Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Photo:fmprc.gov.cn

China's FM said China hopes the situation will ease ASAP. China always maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected & that legitimate security concerns should be taken seriously.

This video grab taken and released on October 8, 2022 shows thick black smoke rising from a fire on the Crimean Bridge that connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia. Photo: AFP

The damage to the Crimean Bridge caused by a truck explosion on Saturday serves as a "symbolic incident" of the months-long Russia-Ukraine conflict, as the move, if confirmed as terrorist attack, which tramples on Moscow's red line and is tinted with provocation, will invite strong countermeasures from Russia, said Chinese experts. This incident, which comes less than a month after the Nord Stream sabotage, opens a Pandora's box of destroying civilian and key infrastructure, experts said, and once such moves become a new normal, the whole world will be forced to face rising security threats.

The Crimean Bridge, also known as Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia, has been damaged by a truck bombing, Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee was quoted by RT as saying on Saturday.

"According to preliminary information, three people were killed," Russia's investigative committee said in a statement. It said they were likely to have been "passengers of a car that was near the truck that exploded."

The investigators have also established the details of the truck and its owner, registered in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, and begun searching his place of residence, it added.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Deterrence and counter-deterrence regarding nuclear weapons has continued to reverberate in the US and Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for the international community to "do preemptive strikes" instead of "waiting for Russian nuclear strikes" when asked about NATO's role in the conflict in an address to Sydney-based Lowy Institute via video link. This sparked Moscow's anger. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Zelensky's comments "nothing else than a call to start a world war."

"Ukraine is now very anxious to end the war as soon as possible. With the appetite to defeat Russia, Ukraine hopes to encourage the US and the West to be directly involved in the conflict, and integrate with NATO," an expert on international relations who requested anonymity told the Global Times. "But Russia is a nuclear-armed country. If a direct military clash takes place between NATO and Russia, the possibility of a nuclear conflict remains, which will be a disaster not only for Europe, but for the whole world."

US President Joe Biden, as usual, poured oil on the flames of the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Reuters reported that Biden on Thursday made it clear he was keeping a wary eye on Putin and how he might react as Ukraine's military makes gains. "For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have a direct threat to the use of nuclear weapons, if in fact things continue down the path they'd been going," Biden told Democratic donors in New York. "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis."

According to Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, the analogy between the current situation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Cuban Missile Crisis is inappropriate, especially the rhetoric that today's situation is as perilous as that in 1962. It cannot be denied that the present circumstance is dangerous, but it's still far away from that of 1962, when the US and the Soviet Union came closest to a nuclear conflict. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, there was evidence showing the two powers were engaging related operations of dealing with a nuclear war. But today, the military conflict is so far between Russian troops and Ukrainian ones, while the US and Russian troops are not in a direct military clash.

Biden has his own intent and calculation to compare today's nuclear risks with those of the Cuban Missile Crisis, that is, to launch preemptive strikes in the field of public opinion, in a bid to further occupy the moral high ground, push Russia into a passive position and pass all buck of war to Russia. This is one of Washington's approaches to maximize its indirect involvement in the Ukraine crisis, noted Yang.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced Monday that the United States will provide Ukraine with 1 billion U.S. dollars worth of additional security assistance, the largest one-time weapons package since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to a statement by the Department of Defense, the package - the 18th tranche of presidential drawdown since August 2021 - included additional munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition, as well as munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS).

Washington will also deliver to Kiev 1,000 Javelins, hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems, 50 armored medical treatment vehicles, anti-personnel munitions, explosives, demolition munitions and demolition equipment, the statement said.

The just-announced aid brings total U.S. commitment of security assistance to Ukraine to approximately 9.8 billion dollars since Biden took office, according to the Pentagon.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye.

The cargo ship loaded with more than 26,000 tons of corn should arrive at the inspection location in Turkish territorial waters on Tuesday. Following inspection, it will proceed to its final destination in Tripoli, Lebanon, said Guterres.

"This ship, the Merchant Vessel Razoni, is loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn, and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraine's ports to feed their families," he told reporters.

The ship's departure is the first concrete result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Today's departure is an enormous collective achievement by the Joint Coordination Center, set up last week in Istanbul under UN auspices, with representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye," Guterres said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine with Türkiye under the UN on July 22, would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

Ukraine has received 500 million euros (about $512 million) as the first tranche of financial assistance from the European Union (EU), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday.

"We are grateful to the European Union for such a contribution. It is a significant investment in our common economic and financial stability and secure future," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

He said that his country will get another tranche of aid worth 500 million euros on Tuesday.

Last month, the finance ministers of the EU member states approved aid worth 1 billion euros (about $1.02 billion) for Ukraine to help the country maintain financial stability amid the conflict with Russia.

The funds would help Ukraine to cover its priority budgetary needs, Shmyhal said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken File photo:Xinhua

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in Ukraine during a phone conversation on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian refugees are seen at a train station in Lviv, Ukraine on April 8, 2022.Photo: IC

Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) will drop by 33.4 percent this year amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the National Bank of Ukraine said on Friday.

The present military conflict, the loss of lives and the population outflow from the country are the main factors behind the decline, the bank said on Facebook.

In its baseline forecast, the bank said that Ukraine's nominal GDP will shrink from 5.46 trillion hryvnias (about 149.3 billion US dollars) in 2021 to 4.54 trillion hryvnias (124.1 billion dollars) in 2022.

Ukraine will get some 1.6 billion euros (about 1.62 billion U.S. dollars) from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, the European Investment Bank agreed to disburse 1.6 billion euros to Ukraine, with 1 billion euros out of this sum to be allocated promptly," Shmyhal told a cabinet meeting, according to the government's press service.

Shmyhal said the funds will be directed for the activities to prepare Ukraine for the heating season, including the restoration of damaged electricity, water and heat supply facilities.

According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Ukraine will also use part of the funding from the EIB to finance projects in energy efficiency, roads, transport, education, infrastructure and other sectors.

Kiev plans to raise 20 billion dollars in international aid from its Western partners by the end of 2022, said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at a public event last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed a decree to appoint a new commander of the Special Operations Forces (SOF), a branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the decree, published on the presidential website, Viktor Khorenko was appointed the commander of the SOF.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote on Facebook that Khorenko previously served as a commander of the special reserve of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Khorenko will replace Hryhorii Halahan, who was dismissed by Zelensky earlier in the day.

Last week, Zelensky dismissed Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov, blaming them for insufficiently dealing with a large number of traitors in their agencies.

Ukraine is preparing to start grain exports via the Black Sea ports this week under the grain deal signed last week in Türkiye, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

Speaking at a media briefing aired on the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry's Facebook page, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the movement of ships from the Black Sea ports is due to start by the end of the current week.

The demining process will be carried out exclusively in the corridor for the passage of cargo ships, and all ship caravans will be accompanied by Ukrainian rescue vessels, Kubrakov said.

Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yurii Vaskov, who also participated in the briefing, said the first grain deliveries will be made from the port of Chornomorsk.

"We expect the first shipment to be made this week," Vaskov said.

Ukrainian servicemen unload a Boeing 747-412 plane with the FGM-148 Javelin, anti-tank missiles provided by US to Ukraine as part of a military support, at Kiev's airport Boryspil on February 11, 2022. Photo: AFP

The White House announced Friday that the United States will provide Ukraine with an additional package of security assistance worth 270 million US dollars.

According to a factsheet issued by the Department of Defense, the new round of aid includes four "High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems" (HIMARS) and additional ammunition for the HIMARS, four command post vehicles, 36,000 rounds of 105mm ammunition, 3,000 anti-armor weapons as well as up to 580 "Phoenix Ghost" tactical unmanned aerial systems.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (R), the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, center), and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) sign a deal in Istanbul, Türkiye, on July 22, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

Russia and Ukraine separately signed a deal in Istanbul Friday with Türkiye and the United Nations to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

The deal was first signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and later by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov with the other two sides.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guterres said, "Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever."

The secretary-general pointed out that the shipment of grain and food stocks into world markets will help bridge the global food supply gap and reduce pressure on high prices.

Photo taken on March 10, 2022 shows the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Photo: Xinhua

Russia has expanded its list of "unfriendly countries" to include Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia, the Russian government announced Friday.

The blacklisted countries are subject to a quota or even a complete ban when their embassies, consulates and government bodies in Russia want to hire local employees.

Now Greece has a limit of 34 people, Denmark 20, Slovakia 16, while Slovenia and Croatia will not be able to hire employees in their diplomatic missions and consular offices, the Russian government said in a statement.

"Naturally, being included in the list of unfriendly countries entails a decrease in the level of contacts (with Russia)," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing commenting on the government decision.

He did not rule out that the affected countries may face other consequences in addition to the restrictions on the recruitment of personnel.

A Ukrainian soldier walks in a field in Donbass on April 12, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

An agreement to resume grain shipment from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea will be signed in Türkiye on Friday in a bid to resolve a global food crisis, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed on Thursday.

"Tomorrow, we will take the first step in Istanbul towards the solution of the food crisis affecting the whole world, together with the UN secretary-general, the delegations of Russia and Ukraine," Cavusoglu tweeted.

"We will continue our efforts to resolve the conflict," he said.

Flags of the European Union fly outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

The European Union on Thursday imposed more sanctions on Russia over its conflict with Ukraine, including a ban on gold imports and the tightening of export controls on high-technology goods.

The "reinforced, prolonged EU sanctions against the Kremlin send a strong signal to Moscow: we will keep the pressure high for as long as it takes," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has tweeted.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell described the additional sanctions as "another important step to curtail Russia's capacity to continue and finance its war of aggression against Ukraine."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) speaks during a round of Russian-Ukrainian talks at Dolmabahce Palace. Both delegations met face to face for the first time since March 7. Photo: VCG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "good news" would be delivered on grain exports with the signing of a deal with Ukraine, Russia, and the United Nations on Friday.

"With the participation of the United Nations Secretary-General and the Russian and Ukrainian representatives, the signatures will be put, and the problems related to the agricultural corridor will be overcome," said Erdogan when participating in an event in Istanbul.

"With these signatures, we will give the good news to the world," he added.

Türkiye's presidential office earlier announced that Erdogan and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would be present at the signing ceremony, which will start at 4:30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT) at the presidency's Dolmabahce office.

The agreement will allow the resumption of grain and other foodstuff shipments from Ukraine to international markets through the Black Sea.

Forty-five more bodies of dead soldiers have been returned to Ukraine as part of another exchange with Russia, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories said Tuesday.

The operation to exchange the bodies of the soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict was carried out by joint efforts of Ukraine's Commissioner for Missing Persons Oleg Kotenko and the country's law enforcement agencies, the ministry's press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

Last week, Kotenko said that about 7,200 Ukrainian servicemen went missing in the more than four months of conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday welcomed the decision of the European Union (EU) to provide the fifth tranche of military aid for Kiev worth 500 million euros (507.7 million U.S. dollars) under the European Peace Facility (EPF).

"Weapons: grateful for the extra 500 million euros under the EPF," Kuleba tweeted.

He called on the EU to provide additional military assistance for Ukraine and step up sanctions against Russia, which could include an energy embargo, a price cap on oil, and a ban on all Russian TV channels.

With the contribution, the total military assistance allocated by the EU to Ukraine amounted to 2.5 billion euros since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

Fighter aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed three Ukrainian aircraft in an air battle, including two MiG-29s in the settlements of Novopavlovka in the Nikolaev region and Vladimirovka in the Dnepropetrovsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

The other Su-25 was destroyed in the area of Seversk, it added.

In addition, two Ukrainian helicopters were shot down in the air, including a Mi-8 and a Mi-24.

A total of 256 Ukrainian airplanes and 139 helicopters, 1,557 drones, 355 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,073 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 746 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,149 field artillery and mortars, and 4,253 special military vehicles were destroyed in the course of the special military operation.

Ukraine has received M270 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) from its partners, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday.

"The Long Hand family of the Ukrainian army has been enlarged: the first MLRS M270 have arrived," Reznikov tweeted.

Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations have reached consensus on some issues regarding grain exports and the negotiation will continue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

There was a substantive discussion during the talks in Turkey's Istanbul on Wednesday and some elements of possible agreements were formulated, the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish authorities are now considering the results of the first round of the talks, and after that contacts in the same format will be resumed, Zakharova said.

The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the end of the talks on Wednesday on Twitter without disclosing any immediate results or whether the talks would continue.

The meeting came at a time when global food prices have soared with growing concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged Ukraine crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Thursday allowing the government to take special economic measures to support the armed forces during their counter-terrorism and other operations abroad.

The Russian government is authorized to provide all necessary assistance to the armed forces, including "temporarily reactivating mobilization capacities and facilities" and "unlocking state reserve material assets."

Meanwhile, legal entities will not be able to refuse when concluding agreements and contracts on the delivery of goods and provision of services to the Russian armed forces.

Under the new legislation, it will also be possible to establish different work conditions for employees at certain organizations, including work during holidays, at night and on weekends.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed what he called "substantive progress" in ensuring the export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea.

"Today in Istanbul, we have seen a critical step forward to ensuring the safe and secure export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea," he told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York. "In a world darkened by global crises, today, at last, we have a ray of hope -- a ray of hope to ease human suffering and alleviate hunger around the world, a ray of hope to support developing countries and the most vulnerable people, a ray of hope to bring a measure of much-needed stability to the global food system."

More technical work will be needed to materialize today's progress. But the momentum is clear. In the end, the aim of all parties is not just an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but an agreement for the world, he said.

He thanked the Turkish government for its outstanding efforts to convene the talks and its critical role going forward. He thanked Russian and Ukrainian officials for their constructive engagement.

"The United Nations pledges to do our full part to support the follow-up," he said. "Today is an important and substantive step, a step on the way to a comprehensive agreement. We must also do more for struggling people and developing countries getting pummeled by a food, energy and financial crisis not of their making. We must do more to help all those living on the margins around the world -- countries on the brink of bankruptcy, families on the edge of famine."

Ukraine and Russia have made some progress at the talks on grain exports in Istanbul that also involved representatives of Turkey and the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.

"The Ukrainian delegation informed me that there is some progress. We will agree on the details with the UN secretary-general in the coming days," Zelensky was quoted as saying by his press service.

Ukraine is making significant efforts to restore the supplies of food to the global market, he said.

Earlier in the day, delegations from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey met with a UN delegation in Istanbul to find ways to export Ukrainian grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports to the global market.

First round of the discussions between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations aiming to deliver stranded Ukrainian grain into the global market concluded in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The Turkish Defence Ministry announced the end of the talks on Twitter without disclosing any immediate results or whether the talks will continue.

The meeting came at a time when global food prices have soared with growing concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged crisis in Ukraine.

The ministry reported earlier that during the meeting, the delegates would work on creating a safe corridor on the Black Sea to transfer grain from Ukrainian ports.

Turkey has long been playing a role of mediation, seeking ways to establish a mechanism that will prevent a food crisis by allowing Ukraine to export its grains to the global market via sea routes.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday welcomed the decision of the European Union (EU) to grant Ukraine a new aid package of 1 billion euros.

The aid, which was approved by the finance ministers of the EU member states earlier in the day, would help Ukraine to maintain financial stability amid the conflict with Russia, Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine also plans to attract up to 200 million euros on preferential terms from Italy, Shmyhal said.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said that Kiev has received a grant of 1.7 billion dollars from the United States and will use it to cover state budget expenditures for medical services under the medical guarantee program.

Kiev plans to raise 20 billion dollars in international aid from its Western partners by the end of 2022, said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at a public event last month.

Ukraine has become an associate member of the Multilateral Interoperability Program (MIP), which coordinates technological cooperation of the armies of NATO member states, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Tuesday.

"Ukraine has strong IT (Information Technology) potential and it is a worthy NATO ally. I am sure that we will bring our expertise to the development of collective security," Reznikov was quoted as saying by the Defense Ministry's press service.

According to the ministry, the associate membership in the MIP gives Ukraine a right to join the development and introduction of key NATO standards related to the interaction of combat control systems and related practices.

The MIP is a program of technological cooperation between the Armed Forces of NATO member states, which was established at the level of national developers of combat control information systems and aims to achieve interoperability of national C2IS systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the development of bilateral economic cooperation, and the situation in Ukraine during a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

Both leaders "focused on tasks to further promote economic cooperation, including measures to improve the contractual legal framework, boost trade and use national currencies in transactions, as well as to ensure uninterrupted supplies of Russian energy," the Kremlin said.

"The two leaders agreed on close interaction in these areas at the level of the co-chairs of the bilateral intergovernmental commission and the leaders of relevant agencies," it added.

Putin and Erdogan also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, including ways in which both countries can coordinate efforts to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, and the export of grain to global markets.

Erdogan noted it is time for the United Nations "to take action for the plan regarding the formation of secure corridors via the Black Sea for the grain export," according to Turkey's presidential office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday met with visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to discuss financial and military support for Kiev, the presidential press service reported.

At the talks, Zelensky thanked Rutte for the Netherlands' allocation of 200 million euros (about 201.5 million U.S. dollars) of additional financial support for Ukraine, which will help ensure the financing of payments for Ukrainian teachers, doctors and pensioners.

The Ukrainian leader also appreciated the Netherlands for the pledge to provide heavy weapons for Kiev.

"In terms of the amount of defense support provided, the Netherlands is among the top ten partners of our country," Zelensky said.

For his part, Rutte said the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine politically, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Russia's aerospace forces have destroyed temporary deployment points and ammunition depots near the city of Artemovsk in Donetsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Up to 350 Ukrainian personnel and 20 armored combat vehicles were hit at the site, according to the ministry.

The ministry added that the Ukrainian military has suffered heavy losses after Russian attacks on combat positions, with the total casualties of the 24th mechanized brigade amounting to around 2,500, and the Ukrainian 79th airborne assault brigade loosing more than 80 percent of its personnel.

There is no information available form the Ukrainian side for the time being to confirm the casualties and damage.

Russia is open to peace talks, and the negotiations with Ukraine will get more difficult with time passing by, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

"We do not refuse peace negotiations, but those who refuse should know that the more time they waste, the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us," Putin said during a meeting with State Duma leaders and party faction heads.

Putin said that the West led by the United States has been extremely aggressive towards Russia for decades.

"Our proposals to create a system of equal security in Europe were rejected. Initiatives for joint work on the problem of missile defense were rejected. Warnings about the unacceptability of NATO expansion are ignored," he added.

The attempts of Western countries to impose a new order on the world are doomed to fail, said the president.

Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink at least 35 percent this year due to the conflict with Russia, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

While addressing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland, Shmyhal said that the Ukrainian economy has started recovering from the "shock coma" of the first weeks of the conflict.

The government carried out a "relatively successful" grain sowing campaign and resumed logistics across the western border, Shmyhal said, noting that the economy still faces many challenges.

According to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine's GDP contracted 15.1 percent year on year in January-March 2022.

According to the estimates of the National Bank of Ukraine, in the second half of the year the rate of economic contraction will be lower, but in general, Ukraine's real GDP will decrease by more than 30 percent over the course of the year.

Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych on Monday described as "successful" Ukraine's military operation in the key cities in the eastern Lugansk region.

"The defense of the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk agglomeration is a successful military operation," Arestovych wrote on Facebook.

He added that Ukraine has performed all four key tasks of the defensive operation, including interdicting key enemy forces, inflicting losses on the enemy forces, buying time for receiving weapons and creating conditions for offensive operations in other sectors of the frontline.

Currently, Ukraine is carrying out counterattacking actions in the eastern Donetsk region and in the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Arestovych said.

On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin of the control of the Lugansk region, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (back) attending Russia-Turkiye-Ukraine tripartite Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on March 10. Photo: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia will no longer trust the United States and the European Union (EU).

Lavrov made the remarks at a meeting on Thursday with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei in Minsk, noting that Russia has been taking all measures to reduce its dependence on the West in key areas.

Russia does not close the door to the resumption of relations with the West forever, Lavrov said, adding that if dialogue is resumed, it will be held on the basis of equality and the balance of interests of all participants.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement in Brussels on April 27, 2022, following the decision by Russian energy giant Gazprom to halt gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria. The EU is preparing a sixth round of sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its attack on Ukraine, and is mulling sanctions against oil.Photo: AFP

Ukraine's bid to join the European Union (EU) is "within reach" but requires "hard work, determination and above all unity of purpose," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

Addressing the Ukrainian parliament via video link, she said the path towards EU membership required reforms in many areas including tackling corruption. She also took note of the steps Ukraine had already taken in this direction.

"You have created an impressive anti-corruption machine. But now these institutions need teeth, and the right people in senior posts," she said.

Von der Leyen said Ukraine should appoint new heads for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and National Anti-Corruption Bureau as soon as possible.

She also highlighted the need to reform Ukraine's constitutional court, which requires legislation outlining selection procedures for judges, in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission.

Xinhua file photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukrainian crisis, the global food market and bilateral economic ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone on Friday.

Putin said Kiev and its "Western patrons" were escalating the Ukrainian crisis and disrupting efforts to resolve it diplomatically, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Modi "reiterated India's long-standing position in favor of dialogue and diplomacy" regarding the crisis, according to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening "the specially privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India," and discussed the development of bilateral trade and economic ties, the Kremlin statement said.

Putin said the current situation of the global food market was the result of "systemic mistakes by a number of countries," which have disrupted the free trade of food products and provoked price increases.

Ukraine and Russia carried out their largest prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict on Feb. 24, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Wednesday in a statement on Telegram.

The agency said 144 Ukrainians aged 19 and 65 years returned home as a result of the exchange.

According to the statement, under the swap, Russia released 59 soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, including 43 from the Azov regiment which fought for Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant.

Most of the released Ukrainians have severe injuries, it said.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and the two countries' prospects for joining the European Union (EU), Zelensky's press service reported.

At a news conference after the talks, Zelensky said that Ukraine and Moldova have all opportunities to deepen their partnership in the humanitarian sphere, economy, politics, and cross-border cooperation.

The parties also discussed the partnership in the transport sector, in particular Ukraine's assistance in the reconstruction of the Moldovan railway, as well as strengthening energy cooperation.

Zelensky also urged Sandu to deepen security cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova.

For her part, Sandu said that obtaining the status of candidates for EU membership is a historic event for Ukraine and Moldova.

The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

The Russian military on Saturday announced full control of Severodonetsk, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the eastern Lugansk region.

With the support of Russian troops, the forces of Lugansk launched "a successful offensive" and "completely liberated" the cities of Severodonetsk and Borovskoye as well as two settlements in Lugansk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing.

"The city is already completely occupied by the Russian Federation. They are trying to establish their order," Severodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk was cited by the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency as saying.

Civilians, who had been sheltering at the Azot chemical plant, began to leave the plant, Stryuk said, adding that there was enough medicine in the city to give them emergency medical assistance.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 22, 2022. The UN chief vowed on Tuesday that the world body will never give up on finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis. Photo:Xinhua

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday stressed the importance of reintegrating the food and fertilizer products from Ukraine and Russia into world markets.

In a video message for a Berlin ministerial conference on global food security, Guterres warned that multiple famines could be declared in 2022 and that 2023 could be even worse.

The main costs to farmers are fertilizers and energy. Fertilizer prices have risen by more than half in the past year, and energy prices by more than two-thirds. All harvests will be hit, including rice and corn, affecting billions of people across Asia, Africa and the Americas, he said. "This year's food access issues could become next year's global food shortage. No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe."

The current crisis goes beyond food and requires a coordinated multilateral approach, with multi-dimensional solutions, he said.

There can be no effective solution to the global food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine's food production, as well as the food and fertilizers produced by Russia, into world markets despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday welcomed the decision of the European Council to grant Ukraine candidate status for accession to the European Union (EU).

"Sincerely commend EU leaders' decision at the European Council to grant Ukraine candidate status. It's a unique and historical moment in Ukraine-EU relations," Zelensky tweeted.

He thanked European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of EU member states for supporting Ukraine.

"Ukraine's future is within the EU," Zelensky said.

On Feb. 28, Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

European Union (EU) leaders have accepted Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership of the bloc, European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday.

"Agreement. #EUCO has just decided EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. A historic moment," Michel announced on Twitter. EUCO is short for the European Council, which is currently being attended by EU leaders in Brussels.

The heads of state and government of the EU member states approved the European Commission's recommendation at the start of their two-day summit in Brussels from Thursday to Friday.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the conflict with Russia began in the end of February.

The country handed its application on Feb. 28. Moldova applied for EU membership on March 3.

Ukraine has received 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000s ((PzH 2000)) from Germany, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday.

"German Panzerhaubitze 2000s with trained Ukrainian crews have joined the Ukrainian artillery family," Reznikov wrote on Facebook.

The supply of PzH 2000 is an example of cooperation in support of Ukraine, Reznikov said.

Apart from PzH 2000, Ukraine uses five types of 155-mm artillery, namely M777, FH70, M109, AHS Krab and Ceasar howitzers, the minister added.

Last month, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the government of Germany is working to provide modern weapons to Ukraine.

Russia has called on Lithuania to immediately lift its ban on the transit of a large number of goods through its territory to Russia's Kaliningrad region, Russian foreign ministry said Monday.

