House said Saturday, after the US president declared in a major speech that Vladimir Putin "cannot stay in power".
"The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region," a White House official said.
"He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change."
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Mar 27, 2022 00:18 (IST)
White House says Biden is not calling for regime change in Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia when he said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," a White House official said.
"The President's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change," the official said following Biden's speech in Warsaw.
U.S. President Joe Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia when he said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," a White House official said.
"The President's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change," the official said following Biden's speech in Warsaw.
Mar 26, 2022 23:44 (IST)
US President Joe Biden said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" and called the conflict in Ukraine a "strategic failure" for Moscow in a major speech in Warsaw.
Biden compared Ukraine's resistance against a Russian invasion to the anti-Soviet "battle for freedom" and said the world must prepare for a "long fight ahead".
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Mar 26, 2022 23:28 (IST)
JustIn | US President Joe Biden to Russia: 'Don't even think about moving' on 'inch of NATO territory'
Mar 26, 2022 22:03 (IST)
3 Powerful Explosions Heard Near West Ukraine's Lviv
Authorities in Ukraine's western Lviv region on Saturday reported three powerful explosions near the regional capital Lviv and urged residents to take shelter.
"There were three powerful explosions near Lviv from the direction of Kryvchytsy, now there is an air raid warning, so keep calm and take shelter," said regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyy in an online post, referring to an area in the eastern outskirts of the city.
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Mar 26, 2022 21:13 (IST)
Joe Biden Calls Putin "A Butcher" While Meeting Ukrainian Refugees
US President Joe Biden on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "butcher" while meeting Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.
Asked what he thought of Putin after meeting refugees, Biden said: "He's a butcher."
Mar 26, 2022 20:05 (IST)
NATO Article 5 "Sacred Commitment" For US: Joe Biden
The US has a "sacred commitment" to the NATO military alliance's collective defence, US President Joe Biden told his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Saturday during a visit to Warsaw.
The US has a "sacred commitment" to the NATO military alliance's collective defence, US President Joe Biden told his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Saturday during a visit to Warsaw.
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Mar 26, 2022 17:46 (IST)
Misinformation has become 'WWIII', says Ukraine official
The Ukraine conflict has unleashed a "Third World War" over misinformation, an official from the beleaguered country said Saturday, while experts warned of the difficulty in convincing Russians what their army is doing.
Russia's war on Ukraine has also forced a profound change in the way big tech companies are handling information, experts told the Doha Forum at which Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova put Ukraine's case.
Russia has put huge resources into getting across its message in the media and on social media platforms that its invasion of Ukraine is a "special operation", while President Vladimir Putin has said it intends to "denazify Ukraine".
"I believe we are entering a Third World War, not a conventional conflict but an information war," said Dzhaparova, a former journalist.
Mar 26, 2022 16:34 (IST)
In Hiroshima, Japan PM, US envoy warn Russia over nuclear threat
Japan's prime minister and its US ambassador warned Russia against the use of nuclear weapons during a visit Saturday to Hiroshima, the site of an atomic bomb attack in World War II.
Their warning comes after Moscow on Tuesday refused to rule out deploying its nuclear arsenal, saying it could be used in the Ukraine war if Russia faced an "existential threat".
Japanese leader Fumio Kishida and ambassador Rahm Emanuel visited a peace memorial park and museum, where the US diplomat called Russia's position "unconscionable".
Around 140,000 people died when Hiroshima was bombed in 1945, a toll that includes those who survived the explosion but died afterwards from radiation exposure.
Three days later Washington dropped a plutonium bomb on the Japanese port city of Nagasaki, killing about 74,000 people and leading to the end of World War II.
Mar 26, 2022 15:35 (IST)
New Kyiv curfew from Saturday evening to Monday morning
A fresh curfew will be imposed on the Ukrainian capital Kviv from Saturday evening until Monday morning, mayor Vitali Klitschko announced.
"The military command decided to reinforce the curfew. It will start from 8:00 pm Saturday and last until 7:00 am on Monday," he said on Telegram.
Mar 26, 2022 15:11 (IST)
Russian defence minister seen speaking at army meeting after long public silence
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was seen chairing an army meeting and discussing weapons supplies in a video posted by his ministry on Saturday, the first time he had publicly been shown speaking for more than two weeks.
In the video, uploaded on social media, Shoigu said he had discussed issues related to the military budget and defence orders with the finance ministry.
