Ukraine War: UN agencies have called for an immediate ceasefire
New Delhi:
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine are stepping up, with Ukrainian and Russian negotiators set to talk again after both sides cited progress over the weekend
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story
- Ukraine said Monday it would demand an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops during a fourth round of negotiations to end more than two weeks of fighting after Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine.
- Pro-Moscow separatists said at least 20 people were killed in Ukraine strike on Donetsk.
- China accused Washington of spreading "disinformation" over Beijing's role in the Ukraine conflict, without directly addressing reports in US media that Russia is seeking Chinese military and economic aid. The Chinese embassy in Washington DC said it has no knowledge of the requests
- At least two people died and 12 were wounded following an air strike on a residential building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, the country's emergency service said Monday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country. He warned that its member states would soon be attacked by Russian forces after an air strike hit a Ukrainian military base close to the Polish border.
- Russian authorities, facing potential economic calamity as Western sanctions take hold, have threatened foreign companies hoping to withdraw from the country with arrests and asset seizures, the Wall Street Journal reported. Russian prosecutors have issued warnings to several foreign entities -- via calls, letters and in-person visits.
- Britain's defence ministry said Russia has established a naval blockade on the Black Sea coast, "effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade". "Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine," it said.
- US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron underscored in a call on Sunday their commitment to holding Russia accountable for the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.
- The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since the Russian invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin on February 24 is now nearly 2.7 million, the UN said. More than half have gone to Poland.
- Electricity has been restored at Ukraine's retired Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the invasion, said energy officials in Kyiv.