The ministry summoned the Lithuanian charge d'affaires earlier in the day.

Moscow demanded the imposed restrictions be immediately lifted, calling them "provocative" and "openly hostile."

"If cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the Russian Federation through Lithuania is not fully restored in the near future, Russia reserves the right to take actions to protect its national interests," the ministry said.

Lithuania announced last week to ban the rail transit of goods that are subject to  European Union sanctions through its territory to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

This file picture posted on the website of Russian energy giant Gazprom shows Nord Stream 2 pipe-laying operations in German territorial waters.(Photo: Xinhua)

Russian gas giant Gazprom announced Saturday that it will stop gas delivery via both strings of the Turkish Stream pipeline from June 21 to June 28 due to scheduled annual maintenance.

The suspension was agreed in advance by all interested parties, Gazprom said in a statement.

The Turkish Stream pipeline via the Black seabed consists of two strings, with one supplying gas to Turkish consumers and the other delivering energy to countries in southern and southeastern Europe.

The pipeline began operation in January 2020 with a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters annually.

Earlier this week, Gazprom said it would significantly reduce gas delivery to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to no more than 67 million cubic meters per day, citing the failure of Siemens, the manufacturer of the gas turbine engines, to provide the overhaul service in time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd L), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (1st L), Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (2nd R) and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, June 16, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania in Kiev Thursday to discuss his country's prospects to join the European Union and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the presidential press service reported. Photo:Xinhua

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday welcomed the positive assessment of the European Commission on granting Ukraine European Union (EU) candidate status.

"I commend the positive European Commission Conclusion on Ukraine's candidate status. It's the first step on the EU membership path that'll certainly bring our victory closer," Zelensky tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday to discuss defense and security issues, the presidential press service said.

In particular, Zelensky and Johnson discussed in detail the current situation on the frontline in the east and the south of Ukraine as well as the supplies of weapons.

"We talked about the need to increase the supply of heavy weapons. The main thing today is to provide air defense for Ukraine as well. We started to move in this direction," Zelensky told reporters after the talks.

For his part, Johnson said that his country stands ready to continue providing weapons to Ukraine and organizing military training for its use.

Besides, the parties have discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and the efforts to clear the Ukrainian territory from landmines.

Local residents queue up to receive humanitarian aid in Volnovakha of Donetsk, March 15, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Friday that the cabinet has decided to introduce a visa regime for Russian citizens starting from July 1.

The decision was adopted at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky said the country has decided to end visa-free travel for Russian citizens due to the "unprecedented threats to the national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine.

Previously, Russian citizens did not need visas to enter Ukraine, and they were allowed to stay for less than 90 days in the 180-day period from the date of the first entry.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a speech at a European Parliament plenary in Brussels, Belgium, March 1, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

The European Commission recommended that Ukraine and Moldova should be granted candidate status for accession to the European Union (EU), said its president Ursula von der Leyen on Friday.

Georgia still has some progress to make before being granted candidate status, but is on the right track, according to von der Leyen.

"Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia share the strong and legitimate aspiration of joining the European Union. Today, we are sending them a clear signal of support in their aspirations, even as they face challenging circumstances," she said.

The College of the European Commission met on Friday morning to issue an opinion on whether Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia should be granted the European Perspective and candidate status for EU accession, at the demand of the European Council.

The council will then make its decision on the three countries' applications on June 23-24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd L), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (1st L), Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (2nd R) and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, June 16, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania in Kiev Thursday to discuss his country's prospects to join the European Union and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the presidential press service reported. Photo:Xinhua

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania in Kiev Thursday to discuss his country's prospects to join the European Union and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the presidential press service reported.

At the meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Zelensky briefed the European leaders about the situation on the frontline and the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces in the conflict with Russia.

Ukraine expects fresh supplies of heavy weapons, modern jet artillery and missile defense systems from its partners, Zelensky said.

He also assured the European leaders that Ukraine stands ready to carry out the necessary work to gain full membership in the EU.

For his part, Macron said that Ukraine is part of the European family, and the leaders of the four countries support granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that his country is providing Ukraine with a package of additional security assistance worth 1 billion U.S. dollars, as well as 225 million dollars' worth of humanitarian assistance.

Biden informed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, of the decision during a telephone conversation, where the U.S. president said the security assistance will include "additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems that the Ukrainians need to support their defensive operations" in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, according to a statement released by the White House.

The humanitarian assistance will "help people inside Ukraine, including by supplying safe drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter, and cash for families to purchase essential items," Biden said in the statement.

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting of more than 45 nations in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss support for Ukraine. "We also discussed Secretary Austin's efforts in Brussels today to coordinate additional international support for the Ukrainian armed forces," Biden said.

Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand announced on Wednesday that Canada will provide Ukraine with 10 replacement barrels to enable the sustainment of M777 howitzer artillery guns.

In a news release, the defence minister said this military aid, valued at approximately 9 million Canadian dollars (7.2 million U.S. dollars), complements Canada's previous donation of M777 howitzers, over 20,000 rounds of compatible artillery ammunition, and the Canadian Armed Forces' training of Ukrainian Forces in the use of this equipment.

Anand made the announcement during her participation in the United States-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting after discussing with Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov during a bilateral meeting.

According to the news release, this military assistance expands on the military aid that Canada has pledged to Ukraine since February 2022, which includes the contribution of M777s from Canadian Armed Forces stocks and commitment to financing over 20,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition sourced from the United States.

The purchase of 10 immediately-available replacement barrels will ensure that the M777 howitzers maintain their distance range and accuracy, as worn barrels require regular replacement, the release said.

Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday that it will shut down another turbine engine on the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline, thus significantly reducing the amount of gas delivery to Europe.

As Germany's Siemens, the manufacturer of the gas turbine engines, failed to provide the overhaul service in time, Gazprom decided to stop the second engine at the Portovaya compressor station due to its technical condition, the company said on Telegram.

The daily output of the Portovaya compressor station from 1:30 a.m. Thursday Moscow Time (2230 GMT Wednesday) will be no more than 67 million cubic meters, sharply down from 100 million, Gazprom said.

Citing the same reason, Gazprom said on Tuesday that the amount of gas supply via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would be cut from 167 million cubic meters per day to 100 million.

Completed in 2011, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline connects Vyborg City in northwestern Russia and Germany via the Baltic seabed. To relax its overload, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was finished in 2021 but has been halted since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had discussed defense cooperation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Further defense cooperation was discussed," Zelensky tweeted after the talks.

The parties also coordinated the next steps in counteracting "Russia's aggression against Ukraine" on the eve of important international events, Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president added that he thanked Canada for its leadership in supporting Ukraine.

Last month, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced that Canada would donate more military aid to Ukraine, including over 20,000 artillery rounds of 155 mm NATO standard ammunition.

Ukraine and the European Union have agreed on the final text of a deal on road transport liberalization, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The agreement, which is set to be signed by the end of this month, will significantly improve and speed up logistics between Ukraine and the EU, the ministry said on Facebook.

In particular, the deal stipulates that the EU will cancel the obligation for Ukrainian haulers to obtain special permits for transporting goods in the EU.

"This is critically important today, when, in the conditions of the blockade of seaports, the Ukrainian economy is completely dependent on stable logistics on the western borders," said Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Ukrainian infrastructure minister.

Ukraine and the EU began negotiations on road transport liberalization last year.

Russia has imposed personal sanctions against 29 media representatives and 20 defense figures of the United Kingdom in a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The media representatives, including journalists working for The Guardian, BBC, and others, and the defense figures, including British Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin, would be denied entry into Russia.

According to the ministry, the move is a response to personal sanctions introduced by the British government against leading Russian journalists and heads of Russian defense companies.

"The British journalists included in the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbass," the ministry said, adding that with their biased assessments, they also contribute to fueling Russophobia in British society.

The 20 individuals "linked to the UK defense industry were involved in making decisions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine, which are used by local punishers and Nazi formations to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure," the ministry said.

Twenty-two people were injured in a rocket attack on the Ukrainian city of Chortkiv in the country's western Ternopil region on Saturday, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

Four rockets, presumably fired from the Black Sea, hit Chortkiv at about 9:46 p.m. local time (1846 GMT) on Saturday, according to Volodymyr Trush, head of the Ternopil regional military administration.

A military facility was partially destroyed in the attack, while four apartment blocks were damaged, Trush told reporters, adding that most of the injured were in stable condition.

Villager Caroline is seen in a withered maize crops field in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

The fighting in Ukraine has a significant impact on the global food markets and could leave an additional 11 to 19 million people with chronic hunger, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) warned on Friday.

FAO spokesperson Boubaker Ben Belhassen told a press briefing here that both countries involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict were major producers of agricultural commodities in the world, with a combined share of around 30 percent of global wheat exports.

The countries impacted most by the conflict are in the north African region, he said.

He cited the FAO's latest food outlook report, which pointed to a likely tightening of food commodity markets in 2022 due to the "soaring input prices, concerns about the weather, and increased market uncertainties."

He said that higher international food prices are projected to increase global food import bills to a record 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Photo taken on April 27, 2022 shows the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid, Spain. The UNWTO confirmed here on Wednesday that Russia had announced its intention to withdraw from the organization. Photo:Xinhua

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order on Friday authorizing the country's withdrawal from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The proposal was made by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which had reached an agreement with relevant government bodies, according to the published order.

UNWTO members voted to suspend Russia from the organization on April 27, when the Russian delegation announced its withdrawal.

Later that day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the UNWTO was monopolized by the European Union countries, "which use it in their own interests." Moscow criticized the "politicization" of the UNWTO's activities and the "discrimination" against Russia.

Russia holds 2022 Victory Day military parades

The Russian military wrapped up large-scale exercises in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, according to an official statement.

During the week-long drills, more than 300 combat exercises were conducted, 170 of which involved the practical use of weapons, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The sailors practiced searching submarines, firing artillery and striking targets with high-precision sea-based weapons.

More than 40 warships and support vessels as well as about 20 aircraft of the Russian Pacific Fleet participated in the exercises.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed two separate decrees imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and more than 200 Russian officials, the presidential press service reported.

The restrictions targeting Putin banned him from carrying out trade operations such as exports and imports, transiting through Ukrainian territory and participating in the privatization of Ukraine's state property.

The sanctions also include asset freezing and prohibition of using Ukrainian radio-frequency resources.

The same restrictive measures will apply to 34 top officials, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the decree.

Moreover, the decrees sanctioned 263 higher educational institutions.

German industrial production recovered slightly in April following a slump caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to preliminary figures released on Wednesday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

After falling 3.7 percent month-on-month in March -- the sharpest drop since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic -- industrial production rose by 0.7 percent in April.

However, production levels were still dampened by the conflict as Germany was "disproportionately affected by the trade sanctions against Russia," the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said in a statement.

The value of incoming orders for industry in Germany continued to be higher than that of sales. "The excess demand is likely to be due to the continuing acute shortage of intermediate products," Destatis noted. Many companies were still facing problems filling new orders as a result.

According to the Munich-based ifo Institute, more than three out of four German companies complained of bottlenecks or problems in the procurement of intermediate products and raw materials in May.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed on Wednesday that efforts must be made to enable grain exports from Ukraine, the German government said.

In a conversation on the phone Wednesday morning, the two leaders exchanged views on the current military and humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and agreed that efforts must be made to enable grain exports from Ukraine, especially by sea, said a statement issued by the German government.

Scholz also briefed Zelensky on his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron on May 28, according to the statement.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Kiev is holding talks with the United Nations (UN) and other partners on the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

"Ukraine is investing all efforts in the unblocking of Ukrainian seaports to prevent a global food crisis," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine needs effective security guarantees to restore navigation in the Black Sea, including weapons to protect the coastline from threats from the sea and involving third countries' navies to patrol the relevant part of the sea, the ministry said.

Ukraine appreciates Turkey's efforts aimed at unblocking Ukrainian ports, the ministry said, adding that no agreement between Ukraine, Turkey and Russia on the issue has been achieved yet.

Ukraine has already started supplying grain to the world market by trucks, railway and river transport, the ministry said.

The customs agencies of Ukraine and Moldova have agreed to simplify the procedure of border crossing, the State Customs Service of Ukraine said in a statement on Monday.

The agreement was reached during a meeting of Vyacheslav Demchenko, acting head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and Igor Talmazan, director of the Customs Service of Moldova, in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa.

The two countries agreed to work out mechanisms of priority passage of fuel and agricultural goods through the joint border and intensify efforts to speed up the customs clearance procedure.

In particular, the parties agreed to optimize the load on the existing customs infrastructure by redirecting some vehicles to less congested checkpoints.

Besides, Ukraine and Moldova decided to consider expanding the number of checkpoints with phytosanitary and veterinary control, as well as simplifying the entry of Ukrainian trucks without special permits to Moldova.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that additional 61 U.S. citizens have been barred from entering Russia in response to the sanctions repeatedly imposed by Washington.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm are among the blacklisted.

The new restrictions have made longer the list of Americans banned from entering Russia, on which there were 963 names when the Russian Foreign Ministry published it on May 21, including U.S. President Joe Biden.

A Chinese envoy on Monday warned against constantly providing weapons to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Russia.

The international community should not stop at eliminating sexual violence and human trafficking. Only through cease-fire and the restoration of peace can the trauma of conflict for women and children be fundamentally avoided, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"The international community should work together to promote peace talks, and encourage Russia and Ukraine to come back to the negotiation track," he told a Security Council meeting on sexual violence and human trafficking in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

Constantly providing weapons or imposing sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem, but will only perpetuate and expand the conflict, he warned.

People in Ukraine and other developing countries should not pay the price for geopolitical and bloc confrontations. At a time when humans have a shared future and when global security is indivisible, no country can or should seek its own absolute security at the expense of the security of others. And international and regional security cannot and should not be guaranteed by strengthening military blocs and cutting off supply and industrial chains, said Dai.

Russian forces have destroyed T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles supplied by Eastern European countries near Kiev, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Sunday.

"High-precision, long-range air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles, which were housed in the buildings of an auto repair facility on the outskirts of Kiev," Konashenkov told a briefing.

According to earlier reports, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one person was injured in rocket strikes on Ukraine's capital Sunday morning.

The attacks hit infrastructure facilities in Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts on the left bank of the Dnieper River, Klitschko told The Telegram.

Specifically, railway infrastructure facilities were hit, according to Serhiy Leshchenko, a member of the supervisory board of the Ukrainian State Railways.

The governments of Ukraine and Poland on Wednesday signed a string of bilateral documents in the fields of defense, energy and regional development, the Ukrainian government press service reported.

The agreements were inked during the intergovernmental consultations in Kiev in the presence of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

In particular, the two countries agreed to set up a joint commission that will prepare recommendations on the format of the Ukrainian-Polish joint venture for the manufacture of weapons and military equipment.

"This will take our defense and military cooperation to a new level and allow us to create modern types of defense weapons," Shmyhal said.

Besides, Ukraine and Poland signed a joint declaration on cooperation at the level of border services and a document on developing Ukraine's communities as a part of the country's post-conflict recovery.

Russian forces took control over the eastern part of Severodonetsk city, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the Lugansk region, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sergey Gaidai, head of the Lugansk regional military administration, said on Facebook that Russia seized some 80 percent of Severodonetsk.

Street fighting in the city continued and Ukrainian forces carried out counterattacks in some parts of Severodonetsk, Gaidai said.

Ukrainian troops captured six Russian soldiers during the battle for Severodonetsk, Gaidai said.

Photo taken on March 10, 2022 shows the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia.Photo: Xinhua

The United States is "purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire" by continuously providing military assistance to Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"The United States, obviously, really adheres to the policy of fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian," Peskov told a daily briefing, commenting on Washington's plan to supply additional weapons to Kiev.

The United States will unveil a 700-million-US-dollar weapon package on Wednesday, including supply of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, which is to enable Ukraine to fire more precisely at targets.

Such deliveries do not contribute to the awakening of the Ukrainian leadership's desire to resume peace talks with Russia, Peskov said.

Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers parade through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2022, when Russia celebrated the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Photo: VCG

The Russian military conducted a series of drills utilizing the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system under the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

About 1,000 military personnel and more than 100 pieces of equipment were involved in the exercises, the ministry said in a statement.

The troops practiced bringing missile systems to field positions, marching up to 100 km and dispersing units.

The drills were aimed at raising the level of training and improving the coherence of formations and units of the Strategic Missile Forces, the ministry said.

First tested in May 2007, the Yars missile system has a potential range of 11,000-12,000 km and can carry six to 10 independently targetable warheads of 100-300 kilotons, according to media reports.

Ukrainian soldiers set up roadblocks in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 4, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

The United States will send medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine in a new security assistance package, senior administration officials said Tuesday.

A 700-million-US-dollar weapon package will be formally unveiled Wednesday, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which are to enable Ukraine to fire more precisely at targets in its eastern part, the officials said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukrainian officials had offered assurances that the HIMARS would not be used to strike targets inside the Russian territory.

The announcement came amid reports that the United States was preparing to aid Ukraine with advanced long-range rocket systems, something Kiev is craving in its fights against Russia in the eastern Donbass region.

Instead of those long-range rocket systems that can travel as far as 186 miles (300 km), the United States is sending what it considers medium-range rockets to Ukraine, ones that can travel about 50 miles (80 km), according to the officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday met with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Caputova to discuss defense support for Kiev, Zelensky's press service reported.

During the talks, Zelensky said that Slovakia has made a significant contribution to the strengthening of Ukraine's defense capabilities and praised the personal role of Caputova in granting defensive aid to Ukraine.

"I have been assured that Slovakia will continue to provide maximum security assistance to Ukraine," Zelensky told reporters after the talks.

For her part, Caputova said that Slovakia has supported Ukraine from the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by providing not only military aid, but also political and humanitarian assistance.

Slovakia has provided Ukraine with the S-300 air defense system and demining equipment, and supported sanctions against Russia, Caputova said.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said Tuesday that it would no longer supply gas to Denmark's largest energy company Orsted and will halt deliveries to Germany under the Shell Energy Europe contract.

Orsted has notified Gazprom Export that it would no longer make payments for gas in rubles, and Shell Energy Europe Limited said it would not pay in rubles for gas supplies to Germany, Gazprom said on Telegram.

The cuts will be effective from Wednesday, it added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 31 on new rules regarding natural gas trade with "unfriendly" countries and regions. According to the decree, existing contracts would be halted if these buyers refused to pay in rubles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he had talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with both sides agreeing on the need to restore peace in Ukraine.

"Unanimously agree on the need to restore peace. We appreciate Turkey's help in this process," Zelensky tweeted after the talks.

During the conversation, Zelensky and Erdogan also discussed the threats to food security due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the ways to unblock Ukraine's ports.

They also discussed cooperation in the security sphere.

According to a statement issued by Erdogan's office, the two leaders discussed the recent developments in the Ukrainian crisis, and Erdogan said Turkey attached importance to the project of creating a safe corridor for the export of Ukraine's agricultural products by sea.

Russia's energy company Gazprom is set to halt its gas supply to the Netherlands from Tuesday after the latter refused to pay in roubles, Dutch gas company GasTerra said Monday.

The cut-off means that 2 billion cubic meters of gas it contracted with Gazprom will not be delivered from May 31 to Sept. 30, said GasTerra in a press release.

The lost supply is about 5 percent of the annual gas consumption in the Netherlands, according to local media reports.

"GasTerra has anticipated this by buying gas from other providers," said the Dutch company, which is partly owned by the Dutch government.

"The European gas market is highly integrated and extensive," it noted, adding that it is "impossible to predict" how the lost supply will affect the supply and demand situation and "whether the European market can absorb this loss of supply without serious consequences."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday met with visiting French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss support for Kiev, the presidential press service said.

The parties talked about the assistance in armaments, strengthening sanctions on Russia and bringing Ukraine closer to European Union (EU) membership, according to a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website.

During the talks, Zelensky thanked France for the financial aid for Kiev and the assistance of the French government in the treatment of wounded Ukrainian servicemen.

The Ukrainian leader added that Kiev is counting on France's support for Ukraine on its path toward getting to a candidate status for EU membership in June.

Zelensky and Colonna also exchanged views on the ways to unblock Ukrainian ports to prevent the global food crisis, and they touched upon Ukraine's post-conflict recovery.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine during a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

The two leaders addressed maritime security in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and the removal of the threat of mines in these waters, the Kremlin said.

Putin noted that Russia was ready to "facilitate the unhindered sea transit of goods" in coordination with the Turkish side, adding that this also applied to grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

Given the current challenges on the global food market, Russia would be able to export the necessary volumes of fertilizers and agricultural products if Western sanctions were lifted, the Kremlin said.

Putin and Erdogan also covered bilateral trade and economic ties as well as regional issues, the Kremlin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the global food security.

Putin informed Macron and Scholz of the latest developments of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, noting that the Russian armed forces strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law, the Kremlin said in a press release.

As for the peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, Putin confirmed that the Russian side is open to resuming the frozen dialogue.

The Russian leader criticized the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, which could further destabilize the situation and aggravate the humanitarian crisis.

When discussing the issue of ensuring global food security, Putin said the difficulties in food supplies are caused by the erroneous economic and financial policies of Western countries as well as their anti-Russian sanctions.

A screen grab of footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service on Nov. 26, 2020 shows the launch of a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov.

Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile from the Barents Sea on Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry said.

The missile hit a naval target about 1,000 km away in the White Sea and the flight of the projectile corresponded to the designed parameters, it added.

The Tsirkon missile has been test-fired several times from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Tsirkon missile is capable of flying at Mach 9 or nine times the speed of sound and striking a target over 1,000 km away.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via teleconference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia on April 7, 2022. Photo: AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the global food security.

Putin informed Macron and Scholz of the latest developments of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, noting that the Russian armed forces strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law, the Kremlin said in a press release.

As for the peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, Putin confirmed that the Russian side is open to resuming the frozen dialogue.

The Russian leader criticized the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, which could further destabilize the situation and aggravate the humanitarian crisis.

When discussing the issue of ensuring global food security, Putin said the difficulties in food supplies are caused by the erroneous economic and financial policies of Western countries as well as their anti-Russian sanctions.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Friday he had discussed military support for Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Heavy weapons on top of our agenda, and more are coming our way," Kuleba tweeted after the conversation.

Kuleba said he appreciated Blinken's personal efforts to ensure a sustained U.S. and global support for Ukraine.

The issue of Ukraine's food exports was also discussed at the talks, Kuleba said.

Earlier in the day, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing foreign media, reported that the United States is preparing to send Ukraine advanced long-range rocket systems.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday he discussed his country's post-conflict reconstruction with Germany's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze during their talks in Kiev.

"Ukraine needs to restore the infrastructure in the liberated regions as soon as possible to ensure the normal logistics and operation of enterprises," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram after the talks.

Financial support for small and medium-sized businesses will also help stabilize the Ukrainian economy, Shmyhal added.

The prime minister said he exchanged views with Schulze on the results of the meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) development ministers in Berlin last week and called on the G7 countries to take the lead in rebuilding Ukraine.

Shmyhal said that he briefed Schulze about a global platform entitled United24 (U24) for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (back) attending Russia-Turkiye-Ukraine tripartite Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on March 10. Photo: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries of waging a "total war" on Russia and its people and culture as Moscow pushes on with its military operation in Ukraine.

"The West has declared war on us, on the whole Russian world," Lavrov said at a ministry meeting on Friday. "The culture of canceling Russia and everything connected with our country is already reaching the point of absurdity."

NATO Photo: VCG

Turkey expects Sweden and Finland to take concrete steps and stop supporting terrorist organizations in exchange for Ankara's lift of objections to the two countries' NATO memberships, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

"Both countries need to take concrete steps. Our expectation is not something impossible. They have to stop supporting terrorism if they want to be a member of an alliance like NATO," Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Istanbul.

Turkey argues that the two NATO applicants are harboring the members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units.

Cavusoglu said a written document, which concretely reveals Turkey's expectations from Sweden and Finland, was shared with their delegations during their visit to Ankara this week and a solid response is anticipated.

"We understand the security concerns of Finland and Sweden, but as many of our allies within NATO openly say, everyone needs to understand Turkey's legitimate security concerns as well," he noted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and discussed Ukraine's European integration and post-conflict recovery, Zelensky's press service reported.

At the talks in Kiev, Zelensky thanked the Finnish government for providing financial, defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

He also stressed the importance of visits of foreign high-ranking officials to the Ukrainian capital.

"These are very important direct signals of support, first of all for the Ukrainian people, our people, who see that they are not left alone with today's ordeals," Zelensky said.

Finland's support for Ukraine's future membership in the European Union (EU) is very important, Zelensky said, adding that Kiev expects that the EU will decide on Ukraine's membership prospects soon.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday he had discussed the supplies of heavy weapons to Ukraine with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"We need more heavy weapons delivered as soon as possible, especially MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems), to repel Russian attacks," Kuleba tweeted after the talks.

The Ukrainian foreign minister added that he had briefed Baerbock on the difficult situation in the Donbass region.

Other topics of the discussion included further sanctions on Russia and Ukraine's prospects to achieve a European Union (EU) candidate status, Kuleba said.

