LIVE: Putin says Russia will enforce rouble payments for gas from Friday

Russian President said on Thursday that he had signed a decree saying foreign buyers must pay in roubles for Russian gas from April 1

11:34 PM

Erdogan says Istanbul talks gave impetus to Ukraine peace efforts

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy by phone on Thursday that Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul this week had given "meaningful impetus" to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Erdogan's office said.

 

In the phone call, Erdogan reiterated his proposal to bring together Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Turkey, the Turkish presidency statement said.

11:34 PM

Ukraine diversifying fuel supply after Russian missile strikes on depots: Energy minister

Ukraine is diversifying its fuel supplies and is confident of maintaining enough resources after several Russian missile strikes on oil depots, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said on Thursday.

 

Haluschenko said in a televised interview that Ukraine suffered "intense" attacks on its oil infrastructure over the last several days.

11:16 PM

Moscow says all foreign leased aircraft will remain in Russia

All foreign leased aircraft still in Russia after the termination of Western leasing contracts will remain in Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday.

 

Sanctions imposed by Western powers in response to Russia's military campaign in Ukraine forced Western firms to terminate leasing contracts with Russian airlines for over 500 aircraft.

 

Russia has said 78 of these planes were seized while abroad, meaning that well over 400 remain.

 

"The entire fleet, meaning foreign aircraft, will remain in Russia," Borisov said on Russian television. "Some were impounded(abroad) as sanctions were being introduced, (but) the vast majority of Boeing and Airbus (planes) remain in Russia." Moscow has passed a law allowing the aircraft, worth almost $10 billion, to be entered on its own register, in contravention of international rules.

11:00 PM

IMF says US 'soft landing' amid Ukraine war pressures entails downside risks

Achieving a "soft landing" for the U.S. economy amid new inflationary pressures prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine will be a challenging task for the Federal Reserve and will entail "significant downside risks," IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said on Thursday.

 

Rice also told a regular news briefing that amid the food and energy supply crunches prompted by the conflict, countries should avoid policy moves that would worsen the situation. They should avoid hoarding commodities, imposing export restrictions or price controls and avoid launching new trade disputes, he said.

10:19 PM

Moscow says all foreign leased aircraft will remain in Russia

All foreign leased aircraft still in Russia after the termination of Western leasing contracts have been entered into the Russian aircraft register and will remain in Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday.

 

The imposition of sanctions by Western powers in response to Russia's military campaign in Ukraine forced Western leasing firms to terminate leasing contracts with Russian airlines for more than 500 aircraft. More than 400 of these are still in Russia.

 

9:56 PM

Russia bans sunflower seed exports, imposes quota on sunoil

Russia will ban exports of sunflower seeds from Friday until the end of August and impose an export quota on sunflower oil to avoid shortages and ease pressure on domestic prices, its agriculture ministry said on Thursday.

 

The government has approved the ban and quotas among other measures aimed at stabilising domestic prices for agriculture produce.

 

"With sharp growth in global prices for sunflower oil and oilseeds, there is currently increased demand for the Russian product," Russia's agriculture ministry said in a statement.

9:42 PM

Pakistan’s PM says will face no confidence vote on Sunday

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he will face a no-confidence vote on Sunday after days of speculation over the timing of the move. 

 

“On Sunday, Pakistan’s fate will be decided,” Khan said in a televised address. “I will fight to the last and if I win, I will come back stronger,” he added. 

 

9:40 PM

UK adds three more firms to sanctions list

Britain added three firms to its Russia-related sanctions list on Thursday: Photon Pro LLP, Majory LLP, Djeco Group LP.

9:27 PM

I'll come back stronger, whatever may the result be: Pakistan PM

9:22 PM

Putin's rouble gas payment order covers deliveries due after April 1: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for foreign gas buyers to use Gazprombank to make gas payments in roubles covers deliveries due after April 1, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.

 

"Payments for 'April gas' on some contracts start in the second half of April, on others - in May," the source added.

9:20 PM

I don't need anything today: Pak PM

9:13 PM

Pak PM Imran Khan alleges foreign conspiracy against his govt

9:06 PM

Russia bars top EU officials

Russia said on Thursday it had barred the European Union's top leadership from entering the country in response to what it described as anti-Russian policies.

8:57 PM

Russia's RT says UK sanctions are death knell for media freedom

Russia's state-funded RT television channel said on Thursday that British sanctions on Russian state media organisations showed the imminent end of media freedom and the blinkered nature of officials who thought anything Russian was wrong.

 

Britain on Thursday announced sanctions on 14 more Russian entities and people, including on state media organisations behind RT and Sputnik and some of their senior figures, saying it was targetting those who push out President Vladimir Putin's "fake news and narratives".

 

"With this action the UK government has sounded the death knell for media freedom in Britain," Anna Belkina, RT's deputy editor in chief, told Reuters.

 

"We will continue to bring the news to audiences that wish to seek it, and prevent a media echo chamber from being orchestrated by blinkered officials hell-bent on conflating anything remotely Russian with wrong," Belkina said.

8:56 PM

Pak PM says the country has reached a 'defining moment' in its history

8:53 PM

Britain respects India's decision to buy discounted oil from Russia

Britain respects India's decision to buy discounted oil from Russia, foreign minister Liz Truss said on Thursday, even as she pursues more sanctions against Moscow.

