Ukraine crisis LIVE: Russia says it made progress in negotiations

11:42 PM

Russia accused of using UN for propaganda

Six Western nations have accused Russia of using the UN Security Council to launder disinformation, spread propaganda, and justify its unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

 

And the US is again warning that Moscow's claim that the US has biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine “is really a potential false flag effort in action.” Friday's council meeting was supposed to be for a vote on Russia's draft resolution on humanitarian relief for Ukraine which has been widely criticised for making no mention of Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.

 

Russia instead raised allegations again of US involvement in biological warfare activities, which have been repeatedly denied by both the United States and Ukraine.

11:40 PM

IAEA says repairs on nuclear plant power line has begun

Ukrainian engineers have begun repairing one of three disconnected power lines linking the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and expect it to be working again early next week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement, citing Ukraine’s regulator.

11:40 PM

ICE to remove Russian, Belarusian debt from indexes

Intercontinental Exchange said it will remove all Russian and Belarusian debt from its indexes on March 31.

 

It said the price at which all securities will be removed is zero. “These changes are being made in accordance with the letter and spirit of the sanctions, as well as the rules and regulations that govern our business,” the exchange said.

11:25 PM

US targets Abramovich plane, 99 others over Russia export violations

The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday moved to effectively ground 100 airplanes that have recently flown to Russia and are believed to violate U.S. export controls, including a plane used by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich.

 

The list includes 99 Boeing airplanes operated by Russian passenger and cargo carriers including Aeroflot, AirBridge Cargo, Utair, Nordwind, Azur Air and Aviastar-TU -- as well as Abramovich's Gulfstream G650 -- and could further hinder Russian efforts to continue some international flights.

10:54 PM

Russia says it made progress in negotiations

The head of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukrainian officials says the parties have come closer to an agreement on a neutral status for Ukraine.

 

Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian negotiators in several rounds of talks with Ukraine, including this week, said Friday that the sides have narrowed their differences on the issue of Ukraine dropping its bid to join NATO and adopting a neutral status.

 

“The issue of neutral status and no NATO membership for Ukraine is one of the key issues in talks, and that is the issue where the parties have made their positions maximally close,” Medinsky said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.

10:47 PM

French president Macron told Putin he is 'extremely concerned' about Mariupol

French President Macron on Friday told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that he is "extremely concerned" about the situation in Mariupol, which has been hit by constant shelling over recent days, according to the French presidential office.

 

The call lasted just over one hour, the Elysee added.

10:44 PM

Putin tells Macron about Russia's approach to possible Ukraine deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict in Ukraine with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron by phone on Friday, telling him about Moscow's approach to a potential deal on ceasing hostilities, the Kremlin said.

 

"Reacting to concerns expressed by Emmanuel Macron, the Russian president underscored that the Russian armed forces taking part in the special military operation are doing everything possible to preserve the lives of civilians," the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

 

The two also discussed the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv and Moscow's stance on how a deal could be achieved, it said, without providing more details.

 

10:43 PM

Russia's biggest cargo airline to suspend all Boeing flights

Russia's biggest cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Group has suspended all flights using Boeing aircraft due to Western sanctions, it said on Friday.

 

Sanctions have cut off the supply of most aircraft and parts to Russia. The United States and Europe have closed their airspace to Russian airlines, and Moscow has responded by imposing the same measure on them.

 

Volga-Dnepr said in a statement it had stopped operations of two of its subsidaries - AirBridgeCargo and Atran - that use 18 Boeing 747 and 6 Boeing 737 airplanes due to sanctions and a decision by Bermuda's Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) to terminate their safety certificates.

10:42 PM

Ukrainian negotiator says Ukraine's position at talks with Russia is unchanged

Ukraine's negotiator at talks with Russia on Friday said Ukraine's position was unchanged and it wanted peace negotiations to lead to a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees.

 

"The statements of the Russian side are only their requesting positions. All statements are intended, inter alia, to provoke tension in the media. Our positions are unchanged.