Earlier this month, Baerbock said the government of Germany is working with German enterprises to provide modern weapons to Ukraine.

The Russian parliament passed a bill on Wednesday to scrap the upper age limit for those who want to serve in the army under a contract.

Previously, Russian citizens aged 18-40 and foreigners aged 18-30 were entitled to conclude the first contract for military service. Now those who are older will be able to serve under a contract until the end of the working age, said Russia's lower parliament house the State Duma.

The adoption of this bill will make it possible to attract more specialists to the military service, said Andrei Kartapolov, co-author of the initiative and chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma.

An explanatory note said highly professional specialists are needed for the use of high-precision weapons, and the operation of weapons and military equipment, while experience shows that professionals in that area are usually in the age range of 40-45.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he doesn't expect that the West will decide to unblock the Black Sea by force, the Ukrinform news agency reported Wednesday.

"The North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not close the skies over Ukraine at the most tragic moments of the war, then why would they open the Black Sea so that agricultural products can be exported from Ukraine without hindrance," Kuleba said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Efforts on resolving the issue of the Black Sea ports blockade were underway in Ukraine, Kuleba said.

Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc will establish a series of "green corridors" for Ukrainian grain exports.

Financial stability conditions in the eurozone have worsened as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine pushes prices higher and increases risks to inflation and economic growth, the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Wednesday.

The ECB warned in a report that "vulnerabilities may increase" due to the uncertainties of the conflict and the shifting expectations of policy normalization in advanced economies.

The conflict in Ukraine has brought "immense human suffering," ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said. Financial stability risks have increased as the conflict has impacted all aspects of economic activity and financing conditions, he explained.

"Prices for commodities and energy have remained elevated and volatile, which has caused some stress in derivatives markets for these products," the ECB said in a press release.

"Some assets remain at risk of further corrections should the growth outlook weaken further and/or inflation turn out to be significantly higher than expected," it said.

Russian passports have been distributed in the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine that had been taken under control by Russian forces earlier this month, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, said on Wednesday.

"The de facto annexation of Mariupol, in particular, has begun," Andryushchenko wrote on Facebook.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order allowing residents of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to apply for Russian citizenship under a fast-track procedure, according to media reports.

Russia has imposed personal sanctions against 154 members of the British House of Lords in a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"In response to the decision made by the UK government in March this year to include almost the entire composition of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on its sanctions list, Russia has imposed personal restrictions against 154 members of the House of Lords of the British Parliament on the basis of reciprocity," the ministry said.

The sanctioned individuals were directly involved in the "development of anti-Russian sanctions," the destruction of Russia's economy, and the promotion of a Russophobic agenda, it said, adding that they would be denied entry into Russia.

The Russian economy is withstanding the blow of Western sanctions "quite well" despite all the difficulties, as was evidenced by all the key macroeconomic indicators, President Vladimir Putin said Monday.

Putin made the remarks during talks with visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Russia's Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the Kremlin said.

According to Putin, the leaders met because the situations regarding the regional security, the security of the two countries, and the economy "call for a serious and profound conversation."

Putin noted that Russia and Belarus have many spheres of joint work, including in sectors of energy and agriculture.

Lukashenko said that Western countries have given Belarus and Russia an impetus to develop their own economies more intensively, stressing that "we have a huge market, resources, and technology."

Xinhua file photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President Joe Biden (R)

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday unveiled a long list of 963 US citizens who are permanently barred from entering Russia, including previously named US President Joe Biden.

The blacklist was formed in response to constantly imposed anti-Russian sanctions by the United States, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the hostile actions, which boomerang against Washington itself, will continue to receive a proper response.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that 26 Canadian nationals are permanently banned from entering Russia in retaliation to Ottawa's anti-Russian sanctions, including the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Photo taken on March 24, 2022 shows ruble banknotes and coins in Moscow, capital of Russia. Photo:Xinhua

Russian energy giant Gazprom confirmed a complete suspension of gas supply to the Finland's state-owned gas company Gasum starting Saturday due to its non-payment in rubles.

As of the end of Friday, Gazprom Export has not received any payment in rubles from Gasum for gas supplied in April in accordance with a Russian presidential decree in March, the company said in a statement.

Russian gas supplied from April 1 must be paid in rubles, of which the counterparties were informed in a timely manner, Gazprom said.

Gazprom Export delivered 1.49 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Finland in 2021, which accounted for two-thirds of the total gas consumption in the Nordic country, it added.

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly announced on Friday a ban on the export of targeted luxury goods to Russia as well as a ban on the import of targeted luxury goods from Russia.

According to a news release, Canada is banning the export of targeted luxury goods to Russia, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco, some textile products and sportswear, footwear, luxury clothing and accessories, jewelry, kitchenware, and art.

Canada is also banning the importation of targeted luxury goods from Russia, including alcoholic beverages, seafood, fish and non-industrial diamonds.

Together, these categories represented 75.7 million Canadian dollars (60.6 million U. S. dollars) worth of goods in 2021.

Meanwhile, Canada is imposing new sanctions on 14 individuals including Russian oligarchs, their family members, and close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These bans will help mitigate the potential for Russian oligarchs to circumvent restrictions in other luxury goods markets, the news release said, adding that Canada is also implementing a ban on the export of goods that could be used in the production and manufacture of weapons by Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday that Russia would create 12 new military units in its Western Military District in response to increased military activity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the potential accession of Finland and Sweden.

"The United States and NATO are stepping up operational and combat training near our borders," Shoigu said during a meeting of the Defense Ministry Board.

"In addition, our closest neighbours Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO," he added.

Shoigu said Russia would "adopt adequate countermeasures" under the current circumstances by "improving the combat composition of troops" and forming 12 military units in the Western Military District by the end of the year.

The armed forces would also be supplied with modern weapons and military equipment, he added.

Russian forces have "completely liberated" the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

"The underground facilities of the enterprise, in which the militants were hiding, are in complete control of the Russian armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.

"The last group of 531 militants surrendered today," it said, adding that "a total of 2,439 Azov Nazis and Ukrainian soldiers had laid down their arms since May 16."

According to the statement, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the operation.

The work on clearing the territory of Ukraine from the landmines scattered during the conflict with Russia would take between five and seven years, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Friday, citing a senior Ukrainian official.

About 300,000 square meters of Ukrainian territory are littered with remnants of war, Ukraine's Deputy Interior Minister Mary Akopyan said at the first meeting of the International Coordination Center for Humanitarian Demining of Ukraine.

Ukraine is working with the international community to make the process of clearing its territory from landmines more efficient, Akopyan said.

In particular, Kiev is in talks with its foreign partners on deploying a mine-clearing mission in Ukraine, she added.

Meanwhile, deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office Ihor Zhovkva, who also participated in the meeting, said that Ukraine expects France, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and other countries would support Ukraine's mine-clearing efforts.

Ukraine has received the second tranche of 600 million euros (634 million U.S. dollars) of the European Union's (EU's) emergency macro-financial assistance program, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said Friday.

"The funds will be used to maintain financial stability in Ukraine during the war," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal welcomed the aid and thanked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the aid.

The EU decided to allocate 1.2 billion euros (1.26 billion dollars) in emergency assistance for Ukraine in February. Ukraine has received 600 million euros from the aid package in March.

The Russian Pacific Fleet's flagship "Varyag" prepares to dock at Pier 15 in Manila, the Philippines, April 20, 2017. Photo:Xinhua

Russia's Pacific Fleet will receive two nuclear submarines and one diesel-electric submarine in 2022, Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants said Friday.

The first nuclear strategic submarine of the Borei-A class, Knyaz Oleg, and the first nuclear submarine of the Yasen-M class, Novosibirsk, will join the Pacific Fleet this year, Avakyants was quoted by TASS as saying.

Knyaz Oleg will be equipped with Bulava ballistic missiles, which have a range of more than 8,000 km. Novosibirsk is a multi-purpose nuclear submarine, armed with Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles.

Speaking on the occasion of the 291st anniversary of the Pacific Fleet, Avakyants said that the fleet is also expecting the arrival of a silent diesel-electric submarine, Magadan, which is also equipped with Kalibr missiles.

The Russian Pacific Fleet is a part of the Russian Navy, based in the city of Vladivostok. It belongs to the Russian Eastern Military District.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for efforts to reintegrate the agricultural production of both Russia and Ukraine into world markets.

"Any meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine's agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets - despite the war," the UN chief told a Security Council meeting on conflict and food security.

"We are working to find a package deal that will enable Ukraine to export food, not only by train but through the Black Sea, and will bring Russian food and fertilizer production to world markets, without restrictions," said the top UN official.

Guterres said that this will require "the goodwill of all countries concerned."

To meet urgent food security and nutrition needs in Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, the secretary-general has announced to release 30 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley held a phone call on Thursday to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Ukraine.

The conversation was initiated by the American side, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a brief statement, without providing details.

Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed the situation in Ukraine during their first phone conversation since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The United States reopened its embassy in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, three months after it ceased operation in anticipation that Russia would launch a military operation in the country.

"Today we are officially resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv," Blinken said in a statement posted on the State Department's website. Kyiv is the Romanized spelling of Ukraine's capital city based on the Ukrainian language.

The secretary said the United States will "continue to support the government and people of Ukraine as they defend their country" in the ongoing war with Russia.

The United States, Blinken said, has taken "additional measures to increase the safety of our colleagues who are returning to Kyiv and (we) have enhanced our security measures and protocols."

The U.S. embassy in Ukraine closed on Feb. 14, 10 days before Russia launched the special military operation in the country.

Ukraine will not exchange its territories for a peace deal with Russia, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia.

"It is ideologically unacceptable for us to give something to the Russian Federation and pretend that it was some kind of easy war," Podolyak said.

He noted that many Ukrainian civilians were either killed or assaulted in the conflict, making it impossible for Ukraine to make concessions to Russia.

Ukraine will not agree on a ceasefire with Russia without troop withdrawal as Russia will control part of Ukrainian territory, Podolyak said.

He also ruled out the signing of a deal with Russia similar to the Minsk peace agreements, saying it would only lead to a frozen conflict, but not sustainable peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday held separate phone talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

In his conversation with Scholz, Zelensky discussed the situation on the frontline, prospects for peace and further sanctions on Russia over the conflict with Ukraine, the Ukrainian president tweeted.

In the talks with Macron, Zelensky informed the French leader about the course of hostilities in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the operation to rescue the military from Azovstal and the vision of the prospects of the negotiation process with Russia.

Zelensky and Macron also discussed defense support for Ukraine, preparation of the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, and possible ways to export Ukrainian agricultural products.

They also touched upon the issue of fuel supplies to Ukraine, and Ukraine's application for the candidate status of a EU membership.

The evacuation of Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol was the only possible formula for their rescue, Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Tuesday, citing Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar.

"Unfortunately, military unblocking is impossible in this situation. There can be no other formula of salvation than the one currently in use. It was the only way out," Malyar said.

Ukrainian military forces have fully fulfilled their combat mission in Mariupol, Malyar said.

She added that the rescue operation from Azovstal will continue until Ukrainian soldiers return home from the uncontrolled territory.

Malyar said that 53 seriously wounded soldiers were taken to a healthcare facility in Novoazovsk town for medical treatment, while 211 other troops were taken to Olenivka town through the humanitarian corridor.

Russian and Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that negotiations on a solution to the current crisis have been suspended as the process is mired in stalemate.

"The talks are not going on. Ukraine has actually withdrawn from the negotiation process," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told reporters.

Russia has received no response from Ukraine to its draft treaty, he added.

"Today the negotiation process was suspended. It was suspended because there are no significant changes or upheavals after the Istanbul communique," Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, was quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying.

Nevertheless, he voiced the belief that the peace talks will be resumed, emphasizing that "every war ends at the negotiating table."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow would respond if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would deploy military infrastructure on the territories of Finland or Sweden.

"The expansion of military infrastructure into these territories would certainly trigger our response, which would depend on the kind of threats this would pose for us," the Kremlin cited the president as saying at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow.

Putin added that the issue of NATO enlargement is largely artificial, and is being used by the United States as a foreign policy tool.

"NATO is being used as a foreign policy instrument by one country, and this is being done quite persistently, skillfully and very aggressively," Putin said, further pointing out that the situation has a deteriorating effect on international security.

Both Finland and Sweden have announced decisions to apply for the NATO membership.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and European Union (EU) Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi on Monday discussed Ukraine's European integration aspirations, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

At their talks in Brussels, Kuleba and Varhelyi discussed the prospect of granting Ukraine the EU candidate status, the ministry said in a statement.

"It is time to legally fix Ukraine on its path to the EU and make Europe stronger, safer and more prosperous," Kuleba said in the statement.

On Feb. 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave the EU membership questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kiev in April. The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18, while the second was on May 9.

The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other officials on Monday to discuss Poland's opposition to a global 15 percent corporate minimum tax and the Ukraine crisis.

The visit to Warsaw is the first in a series of meetings for Yellen in Europe. She will also travel to Brussels in Belgium and Bonn in Germany this week.

Poland is the only country in the European Union (EU) that has so far resisted plans to put a minimum on corporate taxes, aimed at halting a "race to the bottom" of countries trying to attract foreign enterprises.

Poland's main argument against the tax is that it would put a larger burden on European companies, unless it is linked to changes in tax treaties that would allow countries to levy more taxes on large U.S. technology giants. This so-called Pillar 1 plan has however not been fully developed yet.

The U.S. Treasury urged Poland to move on with the tax deal, saying it would "raise crucial revenues to benefit the citizens of both Poland and the United States."

On October 25, 2021 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto address a joint press conference after their meeting during the visit of The North Atlantic Council in Helsinki. Photo: VCG

The Party Council of the leading Finnish Social Democratic Party on Saturday endorsed the plan for making Finland a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The Party Council is the party's highest decision-making body between party conventions, which are held every two years.

Joining NATO was backed by 53 members, while five voted against and two blank, the Council chair Sirpa Paatero told the media.

Party chair, Prime Minister Sanna Marin had on Thursday announced her support for Finland going to NATO in a joint statement with President Sauli Niinisto.

Also, the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats on Saturday expressed support for the would-be Finnish membership in NATO.

Photo taken on April 19, 2022 shows a view of the Azovstal plant in the port city of Mariupol. Photo:xinhua

Ukraine and Russia are negotiating the evacuation of 60 people from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the state-run Ukrinform news agency reported Saturday.

At the current stage, the evacuation concerns severely injured soldiers and medical workers, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk was quoted as saying, who added that there are several hundred injured at the Azovstal plant in total.

On Thursday, Vereshchuk said that Ukraine seeks to exchange 38 severely injured soldiers from Azovstal for the captured Russian military servicemen.

Ukraine says all women, children and the elderly at the Azovstal plant were evacuated earlier this month.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, has seen one of the worst bouts of bloody violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

More than 6.4 million people have been reached with vital humanitarian assistance in Ukraine since the country's military conflict with Russia started on Feb. 24, said UN humanitarians on Friday.

This includes more than 5.7 million people who have been able to put food on their table. Cash assistance has been provided to over 655,000 people, allowing them to cover some of their most basic needs, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

More than 1.5 million people have received health care support, and around 352,000 people have been provided with clean water and hygiene products. Nearly 430,000 people have received protection services, psychosocial support and critical legal services, including support to internally displaced persons, it said.

Despite this remarkable scale-up, many more people urgently need support, including those living in areas experiencing heavy fighting. The United Nations urges parties to the conflict to remove any barriers to the movement of humanitarian staff to ensure the continued delivery of life-saving assistance across Ukraine, said OCHA.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu spoke over the phone on Friday, marking the first call between the two since Russia launched the special military operation in Ukraine.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement following the call that Austin "urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication."

Kirby said the last time Austin and Shoigu spoke to each other was on Feb. 18.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley is expected to reach out to his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, to request a phone call, according to a CNN report citing a US defense official. The two last spoke on Feb. 11.

In a brief statement issued on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu and Austin discussed topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Feb 15, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a phone conversation on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine with an emphasis on the humanitarian aspect.

Putin outlined in detail the logic and main objectives of Russia's special military operation and spoke about measures being taken by the Russian side to ensure the safety of civilians, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin noted that civilians were evacuated from Mariupol's Azovstal plant with the participation of representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Putin also told Scholz his assessment of the Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations, which are "essentially blocked by Kiev."

The two leaders agreed that the discussion on the aforementioned issues would continue through various channels.

NATO Photo: VCG

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Finland's possible accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would force Moscow to take "military-technical" retaliatory measures.

Russia has repeatedly noted that while it is up to Finland to decide which measures it will take to ensure its national security, it must also be aware of the consequences of its actions, the ministry said.

"Finland's accession to NATO will seriously damage Russian-Finnish relations as well as stability and security in Northern Europe," it added.

Russian forces carried out a rocket attack on a major oil refinery in Kremenchuk town in Ukraine's central Poltava region on Thursday, said the head of Poltava regional military-civilian administration Dmytro Lunin.

"Today's shelling of the Poltava region is perhaps the largest during the full-scale war," Lunin wrote on Telegram.

Twelve rockets hit the infrastructure facilities in Kremenchuk, with most of them striking the oil refinery, Lunin said.

The attack caused fire at the oil refinery, Lunin said, adding there were no casualties in the shelling.

According to local media, the Kremenchuk refinery with a design capacity of 18.6 million tons is the largest oil refinery in Ukraine.

Ukraine is holding negotiations with Russia over the evacuation of seriously injured soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Thursday.

Ukraine seeks to exchange 38 severely injured soldiers from Azovstal for the captured Russian military, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Currently, there are no talks on the exchange of 500 or 600 people, which has been reported by some media outlets, Vereshchuk said.

She emphasized that the ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on the Azovstal evacuation are very difficult.

On May 7, Vereshchuk said that Ukraine has evacuated all women, children and the elderly from the Azovstal plant.

The gas transmission system operator of Ukraine (GSTOU) has accused Russia of interrupting Russian gas transit through Ukraine to the consumers in Ukraine and Europe.

Sergiy Makogon, head of the GSTOU, said on Wednesday that Gazprom has stopped transportation of gas from Russia to the gas measuring station Sokhranivka, thus suspending supplies to Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

On Tuesday, the GSTOU said that it was forced to suspend the Russian gas transit to Europe via the territories in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian forces due to "force majeure".

The gas transit via the Sokhranivka and the border compressor station Novopskov were halted over unauthorized interference in technical processes and withdrawals of gas, the GSTOU said.

"The actions of the occupiers led to the interruption of gas transit," it said.

The Ukrainian government has approved the seizure of Russian assets in Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.

"Today, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a document according to which Russian assets in Ukraine are transferred to the state, or rather to the state enterprise 'National Investment Fund'," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

The Russian assets will be placed under the management of the National Investment Fund of Ukraine and will be used for strengthening the Ukrainian army, supporting the people and rebuilding infrastructure, Shmyhal said.

The Ukrainian government is working with other countries to seize Russian assets abroad and use the funds for Ukraine's post-conflict recovery, he added.

In April, Shmyhal said Kiev sought to seize Russian assets to finance Ukraine's post-conflict recovery. "The funds of the Russian government and oligarchs will be one of the main sources for filling the Fund for the Reconstruction of our country," Shmyhal said on Telegram.

Visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday said the government of Germany is working to provide modern weapons to Ukraine, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

"We are working with German enterprises to ensure that Ukraine receives the most modern weapons," Baerbock told reporters during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

In the coming days, Germany will begin training Ukrainian soldiers on using mobile howitzers, Baerbock added.

Besides, she said Germany will assist Ukraine in demining efforts and support Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union (EU).

"We insist on Ukraine's full membership in the EU," said Baerbock.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had discussed defense support for his country amid the conflict with Russia with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

According to Zelensky, other topics of the conversation were energy cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden and the strengthening of sanctions on Russia.

For her part, Andersson tweeted that she expressed steadfast support for Ukraine during the phone call with Zelensky.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and visiting European Council President Charles Michel on Monday discussed steps to solve the issues concerning Ukraine's agricultural exports, the government press service reported.

During the talks in Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa, Shmyhal said that the shipping of goods through the Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea was suspended since February 24 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Currently, about 70 vessels are blocked in the seaports of Ukraine, including 10 in the port of Odessa, Shmyhal said.

"The vast majority of ships are bulk carriers and mixed cargo vessels. Some 90 million tons of agricultural products that Ukraine planned to supply to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe have been blocked," he said.

Shmyhal warned that a global food crisis may start due to the blockade of Ukraine's ports, and urged Michel to intensify joint efforts to prevent it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday submitted the second part of the questionnaire for Ukraine's candidate status of a European Union (EU) membership to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Zelensky's press service.

The document was handed over during an online meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the EU, the press service said on Telegram.

During the meeting, Zelensky thanked von der Leyen for the "clear signals of support" for Ukraine on its path towards the EU membership.

On Feb. 28, Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

The European Commission president gave a questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kiev in April. The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18.

Ukraine evacuated 50 civilians from the Azovstal plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Friday.

"The evacuation was extremely slow. However, today we managed to free 50 women, children and the elderly from Azovstal," Vereshchuk wrote on Facebook.

The evacuation will continue on Saturday morning, Vereshchuk said.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said that Ukraine had evacuated about 500 civilians from Mariupol.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, saw one of the worst bouts of violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine and Russia on Friday conducted another prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

As a result of the swap, 41 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 13 civilians, returned home following their release by Russian forces, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24. Since then, more than 300 Ukrainians have been released.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country stands ready to resume talks on settling the conflict with Russia after Russian forces return to the positions they held before Feb. 24, the Ukrinform news agency reported Friday.

"They need to withdraw to those temporary contact lines or dividing lines - they must withdraw troops there. Then we can start the full-scale talks," Zelensky was quoted as saying.

He emphasized that "not all the bridges" for peace talks with Russia have been destroyed.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their latest round of in-person peace negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey in late March.

Ukrainian civilians withdraw along humanitarian corridors from Ukraine's Mariupol on March 20, 2022. More than 3.48 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency. Photo: AFP

Ukraine has evacuated about 500 civilians from the city of Mariupol, head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak said on Friday.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (left) speaks during an interview with media at the Independence Palace in Minsk, Belarus on May 5, 2022. Lukashenko said he was doing “everything” to stop the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Photo: VCG

Belarus will not participate in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press (AP).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday to end the "cycle of death and destruction" in Ukraine.

As he briefed the UN Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Guterres said that he "did not mince words" when he spoke with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine about ending the conflict.

The conflict must "end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world...the cycle of death, destruction, dislocation and disruption must stop," the secretary-general said at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

"In my meeting with (Russian) President Putin, I therefore stressed the imperative of enabling humanitarian access and evacuations from besieged areas, including first and foremost, Mariupol," said Guterres, appealing strongly for a safe and effective humanitarian corridor for civilians to reach safety from the Azovstal plant, where hundreds have been living underground for weeks.

"We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes," said the UN chief.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had separate conversations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Zelensky tweeted that he discussed future joint international legal events and the issues of defensive support for Ukraine at the talks with Johnson.

The Ukrainian leader said he thanked Johnson for addressing the Ukrainian parliament earlier this week.

Commenting on the conversation with Steinmeier, Zelensky said it was "good, constructive, and important".

The Ukrainian president said he informed his German counterpart about the situation on the frontline, in particular in Mariupol, and voiced the hope that Germany's support for Ukraine would be intensified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

The leaders paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians held by militants of nationalist battalions from the Azovstal steel plant, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.

"On the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, which Russia and Israel celebrate on May 9, Putin and Bennett emphasised the special importance of this date for the people of both countries," the statement added.

The ongoing Ukraine crisis is negatively affecting East Africa's food security through reduced food supplies, accessibility and high prices of food, fuel and fertilizer, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned Thursday.

Export restrictions on grains, vegetable oil and fertilizers have surged since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the scale having reached the levels of the 2008 global food crisis in terms of share of global trade, the WFP said in its latest situation update on the food security conditions in Eastern Africa.

Noting the Eastern Africa region's high dependence on food and fertilizer imports, the WFP said the Ukraine crisis could further exacerbate the already dire food security situation across countries in the Eastern Africa region.

WFP estimated that the ensuing inflation from the Ukraine crisis could push additional 7 to 10 million people into acute hunger in Eastern Africa in 2022.

"Already, the region witnessed significant short-term jumps in prices of wheat, bread, fuel and fertilizer and widespread shortages of fuel, the most affected being Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Burundi," it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will offer a 2-billion-U.S.- dollar aid for Ukraine during the international donors conference held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, French presidential palace the Elysee announced.

In 2022, France has released a total of 1.7 billion U.S. dollars towards Ukraine, Macron said, adding that the country's support will be at 2 billion U.S. dollars, or an additional of 300 million U.S. dollars.

"France released 100 million euros for humanitarian aid, which is used in particular to finance international organizations and NGOs present in the field. Already, 800 tons of humanitarian and medical goods have been sent to Ukraine and to the countries of the region", Macron said.

"France will continue to act in a concerted manner within the framework of the European Union, with our European partners, also within the framework of the G7 and international financial institutions", he noted.