 

Truss's comments follows remarks by Daleep Singh, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics, who said Washington will not set any "red line" for India on its energy imports from Russia.

8:37 PM

US to release 1 mln bbl of oil per day from strategic reserve over next 6 months

US President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday announced a plan to release 1 million barrels of oil a day from the strategic petroleum reserve over the next six months, the White House said in a statement.

8:28 PM

Russia to give 100 bln roubles to support domestic air sector

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would provide the domestic air sector with 100 billion roubles ($1.25 billion) in support to help it deal with the consequences of international sanctions.

 

In televised remarks at the end of a meeting with representatives of Russian airlines and aircraft manufacturers, he said domestic flights would also receive government subsidies in 2022.

8:23 PM

Ukraine state nuclear firm says most Russian forces have left Chernobyl nuclear plant

Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom on Thursday said many of the Russian forces occupying the Chernobyl nuclear plant had left and were headed for the Belarusian border, leaving just a few on the territory of the defunct plant.

 

"The occupiers, who seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and other facilities in the exclusion zone, have set off in two columns towards the Ukrainian border," it said in a statement.

 

It said Russian forces had also retreated from the nearby town of Slavutych, where Ukrainian workers at Chernobyl live.

7:59 PM

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New Delhi for a visit

7:58 PM

Western sanctions on Russia likely to increase, Putin says

Western nations will try to find new grounds to sanction Russia, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, adding that his country must aim to retain jobs and to create new ones.

 

In televised remarks, he also said that the United States was profiting from the global turbulence, adding that of U.S.

military complex companies were on the rise.

7:58 PM

US imposes additional Russia-related sanctions: Treasury website

The United States is imposing Russia-related sanctions on 13 individuals and 21 entities, the Treasury Department said on its website on Thursday.

6:54 PM

Putin says Russian gas must be paid for in roubles from Friday

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he had signed a decree saying foreign buyers must pay in roubles for Russian gas from April 1, and contracts would be halted if these payments were not made.

6:47 PM

UK sanctions Russian media organisations, targeting disinformation

Britain on Thursday announced sanctions on 14 more Russian entities and people, including on state media organisations behind RT and Sputnik and some of their senior figures, saying it was targetting those who push out President Vladimir Putin's "fake news and narratives".

 

Britain is acting in concert with its Western allies to try to cripple Russia's economy as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, and has already sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and businesses.

 

Among those sanctioned on Thursday were RT's managing director, Alexey Nikolov, Sergey Brilev, a prominent news anchor at the state-owned Rossiya Television and Radio network, and Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Anton Anisimov.

6:42 PM

Ukraine expects Russian assault in east after invaders pushed back near Kyiv

Ukrainian forces are preparing for new Russian attacks in the southeast, where Moscow's guns are now trained after its assault on the capital Kyiv was repelled, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

 

Five weeks into an invasion that has blasted cities into wastelands and created more than 4 million refugees, U.S. and European officials said Russian president Vladimir Putin was misled by his generals about the dire performance of Russia's military.

6:26 PM

Ukraine's president says thousands have been killed in besieged Mariupol

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said thousands of people had been killed in Mariupol since Russian forces started laying siege to the strategic port city.

 

"Everyone knows there is a humanitarian catastrophe there," Zelensky told Belgian lawmakers in an address via video link.

6:14 PM

Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund says Russia investments 'negligible', document shows

Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund said the exposure of its main long-term investment fund to Russia and Ukraine was no more than 0.29% of total investments as it had been underweight on the region even before the war, a document reviewed by Reuters showed.

 

The Kuwait Investment Authority held cash worth 13% of its total assets at the end of 2021, higher than global asset managers' average, that it could deploy, it said in the document dated March 22. It was sent to the finance ministry in response to a parliamentary query about the impact on KIA's investments from Western sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

5:34 PM

Russian foreign ministry accredits first diplomat sent by Afghanistan's Taliban government: Lavrov

Russia's foreign ministry has accredited the first diplomat sent to Moscow by Afghanistan's Taliban government, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, as he appealed to the international community to "actively cooperate" with the new government in Kabul.

 

Since it seized Kabul in mid-August, the Taliban has been desperately trying to have its Islamic Emirate recognised internationally as the official government of Afghanistan. The government run by hardline Islamists in Kabul has not been officially recognised by any of the world's nations.

5:23 PM

Russian troops not withdrawing but regrouping in Ukraine, NATO says

Russian forces in Ukraine are not withdrawing but regrouping, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, commenting on Moscow's announcements about a scaling down of military operations around Kyiv.

 

Stoltenberg also said the alliance has yet to be convinced that Russia was negotiating in good faith in peace talks in Istanbul because Moscow's military objective since launching its invasion of Ukraine has not changed.

 

"According to our intelligence, Russian units are not withdrawing but repositioning. Russia is trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas region," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.

4:38 PM

Erdogan says oligarch Abramovich was part of Russian delegation at Istanbul talks: Media

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is sanctioned by European nations over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was part of Russia's delegation at peace negotiations in Istanbul this week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was cited as saying on Thursday.

 

Abramovich made a surprise appearance at Tuesday's talks in Istanbul, the first in-person meeting between the sides in more than two weeks. However a presidential feed at the time showed him sat among observers rather than at the main table with the two negotiating teams.

 

"Abramovich participated in the negotiations as part of the Russian delegation. Rather than looking at who was at the table, we should look at on whose behalf they were there," Erdogan said.