LIVE: India brings back 219 citizens from Ukraine; 250 more on their way

First Air India flight carrying 219 Indian evacuees from Ukraine lands at Mumbai airport from Bucharest at 7.50 pm

8:39 AM

Putin's decision to attack Ukraine is a 'terrible strategic mistake': NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine is a "terrible strategic mistake," said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s leaders on Friday in response to Moscow's attack on Kyiv.

"Massive and unprecedented sanctions have already been imposed on Russia. NATO will continue to coordinate closely with relevant stakeholders and other international organisations including the EU," NATO Heads of State and Government said in a statement.

According to the statement, NATO has deployed defensive land and air forces in eastern part of the Alliance and maritime assets across NATO area. "We've activated NATO's defence plans to prepare ourselves to respond to a range of contingencies and secure Alliance territory including by drawing on our response forces."

8:38 AM

Ukraine says it has shot down military plane

Ukraine's military said it has shot down a Russian military transport plane with paratroopers on board.

According to a statement from the military's General Staff, the Il-76 heavy transport plane was shot down near Vasylkiv, a city 40 kilometres south of Kyiv. The Russian military has not commented on the incident so far, and the report could not be immediately verified.

8:38 AM

Zelenskyy asks Israeli Prime Minister to mediate negotiations with Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to serve as a mediator in possible talks with Russia, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported.

In the early hours on Thursday, Russia launched a special operation after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested assistance to defend themselves from ongoing attacks by the Ukrainian troops. The Western countries have strongly condemned the Russian military operation and boosted the sanctions pressure on Moscow.

8:18 AM

Russia Ukraine crisis: Unclear if Japan to join in Moscow sanctions

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said he spoke with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the phone on Saturday and agreed they must respond to Russian invasion of Ukraine properly to prevent it from becoming "a wrong lesson" because of its potential influence in Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

 

Hayashi declined to comment if Japan plans to join the United States, Britain and the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

 

He said Japan will closely stay in touch with other Group of Seven members and the international society while watching the development. Read on...

7:50 AM

Russia-Ukraine crisis LIVE: US, Europe agree to freeze assets of Russia's Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov

With a military intervention in Ukraine off the table, and countries around the world looking to heap more financial punishment on Moscow, the United States, Britain and European Union said they will move to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

 

The EU's unanimous decision, part of a broader sanctions package, indicated that Western powers are moving toward unprecedented measures to try to force Putin to stop the brutal invasion of Russia's neighbour and from unleashing a major war in Europe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also told NATO leaders during a call Friday that Britain would move to impose sanctions against Putin and Lavrov. The EU said it would move to freeze Putin's assets. Read on...

7:24 AM

US sanctions Russia's Putin, top officials over Ukraine invasion

The US government on Friday joined European countries in slapping sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as Western nations sought to increase pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion of Ukraine.

 

The rare but not unprecedented U.S. imposition of sanctions on a head of state came just a day after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, assaulting by land, sea and air in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

7:23 AM

The UN was born out of war to end war. Today, that objective was not achieved, says UN chief

7:19 AM

Vladimir Putin ready to send delegation to Minsk for talks with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a Russian delegation to the Belarusian capital of Minsk for negotiations with Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

 

The Russian team will consist of representatives of the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the Presidential administration, Peskov added on Friday.

 

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised address that he wants to hold negotiations with Russia over its military operation, Xinhua news agency reported. Read on...

7:17 AM

Russia-Ukraine crisis LIVE: India abstains on UNSC resolution that 'deplores' Russian aggression

India abstained on a US-sponsored UN Security Council resolution that "deplores in the strongest terms" Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine, with New Delhi saying dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes and voicing "regret" that the path of diplomacy was given up.

 

The resolution did not pass since permanent member Russia, and President of the Security Council for the month of February, used its veto. The resolution received 11 votes in favour and three abstentions, including by India, China and the UAE. Read on...