The international donors conference for the support towards Ukraine was held on Thursday hosted by Poland and Sweden, gathering heads of state and government, the European Union and international organizations amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday on retaliatory sanctions against individuals and entities in response to their "unfriendly actions" over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The measures will be taken in retaliation to "the unfriendly actions of the United States, foreign states and international organizations ... which aimed at illegally depriving Russia, Russian citizens and Russian legal entities of property rights or restricting their property rights," and with the aim of "protecting the national interests of Russia," according to the decree.

The document prohibits fulfilling obligations with foreign individuals and entities under sanctions, concluding deals or carrying out transactions with them. Moreover, Russia will ban the export of raw materials and products from Russia to those it has sanctioned.

The decree does not provide any details of which individuals or entities may be affected by the measures. The Russian government was ordered to compile a list of individuals under sanctions within 10 days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he had discussed defensive support for Ukraine with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The two sides talked about the situation on the battlefield and the blocked city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said on Twitter, adding necessary diplomatic efforts to achieve peace was another topic of the conversation.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian leader said he had discussed defense cooperation in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Xinhua file photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Indonesia has invited both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Group of 20 (G20) summit in November, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Friday.

"Indonesia is ready to contribute to the peace effort," Widodo said in a virtual press conference. "Indonesia wants to unite the G20. Do not let there be a split. Peace and stability are the keys to the world economic development."

The G20, he said, plays a catalyst role in the recovery of the world economy, adding that he had telephone conversations with both leaders of Russia and Ukraine this week.

On Thursday, Widodo and Putin discussed issues of Russian-Indonesian cooperation and various aspects of the activities of G20 in a phone conversation.

In a conversation with Zelensky on Wednesday, Widodo turned down a request for arms from the Ukrainian president, saying that Indonesia is ready to provide humanitarian assistance.

People walk past a screen of a currency exchange office displaying the exchange rates of US Dollar and Euro to Russian Rubles in Moscow, Russia, March 1, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing temporary economic measures to ensure the country's financial stability, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.Photo:Xinhua

Kiev is willing to seize Russian assets to finance Ukraine's post-conflict recovery, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday.

"The funds of the Russian government and oligarchs will be one of the main sources for filling the Fund for the Reconstruction of our country," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine is in talks with the countries of the Group of Seven over the seizure of Russia's assets, Shmyhal said, adding that Canada has already prepared legislation for such actions.

Earlier, Shmyhal said that his cabinet has set up a recovery fund for Ukraine's long-term reconstruction and estimated that the country's full-scale recovery will cost around 600 billion U.S. dollars.

Russia has over 600 billion U.S. dollars worth of foreign currency reserves held in dollars, gold and other currencies, with about half of them believed to be frozen by the restrictions imposed by Western governments on its central bank.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C) visits the town of Borodyanka outside Kiev, Ukraine, April 28, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday visited the town of Borodyanka outside Kiev, which was affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Twitter.

Guterres arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after visiting Moscow on Tuesday.

Osnat Lubrani, the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, said Thursday that she was heading to the Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine to prepare for an evacuation from Mariupol at the request of Guterres.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine attend the second round of peace talks in Brest, Belarus on March 3, 2022. Photo: AFP

China has always supported Russia and Ukraine to overcome difficulties and continue negotiations, and welcomes all efforts by the international community to promote peace, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to a query on United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' recent visit to Russia and Ukraine.

"We welcome Guterres' mediation efforts to ease the tension between Russia and Ukraine. China has always supported Russia and Ukraine to overcome difficulties and continue negotiations, and welcomes all efforts by the international community conducive to promoting peace talks," Zhao said.

"It has been more than two months since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, and the spillover effects of the conflict are becoming increasingly obvious and worrying," Zhao said, adding that China has noticed that the European people are calling for an early end to the conflict through dialogue and peace talks.

Noting that the prolonged war and sanctions against Russia have caused energy prices in the Eurozone to rise by 44.7 percent year on year, the spokesperson said inflation is rising and ordinary people have been increasingly affected. "In contrast, U.S. arms dealers, grain merchants and traders have made a fortune."

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the Canadian government plans to reopen its embassy in Ukraine soon, local media reported Thursday.

According to the CTV report, Joly said before the Senate foreign affairs and international trade committee on Thursday that her objective is to do so in the coming days, coming weeks.

"We just need to make sure that there is a secure environment for staff and also we're looking at what our other Five Eyes colleagues and allies are doing," Joly was quoted as saying.

Canada closed its embassy in Kiev on Feb. 12 and relocated diplomatic staff to the western city of Lviv. All staff members were later moved to Poland.

Last Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain planned to revive its on-the-ground diplomacy in Ukraine this week. The United States, France and Italy have announced similar plans, CTV reported.

Oil prices climbed on Thursday as traders weighed the prospect of a European Union (EU) ban on imports of Russian oil.

The West Texas Intermediate for June delivery added 3.34 U.S. dollars, or 3.3 percent, to settle at 105.36 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for June delivery increased 2.27 dollars, or 2.2 percent, to close at 107.59 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

The rise came after reports that Germany was prepared to stop buying Russian crude, clearing the way for an EU embargo.

German representatives to EU institutions lifted objections to a full embargo of Russian supplies provided Berlin was given enough time to find alternative supplies, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing government officials.

The news rekindled concerns over tight supplies.

Ukraine and Russia on Thursday conducted their seventh prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Forty-five people, including twelve civilians held by the Russian forces, were released as the result of the swap, Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

Out of the thirty-three Ukrainian troops released under the swap, there were 13 officers and 20 soldiers, she said.

Five among the released troops were wounded, Vereshchuk added.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the swap of a Russian pilot and a former U.S. marine in Turkey in a phone call on Thursday, said the Turkish presidential office.

According to the office's statement, the exchange of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko and American citizen and former marine Trevor Reed took place on Wednesday under the coordination and supervision of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization.

Erdogan said in the statement that coordination and close dialogue between intelligence units should be continued to prevent humanitarian tragedies and ensure the establishment of an environment of stability.

According to a brief statement issued by the Kremlin, Putin in the phone call thanked Erdogan for prisoners swap at the Ankara airport.

According to previous reports, Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia in 2010 on drug smuggling charges and extradited to the United States to serve a 20-year prison term.

NATO Photo: VCG

The applications by Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be processed quickly should the Scandinavian countries choose to do so, the military alliance's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday.

"If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be welcomed with open arms to NATO. Finland and Sweden are our closest partners," Stoltenberg told reporters at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Both Finland and Sweden have long pursued a policy of military non-alignment. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, NATO has failed to win over the two countries several times.

But the two countries have made some changes in their positions in face of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, delivering weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

"We know that their armed forces meet NATO standards, are interoperable with NATO forces. We train together, we exercise together and we have also worked together with Finland and Sweden in many different missions and operations," Stoltenberg said.

People gather during the distribution of humanitarian aid in Mariupol, April 5, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

Osnat Lubrani, UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, said Thursday that she is heading to Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine to prepare for evacuation from Mariupol.

"The (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Ukraine to meet (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky. At his request, I am going to Zaporizhzhia to prepare for hopeful evacuation from Mariupol," tweeted Lubrani.

The UN is fully mobilized to help save Ukrainian lives and to assist those in need, Lubrani said.

Guterres arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday to talk with Zelensky, after visiting Moscow on Tuesday.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, saw one of the worst violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday he has arrived in Ukraine.

"I have arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow," Guterres tweeted.

He said the UN will continue the work to expand humanitarian support and secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, and he urged the end of hostilities.

"The sooner this war ends, the better -- for the sake of Ukraine, Russia, and the world," the UN chief said.

On April 26, Guterres visited Moscow and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday he had discussed further support for Kiev, including macro-financial assistance, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The parties talked about the 6th sanctions package on Russia, which would include oil embargo, Zelensky tweeted.

The Ukrainian leader also said that he thanked the European Commission for deciding to abolish tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian industrial goods and foods.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the EU stands ready to lift import duties on Ukrainian goods for a year.

The European Union (EU) is ready to face the suspension of Russian gas deliveries to its member states, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.

The Russian gas supplier Gazprom announced earlier Wednesday that it was fully stopping its gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, due to the two EU member states' "failure to pay in rubles."

In a statement reacting to Gazprom's announcement, von der Leyen called the move "another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail" in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded on March 23 that Russia's current gas contracts with "unfriendly countries" should be paid in rubles.

"We have been working to ensure alternative deliveries and the best possible storage levels across the EU," and the gas coordination group is meeting in order to map out a coordinated EU response, said von der Leyen.

Russia is to halt natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria from Wednesday, according to energy companies and authorities.

Poland's state oil and gas company PGNiG said on Tuesday that Russia's energy corporation Gazprom will suspend its gas supplies to Poland from Wednesday evening.

"PGNiG has received a letter from Gazprom announcing the complete suspension of supplies under the Yamal contract," PGNiG said in a statement.

PGNiG also ensured the customers that gas supplies to Poland are secured as it has pipeline connections with neighboring countries and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northwest of the country, according to the statement.

The reason given by Gazprom is PGNiG's rejection of the payment in rubles, according to the Polish Press Agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Putin told Guterres that the Ukrainian issue arose after the 2014 "unconstitutional coup" in Kiev and people in Donbass remained under blockade and military pressure even after the Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement were reached.

According to Putin, the Donbass "republics" have the right to declare their sovereignty and Russia has the right to recognize their independence and provide them with military assistance in full accordance with the UN Charter.

"Despite the ongoing military operation, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic track. We are negotiating and we do not refuse them," he said.

Guterres proposed creating a contact group where the UN, Russia and Ukraine can discuss the situation together so that the humanitarian corridors are truly effective.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday met with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca to discuss Bucharest's support for Kiev, the presidential press service said.

During the talks, Zelensky thanked Romania's government for the assistance, including the defense aid it has provided for Ukraine.

"Your visit is an important, clear signal of Ukraine's support in the war against the Russian Federation," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader praised Romania's position on sanctions policy against Russia over the conflict with Ukraine and the assistance in organizing the critical transit of international humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including energy resources.

During their talks, Zelensky and Ciuca also discussed the prospects for Ukraine's European integration, as well as the issues of regional and bilateral cooperation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol of Ukraine, said a UN spokesman on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a tete-a-tete in Moscow with Putin, said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, in a readout of the meeting.

Guterres reiterated the position of the United Nations on Ukraine, and they discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians in relation to the situation in Mariupol, said the readout.

"The president agreed, in principle, to the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol," it said.

Follow-on discussions will be held with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Russian Defense Ministry, it added.

The U.S. Department of State said in a statement Tuesday that it has determined an "emergency" exists in Ukraine that becomes a "national security" concern of the United States, therefore the department bypassed Congress to approve the sale of ammunition to Kiev.

The decision to sell the approximately 165 million U.S. dollars' worth of "non-standard" Soviet-era ammunition was made after Secretary of State Antony Blinken "has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to Ukraine" of ammunition including grenade launchers, mortars and D-20 cannons, the statement said.

The sale, according to the statement, is "in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements" under federal law.

"The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of its forces," said the statement. "Ukraine already has these items, or variants thereof, in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces."

The announcement came just after Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kiev and held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Blinken notified of the arms sale.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and visiting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday agreed on the need to continue the negotiation process and seek a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

"We stand in favor of a negotiated solution," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Guterres after their talks in Moscow, noting that Russia agreed to begin negotiations in early March immediately after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had proposed.

Lavrov expressed "disappointment" with the Ukrainian side's attitude towards the peace talks, saying that "apparently, they are not particularly interested in these negotiations."

He urged Kiev to quickly respond to Russia's proposals, and warned that the negotiations will yield no results if the West continues to provide weapons to Ukraine.

"I came to Moscow as a messenger of peace. My objective and my agenda are strictly linked to saving lives and reducing suffering," Guterres said, calling his discussions with Lavrov "very frank."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to ending the conflict in Ukraine and to creating conditions to end the suffering of civilians, said a UN spokesman.

Guterres met Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday. The UN chief expressed his support for Turkey's ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, told reporters in New York.

"He and President Erdogan reaffirmed that their common objective is to end the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians. They stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much-needed assistance to impacted communities," said Haq.

They agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives, he added.

Guterres and Erdogan also discussed the impact of the Ukraine conflict on regional and global issues, including energy, food and finance, said Haq.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to push for a halt in hostilities in Ukraine even though a Russian UN envoy said a cease-fire is not a good option at the moment, said a UN spokesman.

"We continue to call for a cease-fire or some sort of pause. The secretary-general did that, as you know, just last week. Clearly, that didn't happen in time for (Orthodox) Easter," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.

"I don't want to give too many details at this stage of the sort of proposals he will have. I think we're coming at a fairly delicate moment. It's important that he is able to talk clearly with the leadership on both sides and see what progress we can make," he told a daily press briefing.

"Ultimately, the end goal is to have a halt to fighting and to have ways to improve the situation of the people in Ukraine, lessen the threat that they're under, and provide humanitarian aid (to) them. So, those are the goals we're trying, and there are certain ways that we'll try to move those forward," he said.

Guterres was on his way to Moscow from Turkey. He will have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, and will be received by President Vladimir Putin. Guterres then will travel to Ukraine and have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

Russian forces seized the building of Kherson city council in southern Ukraine, Ukrinform news agency reported Monday, citing Kherson mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev.

"Tonight, armed men entered the building of the Kherson City Council, took away the keys, and replaced our guards with their own," Kolykhaiev said.

Last week, Ukrainian Defense Ministry's spokesman Olexandr Motuzyanyk said Russia is preparing to hold a "referendum" in the Kherson region on joining Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev would withdraw from peace negotiations with Moscow if Russian forces hold pseudo-referendums in the areas they captured in Ukraine.

At least five people were killed and 18 others injured on Monday as a result of Russia's airstrike on transport infrastructure in Ukraine's central Vinnytsia region, the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

According to the statement, rockets hit transport infrastructure facilities near the towns of Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn.

Separately, Oleksandr Kamyshin, chairman of Ukraine's State Railways, said on Telegram that five railway stations in central and western Ukraine came under the attack on Monday.

Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn are the key regional junction stations of Ukraine's State Railways.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that all parties should support the Istanbul process for a solution to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey's presidency said.

Guterres met with Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara, before heading to Moscow and Kiev for talks on resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Erdogan emphasized that the Istanbul process, which "preserves its character as the most credible way to reach peace," should be supported by everyone, said his office after the meeting.

Along with efforts to cease the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey will continue to work closely with the United Nations to end the humanitarian crisis by contributing to the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, Erdogan told Guterres.

The secretary-general, for his part, expressed support for Turkey's ongoing diplomatic efforts concerning the Ukrainian crisis, the UN said in a statement.

Russia has declared 40 German diplomats "personae non gratae" in a tit-for-tat move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry summoned German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr on Monday in protest over Germany's decision to declare 40 Russian diplomats working in Germany "personae non gratae" earlier in April, the ministry said.

The ministry called Germany's motives behind the expulsion of the Russian diplomats "unacceptable," and informed the ambassador that 40 German diplomats would be declared "personae non grata" in a symmetrical response.

Russia has sent a diplomatic note to the United States calling on Washington to stop supplying Kiev with weapons, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Monday.

Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States will provide Ukraine with additional security assistance worth 800 million U.S. dollars to bolster its defense against Russia's military operation.

Antonov noted that Washington's decision did not contribute to finding a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis.

Russia "emphasized the unacceptability of the situation where the United States is pumping weapons into Ukraine and demanded an end to this practice," local media reported citing Antonov.

The ambassador said the United States was "aggravating the situation" and "adding fuel to the fire" with its actions, ultimately causing more deaths due to their supply of weapons.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will pay a visit to Turkey on Monday before having talks in Moscow and Kiev as part of efforts to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The secretary-general will have a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26 and 28 respectively, a UN spokesman said Friday.

Guterres will visit Moscow on April 26 and have "a working meeting and lunch" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.

During his trip to Ukraine, Guterres will also have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and meet with staff of UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian people, Dujarric said.

Russia's forces have destroyed a logistics terminal at a military airfield near Ukraine's Odessa, where foreign weapons were stored, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

"This afternoon, high-precision, long-range air-based missiles fired by the Russian Aerospace Forces disabled a logistics terminal at a military airfield near Odessa, where a large batch of foreign weapons received from the US and European countries were stored," said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Russia is continuing its special military operation in Ukraine.

The Russian military has destroyed 141 aircraft and 110 helicopters, 264 anti-aircraft missile systems, 541 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,479 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 278 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,081 field artillery and mortars, and 2,321 special military vehicles.

Ukrainian civilians withdraw along humanitarian corridors from Ukraine's Mariupol on March 20, 2022. More than 3.48 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency. Photo: AFP

Ukraine will continue the evacuation of civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol on Saturday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Women, children and the elderly will be evacuated from Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from Mariupol earlier this week.

People are evacuated from Mariupol via buses and private transport.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Photo: Xinhua

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26 and 28 respectively, a UN spokesman said Friday.

Guterres will visit Moscow on April 26 and have "a working meeting and lunch" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.

During his trip to Ukraine, Guterres will also have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and meet with staff of UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian people, Dujarric said.

The UN chief sent separate letters Tuesday afternoon to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine to the United Nations, asking Putin to receive him in Moscow and Zelensky to receive him in Kiev, Dujarric said on Wednesday.

File photo taken on Nov. 29, 2016 shows the new protective cover over the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear reactor No.4 at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 110 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.Photo:Xinhua

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday its expert mission would travel to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26 to help ensure the facility's safety.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will head the mission to "deliver vital equipment and conduct radiological and other assessments" at the Chernobyl plant, according to the agency's statement.

The IAEA experts will also repair remote safeguards monitoring systems at the plant, which have not been transmitting data to the agency's headquarters in Vienna since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"The IAEA's presence at Chernobyl will be of paramount importance for our activities to support Ukraine as it seeks to restore regulatory control of the plant and ensure its safe and secure operation," Grossi said, adding that the agency will send more missions to Chernobyl and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Russian forces had been in control of the Chernobyl plant for five weeks before withdrawing on March 31, according to the IAEA statement.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Friday that Kiev will complete the talks on security guarantees with partner countries within a week, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"Weapons supplies, closure of the sky, military consultations and means for the rapid purchase of additional weapons are important for us. I think that these issues can be completed within a week," Podolyak said.

On April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Turkey showed their willingness to join the creation of a system of security guarantees for Ukraine.

The advisors to the leaders of Poland, Germany, France and Israel reportedly have expressed readiness to discuss a list of security guarantees for Ukraine, the report said.

At the peace talks with Russia in Istanbul, Turkey last month, Kiev proposed to sign a new international treaty on security guarantees, which enshrines obligations for the guarantor countries to provide Ukraine with military assistance in the event of an attack.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Moscow on April 25 and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit, a UN spokesman said Friday. 

Addressing the Portuguese parliament via video link, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called on Portugal to send "heavy weapons" and strengthen the sanctions on Russia.

"I am grateful for the opportunity in this difficult time because you know how we are feeling, fighting for our independence, but also our survival," said Zelensky, referring to what Portugal experienced in history.

Zelensky's 15-minute speech received a standing ovation in the parliament attended by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Portuguese president said that the speech of his Ukrainian counterpart "showed gratitude" to Portugal and "a very strong desire to integrate the European family."

One of the tasks of the Russian Armed Forces during the ongoing second stage of the special military operation is to "establish full control over Donbass and southern Ukraine," Deputy Commander of Russia's Central Military District Rustam Minnekaev said Friday.

The control of Donbass will make it possible for Russia to create a land corridor to Crimea and influence Ukraine's vital facilities, including Black Sea ports where agricultural and metallurgical products are delivered to other countries, Minnekaev said at a defense industries meeting.

The control of Ukraine's south will open another way out to Transnistria, the major general added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday met with European Council President Charles Michel, appreciating the European Union (EU) for the support of Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, Zelensky's press service reported.

"European partners have made a significant contribution to our military capabilities," Zelensky said.

In particular, he thanked the EU for allocating 1.5 billion euros (some 1.63 billion U.S. dollars) within the European Peace Fund to finance the military needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Besides, Zelensky appreciated the EU for imposing sanctions on Russia and called for strengthening the restrictive measures by imposing a full energy embargo on Russia, including oil and gas imports.

For his part, Michel said the EU adopted a decision to provide military support to Ukraine, including equipment and weapons, in the first days of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday his country stands ready for any format of prisoner exchange with Russia to free people from the besieged city of Mariupol, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"We are ready for any format of exchange for the sake of our people, both military and civilian," Zelensky said during a joint briefing with European Council President Charles Michel in Kiev.

Currently, some 120,000 civilians remain in Mariupol, Zelensky said, noting that the humanitarian situation in the city is deteriorating.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the embattled city.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, saw one of the worst violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to receive him to discuss steps to bring about peace following Russia's special military operation in its neighbor.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general, said on Wednesday in a statement that separate letters were sent Tuesday afternoon to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine to the UN, asking Vladimir Putin to receive Guterres in Moscow and Volodymyr Zelensky to receive him in Kiev.

"The secretary-general said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law," Dujarric said.

"He noted that both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are founding members of the United Nations and have always been strong supporters of this organization," the spokesman added.

The top UN official on Tuesday called for a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting in Ukraine to allow for the opening of humanitarian aid corridors during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries are doing everything to prolong the armed conflict in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

NATO countries are increasing the supplies of military equipment, weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and pushing Kiev to continue "aggression" against Donbass, Zakharova said at her weekly briefing.

These deeds go against NATO countries' words that hostilities in Ukraine should end as soon as possible, she said.

Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation, Ukraine has attracted about 7,000 foreign mercenaries from 63 countries, with the United States as one of the major sources, Zakharova said. 

The second phase of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine has begun, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

The operation in eastern Ukraine is aimed at "completely liberating" the populations of Donetsk and Lugansk, Lavrov said during an interview with India Today.

"This operation will continue, the next phase of this operation has now begun. There will now be an important moment during this special operation," he added.

Also on Tuesday, the Ukrinform news agency reported that up to 30 percent of Ukraine's infrastructure was damaged as the result of the conflict with Russia, which started on Feb. 24.

The hostilities have either destroyed or damaged 300 bridges and more than 8,000 km of roads, said Ukrinform, quoting Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had discussed the increase of aid for Kiev with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The parties talked about the increase of security assistance to Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia and the post-war reconstruction, Zelensky tweeted.

The Ukrainian leader also said he informed von der Leyen about the provision of the completed European Union (EU) questionnaire, which is a step toward Ukraine's EU integration.

For her part, von der Leyen tweeted that in their talks, the sides touched upon financial and security assistance for Kiev, and Ukraine's replies to the questionnaire on EU membership.

On Monday, Zelensky handed over the questionnaire aimed at achieving his country's candidate status for the EU membership to the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas.

Russia has declared 15 diplomats from the Netherlands, an unspecified number of diplomats from Belgium, and four diplomats from Austria "personae non gratae" in a tit-for-tat response, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The ambassadors of the three countries were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in protest over their decisions to declare dozens of Russian diplomats working in these countries "personae non gratae," the ministry said in separate statements.

The Dutch diplomats will need to leave Russia within two weeks, the Belgian diplomats were ordered to leave before the end of the day on May 3, while the Austrian diplomats must leave Russia before the end of the day on April 24.

The ministry also summoned the ambassador of Luxembourg, saying Moscow "reserves the right to retaliate" for Luxembourg's expulsion of an employee at the Russian Embassy.

Media reports cited the Belgian Foreign Ministry as saying that 12 Belgian diplomats were ordered to leave Russia.

Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday conducted their fifth prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

As a result of the swap, 76 Ukrainian prisoners-of-war, including 16 civilians, returned home following their release by Russian forces, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Of the 60 Ukrainian military personnel released, 10 were officers, she said.

Vereshchuk gave no details on how many Russian captives were exchanged during the swap.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting in Ukraine to allow for the opening of humanitarian aid corridors during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week.

"Today, I am calling for a four-day Holy Week humanitarian pause beginning on Holy Thursday and running through Easter Sunday, April 24th to allow for the opening of a series of humanitarian corridors," Guterres told reporters standing in front of the "Knotted Gun," or "Non Violence," an iconic sculpture of a large gun, the barrel of which is tied in a knot. The sculpture is the first thing that many visitors to UN headquarters in New York see as they enter the compound and symbolizes the world body's commitment to world peace.

Due to the intensifying Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine as Easter approaches, the UN chief said a humanitarian pause is all the more important.

During the proposed pause, Guterres stated, civilians would be evacuated from "current or expected areas of confrontation" and humanitarian aid would be delivered to desperately in needy places such as Mariupol, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.

The top UN official said that more than 4 million people in those areas need assistance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday submitted to the parliament a bill to further extend martial law in the country, the parliament press service said in a statement.

If lawmakers pass the bill, according to a report released by The Kyiv Independent, the martial law will be extended for two months, until June 24.

Kiev imposed martial law after Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine on Feb. 24.

On March 15, the Ukrainian parliament voted to extend the martial law till April 25.

Russian forces have begun the battle for the Donbas region, but Ukraine will defend itself, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Monday.

"Now we can say that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time. A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive," Zelensky was quoted as saying by the state-run Ukrinform news agency.

"No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight," he added.

