LIVE: Putin calls on Ukrainian military to seize power to better negotiate

'It will be easier for us to agree if you take power in your hands,' says Russian President to Ukrainian servicemen

10:23 PM

Latest advisory for Indians in Ukraine desiring to be evacuated via Poland

10:22 PM

Families of Indians stuck in Ukraine protest near Russian embassy

Demanding the safe return of their kin, the family members of Indians stranded in Ukraine staged a protest near the Embassy of the Russian Federation in central Delhi here on Friday, police said.

 

According to police, around 15 to 20 people came near the Shanti Path around 5.15 pm, but they were not allowed to move ahead.

 

They submitted an MoU at the Ministry of External Affairs and later dispersed from the area peacefully after an hour, a senior police officer said.

 

The protesters were carrying placards mentioning -- 'We need peace for Ukraine as Indians are also there', 'Save students stuck in Ukraine' etc.

 

About 16,000 Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine as Russia's invasion of the East European country entered its second day on Friday. Of the students, many studying medicine in Kharkiv and Kyiv, about 2,500 are from Gujarat and 2,320 from Kerala.

10:08 PM

Ukraine-Russia crisis: 21 students from Thane, Palghar stranded

Authorities in Thane and Palghar in Maharashtra on Friday said 21 students from the two districts are stranded in Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia.

 

Of the 21 students, 11 are from Thane and the rest from Palghar, an official said.

 

"Of the ten from Palghar, two are from Vikrangad area. Of the rest 11 students, four are from Thane, and one each from Murbad, Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivili, Ambernath and Mira Bhayander. All of them are stranded in Kharkiv and Kyiv," District Disaster Control Cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said.

9:53 PM

Moscow says outlook unclear for Ukraine talks

The Kremlin says prospects for possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine look uncertain due to apparent differences over a venue.

 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to send a delegation for talks with Ukrainian officials in Minsk, Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko runs a pro-Russian government.

 

That agreement came in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer earlier in the day to discuss non-aligned status for Ukraine.

 

Peskov told reporters that after the parties discussed Minsk as a possible venue, Ukrainian officials changed course and said they were unwilling to travel to Minsk and would prefer to meet in NATO member Poland. They then halted further communication, Peskov said.

9:33 PM

India's vaccination coverage crosses 177 crore doses

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 177 crore on Friday, the Union Health Ministry said. More than 25 lakh (25,20,820) doses were administered on Friday till 7 pm, it said.

 

Also, so far over 1.98 crore (1,98,39,419) precaution doses have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities.

 

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2, 2021.

9:24 PM

Ukrainians flee war, seeking safety across western borders

Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing war at home by crossing the borders into countries to the west in search of safety as Russia pounded their capital and other cities with airstrikes for a second day.

 

Cars were backed up for several kilometers (miles) at some border crossings as authorities in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova mobilised to receive them, offering them shelter, food and legal help. They also eased their usual border procedures, among them COVID-19 testing requirements.

 

At a major border crossing, in Medyka, Poland, Ukrainians arrived on foot and by car and train and were greeted by Polish authorities and volunteers offering them food and hot drinks.

 

Slovak police said that most of the people arriving at its border were women with children after Ukraine banned men ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country, and this appeared to be the case everywhere.

9:17 PM

No containers available for Russian, Ukrainian ports

Shipping liners have stopped booking export cargo destined for Russian and Ukrainian ports, officials said on Friday.

 

Russia is the topmost destination for India's engineering exports in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.

 

Many shipping liners stopped supplying containers and taking bookings for Russian ports due to geopolitical uncertainty. MSC which is a leader in global container shipping from eastern ports has also stopped booking, West Bengal Custom House Agents Society president Sujit Chakraborty told PTI.

 

Engineering products exporter Nipha Exports director Rakesh Shah said his company has a consignment for Russia but his liner HAPAG-Llyod has stopped container booking due to the situation.

9:15 PM

Fear eases in markets, even as Ukraine invasion continues

Some relief flowed through Wall Street on Friday, even as deadly attacks continued to rage in Ukraine. Stocks held relatively steady, oil fell and investors turned away from gold and other traditional havens they favor when fear is high.

 

The S&P 500 was 0.7% higher in early trading, following up on a wild Thursday where the benchmark index careened from a 2.6% loss to a gain of 1.5%.

 

Stocks have swung sharply with uncertainty about how much Russia's invasion will push up inflation, particularly oil and natural gas prices, and drag on the global economy. Such big swings are likely to continue in the hours and weeks ahead, with so much uncertainty not only about Ukraine but also about interest rates. The Federal Reserve is caught in a delicate dance where it has to raise interest rates enough to rein in high inflation but not so much as to cause a recession.

8:50 PM

Council of Europe considers suspending Russia as a member: Polish PM

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is considering whether to suspend Russia as a member, and a decision is due soon, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday, a day after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

 

The Council of Europe is an organisation formed after the Second World War to protect human rights and the rule of law.

 

The Council of Europe is separate from the European Union.

 

"The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, on the initiative of Ukraine and Poland, launched the procedure for suspending Russia's membership in the Council of Europe. Final decision coming soon," Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.

8:48 PM

Covid-19: Delhi reports 460 new cases and 2 deaths

8:31 PM

Putin calls on Ukrainian military to seize power to better negotiate with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian military to seize power in their country on Friday, a day after Moscow launched an invasion of its southern neighbour.

 

"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," Putin said at a televised meeting with Russia's security council.

 

"Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement." Putin added that Russian servicemen in Ukraine were acting "bravely, professionally and heroically."

 

 

 

8:17 PM

More than 470 students will exit Ukraine & enter Romania through Porubne-Siret Border for onward evacuation

7:56 PM

EU will freeze Putin, Lavrov bank accounts, but no travel ban: Austria

The European Union will freeze bank accounts of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the bloc but will not issue a travel ban, Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Friday.

 

"There will be no travel ban against them, though, because we want to retain the possibility of negotiations in order to end the violence in Ukraine," Schallenberg said as he arrived for an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.

 

7:43 PM

EAM Jaishankar receives phone call from Ukrainian Foreign Min Kuleba ahead of vote at UN Security Council

7:33 PM

EU close to agreement on sanctioning Putin, Lavrov: Luxembourg

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn expects an EU meeting in Brussels on Friday to reach an agreement over asset freezes targeting Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

 

"I think we are very close to an agreement," he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts.

 

Responding to a question whether Putin and Lavrov would be impressed by EU sanctions, Asselborn said: "I believe they all live in a bubble where they cannot recognise reality anymore".