Third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia begin in Belarus
Meanwhile, media outlets of both countries reported that the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet in Turkey on March 10.
A third round of talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia is likely to start at 9.30 pm Indian Standard Time. Meanwhile, media outlets of both countries reported that the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet in Turkey on March 10.
Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian authorities declined the Russian Army’s offer of creating “humanitarian corridors” in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol.
A spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy termed the move “completely immoral” and claimed that Russia was trying to “use people’s suffering to create a television picture”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a call. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and the ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Russia.
The Russian invasion also caused the price of Brent crude oil to touch $129 (Rs 9,912.04) per barrel on Monday. Indian equity markets were affected during intra-day trading, with Sensex dropping by more than 1,000 points.
9.04 pm: The third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegates begin.
9 pm: Indian citizen Harjot Singh, who got shot in Kyiv, has landed in Delhi and has been shifted to Army’s RR Hospital, reports ANI.
8.01 pm: A third round of talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia is likely to start at 9.30 pm Indian Standard Time, one of Kyiv’s negotiators says in a tweet.
5.51 pm: Foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet in Turkey on March 10, reports the Kyiv Independent
4 pm: Four buses have been arranged by an education agency for Indian students in Sumy. The buses will take the students to Poltava (nearly 340 km from Kyiv) and then towards the western border areas. However, the plan is on hold due to reports of firing en route.
3.55 pm: Visuals from Ukraine:
3.20 pm: Ukraine has declined the Russian Army’s offer of creating “humanitarian corridors” in cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, Reuters reports, citing a spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
2.21 pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about countering Russian aggression.
“India appreciates the assistance to its citizens during the war and Ukraine’s commitment to direct peaceful dialogue at the highest level,” he says in a tweet. “Grateful for the support to the Ukrainian people.”
1.30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a call. The two leaders discuss the situation in Ukraine and the ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Russia, according to a release by the PM’s office.
“Prime Minister thanked Ukrainian authorities for their facilitation in evacuating more than 20000 Indian citizens from Ukraine,” the release says. “He [Modi] expressed deep concern for safety and security of Indian students still remaining in Ukraine and emphasized the need for their quick and safe evacuation.”
12.40 pm: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says more than 20,000 people from 52 countries have volunteered to fight in Ukraine, The Associated Press reports.
“The whole world today is on Ukraine’s side not only in words but in deeds,” he says.
11.26 am: Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych says that Russia troops have targeted residential building in the city, reports the BBC.
“There are many shells in the city that did not explode... do not approach, do not lift, and do not try to move them yourself,” Senkevych has told the citizens.
11.14 am: Equity markets in India suffer losses on Monday as benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty lost 2.8% during opening hours.
At 10 am, the 30-share BSE Sensex was at 52,808.27, down by 1,525 points and 50-share NSE Niftywas at 15,785.10, down by 460 points.
The price of Brent crude oil touched $129 (Rs 9,912.04) per barrel on Monday. Brent is a global price benchmark for crude oil extracted from the Atlantic basin. It is used to set the price of two-thirds of the world’s trade of crude oil supply.
11.07 am: The Russian Army has said it will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, reports Sputnik. The humanitarian corridor will open around 12.30 pm.
10.50 am: Some visuals from Irpin city near Kyiv on Sunday, where eight civilians were killed while trying to escape:
10.41 am: New York Times says that Russian forces have launched artillery attack on Mykolaiv city is southern Ukraine. This comes a day after Ukrainian soldiers pushed Russian Army out of the city on Sunday.
10 am: Fighting in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has prevented evacuation of 2 lakh people, Reuters reports. The evacuation has failed for a second time. The first efforts were made on Saturday, when Ukraine and Russia decided to observe a brief ceasefire. However, the Russian forces did not stop shelling in that period.
9.55 am: The United States has provided Ukraine’s president Voldymyr Zelenskyy with encrypted communications equipment and a direct line to United States president Joe Biden, the New York Times reports.
9.50 am: Oil prices have been at their highest level since 2008, reports Bloomberg. Brent crude, the global benchmark oil, now costs more than $139 (Rs 10,672) per barrel.
Energy markets have spiked over the last two weeks as several countries fear disruption in oil supply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
9.45 am: New Zealand has announced new sanctions targeting several Russians nationals, the BBC reports. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that the new rules will impose a travel ban on 100 Russian oligarchs and will prevent superyachts, ships, and planes registered in Moscow from entering New Zealand’s airspace or waters.
9.35 am: The Ukrainian Army’s General Staff says that Russian forces are preparing to launch an assault on capital Kyiv, reports the BBC. The officials say that tanks and infantry units are nearing Irpin, located 35 kilometres from Kyiv, to lay the groundwork.
9.30 am: Netflix has suspended services in Russia in protest of invasion of Ukraine, reports Variety. Last week, the streaming service had announced that it would hold future projects and acquisitions from Russia.
9.15 am: TikTok announces suspension of live streaming and new content on its video service as it reviews the safety implication of a new Russian law that announces jail for anyone who spreads “fake news” about armed forces, reports the BBC.
A look at developments from Sunday:
- President Voldymyr Zelenskyy says that he will punish those who committed atrocities in Ukraine, reports The Guardian.“We will not forgive,” he says. “We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war on our land.”
- Ukraine on Monday will ask the International Court of Justice to give an emergency ruling demanding Russia to stop its invasion, reports Reuters. Ukraine has said that Russian invasion is based on a faulty interpretation of genocide law.
- The United Kingdom says it will provide $100 million (Rs 646 crore) and defensive equipment to curb the financial pressure faced by Ukraine, reports Reuters.
- Moscow is allegedly recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal quotes senior United States officials as saying.
- Russia asks all state-owned websites and services to switch to the Russian domain name system by March 11, reports The Guardian, citing Russian state media outlets.