LIVE: Russian invasion shut down 30% of Ukraine's economy, says FM

11:47 PM

Ukraine to receive more US Javelin and Stinger missiles within days, Ukraine official says

Ukraine will receive a new shipment of U.S. weapons within days, including Javelin and Stinger missiles, Ukraine''s National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in a televised interview on Saturday.

 

"The (weapons) will be on the territory of our country in the nearest future. We are talking about days," Danilov said.

 

Ukraine's allies have delivered planeloads of weapons shipments to bolster its military against the Russian invasion. Russia has criticised such deliveries from NATO member states.

11:18 PM

MEA releases a joint statement on the India-Japan Summit partnership

11:16 PM

Chinese official calls sanctions on Russia increasingly 'outrageous'

A senior Chinese government official said on Saturday that sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over Ukraine are increasingly "outrageous".

 

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng also acknowledged Moscow's point of view on NATO, saying the alliance should not further expand eastwards, forcing a nuclear power like Russia "into a corner".

 

China has yet to condemn Russia's action in Ukraine or call it an invasion, though it has expressed deep concern about the war. Beijing has also opposed economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, which it says are unilateral and are not authorised by the U.N. Security Council.

 

"The sanctions against Russia are getting more and more outrageous," Le said at security forum in Beijing, adding that Russian citizens were being deprived of overseas assets "for no reason".

10:30 PM

Russian invasion shut down 30% of Ukraine's economy, finance minister says

The Russian invasion has forced 30% of Ukraine's economy to stop working, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in a televised interview on Saturday.

 

"Our tax revenues do not allow us to cover our needs, (therefore) the main revenue stream is borrowing," Marchenko said.

9:36 PM

Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges Swiss to crack down on Russian oligarchs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Switzerland on Saturday to crack down on Russian oligarchs who he said were helping to wage war on his country from the safety of "beautiful Swiss towns".

 

In an audiolink address to thousands attending an anti-war protest in Bern, Zelenskiy thanked Switzerland for its support since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, but also had clear language about the Swiss financial sector.

 

"Your banks are where the money of the people who unleashed this war lies. That is painful. That is also a fight against evil, that their accounts are frozen. That would also be a fight, and you can do this," he said via a translator.

 

"Ukrainians feel what it is when cities are destroyed. They are being destroyed on the orders of people who live in European, in beautiful Swiss towns, who enjoy property in your cities. It would really be good to strip them of this privilege."

9:31 PM

Ukraine has evacuated 190,000 civilians from battle zones, says deputy PM

Ukraine has evacuated 190,000 civilians from frontline areas via humanitarian corridors since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a televised interview on Saturday.

 

She said corridors in the Kyiv and Luhansk regions were functioning on Saturday, but a planned corridor to the besieged eastern port city of Mariupol was only partially operational, with buses not being allowed through by Russian troops.

9:13 PM

'PM Modi & Japanese PM Kishida exchanged perspectives on Ukraine today'

8:43 PM

Russians hold some $3 bn in financial assets in the Bahamas, central bank says

Financial institutions in the Bahamas have around $3 billion in assets whose owners are linked to Russia, the Caribbean nation's central bank said late on Friday.

 

The Bahamas on March 12 ordered a halt all transactions with Russian entities that have been put under sanction by Western nations.

 

The central bank found $420 million in deposits and $2.5 billion in custody or trust assets "with ultimate beneficial owners from or connected to Russia" in Bahamian financial institutions that are licensed to serve foreign clients.

 

Those figures apply only to the international banking and trust sector, which serve clients outside the country, and do not include any Russian assets that could be held in Bahamian banks that serve the local population, the central bank said.

8:43 PM

Ukrainian negotiator says China should condemn Russian aggression

China should make the "right decision" and join other nations in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter on Saturday.

 

"China could become an important part of the global security system if it takes the right decision to support the coalition of civilised nations and condemn Russia's barbarism," said Podolyak, who is also an adviser to the Ukrainian president's chief of staff.

8:31 PM

We'll hold the next India-Japan talks as soon as possible: Japanese PM

8:31 PM

Putin, Luxembourg PM Bettel talk on the phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken on the phone with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, which is the second time this week the two leaders have talked.

 

According to the Kremlin's readout of the call, Putin “outlined fundamental assessments of the course of the talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives,” while Bettel informed him about “contacts with the leadership of Ukraine and other countries.” Putin also said that “incessant missile strikes by Ukrainian forces on Donetsk and other cities” of the self-proclaimed separatist Donetsk and Luhansk republics in eastern Ukraine are “leading to numerous civilian casualties.”

 

Bettel tweeted Saturday about his call with Putin, too. He stressed that since their first call earlier this week “the situation on the ground has worsened, especially in the city of Mariupol.” Bettel added that “the images that reach us (from Mariupol) are intolerable. The goal needs to remain de-escalation, adoption of ceasefire & furthering negotiation processes.”

8:23 PM

Unilateral attempts to change status quo using force should not be allowed: Japan PM

8:09 PM

We discussed situation in Ukraine: Japanese PM after talks with Modi

We discussed situation in Ukraine; Russian attack a serious matter as it has shaken international norms: Japanese PM after talks with Modi.

Unilateral attempts to change status quo using force should not be allowed: Japan PM Kishida while referring to Russian aggression on Ukraine.

8:06 PM

Both our countries should increase efforts for an open & free Indo-Pacific: Kishida

8:05 PM

Japan will invest 5 trillion Yen, says PM Modi

8:03 PM

Japan announces five trillion Yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) investment target in India

7:51 PM

India-Japan are working as 'One team- One project' on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor: PM Modi

7:47 PM

Medvedev says Russia has many reliable partners with promising markets

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said that Russia has many reliable partners in the post-Soviet space -- in China, Southeast Asia and Africa.