In the east and south of Ukraine, Russian forces have recently been trying to attack a little more deliberately than before and looking for a weak spot in the country's defense to go there with the main forces, Zelensky said.

Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Monday that Russian forces tried to start an active phase of the offensive in eastern Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

On Monday morning, along almost the entire front line in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkiv regions, Russian forces attempted to break through Ukrainian defenses, according to Danilov.

Russian forces managed to make advances only in two small towns, Danilov said, stressing that the Ukrainian military is holding their grounds elsewhere in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday handed over a questionnaire aimed at achieving his country's candidate status for the European Union (EU) membership to the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas, the presidential press service said.

"Today is one of the stages for our country in joining the EU, the aspiration that our people are striving for and fighting for," Zelensky said at the handover ceremony in Kiev.

The people of Ukraine are united by the goal to become a part of the EU, Zelensky stressed, noting that the prompt work on providing a questionnaire to Ukraine is an important signal for Kiev.

"We believe that we will gain support and become a candidate for accession," Zelensky said.

For his part, Maasikas said that Ukraine's answers to the questionnaire will be analyzed "very quickly".

Russian troops destroyed a depot of weapons supplied by Western countries near west Ukraine's Lviv on Monday morning, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

The Russian Aerospace Forces used high-precision airborne missiles to hit a logistics center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Lviv, destroying large consignments of weapons arrived from the United States and European countries over the past six days, Konashenkov told a briefing.

At least seven people were killed and 11 others wounded on Monday morning in missile strikes on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, said Maksym Kozytsky, head of the Lviv regional military-civilian administration.

Ukraine on Monday sent to the European Commission (EC) the first part of a questionnaire aimed at achieving candidate status for European Union (EU) membership, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

The 1,156-page document contains the answers to 374 questions regarding Ukraine's compliance with the criteria for EU membership in the political and economic spheres, it reported, citing the country's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna.

Stefanishyna said the Ukrainian government's team has worked on the first part of the EU questionnaire for seven days.

The other part of the questionnaire, which covers questions on the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU laws, will be sent to the EC soon, Stefanishyna added.

On Feb. 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU, asking for Ukraine's accession via a new special procedure.

Russia's forces have destroyed an ammunition plant in Ukraine's Kiev region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday.

"During the night, high-precision air-based missiles destroyed an ammunition factory near Brovary (city) in the Kiev region," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing.

He added that 29 militants, including foreign mercenaries, were eliminated during the rescue of Russian hostages from a mosque in Mariupol city in eastern Ukraine.

The ministry said Russian forces have destroyed 134 aircraft, 249 anti-aircraft missile systems, 470 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,290 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 254 multiple rocket launchers, 992 field artillery and mortars, and 2,166 units of special military vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian forces.

The entire urban area of Mariupol city in eastern Ukraine has been fully cleared of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries, the Russian military said Saturday.

The remnants of the resistant forces have been blocked inside the Azovstal iron and steel works plants, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing. He said 1,464 Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered during the fighting in the city.

As a key port city on the Azov Sea, Mariupol is witnessing one of the worst violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Friday that its forces were still fighting against Russians in Mariupol after almost seven weeks since the city was besieged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the elimination of Ukrainian troops in Mariupol would put an end to any negotiations with Russia.

Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in Kiev, on February 25, 2022. Photo: The Paper

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that about 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in the conflict with Russia.

In an interview with CNN on Friday, Zelensky said that some 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been injured in the hostilities, with many of them receiving critical wounds.

On March 12, Zelensky said that at least 1,300 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the conflict with Russia.

Photo:Xinhua

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that 13 top officials of Britain, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have been barred from entering Russia.

"This step was taken as a response to London's unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy," the ministry said in a statement.

British Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are also blacklisted among others.

The ministry said the entry ban will be expanded in the near future to more British politicians and parliamentarians who pursue an anti-Russian policy.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's spokesman Olexandr Motuzyanyk said Friday that Ukrainian forces continued fighting with the Russian military for the Azov Sea key port city of Mariupol, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

"The Russian army is constantly recruiting additional units to storm the city, and as of now there are active battles near the Ilyich plant and in the port zone of Mariupol," Motuzyanyk said.

He emphasized that the Russian forces have not gained full control of the city after almost seven weeks since the siege began.

The Ukrainian military recently carried out a tactical operation on joining the forces of two military units in Mariupol and now they are trying to unblock the city, Motuzyanyk said.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said that the 36th Marine Brigade had broken fighting lines and joined the Azov Battalion in Mariupol, strengthening the defense of the city.

Russia expelled 18 European Union (EU) diplomats on Friday in a retaliatory move, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry had summoned head of the EU Delegation to Russia Markus Ederer in a protest over the EU's decision to declare 19 Russian diplomats "personae non gratae" earlier this month, the statement said.

"In response to the hostile actions of the European Union, 18 employees working at the EU Delegation to Russia have been declared 'personae non gratae' and will have to leave the territory of the Russian Federation in the near future," the ministry said.

Photo taken on Feb 27, 2022 shows smoke rising in the sky in Kiev, Ukraine.Photo:Xinhua

Russia will expand the scale of its missile strikes on Kiev in response to any Ukrainian forces' attacks or sabotage on Russian territory, the country's defense ministry said Friday.

"Russian troops and forces of the Donetsk People's Republic have taken control of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in the city of Mariupol as a result of a successful offensive," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing.

The Russian forces used high-precision sea-based Kalibr missiles to strike a military facility on the outskirts of Kiev, he added.

According to the ministry, Russian forces have destroyed 132 aircraft, 105 helicopters, 245 anti-aircraft missile systems, 456 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,213 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 249 multiple rocket launchers, 966 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,110 units of special military vehicles of the Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian civilians withdraw along humanitarian corridors from Ukraine's Mariupol on March 20, 2022. More than 3.48 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency. Photo: AFP

Ukraine on Friday created nine humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave conflict-affected areas, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

The safe routes were established to allow civilians to flee Mariupol city in the eastern Donetsk region and Berdyansk, Tokmak and Energodar towns in the southern Zaporizhzhia region via private transport.

Besides, the Ukrainian authorities will evacuate civilians from five towns and villages in the eastern Luhansk region.

On Thursday, 2,557 people were evacuated from conflict-affected areas in Ukraine.

Oil prices climbed on Thursday as traders weighed the prospect of a European Union (EU) ban on imports of Russian oil.

The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery added 2.70 U.S. dollars, or 2.6 percent, to settle at 106.95 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for June delivery increased 2.92 dollars, or 2.7 percent, to close at 111.70 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

The New York Times reported Thursday that EU officials were drafting a phased import ban on Russian oil products.

The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia, but so far, Russian oil has been excluded from the sanctions given the high level of dependency that some EU member states have on the country's energy supplies.

Market participants also assessed the risks on the demand side.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief said Thursday that the organization will revise down its global growth forecast amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the impact of which will contribute to downgrades for 143 economies this year.

"To put it simply: we are facing a crisis on top of a crisis," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a curtain raiser speech ahead of the 2022 spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank scheduled next week.

"In the past seven weeks, the world has experienced a second major crisis - a war on top of a pandemic. This risks eroding much of the progress we have made over the past two years, climbing back from COVID," said Georgieva.

In an update to its World Economic Outlook (WEO) report released in January, the IMF already cut 2022 global growth forecast by 0.5 percentage point to 4.4 percent amid Omicron surge, as economies grapple with supply disruptions, higher inflation, record debt and persistent uncertainty.

"Since then, the outlook has deteriorated substantially," largely because of the war and its repercussions," Georgieva noted.

The United Nations on Thursday released 100 million U.S. dollars for hunger hot spots in six African countries and in Yemen to mitigate the spillover effects of the Ukraine conflict.

The funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will enable UN agencies and partners to provide critical food, cash and nutritional help as well as other provisions in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria as well as Yemen, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Projects will also be tailored to help women and girls through a crisis that exposes them to additional risks, it said.

Armed conflict, drought and economic turmoil are the main drivers of food insecurity in the seven recipient countries. But the Ukraine conflict is making a dire situation even worse, disrupting food and energy markets and driving up the cost of imports beyond the reach of consumers, said OCHA.

In March 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization's global food price index hit its highest level since 1990.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday he had discussed new military aid for Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone conversation.

"In our new call, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and I discussed the next military aid package for Ukraine," Kuleba tweeted.

During the talks, the Ukrainian and the U.S. parties also coordinated their positions on further sanctions which will be imposed on Russia over its conflict with Ukraine, Kuleba said.

He also thanked the United States for its "unwavering support" for Ukraine.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration would provide Ukraine with an additional 800 million U.S. dollars worth of military aid due to what Washington anticipated to be a "wider assault" by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva via video message on February 28, 2022. Photo: AFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for action to mitigate the global impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on food, energy and finance systems.

The conflict is supercharging a three-dimensional crisis of food, energy and finance that is pummeling some of the world's most vulnerable people, countries and economies, he said at the launch of a report by the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance over the Ukraine crisis.

"And all this comes at a time when developing countries are already struggling with a slate of challenges not of their making: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and a lack of access to adequate resources to finance the recovery in the context of persistent and growing inequalities," he said. 

"We are now facing a perfect storm that threatens to devastate the economies of many developing countries."

The report shows that the impact of the Ukraine crisis is global and systemic, said Guterres.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has imposed personal sanctions against 398 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 87 Canadian senators in a retaliatory move.

The decisions were made in response to a "wave of anti-Russian sanctions" imposed by the U.S. administration on March 24 this year against 328 deputies of Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, and Canadian sanctions against all members of the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of parliament.

The ministry said it would impose new counter-measures in the near future, and would expand its stop list and take other retaliatory steps.

Russia has declared a senior Czech diplomat "persona non grata" and ordered the official to leave the country before the end of the day on April 16, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Czech Ambassador to Russia Vitezslav Pivonka was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday and was handed a note informing him of the decision, the statement said.

The move was made in response to the expulsion of a diplomat working at the Russian Embassy in Prague, the statement added.

The Czech Republic expelled a Russian diplomat from the country in late March, news reports said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that a nationwide humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine seems to be out of reach at the moment.

"I don't think we had a chance to have a humanitarian cease-fire as we wanted globally (in Ukraine)," he said. "But there is a number of proposals that were made, and we are waiting for an answer from the Russian Federation in relation to those proposals, including different mechanisms for local cease-fires, for corridors, for humanitarian assistance, evacuations, and different other aspects that can minimize the dramatic impact on civilians that we are witnessing."

Guterres on March 28 launched an initiative for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine and sent Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to Moscow and Kiev to explore the possibilities of a humanitarian cease-fire.

"That was our appeal for humanitarian reasons. But it doesn't seem possible," he said.

"Well, a global ceasefire, at the present moment, doesn't seem to be possible. But there are lots of things that can be done in order to guarantee evacuation of civilians from areas of fighting, in order of guaranteeing humanitarian access in a reliable situation," Guterres told reporters.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday his administration will provide Ukraine with an additional 800 million U.S. dollars' worth of military aid due to what Washington anticipated to be a "wider assault" by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

"As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself," Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The new package, Biden said, "will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine."

"These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers. I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters," he said, adding that the United States will continue to facilitate the transfer of significant capabilities from its allies and partners around the world.

The United States has committed 1.7 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia began its "special military operation" on Feb 24.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday that his government has relocated more than 250 enterprises from the conflict-affected areas to safer places inside the country, the cabinet's press service reported.

Out of these companies, 121 are already fully operational in the new location, Shmyhal said.

Another 430 manufacturing companies will move their facilities to safer regions with the government assistance soon, he added.

Besides, the government has allocated some 200 million hryvnias (about 6.8 million U.S. dollars) to employers who hire internally displaced persons, Shmyhal said.

Ukraine started a major program to relocate its enterprises amid the conflict with Russia in mid-March.

The Ukraine crisis has put the brakes on growth in the Finnish economy, according to an economic survey published by the country's Ministry of Finance on Wednesday.

Growth is predicted at 1.5 percent this year, less than previously anticipated, the ministry said in a press release.

Before the conflict began in Ukraine, the Finnish economy was recovering well from the COVID-19 pandemic, said the ministry. However, Western countries' sanctions against Russia have further accelerated inflation, which has decreased household purchasing power.

"The sanctions will practically stop Finland's foreign trade with Russia, which will cut Finland's economic growth this year," the ministry said.

The ministry forecast in September 2021 that Finland's economic growth would be 2.9 percent in 2022 and 1.4 percent in 2023.

BRICS countries have expressed their support for continued dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to seek a comprehensive solution to the Ukraine issue.

During the second BRICS sherpas' meeting in 2022 held from Tuesday to Wednesday via videolink, BRICS countries reiterated their respective national positions on the Ukraine issue, pledging to support multilateralism, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries.

The meeting was chaired by Ma Zhaoxu, sherpa for BRICS affairs and vice foreign minister of China.

BRICS countries, consisting of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa, expressed their concern over the humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine, as well as support for all humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including the contributions of the ICRC and UN agencies.

Noting their particular concern about the serious impact of unilateral sanctions on the recovery of the world economy, the stability of industrial and supply chains, energy and food security, as well as the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the sherpas called for attention to and effective addressing of the concerns of the vast number of developing countries to ensure that the economy and people's livelihood of all countries are not affected.

Ukraine's negotiating position at the peace talks with Russia remains unchanged, the head of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia said Tuesday.

"The Ukrainian side adheres to the Istanbul Communique and hasn't changed its position," Arakhamia wrote on Telegram.

The only difference is that the Ukrainian side does not take into account all the additional issues that were not included in the Istanbul Communique. This may have led to a misinterpretation of the current state of the negotiation process, he said.

The negotiations regarding the security guarantees for Ukraine continue in an online regime, Arakhamia said.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine had changed its stance from last month's peace talks in Turkey's Istanbul.

Ukraine has tightened security measures on the borders with Belarus and Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, the Ukrinform news agency reported Tuesday.

"The security measures have been strengthened to prevent escalation in these areas," Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, was quoted as saying.

There is a possibility of a military invasion from Belarus to Ukraine, Demchenko said.

The Ukrainian forces stand ready to repel all possible attacks, he added.

Visiting World Bank Group President David Malpass said here on Tuesday that his institution is preparing a financial assistance package worth 1.5 billion U.S. dollars for Ukraine.

The donor and recipient countries of the International Development Association (IDA), a World Bank fund that helps the poorest countries, approved on Monday the provision of one billion U.S. dollars to Ukraine, which enabled this 1.5 billion-U.S.-dollar aid package that supports the "continuation of essential government services," Malpass said.

"We will be ready to help Ukraine with reconstruction when the time comes. In the meantime, we are working to help Ukrainian refugees as they plan their return home; help communities as they absorb Ukrainians; and help the many millions of internally displaced persons in Ukraine who have lost their homes and livelihoods," he said.

The World Bank Group, he said, analyses the global impact of the conflict in Ukraine, "including the spike in food and energy prices, and preparing a surge crisis response that will provide focused support for developing countries."

According to the World Bank, Ukraine's economy is expected to shrink by as much as 45.1 percent this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a joint press conference that it was important to deepen integration between Russia and Belarus in the face of all-out Western sanctions.

Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko hosted the joint press conference at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East, Sputnik News reported.

"We will continue to jointly oppose any attempts to slow down the development of our countries or artificially isolate them from the global economy," Putin said.

Belarus is Russia's leading trade partner. Bilateral trade reached 380 million U.S. dollars by the end of 2021, an increase of more than 33 percent year-on-year.

Putin added that the Belarusian platform was suitable for negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, saying that starting a direct dialogue with Ukraine has become possible largely thanks to the personal efforts of Lukashenko.

(Left to right, front) Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Roscosmos general director Dmitry Rogozin arrive by helicopter at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Photo: The Paper

 Russian President Vladimir Putin called the situation in Ukraine "a tragedy" and peace talks had reached a "dead end" in his meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, asserting that economic sanctions imposed on Russia by nations around the world have "failed" and he had no intention of pulling back from a military campaign. 

Western media reported that Russia is planning a new operation to end or make significant progress in its military operation in Ukraine by May 9, Victory Day, to celebrate the former Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, with a decisive battle in east Ukraine's Donbas region. 

Chinese analysts said on Tuesday that the positive trend achieved by previous peace talks in Turkey was ruined, and the West and Ukraine are likely to miscalculate Russia, making negotiations hard to restart.  

The redeployment of Russian troops in east Ukraine after Russia announced it would reduce military activities around Kiev could be a signal that Russia is preparing for a new massive operation, because the newly emerging incidents, like the alleged "massacre" in Bucha widely hyped by Western media but still with no conclusions from an international independent investigation, have increased hostility between the two sides, and they almost have no more room to compromise to reach a ceasefire, said experts.

After the latest round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey last month, Ukraine's leaders said they're willing to accept a formal neutral status for the country, ruling out NATO membership and accepting some constraints on its military, in exchange for an end to the war. 

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly announced Monday that Canada is imposing new sanctions on Russian defence sector.

According to a news release issued by Foreign Affairs Ministry, these new measures will impose restrictions on 33 entities in the Russian defence sector.

These entities have provided indirect or direct support to the Russian military, the news release said.

Since Feb. 24 when the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 700 individuals and entities from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Canada's latest sanctions will impose asset freezes and prohibitions on listed entities, the release said.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to the global economy, reducing forecasted global trade growth for 2022 from the 4.7 percent predicted last October to between 2.4 percent and 3 percent.

The projection, based on a global economic simulation model, was made by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat in a note issued on Monday.

According to the same model, the crisis could lower global GDP growth by 0.7-1.3 percentage points, bringing it to somewhere between 3.1 percent and 3.7 percent for 2022.

The conflict has pushed up food and energy prices, and reduced the availability of goods exported by Russia and Ukraine, said the Secretariat note.

Russia and Ukraine are both important suppliers of essential products, notably food and energy, according to the note. The two countries supplied around 25 percent of wheat, 15 percent of barley and 45 percent of sunflower product exports globally in 2019. Russia alone accounted for 9.4 percent of world trade in fuels, including a 20 percent share in natural gas exports.

The delegation of the European Union (EU) to Ukraine said on Monday it has resumed its work in Kiev.

"The EU is back in town," the diplomatic mission tweeted.

The EU evacuated its delegation from Kiev to the Polish city of Rzeszow shortly after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started on Feb. 24.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Ukraine last week, promising a speedier process for the country to join the EU.

A Chinese envoy on Monday called for an early end to the conflict in Ukraine in order to fundamentally solve the humanitarian crisis and spare women and children from violence.

Women and children are the most vulnerable to violence, and should be given priority protection in armed conflicts, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We call on parties involved in the situation in Ukraine to strictly abide by international humanitarian law, effectively protect women and children, respect and guarantee the civilian nature and safety of facilities such as schools and hospitals, and provide special care to women and children in evacuation, rescue, and medical assistance," he told a Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

China deplores that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed or injured in the attack on Kramatorsk train station. The relevant circumstances and specific cause of the incident must be established and verified, and any claim should be based on facts, he said.

A large number of Ukrainian women and children have taken refuge in neighboring countries. China appreciates these neighboring countries and other countries for opening their borders and providing shelter and humanitarian assistance. All refugees, regardless of skin color, race, or religion, should receive equal protection under international refugee law, said Dai.

A woman shops at a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on April 7, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A Palestinian baker uses a traditional wood-fired oven to prepare food during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 7, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A customer chooses cooking oil at Colruyt supermarket in Brussels, Belgium, March 29, 2022. Due to rise of high energy prices, Belgium markets witnessed the rise of prices of petrol, diesel, cooking oil, flour, etc, in recent times.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to push up energy costs and cause supply chain slowdowns.

The monthly food prices index, released Friday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), rose 12.6 percent to reach 159.3 points in March, compared to a baseline of 100 points for the average in 2014-2016 (adjusted for inflation.)

This is by far the highest total in the history of the index, which was launched in its current form in 1990.

All of the five sub-categories in the index rose, with prices for grains and cereals -- the largest component in the index -- climbing a stunning 17.1 percent. The FAO said the main factor behind this rise is that Russia and Ukraine are both major producers of wheat and coarse grains, and prices for these have soared due to the conflict. Concerns over crop conditions in the United States were also a factor, FAO said. Rice prices, meanwhile, were mostly unchanged compared to February.

Meanwhile, prices for vegetable oils climbed 23.2 percent due to rising transportation costs and reduced exports, again due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hailed the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to Kiev as a signal of support for Ukraine, the state-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

"This is a very strong signal that Ukraine and the European Union are together," Zelensky said at the joint press briefing with von der Leyen and Borrell in Kiev on Friday.

Zelensky thanked the European officials for coming to Ukraine in difficult times and for visiting Bucha outside Kiev, where hundreds of murdered civilians were allegedly found after Russian forces withdrew.

Von der Leyen said that Ukraine is welcomed in the European family and handed over a questionnaire to Zelensky, the completion of which is a necessary step for granting the status of an EU candidate.

"We are with you in your dreams of Europe. I want to say very clearly: Ukraine has a place in the European family," von der Leyen said.

The defense ministers of Turkey, Italy and Britain on Friday held a meeting over the Ukraine crisis in Turkey's largest city Istanbul.

The ministers would exchange views on relations between their countries in the fields of defense and security and regional issues, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Before the meeting, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had bilateral talks with his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini and British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace separately, according to the ministry.

Ankara has accelerated its efforts to bring a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine, pushing for a summit between Russian and Ukrainian presidents in Turkey.

The latest round of face-to-face peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations was held in Istanbul at the end of March.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (back) attending Russia-Turkiye-Ukraine tripartite Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on March 10. Photo: AFP

Russia hopes that its special military operation in Ukraine will end "in the foreseeable future," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

The operation is continuing and Russia's goals are being achieved, while substantive work is being carried out both in the military sphere and at the negotiation table, Peskov said at a daily briefing.

In an interview with the Sky News on Thursday, Peskov said that "our military are doing their best to bring an end to that operation."

"And we do hope that in coming days, in the foreseeable future, this operation will reach its goals or will finish ... by the negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations," he said.

Moscow and Kiev have conducted several rounds of peace talks to seek a political settlement to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which has intensified over the past month.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said it did not launch any "rocket attack" on a railway station in the city of Kramatorsk, which local authorities said had killed at least 39 people.

Allegations by the Ukrainian side that Russia carried out the attack are " provocation and absolutely untrue," the ministry said in a statement.

"On April 8, the Russian armed forces did not have any firing missions in the city of Kramatorsk," it said.

The Russian Defense Ministry's statement noted that the Tochka-U tactical missile system is not operational in "the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics" or in Russia but is actively used by the Ukrainian military.

At least 39 people, including four children, were killed Friday in the attack, which targeted a railway station in Kramatorsk town in Donetsk, spokesman for Ukraine's Security Service Artem Dekhtyarenko said earlier Friday.

An electronic board shows the results of the vote of the UN General Assembly to expel Russia from the UN Human Rights Council during a continuation of the Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine on Thursday in New York City. Photo: VCG.

After the vote pushed by the US at the UN General Assembly decided to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, some member states expressed opposition to the hasty move which forced countries to take sides before knowing the full story, and analysts said such a dangerous precedent may split the UN and undermine the rules-based international order as the US and the West are promoting a new Cold War mentality at the UN. 

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council. In the 193-member Assembly, 93 countries voted in favor, 24 against, and 58 abstained. 

Russia, China, Iran and Vietnam were among those who voted against. Those who abstained include India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Pakistan and Singapore.

The vote sets a dangerous precedent on that a resolution without solid investigation can be brought to the UN where member states are then abducted by political ideology and forced to choose sides, Zhu Ying, a professor of the National Human Rights Education and Training Base of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times.

Russia has made a decision on the early termination of its membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"The Russian side considers the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on April 7 in New York to suspend the membership of the Russian Federation in the UN Human Rights Council as an unlawful and politically motivated step in order to defiantly punish a sovereign UN member state that pursues an independent domestic and foreign policy," the ministry said in a statement.

The council is now monopolized by a group of states that use it for their own opportunistic purposes, it added.

"Having proclaimed themselves a standard in the field of human rights, these states are directly involved in gross and mass violations of human rights," it said.

Russia will continue to contribute to the protection of human rights though it made such a decision, according to the ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Moscow would retaliate against Washington's latest package of sanctions, adding that the response would not necessarily be symmetrical.

"We will announce retaliatory measures in the near future... the blame for the destruction of Russian-U.S. relations lies entirely with Washington," it said in a statement, citing Alexander Darchiev, who heads the ministry's North American affairs department.

Darchiev added that Washington's actions have become a routine practice, and the recent decision to impose a fresh package of sanctions against Russian officials and the country's financial sector show that the United States had clearly ran out of restrictive measures.

"Not a single aggressive attack against Russia will go unanswered," he said, adding that this would only unite the Russian people, and end in "a humiliating defeat" for the enemy.

Ukraine wants to get part of the funds from the seized Russian assets in the West within the next six months, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday.

"A working group has been set up. It is already actively working in several areas. The first is the seizure of Russian assets in the West and the transfer of these funds to Ukraine," Shmyhal was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Ukraine is working separately with several countries on the issue, Shmyhal said.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday that allows the assembly to suspend the Russian Federation's membership in the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

The draft resolution, "Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council," obtained 93 "yes" votes and 24 "no" votes from the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 58 countries abstained. Eighteen countries did not participate in the voting.