"We continue ahead-of-schedule delivery of weaponry and equipment by means of credits. The priorities are long-range high-precision weapons, aircraft equipment and maintenance of engagement readiness of strategic nuclear forces," said Shoigu, who is overseeing what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by a number of top Russian army officials including the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, who also had not been seen in public recently.
Mar 26, 2022 15:10 (IST)
Biden to meet Ukrainian ministers in Warsaw
Joe Biden on Saturday prepared to meet in Warsaw with two Ukrainian ministers in the first face-to-face meeting between the US president and top Kyiv officials since Russia's invasion began.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be making a rare trip out of Ukraine in a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces.
The White House said Biden would "drop by" a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with Kuleba and Reznikov in the Polish capital.
Biden last met Kuleba in Washington on February 22 -- two days before Russia began its assault.
Since then, Kuleba has also met with Blinken in Poland next to the border with Ukraine on March 5.
Biden is on the second and final day of a visit to Poland after he met with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels earlier in the week.
Mar 26, 2022 14:36 (IST)
Biden to meet two Ukrainian ministers in Warsaw: White House
- US President Joe Biden will join a meeting on Saturday in Warsaw between the Ukrainian foreign and defence ministers and their US counterparts, the White House said.
- "This morning, President Biden will drop by a meeting between Secretaries (Antony) Blinken and (Lloyd) Austin and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov," the White House said.
Mar 26, 2022 14:33 (IST)
Russia Fuelling Nuclear Arms Race: Volodymyr Zelensky
- Russia's "bragging" about its nuclear weapons is fuelling a dangerous arms race, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Doha Forum on Saturday.
- "They are bragging that they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a certain country but the entire planet," Zelensky said in a video message to the forum of political and business leaders.
Mar 26, 2022 11:50 (IST)
As Ukraine forces counter near Kyiv, Russia scales back goals
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed for further talks with Russia as Moscow signalled it was scaling back its ambitions to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the east after attacks elsewhere stalled.
- In an announcement on Friday appearing to indicate more limited goals, the Russian Defence Ministry said a first phase of its operation was mostly complete and it would now focus on the Donbas region bordering Russia, which has pro-Moscow separatist enclaves.
- "The combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which ... makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of Donbas," said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.
Mar 26, 2022 09:50 (IST)
Bogged Down In Ukraine, Russia Shifts Goalposts To Claim Face-Saving Win
- Russia has reframed its war goals in Ukraine in a way that may make it easier for President Vladimir Putin to claim a face-saving victory despite a woeful campaign in which his army has suffered humiliating setbacks, military analysts say.
- Russia attacked its neighbour by land, air and sea on Feb. 24 and pushed as far as the capital Kyiv - where its forces have been stalled for weeks - in what Ukraine and the West said was a bid to topple the democratic government of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
- On Friday, however, a senior military official said the real objective was to "liberate" the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army for the past eight years.
- "The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished," said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.
Mar 26, 2022 07:17 (IST)
France's 'No' After Russia, Hit By Sanctions, Seeks Gas Payments In Ruble
- French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand for Europe to pay for gas in rubles as he accused Moscow of trying to sidestep sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
- Macron told journalists after an EU summit in Brussels that the Russian move "is not in line with what was signed, and I do not see why we would apply it".
- Putin made the demand this week as Moscow struggles to prop up its economy in the face of debilitating sanctions imposed by the West over his invasion of Ukraine.
- Macron said that "we are continuing our analysis work" following the Kremlin's manoeuvre.
- But he insisted "all the texts signed are clear: it is prohibited. So European players who buy gas and who are on European soil must do so in euros".
Mar 26, 2022 07:15 (IST)
"Unsatisfactory" But "Unsurprising": US Over India's Stand On Russia-Ukraine War
- A senior White House official said on Friday India's position at the United Nations over the crisis in Ukraine has been "unsatisfactory" but was also unsurprising given its historical relationship with Russia.
- Mira Rapp-Hooper, director for the Indo-Pacific on the White House National Security Council, told an online forum hosted by Washington's School of Advanced International Studies India needed alternatives to continued close ties with Russia.
- "I think we would certainly all acknowledge and agree that when it comes to votes at the UN, India's position on the current crisis has been unsatisfactory, to say the least. But it's also been totally unsurprising," she said.