 

There are many more countries in the world than those that are part of the West, he said.

 

"You can proclaim yourself a 'golden billion' as much as you like, but the population on the globe is many times larger, and metals are much more expensive than gold. By the way, we also get them. And who is isolating whom now is a big question.

 

"Russia has many reliable partners, not only in the post-Soviet space, but also in China, Southeast Asia and African countries. This is a huge, promising market, which is not torn apart by such contradictions as in Europe. The fruits of this partnership and cooperation are more than obvious," Medvedev said, RT reported.

7:42 PM

PM Narendra Modi speaks at the India-Japan Economic Forum, in Delhi

6:38 PM

War could halt crop exports from Ukraine, says presidential adviser

Ukraine may not produce enough crops to export if this year's sowing campaigns are disrupted by Russia's invasion, presidential adviser Oleh Ustenko said in a televised interview on Saturday.

 

"Ukraine has enough grain and food reserves to survive for a year, but if the war continues ... (Ukraine) will not be able to export grain to the world, and there will be problems," he said, adding that Ukraine is the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter.

6:10 PM

Germany, seeking to pare Russia energy, courts Qatar and UAE for deals

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Saturday that he will explore liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply on a trip to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and aims to secure a hydrogen deal, making Germany less dependent on Russia.

 

Russia is the largest supplier of gas to Germany, according to data on the Economy Ministry's website. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Habeck has launched several initiatives to lessen Germany's energy dependence on Russia, including large orders of non-Russian LNG, plans for a terminal to import LNG and slowing the nation's exit from coal.

 

Habeck, ahead of the weekend trip, said "the goal ... is to establish a hydrogen partnership in the medium term, that is, to flank it politically."

 

6:00 PM

Russia-China cooperation will only get stronger: Interfax cites Lavrov

Cooperation between Russia and China will only become stronger in the current circumstances, the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Saturday.

 

"This cooperation will get stronger, because at a time when the West is blatantly undermining all the foundations on which the international system is based, of course we - as two great powers - need to think how to carry on in this world," Lavrov was quoted as saying.

5:59 PM

Putin 'in better shape than ever', Belarus leader says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is healthy, sane and "in better shape than ever", his close ally Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said in an interview with the Japanese television channel TBS.

 

"He and I haven't only met as heads of state, we're on friendly terms," Lukashenko said in a recording of the interview shared by state news agency BelTA. "I'm absolutely privy to all his details, as far as possible, both state and personal." Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging post for its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

 

Western leaders have suggested Putin made a costly miscalculation by launching the military assault on Ukraine, where Russian forces have taken heavy losses and their advance has largely stalled despite their apparent superiority.

5:59 PM

Seven killed in mortar attack near Ukrainian capital, police say

A Russian mortar attack on Ukrainian town of Makariv in the Kyiv region killed seven people and hospitalised five on Friday, local police said in a statement on Saturday.

 

"As a result of enemy shelling of Makariv, seven civilians were killed," the statement said. Russia denies targeting civilians.

5:26 PM

Russia's Lavrov: No reason to believe that OPEC+ mechanism will be dismantled

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sees no reason to believe that the OPEC+ mechanism will be dismantled as no one is interested in that, the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying on Saturday.

 

Lavrov said the OPEC+ format will still be needed once new participants emerge on the global oil supply market, Interfax reported.

5:24 PM

If Ukraine doesn't agree with Russia now, it will eventually sign an act of surrender: Lukashenko

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has said that if Ukraine does not agree with Russia now, it will eventually sign an act of surrender.

 

"It is now that Russia is offering Ukraine an agreement. If Ukraine does not come to an agreement with Russia, it will sign the act of surrender," Lukashenko said during a TV interview, RT reported.

 

According to Lukashenko, now the Russian side is offering Ukraine a settlement and an agreement, which are acceptable.

 

"Perhaps, the only moment that may not be repeated is for Ukraine to adequately get out of the current situation. If this moment is lost, it will most likely never come back. This situation will no longer exist. Therefore, Ukraine needs to cling to this moment," he stressed.

4:42 PM

Poland proposes total EU ban on trade with Russia, PM says

Poland has proposed to the European Union that the bloc impose a total ban on trade with Russia, Prime Minister Mateus Morawiecki said on Saturday, urging tougher sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

 

"Poland is proposing to add a trade blockade to this package of sanctions as soon as possible, (including) both of its seaports... but also a ban on land trade. Fully cutting off Russia's trade would further force Russia to consider whether it would be better to stop this cruel war," Morawiecki said.

 

Earlier this week EU member states agreed on a fourth package of sanctions against Russia. Details were not disclosed, but the French presidency said Russia's "most-favoured nation" trade status would be revoked.

4:01 PM

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Delhi on a two-day visit

3:30 PM

Ukraine says 10 corridors agreed with Russians

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced Saturday that 10 humanitarian corridors have been agreed on with the Russians.

 

They include a corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol, several in the Kyiv region and several in the Luhansk region.

 

She also announced plans to deliver humanitarian aid to the city of Kherson, which is currently under control of the Russian forces.

 

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces are blockading the largest cities with the goal of creating such miserable conditions that Ukrainians will cooperate. He said the Russians are preventing supplies from reaching surrounded cities in central and southeastern Ukraine.

3:30 PM

Ukraine sees no major changes in fighting over past 24 hours, says official

Ukrainian authorities have not noticed any significant shifts over the past 24 hours in front line areas where Ukrainian troops are battling Russian forces, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said on Saturday.

 

In an online video address, he said fighting was ongoing and named the southeastern city of Mariupol, the southern cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson, and the eastern town of Izyum as particular hotspots where Russian troops were on the offensive.