LIVE: Ukraine says Russian forces kill seven civilians in evacuation convoy

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE updates: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday some progress had been made in Moscow's talks with Ukraine, while the Kremlin said the conflict would end when the West took action to address Moscow concerns. “There are certain positive shifts, negotiators on our side tell me,” Putin said after meeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. “I will talk about all of this later.” He also stressed Western sanctions would not hinder Russian development and that Russia would end up stronger. 

European Union leaders said Friday they will continue applying pressure on Russia by devising a new set of massive sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine while stepping up military support for Kyiv. Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day EU summit outside Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said all options are on the table for a fourth package of coercive measures targeting Russia if President Vladimir Putin escalates his war efforts. 

President Joe Biden said on Friday the G7 industrialized nations will revoke Russia's "most favored nation" trade status, and announced a US ban on Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds, the latest steps to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The move would deliver "another crushing below" to Russia, as it continues its aggression in Ukraine, Biden said. 

Stay tuned for LIVE updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis

11:46 PM

Peace talks between Ukraine, Russia continue via video conference: Report

11:44 PM

Ukraine says Russian forces kill seven civilians in evacuation convoy

Ukraine accused Russian forces on Saturday of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv, and France said Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown he was not ready to make peace.

 

The Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that "the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back."

 

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment. Moscow denies targeting civilians since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24 and blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities.

10:33 PM

Paris says call with Putin was 'difficult'

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron says his three-way call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin was very frank and also difficult.

 

French officials said the Russian leader gave no indication during the call Saturday lasting more than an hour that he intends to stop the fighting in Ukraine.

 

European leaders are working on what they describe as a punishing new set of massive economic sanctions against Moscow in the hope of getting Putin to change his mind.

10:15 PM

Biden authorises $200 mn in new weapons, military training for Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized $200 million in weapons and other assistance for Ukraine, the White House said, as Ukrainian officials said heavy shelling by Russian forces were endangering attempted evacuations.

 

The decision brings total U.S. security aid provided to Ukraine over the past year to $1.2 billion, a senior administration official said.

 

In a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden directed that up to $200 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine's defense.

10:15 PM

Russian central bank decides not to reopen stock market trading next week

Russia's central bank on Saturday said it has decided not to reopen stock market trading on the Moscow Exchange from March 14-18, with the exception of some non-open-market transactions an transactions using the SPFI payment system.

 

It said the foreign exchange market, money market and repo market would open at 0700 GMT on those days. The bank said it would announce the operating mode for the following week at a later date.

 

10:14 PM

Ukrainian foreign minister says ready to negotiate, but will not surrender

Ukraine was ready to negotiate to end the war started by Russia more than two weeks ago, but would not surrender or accept any ultimatums, the country's foreign affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday.

 

Speaking at a virtual event organized by the non-partisan, nonprofit organization Renew Democracy Initiative, Kuleba said civilian lives would be saved if Ukraine had fighter jets and more attack planes to destroy large military columns.

9:33 PM

Ukraine President proposes meeting Russia's Putin in Jerusalem

9:24 PM

Eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha destroyed after Russia invasion, local governor says

The eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed following the Russian invasion but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Saturday.

9:22 PM

Kremlin says crisis talks with Ukraine have continued by video link: RIA

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the conflict in Ukraine, which had been conducted in person in Belarus, have continued via a video link, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, according to the RIA news agency.

 

Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had briefed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a call on Saturday about the negotiations held in video format in recent days.

 

He said Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Russia's delegation at the in-person talks, would continue to lead the negotiations on Russia's behalf.

9:18 PM

Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants being run by Ukrainian staff: Russia

The Ukrainian nuclear power plants at Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, both now under the control of Russian forces, are being run and managed by their Ukrainian staff, Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom said on Saturday, according to the RIA news agency.

 

Rosatom's statement said an external power supply was being restored to the defunct Chernobyl plant, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, with the help of Russian specialists.

 

It also said activities to ensure safety at the plants were being carried out in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

9:07 PM

Pope renews calls to end war in Ukraine

Pope Francis is renewing calls for an end to the war in Ukraine, emphasizing the impact on children.

 

In a tweet on Saturday he wrote: “Never war! Think first about the children, about those who are deprived of the hope for a dignified life: dead or wounded children, orphans, children who play with the remnants of war." Francis added: “In the name of God, stop!” Ukrainian officials and the U.N. human rights office say dozens of children have been killed since the start of the war.

8:35 PM

Most Ukrainian businesses not operating since Russian invasion, Zelensky says

Most Ukrainian businesses have stopped operating since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

 

Zelensky's economic adviser previously estimated that the Russian invasion had already caused more than $100 billion of damage.

8:35 PM

Russia planning 'pseudo' independence referendum in Ukraine's Kherson port: Local official

Russian occupying forces are planning to stage a "pseudo" referendum in the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson to create a breakaway region, the deputy head of the local council said on Saturday.

 

"The creation of the (republic) will turn our region into a hopeless hole without life or a future," Sergey Khlan said in a post on social media.

 

Russian forces captured Kherson following the start of an invasion on February 24, but pro-Ukraine protesters have taken to the streets in the city to protest the invasion force.

 

8:34 PM

Around 1,300 Ukrainian troops killed since Russian invasion: Zelensky

Around 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

 

Speaking at a news briefing, Zelensky said Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams had started discussing concrete topics rather than exchanging ultimatums.

 

He said the West should be more involved in negotiations to end the war but welcomed efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, and said he had suggested to Bennett holding talks in Jerusalem.

8:23 PM

UN says 579 civilians killed since war began

The UN human rights office says at least 579 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

 

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Saturday that 42 of those killed were children, while 54 were injured.

 

The Geneva-based office had documented 564 civilian deaths and 982 injured a day earlier.

 

It said most recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a “wide impact area,” such as shelling from heavy artillery and missile strikes.

 

U.N. officials said they believe the actual number of casualties is considerably higher than so far recorded because the receipt of information has been delayed and many reports still need to be corroborated.