LIVE: 'US committed to do all necessary to make Ukraine war stop'

Russia-Ukraine live news updates: Russian military forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine's southeast, a local authority said on Friday.

"Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units," it said on social media, adding that the efforts sought to ensure the operations were in line with safety requirements.

The United Nation’s nuclear watchdog put its incident and emergency center in full response mode after Ukrainian officials said Russia’s military shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, raising safety concerns and escalating the stakes of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“If there is an explosion, it is the end of Europe,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in a video message, adding that he also spoken with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other leaders. Zelenskiy has appealed to Putin to meet, saying it’s the only way to stop the war, Bloomberg reported.

Leaders of the Quad grouping of countries--India, the United States, Australia and Japan--agreed on Thursday that what is happening to Ukraine should not be allowed to happen in the Indo-Pacific, the prime ministers of Japan and Australia said.

10:51 PM

225 Punjab students returned from Ukraine so far

As many as 225 students have returned safely to Punjab so far, said state Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari on Friday.

 

He also asked officials concerned to ensure the safe return of remaining students and other persons stuck in war-torn Ukraine.

 

"The state government is sparing no effort to help the distressed families in this hour of crisis," he said in an official release.

 

The chief secretary said 476 calls have been received so far on the control room numbers and these queries are being immediately forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for ensuring safe and secure evacuation of persons stranded in Ukraine.

 

Tewari urged the parents whose children are stranded in Ukraine to contact the helpline so that they could be extended assistance.

 

Punjab Resident Commissioner Rakhee Gupta Bhandari apprised the chief secretary that they are in constant touch with the Indian embassy to ensure that state residents don't face any kind of problem in returning to their homes.

10:44 PM

Over 200 students from Ahmedabad district still stranded in Ukraine: Official

As many as 205 students from Ahmedabad district of Gujarat are still stranded in war-torn Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, a senior official said on Friday. Ahmedabad Collector Sandip Sagale, during the day, met the parents of one such stranded student, Shivam Sharma, and gathered information about his situation.

 

"Of the total 259 students who were stranded in Ukraine, 54 have come back and efforts are on to bring back remaining students. The Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Operation Ganga to evacuate stranded Indians" Sagale said after meeting Shivam's parents at their residence in Ranip area here.

 

Some 220 students hailing from different parts of Gujarat have arrived here in the last one week from Delhi and Mumbai following their evacuation from Ukraine.

9:40 PM

Russia-Ukraine War made India postpone DefExpo? Govt cites logistics issues

Amid escalating tension between Russia and the US and NATO member countries over the former's military attack on Ukraine, India on Friday decided to postpone the Defence Expo that was scheduled to be held at Gandhinagar in Gujarat from March 10 to 14..

 

Sources said the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and escalating tension between Washington and Moscow has dampened the spirit of DefExpo-2022.

 

However, the Ministry of Defence citied logistics issues.

 

"Due to logistics problems being experienced by the participants, the DefExpo 2022 proposed to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from March 10-14 has been postponed. The new dates will be communicated in due course," the ministry said in a statement.

 

However, sources maintained that several participants from across the globe were not able to come due to the ongoing war in Europe.

 

Further, it was also stated that India is presently engaged in evacuating its citizens stranded in Ukraine through its neighbouring countries.

9:32 PM

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9:18 PM

India seeks ceasefire to evacuate its citizens from conflict zones in Ukraine

India on Friday sought ceasefire by Russian and Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine for evacuation of Indian citizens stuck in conflict zones and said it is yet to see the implementation of the decision by the two sides to create safe corridors for the exit of the civilians.

 

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said that around 300 Indians are stranded in Kharkiv and 700 are in Sumy while some citizens out of over 900 are being taken out of Pisochyn in five buses.

 

At a media briefing, he said India is primarily focusing on evacuating its nationals out of the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine including from Kharkiv and Sum, adding that the total number of Indians stuck in Ukraine could be roughly in the range of 2,000 to 3,000.

 

Asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments Thursday that some Indians are being held hostage by Ukrainian forces, the MEA spokesperson once again rejected the claim saying India does not have any such information or reports.

8:53 PM

Ukraine to confront Russia at International Court of Justice on Monday

Ukraine and Russia will face off Monday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a hearing on emergency measures sought by Kyiv to order Moscow to suspend military operations, with Russia's legal team weakened by the resignation of a key lawyer.

 

The case lodged by Ukraine at the UN court centres on the interpretation of a 1948 treaty on the prevention of genocide, signed by both Russia and Ukraine.

 

The court is named in the treaty itself as the forum for resolving disputes related to it, and Ukraine's suit argues that Russia has misinterpreted the treaty in several ways.

8:47 PM

US committed to do all necessary to make Ukraine war stop, Blinken says

Washington is committed to doing every needed to stop the war in Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday as he went into a meeting with his EU counterparts praising the bloc for the "historic" steps it has taken against Russia.

 

"We are faced together with what is President Putin's war of choice: unprovoked, unjustified, and a war that is having horrific, horrific consequences for real people. For mothers, fathers. For children. We see the images on TV, and it has to stop," he told reporters in Brussels.

 

"We're committed to doing everything we can to to make it stop. So the coordination between us is vital," he added, standing alongside the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

 

He said that beyond the risk for Ukrainians, Russia's invasion has also put at risk fundamental principles established after two world wars that are important to keeping peace and security, "principles that President Putin is egregiously violating every single day".

8:32 PM

This is Putin's war, and Putin has to stop it, says EU

The European Union's foreign policy chief called on Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Friday to stop indiscriminate shelling and bombing of Ukraine.

 

"This is Putin's war, and Putin has to stop this war," Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels before a meeting of EU and other foreign ministers to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

 

 

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7:47 PM

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7:35 PM

UNSC to hold emergency meeting after Russian attack on nuclear plant

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET (1630 GMT) following Russia's attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, diplomats said.

 

Russian invasion forces seized Europe's biggest nuclear power plant on Friday in heavy fighting in southeastern Ukraine, triggering global alarm, but a huge blaze in a training building has been extinguished and officials said the facility was now safe.

 

7:27 PM

Op Ganga will continue till last person gets evacuated, nearly 2000-3000 Indians likely to be there: MEA

7:04 PM

They are facing difficult situation due to security reasons, no hostage situation: MEA

6:53 PM

NATO's Stoltenberg says no no-fly zone over Ukraine

NATO's chief said on Friday the Western military alliance would not set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine nor send its troops there, but promised other help to Kyiv and urged President Vladimir Putin to end immediately Russia's invasion.

 

"This is President Putin's war, one he has chosen, planned and is waging against a peaceful country. We call on President Putin to stop this war immediately, withdrawal all his forces without conditions and engage in genuine diplomacy now," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference.

 

After a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg also said: "Allies agree we should not have NATO planes operating in Ukrainian air space or NATO troops on Ukraine's territory." He said Russia's was in Ukraine was "horrific".

 

"At the same time, we have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine because that would be even more dangerous, more devastating and would cause even more human suffering."

 

6:36 PM

5 buses operational, more buses later; 900-1000 Indians stranded in Pisochin, more than 700 in Sumy: MEA