 

Ceasefire, withdrawal of troops & strong security guarantees with concrete formulas," Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

10:22 PM

Four East European nations expel 20 Russian diplomats

Three Baltic nations and Bulgaria expelled 20 Russian diplomats as tensions rise Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

 

In a coordinated move, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expelled 10 Russian diplomats in total, citing propaganda about Russia’s invasion. Bulgaria also said it expelled 10 Russian diplomats for violations of the Vienna convention, without providing details. 

10:07 PM

Russia tells Google to stop spreading threats against Russians on YouTube

Russia on Friday demanded that Alphabet Inc's Google stop spreading what it called threats against Russian citizens on its YouTube video-sharing platform, a move that could presage an outright block of the service on Russian territory.

 

Google representatives in Russia did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Google representatives outside Russia also did not immediately respond.

9:44 PM

Xi tells Biden war in Ukraine needs to end as soon as possible: Chinese state media

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, according to Chinese state media.

 

"The top priorities now are to continue dialogue and negotiations, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, cease fighting and end the war as soon as possible," Xi told Biden on a video call.

 

All parties should jointly support the Russia-Ukraine dialogue and negotiations while the United States and NATO should also conduct talks with Russia to solve the "crux" of the Ukraine crisis and resolve the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine, Xi said.

9:19 PM

Nothing suggests Putin's intent has altered over Russian invasion: Western official

There is no evidence to suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin's overall intent in Ukraine has altered despite the invasion failing to reach its original objectives, a Western official said on Friday.

 

"I've seen nothing which suggests that the original intent of Putin has significantly altered," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 

"Therefore ... the difference between what was planned, what is being executed is at the moment, one of timing and they have failed to achieve their objectives in the time that they set out in their original objectives and their original plan."

9:05 PM

Russia keeps rate at 20% as economic crisis looms, cenbank to buy govt bonds

Russia's central bank kept its key interest rate at 20% on Friday following last month's massive emergency hike and said it would start buying OFZ government bonds, warning of an imminent spike in inflation and a looming economic contraction.

 

Bank of Russia policymakers held a scheduled rate meeting after more than doubling the key rate to 20% from 9.5% in a one-off action on Feb. 28 to support financial stability and shore up the rouble. The currency had crashed to record lows as Western countries imposed sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

9:03 PM

Concerned about progressively deteriorating situation in Ukraine, India at UNSC

9:00 PM

Ukraine is being kept in the dark: Russian Federation representative at UNSC

8:50 PM

Ukraine defence ministry says Russian forces have not made any fresh advances

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said Ukrainian troops had prevented Russian troops from making any fresh advances on Friday.

 

Speaking on national television, Malyar said Russian forces had food and fuel supply issues and communications problems.

8:41 PM

Biden, Xi hold talks for nearly two hours, says White House

US President Joe Biden talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping for just under two hours on Friday morning, the White House said.

8:33 PM

Biden and China's Xi hold call amid tension over Russia's Ukraine war

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on a video call on Friday about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Chinese media said Xi underlined that such conflicts are in no-one's interests Biden was expected to tell the Chinese leader that Beijing would pay a steep price if it supports the invasion, a warning that comes at a time of deepening acrimony between the two nations.

 

The call began at 9:03 a.m. Eastern time (1303 GMT), the White House said.

 

Xi told Biden that conflicts and confrontations such as the events in Ukraine are in the interests of no one, according to Chinese state media.

 

State-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone, Xi said.

8:08 PM

Xi says conflicts like Ukraine crisis in no one's interests: Chinese media

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that conflicts and confrontations such as the events unfolding in Ukraine are in the interests of no-one, according to Chinese state media.

 

State-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone, Xi told Biden on a video call.

 

"The Ukraine crisis is something that we don't want to see," said Xi.

 

Xi said China and the United States must guide bilateral relations along the right track, and both sides should also shoulder due international responsibilities and make efforts for world peace.

