Biden and Xi to Speak Regarding Ukraine; 21 Dead in Attack on Ukraine School
Follow all the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war here.
A destroyed car is seen in front of a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Photo: PTI
Joe Biden will speak with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday, 18 March, to discuss the war in Ukraine "and other issues of mutual concern", according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, in his video address to German MPs on Thursday, invoked the Berlin Wall and said that Russia was building a new wall against freedom.
A day after US President Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "war criminal," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Biden's remarks were "unacceptable," and constituted "unforgivable rhetoric".
Additionally, China's ambassador to Ukraine praised the war-torn country's unity and resistance in the face of Russian aggression. Beijing also said that it would "never attack Ukraine," and would support Kyiv economically and politically.
The Biden administration approved $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine
Zelenskyy addressed the US Congress last night and reiterated his demand for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine
About 7 percent of the Ukrainian population has fled the country, according to the UN
More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine
War Criminals Will Be Held Responsible: G7
The G7 nations, in a joint statement, warned that war criminals in Ukraine "will be held responsible."
"Ministers underscored that those responsible for war crimes, including indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, will be held responsible. Ministers welcomed the ongoing work to investigate and gather evidence, including by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court," a press release by the union of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States said.
21 Dead in Russian Shelling on Eastern Ukraine Town
At least 21 people were reported dead after Russian shelling in a town in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian artillery destroyed a school and a community center in Merefa, near the northeast city of Kharkiv, reported news agency AP.
Russian-European Mars Mission Suspended
The Russian-European Mars mission has been suspended over Ukraine war, the European Space Agency said.
Soon afterwards, Russia's space agency head said that Moscow regrets the 'bitter' decision by ESA to suspend the mission.
'Nothing to be Afraid of in Crimea': Putin Tells Businesses
President Putin has said that Russian businesses and banks could start operating in Crimea without fearing western sanctions.
The Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014 after the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine.
"Right now all the conditions are in place for major Russian businesses, which in the past, to put it bluntly, were fearful of sanctions. Now have nothing to be afraid of", Putin said, as quoted by the Financial Times.
Uzbekistan Calls for Peace
Uzbekistan has called for peace regarding the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
It has also stated that it would not recognise the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk, the separatists in which are backed by the Kremlin.
Mariupol Theatre Bombarding Leaves Survivors in Rubble
Rescue workers say that there are survivors in rubble of a theatre in Mariupol after it was allegedly bombed by Russian forces on the evening of 16 March.
Russia has denied responsibility for the attack.
Biden & Xi to Speak on Friday
Joe Biden will speak with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday, 18 March, to discuss the war in Ukraine "and other issues of mutual concern", according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The announcement comes in the backdrop of US officials warning that China may have already decided to provide Russia with economic support in its war against Ukraine.
VP Harris' Tweet Sparks Outrage
US Vice President Kamala Harris has sparked outrage after her tweet indicated that Ukraine was a member of NATO.
The latter part of the now-deleted tweet read, "The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defence of the NATO alliance."
After deleting it, her next tweet read, "The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people and in defence of the NATO alliance."
She merely added an "and" between "people" and "in".
Nevertheless, the tweet resulted in Harris being trolled on social media, with many questioning her credentials as VP if she didn't know that Ukraine was not a part of NATO.
Russia Bombs Theatre in Mauripol
Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre in Mariupol where civilians were taking refuge.
Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov told the BBC that between 1,000 and 1,200 people were hiding in the basement of the theatre.
The fate of these people is still unclear.
UAE Says It Will Work With Russia to Ensure Global Energy Security
The United Arab Emirates has said that it will work with Russia to improve global energy security, its foreign minister said during a visit to Moscow on Thursday.
Residential Building Damaged by Missile in Kyiv
A building in Darnytsky district, Kyiv, was damaged by debris from a Russian missile that was shot down by the Ukrainian authorities in the early hours of the day.
UNHCR Says More Than 3 Million Have Fled Ukraine
More than 3 million people have left Ukraine due to the war. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that the exodus is Europe's worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Spain's migration minister said that around 4,500 Ukrainians have officially registered themselves as refugees in the country. The actual number of people who have entered Spain from Ukraine is expected to be much higher.
Moscow Says Kyiv is Slowing Down Talks
The Kremlin has accused the Ukrainian delegation of slowing talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and stated that the war could end if the Ukrainians acted faster.
"Our delegation is making great efforts and is showing much greater readiness than our Ukrainian counterparts to conduct negotiations in an emergency mode," said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Putin government.
Putin Vows to Raise Salaries in Russia
Vladimir Putin has promised to raise Russia's minimum wage and the salaries of all public sector workers in order to reduce the pain caused by the western economic sanctions that have been slapped on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin Warns Domestic Critics
Vladimir Putin warned his own citizens on Thursday that he would cleanse Russia of the "scum and traitors" who he accuses of secretly working with Russia's adversaries.
"Any people, and particularly the Russian people, will always be able to tell apart the patriots from the scum and traitors and spit them out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths," he said.
Russian Govt Websites Face Cyberattacks
Russian government websites are facing unprecedented cyberattacks, the Russian News Agency TASS said on Thursday.
The websites of the Kremlin, Aeroflot (Russia's largest airline) and Sberbank were among those that saw outages or access issues in the past few days.
China Rejects NATO's Call to Condemn Russia
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg urged China on Wednesday to "clearly condemn the invasion and not to support Russia", but Beijing refused to do so.
Instead, the Chinese mission to the European Union compared the war in Ukraine to NATO's unintentional bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999.
China has maintained that NATO is at least partially responsible for the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
'Russia Building a New Wall Against Freedom': Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy told the German MPs in his video address to the lower house that Russia was building a new 'Wall' against freedom.
Zelenskyy also received a standing ovation by German MPs before his address started.
FMs of Turkey and Russia Talk
The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergei Lavrov respectively, met in Moscow on Wednesday, to talk about the prospects of peace in Ukraine.
"We talked in detail about situation in Ukraine and emphasised that actions of Russia are aimed at protecting residents of Donbas from direct military threat, at carrying out demilitarisation&de-Nazification", Lavrov said.
Satire Starring Zelenskyy to be Aired Again on Netflix
Netflix has announced that the satire show in which Volodymyr Zelenskiy unexpectedly becomes the Ukrainian president will be aired again due to popular demand.
Known as "The Servant of the People", the announcement comes amid worldwide praise for the former comedian who is now leading his country's defence against Russia.
Hungary Expecting 'Bigger Wave' of Refugees
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated in a Facebook video that his government was expecting a "bigger wave" of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
While visiting a crossing at his country's border with Romania and Ukraine, he said that more border guards will be deployed to handle the incoming refugees.
Zelenskyy Calls Russia a "Terrorist State"
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his national address last night called Russia a "terrorist state".
"The world must finally recognise officially that Russia has become a terrorist state," he asserted.
UNSC to Meet in Open Session
The United Nations Security Council will meet after six western nations sought an open session on Ukraine.
The United Kingdom's UN mission stated on Twitter that "Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians" and that its illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to all of Europe.
Melitopol's Abducted Mayor Returned in Exchange for 9 Russians
In a swap, the mayor of Melitopol, who was reportedly abducted by Russian forces last week, was freed after Ukraine released nine Russian armed service members.
Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communication stated that all the conscripts were barely 19 or 20 years old.
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