China voted against the move pushed by the United States.

A two-thirds majority of voting members - abstentions do not count - can suspend a country from the 47-member council. Libya was suspended in 2011 because of violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The resolution expresses "grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine," particularly at reports of rights abuses by Russia.

File Photo: VCG

The resolution to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council was not drafted in an open and transparent manner and the hasty move has forced countries to take sides, which will aggravate the division among member states and intensify conflicts between the parties concerned, China's permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, said in explanation of China's vote against the resolution on Thursday.

The draft resolution on the suspension of Russia's rights of membership in the Human Rights Council was approved on Thursday with two thirds of the eligible members voting in favor in the US-led push that garnered 93 votes in favor, 24 against and 58 abstentions, Reuters reported. 

On the Ukraine issue, Zhang said that China always believes that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, should be respected, that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld, and that all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported.

Putting an early end to the fight is the urgent expectation of the international community and it is also what China is striving for. China calls on all parties concerned to take concrete actions to ensure the safety of civilians and protect the basic rights and humanitarian needs of women, children and other vulnerable groups.

Zhang said the reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are disturbing. The relevant circumstances and specific causes of the incident must be verified and established. Any accusations should be based on facts. Before the full picture is clear, all sides should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations.

A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Thursday for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in Ukraine and expressed solidarity with health workers in the country.

Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, made the appeal on the World Health Day.

According to WHO Europe, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has significantly harmed Ukraine's ability to provide health care to its citizens.

"The WHO is committed to be in Ukraine in the short and long term...Health requires peace, well-being requires hope, and healing requires time," Kluge said.

He said that the WHO's activities were based around three priorities: to keep Ukraine's health services operational; to collaborate with Ukraine's neighbors in the European region and beyond to ensure that the health needs of those fleeing the conflicts are met; and to assist Ukraine's health authorities in rebuilding the country's health system better.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the government to formalize the cessation of Ukraine's trade with Russia, the presidential press service said in a statement Wednesday.

In fact, import and export operations between Ukraine and Russia have been completely terminated since the start of the conflict, the statement said.

According to Ukraine's Fiscal Service, Ukraine saw a 38.7 percent year-on-year growth in trade with Russia in 2021 with a value of 10.09 billion U.S. dollars. Exports grew by 26.5 percent to 3.44 billion dollars, while imports increased by 45.9 percent to 6.65 billion dollars.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that talks between Ukraine and Russia will continue despite the evidence of "atrocities carried out by the Russian military", the Ukrinform news agency reported on Wednesday.

"In any case, we must find even small opportunities for the negotiation process. Without this, I think it is difficult to end the war," Zelensky was quoted as saying in an interview with Turkey's Haberturk television channel.

Zelensky emphasized the importance of the mediation mission of other countries, including Turkey, in the talks.

At least 280 people, including children, were found dead in Bucha, some 28 km northwest of Kiev after the Ukrainian army retook control of the town from the Russian military.

Zelensky earlier called the killings of civilians in Bucha a "war crime".

The United States on Wednesday imposed additional sanctions on Russia for its military operation in Ukraine, targeting the country's major financial institutions and the two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to a factsheet from the White House detailing the measures, the United States will impose full blocking sanctions on Russia's largest financial institution, Sberbank, and the country's largest private bank, Alfa Bank, freezing any of the two banks' assets in the U.S. financial system and prohibiting Americans from doing business with them.

U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order banning new investment in Russia by Americans no matter where they live, the factsheet said, adding the executive order aims to "ensure the enduring weakening of the Russian Federation's global competitiveness."

Additionally, Americans will no longer be allowed to conduct business transactions with major Russian state-owned enterprises, whose assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen. The Department of the Treasury will announce the names of these entities Thursday.

Full blocking sanctions will be imposed on Putin's two adult daughters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's wife and daughter, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin as well as former Russia President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia.

Russia and Ukraine are continuing negotiations but there remains a long way to go, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"There is still quite a long road ahead ... The working process is continuing, but more viscously than we want," Peskov told a daily briefing, stressing that Moscow would like Kiev to be more active during the negotiations.

The withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev region was to facilitate the peace talks, he told France's LCI broadcaster earlier in the day.

Russia is interested in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to Russia's conditions, which were clearly formulated by the Russian delegation, so that the military operation will come to an end, he said.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

China has been greatly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, especially harm on civilians, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday, noting the reports and images about the deaths of civilians in Bucha are deeply disturbing and that the truth of the incident must be thoroughly investigated. 

Speaking at the press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said relevant parties should be restrained and avoid baseless accusations before an investigation is concluded. "The humanitarian issue should not be politicized and any accusation should base on facts."

China supports all initiatives and measures that could help ease the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, has already provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine and will continue to work with the international community to prevent any harm on civilians, Zhao said.  

The positive trend toward ceasefire that emerged after the latest Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey, such as Russia to reduce military activities around Kiev and Ukraine to consider neutral position, has been ruined by the incident, even though no independent investigation has been carried out yet, and the situation will become intense again, said Chinese analysts. 

People evacuate in Irpin, Ukraine, March 11, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

 
Ukraine on Wednesday created 11 humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave conflict-affected cities and deliver humanitarian aid, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

The humanitarian corridors established safe exit routes from five towns in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and five towns and villages in Luhansk, Vereshchuk said.

One humanitarian corridor was set up to allow civilians to leave Mariupol in Donetsk, where there has been fierce fighting, via private transport.

On Tuesday, some 3,800 people were evacuated from conflict-affected areas in Ukraine.

Photo taken on March 10, 2022 shows the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia.Photo: Xinhua

 
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is possible only after a peace treaty is ready, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"Nothing has changed for us. We do not reject the possibility of such a meeting for our president," Peskov told a daily briefing.

"But we repeat once again that such a meeting is possible only after the text of the document is agreed upon," he said.

Moscow and Kiev have conducted several rounds of negotiations aimed at finalizing a treaty to end the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

More than 20 billion US dollars of international aid has been allocated for Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Kyrylo Shevchenko, governor of the National Bank of Ukraine.

"The financial aid allocated for Ukraine by now exceeds 20 billion dollars. A part of it has already been disbursed," Shevchenko was quoted as saying.

In March, Shevchenko said that international donors have pledged 15 billion dollars in financial, technical and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. ■

Ukraine established seven humanitarian corridors on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

One humanitarian corridor was set up to allow civilians to leave the conflict-torn city of Mariupol via private transport, Vereshchuk said.

Other humanitarian routes were established to evacuate people from Tokmak and Berdyansk towns in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and from four settlements in Luhansk, the official said.

On Monday, 3,376 people were evacuated from conflict-affected areas in Ukraine.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi

The basic stance of China on the Ukraine issue is to facilitate dialogue to promote peace, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call on Monday at the invitation of the latter. 

Kuleba provided an overview of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, saying that China is a great country that advocates and practices the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and is a key positive force in maintaining peace. 

Ukraine attaches great importance to China's international influence and prestige, and is willing to maintain communication with China, Kuleba said, hoping that China will continue to play an important role in ceasefire.

Wang thanked the Ukrainian government and all sections of the Ukrainian public for their efforts in assisting the safe evacuation of Chinese citizens in Ukraine, stressing that Chinese leaders and the Chinese government attach great importance to the safety of every overseas citizen, and hope that the Ukrainian side would continue to take active and effective measures to ensure the safety of a few Chinese citizens who have voluntarily stayed in Ukraine. 

Kuleba said that the Ukrainian side will make its best efforts to this end.

Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in Kiev, on February 25, 2022. Photo: The Paper

Ukraine has regained control of the "whole Kiev region," Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said on Facebook on Saturday.

Ukraine has retaken "Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel and the whole Kiev region," said Maliar.

The Russian military continues to carry out systematic missile and aviation strikes on targets in Ukraine, but the intensity has decreased, said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Additional units of the Russian military are preparing to participate in combat in Ukraine, it added.

Explosions rocked Ukraine's southern Black Sea port city of Odesa early Sunday as the city came under an airstrike, the Operation Command South, a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in southern Ukraine, said on Facebook.

The attacks hit the city's infrastructure. Some of the missiles were intercepted by the air defense.

According to preliminary data, there were no reports of casualties from the strikes.

Smoke has been rising in various districts of the city.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants near Ukraine's Odessa with high-precision sea- and air-based missiles.

The draft agreements that were discussed during the meeting in Istanbul this week are now ready for discussion by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, head of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia said Saturday.

The draft has been "developed enough to conduct direct consultations between the two leaders of the countries," Arakhamia was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying.

"Our task is to prepare the final stage not of the document itself, but of those issues that we touched upon, and to prepare the future meeting of the presidents," he said.

Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency confirmed on Friday that the two sides have started the next round of peace talks via video, citing a member of the Ukrainian delegation Mykhailo Podolyak.

Russia and Ukraine held their latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Turkey's Istanbul on Tuesday, which lasted for about three hours.

Screengrab of Russian Defence Ministry briefing showing US-sponsored biolabs on Ukraininan territory. Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

Russia's Defense Ministry has found evidence suggesting Kiev was planning to use pathogens developed in Pentagon-funded biological laboratories against the population of Donbass and Russia, according to an article published on RT.

Alongside Kiev's intent, the defense ministry allegedly identified concrete US officials involved in developing biological weapons in Ukraine.

These officials were "the heads of divisions and employees of the US Department of Defense, as well as its main contractors," said the report, citing Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

Hunter Biden, the son of the current US president Joe Biden, was directly involved in these campaigns, Konashenkov said, citing investigations by Western media, adding Hunter Biden has worked closely with Pentagon contractor Metabiota, which specializes in research on pathogens that can be used to develop biological weapons.

Ukrainian and Russian forces on Friday exchanged prisoners under an agreement reached by the two countries' negotiating groups earlier this week, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office.

"The exchange has just taken place. 86 Ukrainian servicemen, including 15 women, are now safe," Tymoshenko said on Telegram.

The prisoner swap took place in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, Tymoshenko said, without giving the number of captives released by Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia held their latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Turkey's Istanbul on Tuesday.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner swap last week since the start of the conflict on Feb. 24, Ukrainian authorities said.

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha.Photo:Xinhua

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are continuing in an online format, the head of Russia's delegation at talks with Ukraine Vladimir Medinsky said Friday.

"We are continuing negotiations in a videoconference format. Our positions on Crimea and Donbass remain unchanged," Medinsky wrote in a Telegram post.

Also on Friday, Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency confirmed that Ukraine and Russia have started the next round of peace talks via video, citing a member of the Ukrainian delegation Mykhailo Podolyak.

On Thursday, another Ukrainian negotiator, David Arakhamia, said that at the fresh talks, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will intensify efforts to work out an agreement needed for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia and Ukraine held their latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Turkey's Istanbul on Tuesday, which lasted for about three hours.

A fire broke out at an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod after two Ukrainian military helicopters attacked the fuel storage facility, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod Region, said Friday.

Hours later, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Olexandr Motuzyanyk said he does not confirm or deny the information about Ukraine's involvement in the fire at the oil depot in Russia's Belgorod, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"I will neither confirm nor deny this information," Motuzyanyk told reporters at a media briefing in Kiev.

Ukraine has been carrying out a defensive operation to repel "Russian armed aggression" on the territory of Ukraine, he said.

"This does not mean that Ukraine should be responsible for all miscalculations, all catastrophes, and all the events taking place in Russia," Motuzyanyk added.

Ukraine and Russia will resume their peace talks on Friday in an online format, the Ukrinform news agency reported Thursday, citing a member of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia.

During the talks, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will intensify efforts to work out an agreement needed for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Arakhamia said on Telegram.

"We hope that the presidents of the countries will meet next," Arakhamia said, noting that the Ukrainian side insists that the meeting take place anywhere but Russia or Belarus.

According to the TASS news agency, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that "as for the resumption (of the peace talks) tomorrow ... if it happens, we will inform you."

There is no clear timeframe of a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky, Peskov said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday it had been informed by Ukraine that Russian forces that had been in control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were leaving the facility and had "in writing, transferred control" of the plant to Ukrainian personnel.

Ukraine said two convoys of Russian forces had left the Chernobyl plant and moved toward Belarus and a third convoy had left the city of Slavutych, where many of the facility's staff live, and moved toward Belarus, the IAEA said in a statement.

The remaining Russian forces at the Chernobyl site were also presumed to be preparing to leave, according to the statement.

The IAEA said it was in close consultations with Ukrainian authorities on sending a first assistance and support mission to Chernobyl in the next few days.

The UN nuclear watchdog said it had not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl, but was seeking further information to provide an independent assessment of the situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Thursday he had discussed steps toward peace in Ukraine with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the conversation, Zelensky noted the high level of organization of negotiations of Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul.

Besides, the Ukrainian leader said he appreciates the readiness of Turkey to become a guarantor of Ukraine's security.

Ukraine and Russia concluded their fresh round of face-to-face peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday.

At the negotiations, Kiev proposed to sign a new international treaty on security guarantees, which enshrines obligations for the guarantor countries to provide Ukraine with military assistance in the event of an attack.

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has transferred Energoatom, the operator of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, from Moscow to the Paris directorate, Energoatom said Thursday.

"The WANO Governing Board at its meeting supported the application of Energoatom and decided to transfer the company, along with all its plants and nuclear power units, to the Paris association center," Energoatom said on Facebook.

Ukrainian nuclear power plants had been part of the WANO Moscow center since the establishment of this organization in 1989, Energoatom said.

A total of 15 nuclear units at four operating Ukrainian nuclear power plants generate about 55 percent of Ukraine's electricity needs.

Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Thursday as Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to invoke safe haven demand.

The most active gold contract for June delivery rose 15 U.S. dollars, or 0.77 percent, to close at 1,954 dollars per ounce.

Gold rose 2.8 percent for March, and 6.9 percent for the first quarter of this year.

Russia issued a decree on Thursday, demanding payment for natural gas in rubles. This suggests that a breakthrough in peace talks is still far away.

U.S. Department of Commerce reported on Thursday that U.S. consumer spending increased by 0.2 percent in February, indicating high inflation and supporting gold.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the latest development in the Ukraine crisis over the phone on Thursday, the Turkish presidential office said.

Erdogan stated that the recent peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul gave a meaningful impetus to the process to end the crisis and establish peace, the presidential office said in a statement.

Erdogan reiterated his proposal to bring together the presidents of Ukraine and Russia for a summit in Turkey. Zelensky thanked Erdogan for hosting the talks in Istanbul, according to the statement.

Russia and Ukraine concluded a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, creating a possibility of formulating a security treaty.

Following the meeting, Ukrainian negotiators named several countries which could act as guarantors, protecting Ukraine on the international arena, and Russian delegates pledged to scale down Russia's military operations in Ukraine to create the necessary ground for dialogue.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that "the top leadership" of the European Union (EU) has been barred from entering Russia in response to Brussels' massive sanctions.

The restrictions apply to a number of European commissioners, heads of EU military structures, and the vast majority of lawmakers of the European parliament promoting anti-Russian policies, the ministry said in a statement.

The "blacklist" also includes representatives of the governments and parliaments of some EU member states, public figures and media workers.

The ministry said it had informed the EU delegation in Moscow of the entry ban, but it did not publish names of the targeted.

"We reaffirm that any hostile actions on the part of the EU and its member states will continue to inevitably receive a harsh response," the statement said.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine should be established "as soon as possible," according to a statement from Draghi's office.

The conversation "centered on the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and the latest developments," said the statement.

Draghi "stressed the importance of establishing a ceasefire as soon and possible," and that Italy remained willing to "contribute to the peace process" if there were "clear signs" Russia would de-escalate the conflict, it said, adding the leaders agreed to remain in close contact.

Italy's statement said that Putin explained his country's plan to require Italy and other countries critical of Russia in the crisis to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rubles, the Russian currency. Traditionally, such payments are made in U.S. dollars or euros.

The statement did not say if Draghi agreed to the Russian plan, though on March 24 Draghi said that requiring payment for Russian gas in rubles was a violation of the gas supply contracts currently in force.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday received a phone call from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, the second in one week, during which they discussed "the developments of the Ukrainian crisis," said the Egyptian presidency.

Zelensky briefed Sisi on the latest developments of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations in a bid to end the current conflict, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

During the conversation, the Egyptian president "emphasized the importance of addressing all means leading to calm and a peaceful solution to the conflict."

Sisi also stressed Egypt's keenness to make all efforts, whether at the bilateral, regional or international levels, to achieve a peaceful settlement to the crisis, according to the Egyptian presidency.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict started on Feb. 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a "special military operation" against Ukraine.

Russia is redeploying its troops from Kiev and Chernihiv directions, in the central and northern Ukraine respectively, to Ukraine's eastern regions, Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said Wednesday.

Some personnel, who were in Chernihiv and Kiev directions, are being redeployed. Some of them appear in the Kharkiv and Donetsk directions," Danilov was quoted as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.

Russia's new offensive on Ukrainian forces is also possible in the eastern Lugansk area, Danilov said.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Defense Ministry's spokesman Olexandr Motuzyanyk said that Russia has been withdrawing some troops from Kiev and Chernihiv directions.

On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Russia decided to significantly reduce military activity near Kiev and Chernihiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed gas payment issues and Russia-Ukraine talks during a telephone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday.

Putin informed Scholz about the substance of the decision to switch to Russian rubles in gas transactions, for Germany in particular, and reiterated that the move was taken in response to a violation of international law, namely after EU member states froze the foreign exchange reserves of the Bank of Russia.

"It was noted that the decision taken should not lead to a deterioration of contractual obligations for the European companies importing Russian gas," the Kremlin said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the latest round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul, and addressed issues related to the safe evacuation of civilians from combat zones, primarily from Mariupol.

U.S. President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Wednesday that the United States will provide Ukraine with 500 million U.S. dollars in "direct budgetary aid," the White House said in a readout of the pair's telephone conversation.

The White House said Biden told Zelensky the United States "intends to provide the Ukrainian government with 500 million dollars in direct budgetary aid" on the call, which lasted about an hour to end at 12:03 p.m. ET, according to a pool reporter covering the White House.

"The leaders discussed how the United States is working around the clock to fulfill the main security assistance requests by Ukraine, the critical effects those weapons have had on the conflict, and continued efforts by the United States with allies and partners to identify additional capabilities to help the Ukrainian military defend its country," the readout said.

Zelensky said on Twitter following the call that he and Biden "shared assessment of the situation on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. Talked about specific defensive support, a new package of enhanced sanctions, macro-financial and humanitarian aid."

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's spokesman Olexandr Motuzyanyk on Wednesday confirmed that Russia has been withdrawing some troops from Kiev and Chernihiv directions, in central and northern Ukraine respectively, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine notes a certain partial relocation of individual units from the Kiev direction, as well as from the Chernihiv direction," Motuzyanyk told a media briefing.

However, there was no mass withdrawal of Russian troops from those areas, he added.

Motuzyanyk suggested that Russian forces may renew their offensive against Kiev and Chernihiv after replenishing the units that suffered the biggest losses in the battles.

On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Russia has decided to significantly reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he has discussed support for Ukraine with U.S. President Joe Biden.

"Talked about specific defensive support, a new package of enhanced sanctions, macro-financial and humanitarian aid," Zelensky tweeted after the talks.

The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis were other topics of the hour-long conversation, Zelensky said.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House said Biden and Zelensky discussed delivering "military, economic, and humanitarian assistance" to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

In addition, Biden informed Zelensky that the United States intended to provide the Ukrainian government with 500 million U.S. dollars in direct budgetary aid, and reviewed the additional sanctions and humanitarian assistance announced last week, the statement said.

Ukraine established three humanitarian corridors on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

Two corridors were set up to allow Ukrainian civilians to flee the cities of Melitopol and Energodar in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, which were captured by Russia's forces, Vereshchuk said.

Another humanitarian route was established in the eastern Donetsk region to evacuate people from the city of Mariupol, where active hostilities are underway, she added.

Last Thursday Ukraine established seven humanitarian corridors, following nine corridors the previous day, according to Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency.

Russophobia Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

 

The U.S. dollar dropped in late trading on Tuesday as the euro advanced amid positive signs from Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, decreased 0.69 percent at 98.4060.

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1095 U.S. dollars from 1.0993 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound decreased to 1.3094 dollars from 1.3098 U.S. dollars in the previous session. The Australian dollar increased to 0.7512 U.S. dollar from 0.7501 dollar.

The U.S. dollar bought 122.92 Japanese yen, lower than 123.60 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar fell to 0.9311 Swiss franc from 0.9351 Swiss franc, and it fell to 1.2494 Canadian dollars from 1.2527 Canadian dollars.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday. Russian chief negotiator said the talks were "constructive."

A Chinese envoy on Tuesday warned that indiscriminate sanctions over the Ukraine conflict will bring about new humanitarian problems.

"The ever-escalating sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions have hit global energy, food, economics and trade, and financial markets, and will continue to do so, affecting the lives and livelihoods of the general public, and giving rise to new humanitarian problems," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Developing countries, which make up the majority of the world, are not parties to this conflict, and should not be drawn into the confrontation and forced to suffer the consequences of geopolitical clashes and sparring among major powers, he said.

Right now, global food security is being seriously challenged, which warrants due attention. Sanctions and economic blockades will only artificially exacerbate food shortages and price distortions, further disrupt food production and food supply chain across the world, push up food prices, and put burdens on developing countries, he said.

"We call for enhanced international coordination to stabilize food supply and food prices, refrain from unjustified export restrictions, keep the market working in a stable manner, and ensure global food security."

At least 12 people were killed and 33 others injured in an airstrike carried out by Russia's forces on a regional administration building in Ukraine's southeastern city of Mykolayiv, the press service of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The airstrike, which occurred at about 8:45 a.m. local time (0545 GMT), destroyed the central section of the nine-story building, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, 18 people were rescued from the debris following the attack.

The search and rescue operation is under way, the ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he saw positive signals from the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

"The signals we hear from the negotiating platform can be called positive," Zelensky said in a video address published on his official Telegram channel.

At the same time, Zelensky said Ukraine is "aware of all the risks" and will trust only "concrete results."

Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their latest round of peace talks in Turkey's city of Istanbul, the fifth since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Following the negotiations on Tuesday, David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said Kiev has proposed signing a new international treaty on security guarantees in an attempt to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Oil prices declined on Tuesday as Russia-Ukraine peace talks showed progress.

The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery lost 1.72 U.S. dollars, or 1.6 percent, to settle at 104.24 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery decreased 2.25 dollars, or 2 percent, to close at 110.23 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

The above market reactions followed reports of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The two sides held a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday. Russian chief negotiator said the talks were "constructive."

Meanwhile, traders continued to assess the impact of COVID-19 on fuel demand.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine's indirect losses from the conflict with Russia are estimated at more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Tuesday.

"The losses, calculated indirectly, taking into account the losses in the coming years, amount to more than a trillion dollars," Shmyhal said.

The cost of direct damage to Ukraine's public buildings, bridges, roads, civilian and military infrastructure caused by the attacks is estimated at about 270 billion dollars, Shmyhal said.

He projected that Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink by 35 percent this year due to the conflict.

Ukraine's GDP was up 3.4 percent in 2021 after a 3.8-percent decline in 2020.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation on Tuesday to continue discussions of the situation in Ukraine, shortly after a new round of Moscow-Kiev peace talks ended in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin and Macron paid particular attention to humanitarian issues in Ukraine.

Putin informed Macron of measures being taken by the Russian military to provide emergency humanitarian assistance and ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, including from the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Putin stressed that in order to resolve the difficult humanitarian situation in Mariupol, "Ukrainian nationalist militants must stop resistance and lay down their arms," the statement said.

The presidents also touched upon Russia's decision to shift to payments in rubles for its natural gas supplied to "unfriendly" countries and regions, particularly to the European Union, according to the statement.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that his government is in talks with international partners over the supplies of fuel to Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"We are negotiating with global companies and foreign countries over the supplies," Shmyhal said.

Ukraine has undertaken a series of measures to ensure stable supplies of fuel to the army and to the farmers who conduct the sowing campaign, he added.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian media that Russian forces carried out attacks on fuel depots in Ukraine amid the sowing campaign.

Later, Zelensky said that Ukraine would get fuel from Azerbaijan for its agricultural needs.

Russia said Tuesday that it is expelling a combined number of 10 diplomats of the three Baltic states in tit-for-tat retaliation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and strongly protested "the provocative, unjustified" expulsion of Russian diplomats, the ministry said in a statement.

Four diplomats of Lithuania, three of Latvia and three of Estonia were ordered to leave Russia based on the principle of reciprocity, it said.

On March 18, the Baltic nations in a coordinated way expelled a total of 10 Russian diplomats "in connection with activities that are contrary to their diplomatic status and taking into account ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine."

The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to significantly reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced Tuesday.

The decision was made to increase mutual trust between Russia and Ukraine and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, Fomin said following the new round of Moscow-Kiev peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to him, during Tuesday's negotiations, progress was made on the preparation for a treaty on the neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine as well as security guarantees to Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine have concluded their first day of fresh round of face-to-face peace talks here on Tuesday, which lasted for approximately three hours, according to media reports.