7:52 PM

Kremlin says technical glitch behind interrupted Putin speech at stadium

The Kremlin said on Friday a technical glitch was behind the interrupted transmission of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech to a packed Moscow stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of Crimea's annexation.

 

Russian state television suddenly cut away from Putin hailing what Russia calls its special operation in Ukraine and the bravery of its soldiers, to show patriotic songs being played at the event instead.

 

It later aired the full speech, which ended a few seconds after the cutaway with Putin leaving the stage as thousands of spectators waved Russian flags at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium.

 

Cited by RIA news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a server glitch had caused the interruption.
 

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb 24 in an effort to degrade its southern neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

7:35 PM

Ukraine president says rescue work at bombed Mariupol theatre is ongoing

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said rescue work was ongoing at the site of a bombed theatre in Mariupol city from where 130 people have so far been recovered alive.

 

In an online address, Zelenskiy said shelling by Russian forces continued to prevent the authorities from establishing effective humanitarian corridors to the encircled port city in southern Ukraine.

7:17 PM

UK supports Ukraine's position in peace talks: PM Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy he supports Ukraine's position in peace talks, Downing Street said in a statement after a call between the two leaders on Friday.

 

"The Prime Minister offered his support for Ukraine's position in negotiations and the President said the UK's close involvement was highly valued," the statement said.

7:16 PM

Putin hails Russia's 'special operation' in Ukraine to thousands in packed stadium

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed what Russia calls its special operation in Ukraine, appearing on stage at a rally at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Friday in front of thousands of people waving Russian flags.

 

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in an effort to degrade its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

 

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.

6:54 PM

At least 816 civilians killed in Ukraine since conflict began, UN says

The U.N. rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday that at least 816 civilians had been killed and 1,333 wounded in Ukraine through to March 17.

 

Most of the casualties were from explosive weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, OHCHR said.

 

The real toll is thought to be considerably higher since OHCHR, which has a large monitoring team in the country, has not yet been able to verify casualty reports from badly-hit cities like Mariupol.

6:27 PM

Ukraine says 130 people rescued from bombed Mariupol theatre but many more could be trapped

Ukraine's human rights ombudswoman said on Friday 130 people had been rescued so far from a bombed theatre in Mariupol but that there was still no information on more than 1,000 other people officials believe were sheltering there when the bomb fell.

 

Ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site, which Ukraine says was hit by a powerful Russian air strike on Wednesday. Russia has denied bombing the theatre or targeting civilians.

 

"Rescuers are working. There is only this information: 130 people are alive and have been taken out. The rest are waiting for help," she said on national television.

 

This is the first time Ukrainian authorities have shared an estimate of the number of survivors of the attack. There has been no confirmation of the number of possible casualties.

6:26 PM

The Embassy of India in Kyiv issues an advisory for all Indian nationals

5:53 PM

Russia says post-1991 'illusions' about the West are over

Russia has lost any illusions about ever relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a world order dominated by the United States, which is acting like a sheriff seeking to call all the shots in a saloon bar, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

 

Western nations have imposed sweeping sanctions across Russia's financial and corporate sectors in response to Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, plunging Russia's economy into its gravest crisis since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

 

Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign minister since 2004, said the West's reaction to what Moscow has called a "special military operation" had illustrated that the West was completely dominated by the United States and that the European Union was largely powerless.

 

5:40 PM

COVID-19 pandemic is 'far from over': WHO official

A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Friday that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was a long way off, citing a rise in cases in its latest weekly data.

 

Asked by a journalist at a Geneva media briefing about the timing of the pandemic's end, Margaret Harris said it was "far from over".

 

"We are definitely in the middle of the pandemic," she added.

5:38 PM

Putin discusses Ukraine with Russian security council

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Moscow's conflict with Ukraine and its international repercussions with his security council on Friday, the Kremlin said on its website.

 

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb.

 

24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

 

Unlike some of the previous meetings with the council, Putin's video conference was not televised on Friday.

 

"The current international situation was discussed at the meeting and the exchange of views on the ongoing special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine continued," the Kremlin said in a statement.