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