Ukraine's neutrality, its disarmament and security guarantees, de-Nazification and the removal of obstacles to Russian language usage in Ukraine, are among the topics on the table, local media reported ahead of the meeting.

The talks between Ukraine and Russia in the Turkish city of Istanbul are "difficult," Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said Tuesday.

File photo: Xinhua

 
Russia and Ukraine kicked off a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks here on Tuesday, aiming to achieve substantial progress for a ceasefire, according to media reports.

Since Feb. 28, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face peace talks and a series of online discussions, failing to reach a major agreement.

Oil prices sank on Monday as traders weighed demand outlook while awaiting a fresh round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery lost 7.94 U.S. dollars, or 7 percent, to settle at 105.96 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery decreased 8.17 dollars, or 6.8 percent, to close at 112.48 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

The pullback came as investors continued to assess the impact of COVID-19 on fuel demand.

Elsewhere, "hopes that the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could lead to rapprochement" also contributed to the price slide, Carsten Fritsch, energy analyst at Commerzbank Research, said Monday in a note.

Ukraine and Russia will start the next round of peace talks on Tuesday in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported on Monday.

Russia's airstrike hit an oil depot in Ukraine's northwestern Rivne region on Monday, the head of the regional military administration Vitaliy Koval said.

Experts of the State Service for Emergencies and chemical laboratories are working on the site of the explosions, Koval wrote on Telegram.

There were no reports on casualties in the attack.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian media that Russian forces attacked fuel depots in Ukraine at the time when Ukraine is carrying out the spring sowing campaign.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he will meet with the negotiation teams of Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday before their next round of talks in Turkey's Istanbul city.

"We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow morning," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting.

Turkey is "almost the only country that makes sincere efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia through dialogue," he said.

Erdogan emphasized that his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are "progressing positively."

He also suggested that some circles were trying to make Turkey a side of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday proposed 6.9 billion U.S. dollars in its fiscal year 2023 budget proposal, which is aimed at addressing what it views as threats stemming from the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"This funding will enhance the capabilities and readiness of U.S. Forces, (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies, and regional partners in the face of Russian aggression," read a budget document, referring to what Russia said was a special military operation in Ukraine that started more than a month ago.

Also included in the 5.8-trillion-dollar fiscal year 2023 budget, in which the administration asked Congress to appropriate a total of 773 billion dollars for the Defense Department, is a sum of 682 million dollars for Ukraine "to counter Russian malign influence and to meet emerging needs related to security, energy, cybersecurity issues, disinformation, macroeconomic stabilization, and civil society resilience," according to the document.

Ukraine and Russia will start the next round of peace talks on Tuesday in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported on Monday.

Before the talks, which will start at 10.30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) and be held behind closed doors, the members of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the report said.

Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, voicing appreciation to Turkey for hosting the meeting.

"I hope that under Turkish mediation leadership, these negotiations will bring results serving the interests of peace in Ukraine and our security," Kuleba tweeted.

The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Monday, news reports said.

Ukraine will get fuel from Azerbaijan for the sowing campaign, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Monday after phone talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.

Following the conversation, Zelensky thanked Aliyev for Azerbaijan's readiness to supply fuel for Ukraine's agricultural needs.

On Sunday, Zelensky told Russian media that Russian forces carried out attacks on fuel depots in Ukraine amid the sowing campaign.

Ukraine for years has been a key global producer of wheat, corn and sunflower oil. In 2021, the country's harvest of cereals and legumes hit a record high of 84 million tons, up 28.5 percent year on year.

Last year, Ukraine exported some 51.2 million tons of grain worth 12.5 billion U.S. dollars, according to media reports.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday launched an initiative for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine.

"Today I am announcing that in the exercise of my good offices, I have asked Martin Griffiths, the coordinator of our humanitarian work worldwide, immediately to explore with the parties involved the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine," he told reporters.

The one-month-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia has led to the senseless loss of thousands of lives, the displacement of 10 million people, the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure, and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide. This must stop, said Guterres.

He stressed that there must be a political solution.

"The solution to this humanitarian tragedy is not humanitarian. It is political. I am, therefore, appealing for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to allow for progress in serious political negotiations, aimed at reaching a peace agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Charter," he said.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations will hold a new round of face-to-face negotiations on March 29-30, head of Russia's negotiation team Vladimir Medinsky said on Sunday.

"Today, another round of negotiations with Ukraine via video link took place. As a result, it was decided to meet in person on March 29-30," Medinsky, also an aide to the Russian president, said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation said Sunday that the next live round will be held in Turkey on March 28-30.

Since Feb. 28, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face peace talks and then a series of online discussions, failing to reach a major agreement.

The new round of talks will take place after the Russian military announced on Friday that the main tasks of the first stage of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine had been completed in general.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Saturday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution. Following are the latest developments of the situation:

The main tasks of the first stage of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine have been completed in general, the Russian military said Friday.

"The combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced," said Sergei Rudskoy, first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

"Our forces and means will concentrate on the main thing -- the complete liberation of Donbass," he said.

- - - -

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (back) attending Russia-Turkiye-Ukraine tripartite Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on March 10. Photo: AFP

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his country's negotiation process with Russia is very difficult, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported Friday.

"The negotiation process is very difficult. The Ukrainian delegation has taken a strong position and does not relinquish its demands," Kuleba was quoted as saying.

He stressed that the Ukrainian side insists on a ceasefire, security guarantees, and territorial integrity of Ukraine at the talks.

While commenting on the statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ukraine and Russia reached a consensus on the four points, Kuleba said the classification of key topics of negotiations into four or other points is incorrect.

Many different issues are discussed at the same time in the subgroups of delegations, Kuleba said.

Vladimir Medinsky, (second left) head of the Russian delegation, and Davyd Arakhamia, (third right) faction leader of the Servant of the People party in the Ukrainian Parliament, attend peace talks in Gomel region, Belarus, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Photo: AFP

An agreement between Moscow and Kiev can only be reached if all of Russia's major concerns are addressed, head of Russia's negotiation team Vladimir Medinsky said Friday.

"We insist on a comprehensive treaty. In addition to the neutral status of Ukraine and guarantees of its security, the pact should include a number of positions vital for our country," he told reporters.

Otherwise, the conclusion of an agreement is unlikely, said Medinsky, Russian presidential aide and head of the Russian delegation.

According to the official, the Ukrainian side is primarily concerned about obtaining security guarantees from third parties in the event that Ukraine does not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is "a completely understandable position."

Medinsky noted that there has been a convergence of views on minor issues during the ongoing negotiation process, but not much progress has been made on major political matters.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

The two leaders discussed the situation on the ground and the stage of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency.

Erdogan told Zelensky that he once again had emphasized Turkey's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity at the NATO leaders' summit, which was held in Brussels Thursday, said the statement.

The Turkish president said he had told the leaders of NATO members about Turkey's "active and principled policy, and the effective diplomatic efforts comprehensively."

"Turkey has put into practice all the help it can in this process," Erdogan told Zelensky.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his country's negotiation process with Russia is very difficult, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported Friday.

"The negotiation process is very difficult. The Ukrainian delegation has taken a strong position and does not relinquish its demands," Kuleba was quoted as saying.

He stressed that the Ukrainian side insists on a ceasefire, security guarantees, and territorial integrity of Ukraine at the talks.

While commenting on the statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ukraine and Russia reached a consensus on the four points, Kuleba said the classification of key topics of negotiations into four or other points is incorrect.

Many different issues are discussed at the same time in the subgroups of delegations, Kuleba said.

An agreement between Moscow and Kiev can only be reached if all of Russia's major concerns are addressed, head of Russia's negotiation team Vladimir Medinsky said Friday.

"We insist on a comprehensive treaty. In addition to the neutral status of Ukraine and guarantees of its security, the pact should include a number of positions vital for our country," he told reporters.

Otherwise, the conclusion of an agreement is unlikely, said Medinsky, Russian presidential aide and head of the Russian delegation.

According to the official, the Ukrainian side is primarily concerned about obtaining security guarantees from third parties in the event that Ukraine does not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is "a completely understandable position."

Medinsky noted that there has been a convergence of views on minor issues during the ongoing negotiation process, but not much progress has been made on major political matters.

The main tasks of the first stage of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine have been completed in general, the Russian military said Friday.

"The combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced," said Sergei Rudskoy, first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

"Our forces and means will concentrate on the main thing -- the complete liberation of Donbass," he said.

The Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Chernihiv, Sumy and Nikolaev are blocked by Russian troops, while Kherson and most of the Zaporozhye region are under Russia's full control, Rudskoy said.

Since the start of the military operation a month ago, more than 14,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed and about 16,000 others wounded, said Rudskoy.

Russia's special military operation in Ukraine will continue until all tasks set by President Vladimir Putin are fulfilled, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Friday.

"These targets are related to the future of Ukraine: the status of Ukraine as a neutral state, a state that does not pursue an anti-Russian policy, a state that is not militarized, and a state as our normal neighbor," Medvedev said.

Russia launched the special military operation a month ago primarily because these goals were not achieved through diplomacy, he said in an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency and RT broadcaster.

The main tasks of the first stage of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine have been completed in general, and the combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced, the Russian military announced on Friday.

The Russian military will "concentrate on the main thing -- the complete liberation of Donbass," said Sergei Rudskoy, first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

NATO File Photo: VCG

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies gathered on Thursday, for what Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called "an extraordinary NATO summit in an extraordinary security situation" amid the Ukraine crisis.

The meeting, held on the day that marked one month since the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, might temporarily boost unity across the Atlantic, but could not easily balance the demands of relevant parties or put out the fires in Ukraine.

Behind closed doors, NATO heads of state and government agreed to form four new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, to supplement the four established ones in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. They also agreed to strengthen "longer term deterrence and defense posture" supported by "enhanced exercises."

Stoltenberg also said that NATO will strengthen the cyber defenses and offer Ukraine cybersecurity assistance.

In the statement after the gathering, there was no agreement to impose additional sanctions against Russia, especially the country's oil and gas products. This demonstrates the obvious divergence among NATO members, who have different security and economic concerns.

A vehicle runs past a gas station in Berlin, capital of Germany, March 11, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

Germany plans to halve Russian oil imports by the middle of the year and become almost independent by the end of 2022, the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection (BMWK) said on Friday.

The country's dependence on Russian oil would be reduced in the coming weeks to around 25 percent through contract conversions, according to the ministry.

"The first important milestones have been reached to free us from the grip of Russian imports," said Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, adding that contract conversions were being done at an "insane pace."

With regard to coal, Germany could become independent of Russia by the fall, according to BMWK. From April, the country's dependence on Russian coal could be reduced from 50 percent to 25 percent in the short term.

Although diversification of gas imports was progressing, the process was "challenging," said Habeck.

Unmasking the superpower: Where the Ukraine crisis started Cartoon: Xu Zihe/GT

Editor's Note:

Since the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine began, the international community has become increasingly aware of the roles the US and NATO have played behind the crisis.

From leading NATO's eastward expansion to hem in Russia's territorial space, to launching color revolutions; from imposing sanctions on "disobedient countries," to coercing other nations to pick sides… the US has acted like a "Cold War schemer," or an "vampire" who creates "enemies" and make fortunes from pyres of war. 

The Global Times is publishing a series of stories and cartoons to unveil how the US, in its superpower status, has been creating trouble in the world one crisis after another.  

This is the first installment.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi received on Thursday a phone call from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during which they discussed the latest developments of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, said the Egyptian presidency.

Zelensky briefed Sisi on "the developments in the course of negotiations" relating to the conflict, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

During the conversation, the Egyptian president stressed the necessity of giving priority to dialogue and diplomatic solutions, "affirming Egypt's support for all endeavors that would speed up the political settlement of the crisis" through discussions and negotiations.

Sisi said that Egypt is following "with great concern" the successive developments of the crisis and the consequent deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

For his part, Zelensky expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt to continue hosting Ukrainian tourists in Egyptian resorts, providing them with all means of assistance and facilitating the procedures for their return to Ukraine's neighboring countries.

UN member states on Thursday adopted a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

The resolution, drafted by Ukraine and allies, received 140 votes in favor and 5 votes against, while 38 countries abstained.

The text strongly encourages the continued negotiations between all parties, and again urges the immediate peaceful resolution of the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine "through political dialogue, negotiations, mediation and other peaceful means in accordance with international law."

Screengrab of Russian Defence Ministry briefing showing US-sponsored biolabs on Ukraininan territory. Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

The Russian Defense Ministry released on March 24 the latest results on the analysis of information about the 30 Pentagon-funded Ukrainian biolabs engaged in dangerous and illegal research on deadly pathogens. 

US officials and Western media at first denied that such labs existed, but a senior administration official has subsequently confirmed their presence, according to Sputnik.

An investment firm connected to US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has been involved in the financing of the Pentagon's military biological program in Ukraine, Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, mentioned during a briefing on Thursday. 

"Incoming material allowed us to trace the interaction scheme between US government agencies and the Ukrainian biolab," Kirillov said, adding that the involvement in financing these activities by structures close to current US leadership, in particular Hunter Biden's Rosemont Seneca investment fund, draws attention to itself. 

According to information from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the fund has at least $2.4 billion in investment capital.

Russia's armed forces have taken control of the city of Izyum in Ukraine's Kharkov region, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Thursday.

Russian forces also hit 60 Ukrainian military facilities over the past day, including two command posts, two multiple launch rocket systems, four ammunition depots, and 47 sites with equipment and military hardware, Konashenkov told a regular briefing.

Meanwhile, according to a spokesman for the Regional Military Administration of Ukraine's southern Black Sea port city of Odesa, the city came under shelling from Russian warships on Thursday.

The strikes were aimed at putting "psychological pressure" on Odesa residents, Bratchuk said on Facebook, without providing information on whether there were any casualties in the incident.

Earlier in the day, the press service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces said on Facebook that the Ukrainian military destroyed the Orsk large landing ship of the Russian forces near Ukraine's southeastern city of Berdyansk.

Ukraine set up seven humanitarian corridors on Thursday to evacuate civilians, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

At a media briefing, Vereshchuk said 45 buses are set to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol in Donetsk, adding that the evacuation will continue in towns and villages in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the central Kiev region.

On Wednesday, Ukraine established nine humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the above-mentioned two regions.

Zhang Jun, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Photo: CFP

The United Nations Security Council voted Wednesday on a Russian draft resolution on humanitarian issues in Ukraine. The vote was two in favor from Russia and China and 13 abstentions, which made the resolution fail to pass.

The Russia-drafted resolution calling for aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine has been defeated, and Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused those who abstained on Wednesday of doing so "for political reasons," Reuters reported.

Explaining China's vote, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said the Chinese side had a "strong expectation" that there should be an immediate ceasefire, but that while pushing for a halt to the fighting, the council should "also respond to the humanitarian crisis in a positive, pragmatic and constructive manner."

"China has been calling for maximum avoidance of civilian casualties and making every effort to ensure basic humanitarian needs," said Ambassador Zhang, noting that the fundamental reason for China to vote in favor of the resolution is to urge the international community to pay attention to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. 

Relevant parties should strengthen coordination on humanitarian issues, earnestly protect the safety of civilians, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children, and facilitate evacuation and humanitarian relief operations, Zhang noted.

China's permanent representative to the UN Zhang Jun on Wednesday expressed his hope that the UN Security Council would play a meaningful role in handling the humanitarian situation in Ukraine after the council failed to adopt a resolution submitted by Russia.

The 15-member UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to adopt a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Two members -- Russia and China -- voted in favor of the text submitted by Russia while 13 others abstained.

"We advocate that the Security Council should fulfill its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and play its due role in the humanitarian issue of Ukraine," Zhang said in his explanatory remarks after the vote.

China's vote "was based on our call for the international community to attach high importance to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and for the parties concerned to strengthen coordination on humanitarian issues, so as to effectively protect the safety of civilians, especially women, children and other vulnerable groups, and to facilitate the personnel evacuation and humanitarian relief operations," Zhang said.

Over the past few weeks, the council has had repeated consultations on the draft resolutions proposed by France, Mexico as well as Russia, and China has actively participated in the consultations, and has always called on all parties to focus on the humanitarian issue, transcend political differences and do their best to seek consensus, he said.

The 15-member UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to adopt a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Two members (Russia and China) voted in favor of the text and 13 others abstained. The text submitted by Russia was rejected.

A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, Britain, France or the United States to be adopted.

Russia's draft resolution expresses grave concern about reports of civilian casualties and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine, including the growing number of internally displaced persons and refugees. The draft text also calls for the protection of civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, respect for international law and the protection of civilian objects and critical infrastructure, safe and unhindered evacuation of all civilians, and unhindered humanitarian access in Ukraine.

The council has held three briefings on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine since the conflict erupted, respectively on Feb. 28, March 7 and March 17.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

Bennett voiced his assessments of the situation regarding Ukraine and the ongoing negotiation process between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, the Kremlin said in a brief statement.

Putin shared his views on the Moscow-Kiev peace talks and the development of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, it added.

Earlier in the day, Putin had a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the same issue.

Milking the crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

By March 24, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted one month. All peace-loving people in the world hope that this bloody conflict, which could have been avoided, could end soon. However, the US and NATO, which hold the key to resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have made no practical moves to end the war. Instead, they are still intensifying contradictions and escalating confrontation, creating obstacles for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden left for Europe on Wednesday, where he will attend the NATO summit, the G7 summit and the European Council meeting. According to media reports, Biden will work with European allies to coordinate next-stage military assistance to Ukraine and will announce a new round of sanctions against Russia. On the one-month mark of the conflict, Biden carried out his intensive diplomatic offensive in Europe, yet nothing on his agenda is not about adding fuel to the fire. 

When touching upon Biden's European trip, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that there will be hard days ahead in Ukraine as "this war will not end easily or rapidly." This is not so much a "judgment" by the US, but a carefully guided direction by Washington. Washington wishes the war will not end, so it can maximize the use of the conflict to gain geopolitical value from it. In other words, it is seeking to benefit from Ukraine's misfortune. 

Because of this, the US and Europe may seem to appear close, but their substantive differences are deepening. While Washington is obsessed with delaying Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Europe wants security and stability. There are emerging anti-war voices in Europe, and these voices include disapproval toward Washington's arms delivery to Ukraine. More and more Europeans realize that blindly sending arms to Ukraine is heading toward the opposite direction of the security goals they pursue. In addition, the result of long-term extreme sanctions must be that the US gets rich, Europe pays the bill and Ukraine bleeds. Washington can't hide these petty ideas. 

Also because of this, Biden has to "stabilize" Europe when it has wavering intentions. It is not difficult to imagine that Washington will pull out the "transatlantic friendship," "democratic alliance," and other small cards from its pockets and distribute them to friends as passes to the world VIP club, using the illusory "honor" to extract high "dues." Washington also exerts strong pressure on neutral countries that "don't join the club," criticizing India for being "shaky" on one hand and  sensationalizing China's "threat" to peace on the other. Isn't this a typical mafia approach?

Unmasking the superpower: Where the Ukraine crisis started Cartoon: Xu Zihe/GT

 

The US is a country with a long history of using and developing chemical and biological weapons in other countries, and such moves, that contravene human rights bills and international laws that could be traced back to 1940s after World War II, have been largely ignored by most mainstream Western media outlets, and analysts have predicted that the US' dirty record in this field could spike global concerns over its recent operating of biological laboratories worldwide.

According to information gathered and gleaned from interviews done by the Global Times reporters, the US government has cooperated and colluded with Japanese war criminals to obtain data and technologies for the making of biological and chemical weapons for which Japan conducted inhumane live human experiments on innocent Chinese people during Japan's invasion of China. 

Most of the data and files collected by said Japanese war criminals were acquired by scientists in Fort Detrick, the center of the US' biological weapons program, and after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was established in 1947, the agency participated in the relevant research pertaining to the development of biowarfare weapons.

Ruins of Japan's notorious Unit 731 facilities in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Photo: VCG

Nasty cooperation

Unit 731, infamous for conducting Japanese biological warfare experiments, was located near Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, which was occupied by Japanese invaders. The monstrous unit was created by Japanese war criminal, microbiologist Shiro Ishii in 1936, and eventually was comprised of 150 buildings and had the capacity to hold 600 people at a time to be experimented on, according to the book titled Factories of Death: Japanese Biological Warfare, 1932-1945, and the American Cover-up.

Unit 731's experiments involved deliberately infecting people, primarily Chinese prisoners of war and civilians, with infectious agents, and exposing prisoners to bombs designed to penetrate the skin with infectious particles.

 

 

 

Members of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, will work in a joint commission with the lower house - the State Duma - to investigate US biological laboratories in Ukraine, Grigory Karasin, head of the Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, told Sputnik.

Earlier, a draft resolution was submitted to the State Duma, which presented a list of lawmakers who could be included in the commission to probe the activities of the US labs in Ukraine. It reports support for the initiative to create the commission, as well as an appeal to the Federation Council with a proposal to create the commission. The annex to the resolution names 14 lawmakers, including commission chair Irina Yarovaya.

"We will definitely join this commission. We discussed this issue," Karasin said.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier held a presentation, according to which it was noted that the United States spent over $200 million on biological laboratories in Ukraine, which participated in the American military biological program.

Russia, in light of the US military biological activities in Ukraine, does not exclude the launch of a consultation mechanism under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), according to the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

During Moscow's special operation, launched in Ukraine on 24 February, the Russian armed forces have so far found 30 bio laboratories in the country that were fulfilling orders from the US Department of Defence and involved in the production of biological weapons.

Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has claimed that a bioweapon developed in Ukraine has a negative impact on the reproductive system of women and the immunity of "certain ethnic groups", including the ethnically Russian population of the country.

"This weapon affects both the reproductive function of women of a certain nationality, and the immune system of a particular ethnic group in general. It causes allergies, intolerance to traditional food, and susceptibility to diseases, which, in turn, leads to a weakening of the nation's immunity and its extinction without the impact of wars", he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Rogozin recalled that from March 2017 to April 2018 he was at the helm of a government commission on biological and chemical safety, a panel that he said often dealt with the issue of the US "encircling" Russia with its biological laboratories.

The Roscosmos chief also pointed out that Russian authorities know perfectly well that the goal of the Pentagon's biological experiments, which involve "biomaterials obtained from Slav test subjects of Ukraine and other countries neighbouring Russia is to develop an 'ethnic weapon' against the country's ethnically Russian population".

China-Pakistan

China and Pakistan should strengthen coordination on international and regional issues such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, practice true multilateralism and oppose power politics, bullying and unilateral sanctions, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday at a joint conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad. 

Paying his first visit to Pakistan since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said the two countries are committed to enhancing strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation.

As the world faces a lot of challenges, China and Pakistan need to strengthen their strategic communication and join hands to build a closer China-Pakistan community of a shared future, so as to bring regional peace, stability and prosperity.

"No matter what changes take place in the international situation and their respective countries, China will stick to its friendly policy toward Pakistan, firmly support the Pakistani people in taking a development path that fits their own national conditions, and support Pakistan in defending its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," Wang noted. Meanwhile, he proposed that various political parties in Pakistan should strengthen their cooperation and unity to ensure development and stability in the country, he said.

China and Pakistan should also make efforts in enhancing the integration of development strategies, build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with high quality, and stay committed to advancing key joint projects and expand cooperation in green development, digitalization, poverty reduction, health and other fields, Wang added. 

Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

The US, leading several attendants, is launching a round of international mobilization to condemn Russia. After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of standing "on the wrong side of history" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison immediately followed suit by putting pressure on China. During his visit to India, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida raised his voice on the Ukraine issue, attempting to lobby New Delhi to switch its stance to condemn Russia. Even the Associated Press tweeted, "Amid a worldwide chorus of condemnation against Russia's war on Ukraine, Africa has remained mostly quiet."

It is not up to Washington to decide who stands "on the wrong side of history." The US cannot forcibly pin the label that belongs to itself to someone else. As a netizen commented under the AP's tweet, "Us drinking panadol for your own headache is not something we'll be doing." The US is the one that triggered the conflict and is the biggest hidden hand behind the curtain, who has made the Russia-Ukraine crisis where it is today. To shirk its responsibility and seek its own interests, Washington concocted a new charge for those who haven't condemned Russia to set up a new moral high ground for global sanctions against Russia. 

The US is reestablishing a new Inquisition, infamous in medieval Europe, and all who disagree with the US have been labeled  "heretics." And the US also wants to tie and burn the "heretics" on the pillars of international public opinion. 

Yet, to the disappointment of the US and its attendants, although they have been clamoring that countries should take sides, they cannot cover the fact that they are still the minority in the international community. The US wishes that the whole world will follow it to condemn and sanction Russia, but more than 100 countries are not involved in imposing sanctions against Russia.

The attitude of non-Western major powers, including India, Brazil, and South Africa share a similar attitude with China - hoping to facilitate dialogue for peace and quell the conflict as soon as possible. Why? Because everyone with a sober mind can see that extreme sanctions will not help solve the crisis. On the contrary, they will only add fuel to the fire.

People protest in Pisa, Italy on March 19, 2022 against the Italian government's decision to send weapons under the guise of a humanitarian cargo. Photo: Unione Sindacale di Base

"We don't think sending weapons solves the situation [conflict between Russia and Ukraine] because we risk a third world war," said a representative of an Italian workers union that blocked arms shipments to Ukraine under the guise of humanitarian aid. 

Nearly 2,000 people participated in a protest in Pisa, Italy on Saturday against the government's sending of weapons to Ukraine. Airport workers at Galileo Galilei Airport in Pisa revealed that under the guise of a humanitarian cargo, boxes with weapons and ammunition were sent to Ukraine. They refused to unload them, local media reported. 

"The airport workers said the goods inside the aircraft weren't food or clothes. There were weapons. So they said it isn't their work. And they didn't prepare the cargo," Cinzia Della Porta, a representative of the Tuscan branch of the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), one of Italy's biggest trade unions, who initiated the protest, said. 

The union pointed out that, according to safety standards, such cargo cannot be sent from a civilian airport, which is dangerous for workers. "There is also a military airport nearby, but this simply could not have happened by mistake," Cinzia told the Global Times on Monday. 

Photo:VCG

As China and the EU prepare for a scheduled summit early next month, which is expected to focus on bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, there have been some hostile and irrational voices that appear to be aimed at using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to undermine or even derail the meeting.  

Bloomberg reported on Monday that the EU was coordinating with the US and was set to line up with Biden to "warn China against helping Putin," threatening "serious consequences." 

Even more absurd was a suggestion from Lithuanian Vice Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas last week that the EU should cancel or at least postpone the summit because it was "not the time for normalization" of China-EU ties, according to Reuters.  

Such suggestions from Lithuanian officials, who have become increasingly unhinged in their anti-China stances and have little global influence, do not deserve much attention. As it is reeling from its mistake on the Taiwan question, Lithuania is clearly just trying to seize any opportunity to take the China-EU relationship hostage.

However, there are similar voices growing within the EU in the wake of the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The EU, despite serious damages to its own interests, still chose to follow the US to impose unprecedented sanctions and exert pressure on Russia, while some are also criticizing China's stance on the Ukraine situation.

China to provide additional 10 million yuan worth of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine: FM

The hopeless fault-finder Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

After the video call between Chinese and US top leaders, the US side and Western media are trying to hype a narrative that Washington is warning Beijing that any attempt "to provide military support" to Moscow would bring consequences. However, Chinese experts said such a ridiculous approach is an arrogant and useless coercion that is doomed to fail, and China has strong confidence in its foreign policy on the Ukraine issue and it will not be coerced by anyone.  

China's position on the Ukraine issue is objective and fair, and time will prove that it is on the right side of history, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. 

Wang made the remarks when briefing journalists on the exchange of views between the heads of China and the US on the Ukraine issue during a video call that took place on Friday. 

China will continue to make its judgment independently and in an objective and fair manner based on the merits of the matter, said Wang, noting that China will never accept any external coercion and pressure, and China opposes all groundless accusations and suspicions against China.

The White House released the transcript of background press call by a "senior administration official" on the video call between the Chinese and US top leaders. The official said in the statement that "President Biden made clear the implication and consequences of China providing material support - if China were to provide material support - to Russia as it prosecutes its brutal war in Ukraine, not just for China's relationship with the United States but for the wider world."  

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Recently, over the Ukraine crisis, Washington and the US media have been playing a "double act" again. After repeatedly failing to force China into their game, they have started talking up "exclusive reports," quoting "anonymous US officials" and fabricating many scenarios related to the situation in Ukraine. 

For example, they claimed that Beijing had some level of direct knowledge about Russia's military operations against Ukraine but asked Russia to delay them until after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In addition, they alleged that Russia asked China for military and economic aid and further argued that China has "expressed some openness to providing such aid to Russia."

The above lies are well concocted, but without any evidence. Certainly, the problem of no evidence may be a bit of overthinking, because when does Washington need to provide evidence to smear others? Isn't it always following the logic of "if I say so, it has to be so?" If you must ask for any "evidence," it will again hold up a tiny vial of white powder, or produce a video of the White Helmets being instructed to pose...

The Global Times has recently learned from multiple sources that the "anonymous US officials" quoted in the two New York Times reports that were throwing mud at China on Ukraine came from the National Security Council (NSC) of the White House. In the recent series of disinformation, the White House and the US media repeatedly staged a "double act" with obvious intentions. On the one hand, they must distort China's just position and smear China internationally, creating momentum for its strategic suppression of China. On the other hand, they intend to drive a wedge between China and Russia in an attempt to "kill two birds with one stone" and ease the pressure of the US' "two-front war."

Of course, what's behind it is Washington's hegemony and ambition. Kurt Campbell, the NSC's Indo-Pacific policy coordinator, "took the initiative" to say at the end of February that the US will keep its focus on the "Indo-Pacific region" despite the Ukraine crisis. In order to maintain the US' hegemonic self-interests, fabricating lies has become a "necessary means" for Washington. In the words of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, "The US, as usual, lies to try to achieve its political goals."

Editor's Note: 

Since the escalation of the situation in Ukraine, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly activated the consular protection emergency mechanism to ensure the safety of Chinese compatriots in Ukraine and urgently organized, guided and coordinated the evacuation of Chinese citizens in the country.

On the afternoon of March 9, as the last batch of Chinese students evacuated from Sumy, Ukraine arrived at the railway station in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong officially announced that the task of evacuating Chinese compatriots from Ukraine was completed.

In an exclusive video interview with the Global Times (GT) reporters Zhao Si'an and Xing Xiaojing, Ambassador Fan (Fan) disclosed for the first time that the embassy's evacuation was executed under "the most complicated environment and the most dangerous situation." 

"We are racing against time and to save lives. We are not sleepless just tonight, but sleepless every night," he said.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during a press statement after their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on March 19, 2022. Photo: AFP

If a country wants to gain strong international influence and build a positive global image, it must achieve autonomy in terms of foreign policy. It should proceed from its own national interests and decide its own foreign policy according to the rights and wrongs of the matter, rather than blindly follow and cater to one country against another.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday pushed India for a clear response to the Ukraine crisis and a tougher line on Russia when meeting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to media reports. But their joint statement later the same day did not mention Russia. In terms of the Ukraine crisis, the statement only said lines like Kishida and Modi "reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of violence and noted that there was no other choice but the path of dialogue and diplomacy for resolution of the conflict."

"This stance has not changed from India's previous statement. India stands by its position and policy on the Ukraine crisis. It will not change because of Kishida's push and Japan's further economic cooperation with India," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

Japan's urging to some extent is to help the US to push India. New Delhi's neutral position over the Ukraine crisis has triggered constant concern in Europe and the US recently. Even pressure from Washington toward New Delhi is futile, let alone from Tokyo. Japan's push is of little significance. "This is because India has a clear picture of the current international environment. India knows that pressure from the US and Japan will be limited, as they need to rope in India to contain and suppress China," Lan Jianxue, head of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

A primary trigger for the different attitudes of Japan and India toward the Ukraine crisis is their different foreign policy - Japan is following the US' lead, while India pursues an independent foreign policy. Since World War II, the US-Japan alliance can be seen as a kind of cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy and in many cases, Japan's diplomacy should follow the US. This is the limitation of Tokyo's foreign policy. 

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi applaud during their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on March 19, 2022. Photo: VCG

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida failed to persuade India to take a similar position over the Ukraine crisis as its partners the US, Japan and Australia in the Quad mechanism during his meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, given that the joint statement published following the meeting did not mention Russia, let alone imposing sanctions against Russia.

Although Kishida pushed Modi on Saturday to take a tougher line on Russia over the Ukraine issue during his first visit to India after he took office, the joint statement issued later showed that the Japanese lobbying did not meet the expectations of Washington and Canberra as none of other three Quad members carries the weight to persuade their ally India to sacrifice its own national interests, given that Russia plays an important role in India's strategic policy, experts said.

In the joint statement, the prime ministers expressed their concern about the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications, particularly to the Indo-Pacific region. They reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of violence and noted that there was no other choice but the path of dialogue and diplomacy for resolution of the conflict.

Experts believed the statement not only reflects that India is adhering to an independent diplomatic policy, but also exposes the disagreement between India and the other three Quad members over their positions toward Russia. The disagreement became public and would open more rifts among the partners, which signals the effectiveness of the Quad mechanism is weakened, they believed.

While Quad members the US, Japan and Australia have imposed sanctions on dozens of Russian individuals and organizations since the Ukraine crisis, India has refrained from commenting directly. Also, India has abstained in three UN votes deploring Moscow's actions, calling only for a halt to the violence.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi  Photo: The Paper

When the Ukraine crisis has had a huge impact on the situation in Europe and the impact is spilling over to the whole world, Africa, in particular, should not be forgotten, marginalized or victimized, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi after meeting with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra on Sunday. 

"The more turbulent the international situation is, the more attention should be paid to the voices of African countries, and the more support and assistance should be provided to Africa," Wang said at a news conference after his meeting with Lamamra in Tunxi, East China's Anhui Province. 

Wang promised that China will continue to stand with Africa, firmly support Africa to maintain  its peace and security, achieving economic recovery, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and make its due contribution to Africa's independence and sustainable development. 

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, Wang said he felt a lot of common language after he exchanged views with the foreign ministers of several Asian and African countries recently. 

"We generally agreed that there are more than two options, namely war and sanctions, for dealing with international and regional hotspot issues, but dialogue and negotiation is the fundamental solution, which should be adhered to under the current situation," Wang said. 

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster with the Soyuz MS-21 manned spaceship is being installed on a launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 15, 2022. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft on March 18. Photo: VCG

The "fashion choice" of the three cosmonauts who just arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday has become the latest tool that the US-led West has employed in their "information war against Russia" amid the ongoing Ukraine tensions. 

Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, made the remarks on his social media accounts, posting pictures of media coverage speculating the cosmonauts were supporting Ukraine. "Here some bandit cowards and their Anglo-Saxon sponsors don't know what else to come up with in their information war against Russia," he said, adding that the crew members were not representing Ukraine but wearing colors from their alma mater: Bauman Moscow State Technical University, media reported.

"The design of the uniforms was coordinated long before the current events. Seeing the Ukrainian flag everywhere and in everything is just a clinic [in propaganda]," another Roscosmos official wrote on his Telegram channel "Closed Space."

Some Chinese space analysts reached by the Global Times on Sunday said it was very regretful to see that the conflicts on Earth have been brought to space, threatening not only the safety of the ISS but also mankind's common pursuit of the universe. 

"The US-led Western media has been politicizing space affairs and cooperation with distorted facts, with the clothing issue being the latest example," Wei Dongxu, a space analyst based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

A girl is seen at a temporary settlement site near Mariupol, Ukraine, March 17, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

 

People rest at a temporary settlement site near Mariupol, Ukraine, March 17, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

 

People rest at a temporary settlement site near Mariupol, Ukraine, March 17, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

 

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. The number of refugees leaving Ukraine has surged to nearly 3 million. The US and some European countries have opened their doors to accept these refugees, but in the process, politicians and public opinions in some countries have compared them with refugees from the Middle East, exposing double standards and even racism on the refugee issue.

The refugee policies of European countries are not consistent. Over the past few years, they have treated refugees of different origins and skin colors very differently. When the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015 and the Afghan refugee crisis erupted last year, many European countries locked their doors. 

In the current Ukrainian refugee crisis, they have opened their doors, but in practice, they divide refugees into different classes and even apply racial discrimination. Tens of thousands of African and Middle Eastern expatriates living in Ukraine faced difficulties when leaving the country. What's more, some ultra-nationalists in European countries deliberately searched for people of color among refugees and carried out violence against them. 

First, these phenomena are essentially Western-centrism and racism. The interpretation of refugee policy in the Western country profoundly reflects the arrogance and prejudice of white supremacy. Some influential media persons and politicians see Ukraine as part of the Western world, and define Ukrainian refugees as "white, Christian and middle class" and "our own people." "This isn't a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades," said CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata. 

This shows that not all refugees deserve sympathy in the Western concept. The "equality of all", which is regarded as a standard in the West, is actually "some people are more equal than others." Refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia are not so lucky.

Milking the crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

"Let the gull'd fool the toils of war pursue, where bleed the many to enrich the few," wrote the 18th-century English poet William Shenstone. 

That is what is exactly happening during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Whether it's the people of war-torn Ukraine, sanction-ridden Russia, or insecurity-ingrained Europe, all have suffered greatly. The US, the culprit of the Ukraine crisis, has been constantly taking advantage of others' misfortune to maintain its hegemony.

Every why has a wherefore. Edward Carr, a leading British scholar of international relations, reminded people more than 80 years ago that the US was a master in using kindness to disguise selfishness. Boasting abundant resources, strong industry and geographical advantage, Ukraine could have achieved development. While the country pursued a relatively balanced policy in the early years of its independence, the US supported and incited the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Square Revolution in 2014 to push for a pro-Western agenda, splitting Ukraine politically from within and geopolitically between Russia and Europe. It is really thought-provoking that the "Gateway to Europe" has become one of the poorest countries in Europe, the frontline of NATO's eastward expansion, and the fault line of "color revolutions" and conflicts. 

In 2014 when the crisis broke out in eastern Ukraine, while Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine held several rounds of consultations and signed two Minsk Agreements to cool down the situation, the US took an opposite direction to fan the flame by inciting the anti-Russian and pro-Western forces in Ukraine to escalate the conflicts on the ground. In the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US is reaping the benefits without getting itself involved militarily. It never intended to come to Ukraine's rescue, the idea used as a political tool by the US to trap Russia in a seemingly endless conflict. 

We might need to go a bit further back into history to conclude how the US hegemony had created all the security trouble for Europe, Russia and Ukraine. It is well known that the US became a global superpower after the two world wars which plunged Europe into chaos and destruction and led to its dependence on the US military hegemony and NATO. Looking for a pathway to common security, Europe and the US signed the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union in 1975, which saw the establishment of the Organization for Security and Cooperation as well as the indivisible, cooperative and comprehensive approach to security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo:VCG

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Saturday "the unacceptable nature of the military-biological activities of the United States in Ukraine" in a phone conversation with Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Such activities pose a huge danger to both Russia and the whole of Europe, Putin said.

The two leaders discussed Russia's military operation in Ukraine, and Putin noted the missile attacks by the Ukrainian security forces on cities in Donbass, said the statement.

Bettel said that "we must put an end to" the conflict, and "no one stands to gain from these clashes; not Russia, not Europe and certainly not Ukraine," according to a statement on the official website of the Luxembourg government.

Bettel briefed Putin on contacts with leaders of Ukraine and other countries, and Putin outlined his assessments of the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, the statement added.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China's stance on Ukraine is objective, fair and consistent with the wishes of most countries, and time will prove China's stance is on the right side of history, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a video meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on Friday. 

Wang said that President Xi has clearly and comprehensively classified China's position on the Ukraine issue and the key message is that China has always been the force for world peace. 

China always stands for peace and opposes war, which not only roots from the country's historical and cultural tradition but also its consistent foreign policies, Wang said, adding that China will continue to make independent judgement based on the merits of the case with objective and fair attitude. 

"We will never accept any external coercion or pressure, nor any groundless accusations and suspicion against China," Wang noted. 

A task of priority is that all parties should propel dialogue and negotiations, an immediate ceasefire to avoid civilian deaths and prevent humanitarian crisis. The long-term plan is to abandon the Cold War mentality and confrontation between blocs to create a real balanced, effective, and sustainable regional security frame. Only in that way can we achieve a lasting secure European continent, Wang noted. 

Russia remains open to cooperation with Western countries, but will not initiate an improvement in the relations with them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.

"Let's see how they will get out of the impasse they have driven themselves into. Their values, the principles of the free market, the inviolability of private property, and the presumption of innocence are all trampled on by themselves," he said.

According to Lavrov, the United States is sending diplomats to many countries to ask them to withdraw from cooperation with Russia.

"It looks like our American colleagues have lost the feeling of reality or are swelling with the super-superiority complex," he said.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

After the widely observed virtual summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on March 18, some US officials and mainstream US media outlets still tried to continue to push the harsh narrative against China with the headlines such as "Biden warns China of 'consequences,'" a move that attempts to hype isolation of Russia and to show US "toughness" against China, analysts said, noting that such self-deceiving narrative will not help solve the Ukraine crisis and if the US takes no practical action, the consequences of the crisis will be unbearable, not only for Europe, the US itself will not be spared. 

Soon after the nearly-two-hour video summit, China released an official readout of what the two leaders talked about. While the White House readout came hours later and was very short and mentioned that during the meeting with Chinese President Xi, Biden "described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians."

However, during the background press call after the Xi-Biden meeting, when answering questions from media on what are the consequences and how Biden made it, a US senior administration official was reluctant to offer details and said they would not "publicly lay out the options." 

The official then continued that "the President really wasn't making specific requests of China. He was laying out his assessment of the situation." The official also repeated that "China will make its own decisions." 

China's readout was detailed, reflecting that China has done a deliberate and careful work in managing relations with the US, Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times. It shows that China is highly responsible in handling the ties with the US and willing to see both sides advance their relations on the basis of difference management. 

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The root cause of the current Ukraine crisis lies in the Cold War mentality and power politics, and there are some lessons that should be learned from it, including that one should not seek absolute unilateral security and group confrontation, globalization should not be "weaponized" and small countries should not be used as pawns, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said at a forum on Saturday, less than one day after the video meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on Friday evening.

Le made the remarks at the 4th International Forum on Security and Strategy held by Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy. During the forum, Le said that the US should implement the positive statements made by US President Joe Biden following the latest virtual meeting between the two heads of state. 

Since NATO had promised that it would move "not one inch eastward", it should not renege on its word while keep pushing its boundary eastward by up to thousands of kilometers, Le said, noting that such pursuit of absolute security actually leads to absolute insecurity. Pushing a major country, especially a nuclear power, to the corner would entail repercussions too dreadful to contemplate.  

Other lessons that should be learned from the current Ukraine crisis include that bloc politics and group confrontation should be rejected while small countries should not be used as pawns, said Le. 

A NATO commitment of no eastward expansion could have easily ended the crisis and stopped the suffering. Instead, one side chose to fan the flames from a safe distance, watching its own arms dealers, bankers and oil tycoons make a fortune out of the war while leaving people of a small country with the wounds of war that would take years to heal. This is highly immoral and irresponsible, the Vice Foreign Minister said.

Russia has called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss purported US-backed biological weapons programs in Ukraine.Photo:VCG

 
China reiterated its concern and urged the relevant parties to make clarifications to dispel doubts over US biolabs in Ukraine, according to a conference held at the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Friday.

Nebenzia Vassily, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, told the council his delegation had new evidence that the US and Ukraine agreed to conduct biological weapons research on Ukrainian territory as early as 2005.

He said while the US continues to insist that it was not involved in any biological laboratory activities in Ukraine, "that has not been proven to be the case." He said that Ukrainian authorities had in effect allowed the US to conduct dangerous experiments in exchange for free access to international conferences.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the US to the UN, said this was "Russia's disinformation,'' adding that it ''is a sign of its desperation."

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, said any evidence of biological military activities should be of great concern and importance to the international community, and relevant parties should respond to questions and make timely and comprehensive clarifications to dispel doubts.

Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, March 19, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

The 17th flight that brought back Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, at 6:45 am on March 19.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he is ready for fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda reported Friday.

"I am ready to talk to him, I am ready to have a serious, substantive conversation with him," Kuleba was quoted as saying.

Kuleba emphasized that the possible meeting should focus on finding solutions to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

On March 10, Kuleba and Lavrov met in Turkey on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Ukraine's positions at the peace talks with Russia remain unchanged, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Friday.

"Our positions remain unchanged: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops and strict security guarantees with specific formulas," Podolyak, who is also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia, tweeted.

The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations started on Monday via video link.

On Wednesday, Podolyak said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine during a telephone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

The Russian president explained that the country's armed forces were doing everything possible to save civilian lives and open humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of the population, in response to concerns raised by the French leader.

The leaders also talked about the developments with regard to the ongoing peace negotiations, and discussed Russia's approach toward possible agreements.

The French leader expressed concern over the situation in Mariupol, and called for an immediate ceasefire, local media reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Feb 15, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that Moscow is ready to search for solutions to the Russia-Ukraine conflict during negotiations with the Ukrainian side.

Putin criticized Kiev for "trying to delay the negotiation process in every way possible, putting forward more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said.

Putin said the solutions the Russian side was searching for would be in line with its "principled approaches."

During the conversation, Scholz called for a ceasefire, improvement in the humanitarian situation, and a diplomatic solution to the conflict as soon as possible, according to a statement issued by the German government.

Putin also mentioned Russia's humanitarian work in Mariupol, and efforts carried out by Russian armed forces to save the lives of civilians by opening humanitarian corridors and evacuating people.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The close relationship between China and Russia has been a thorn in the US' side, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine crisis. With the simmering of the situation, it couldn't be any clearer that Washington is eager to exploit the Russia-Ukraine conflict to drive a wedge between Beijing and Moscow. 

For one thing, senior White House officials have on multiple occasions accused China of not exerting enough pressure on Russia to stop the country's military action in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday before US President Joe Biden's virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Washington will "impose costs" for any support Beijing provides to Russia's actions against Ukraine. He urged Beijing to assume "responsibility to use its influence and defend the international rules and principles that it professes to support." For another, an increasing number of Western media reports and analyses have emerged to hype how China's ties with Russia have made China "uncomfortable" and "awkward" and warn that Beijing risks isolation if it doesn't distance itself from Moscow. 

NATO's eastward expansion is the root cause of Russia's anger and military operation in Ukraine. It's the US that should put out the fire it lit in Ukraine. Ridiculously, it is demanding Beijing to do this job at the cost of damaging China-Russia relations. This is unreasonable and insidious. By pushing China to denounce Russia and asking China to bear the responsibility for the fatal strategic mistake the US and NATO made in the construction of so-called European security, Washington has no intention of hiding its desire to sow discord between China and Russia.  

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday that China could use its unique relationship to bring an end to Russia's actions against Ukraine. What nonsense. Russia is an independent major power and China has no ability to exert influence on Russia's decision on the Ukraine issue which it deems as a "life-and-death" matter. 

Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

"As the initiator of the Ukraine crisis, why does the US not reflect on its and NATO's responsibility of causing the current security crisis in Europe? Why does it not rethink its hypocrisy in fanning the flames of the Ukraine crisis? Why doesn't the EU media rethink how the region has become a battlefield?" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian asked in response to some foreign media's questions on China's stand on the Ukraine crisis. 

At a routine press conference on Friday, some foreign media kept mentioning the civilian causalities in Ukraine and asked whether China has noticed the information to pressure it to denounce Russia. 

"For the past few days, I have given an answer to this question many times. China, of course, has grieved about the casualties of civilians and I don't know the meaning of badgering on this question," Zhao said, asking a string of questions in response.

"As the initiator of the Ukraine crisis, why has the US kept smearing China instead of rethinking the security crisis made by the expansion of the US-led NATO? Why did the US not listen to experts' advice of not making Ukraine the bridgehead between Russia and the West? Why has the US not rethought its hypocrisy in fanning the flames of the Ukraine crisis while standing back? Have people in Europe never thought about this? Why has the US ramped up efforts to expand NATO, but not send military support to Ukraine? Do you still remember that the US was the first to evacuate its people and working staff from its embassy and consulates in Ukraine? Have you ever thought that the US will not send one American soldier to Ukraine?" asked Zhao. 

Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 18, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

A temporary flight carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Friday morning.

Prior to this, 15 temporary flights taking Chinese nationals back from Ukraine have returned to China safely.

 

Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 18, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

 

Editor's Note:

Against the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict, RT America, the US branch of the Russian national media outlet, has been permanently shut down, with more than 100 staffers laid off. Lee Camp (Camp), who had hosted a satire comedy show Redacted Tonight for eight years, was one of them. Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Camp about how he views the shutdown of the Russian TV channel, the one-sided negative information about Russia in the US, and his future plans.

GT: You and the other colleagues were laid off after RT America was shut down on March 1. Do you face any safety threats? What are the plans of your colleagues?

Camp: I haven't faced any threats that I know of, but simultaneously, not only did my show get ended because RT America was shut down, but also all of the old Redacted Tonight videos - over 1,000 videos - were all banned on YouTube. And they're not just banned in America. Apparently they're banned in almost all countries. So the old episodes can no longer be seen on YouTube, which is kind of incredible for a comedy show that has spent eight years and 375 episodes, trying to just be anti-war and anti-imperialist and promoting peace, sustainability, environmental health and caring for our fellow human beings. That is what led me to write and create my show. And yet here I am being deleted and banned from so many platforms. 

Also simultaneously, my Podcast, which is called Moment of Clarity, was deleted from Spotify, which is one of the largest Podcast carriers. This is very bad for listenership and for the number of people that may want to access it. Again, this is a wave of censorship that is sweeping across America that is just very dangerous. It won't stop with me and RT America, it will keep going.

Yang Jiechi (1st L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st R) in Rome, Italy, March 14, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

Just hours before the phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on Friday, China, in a rare move, sent tough signals, stating it will never accept US threats and coercion over the Ukraine issue and vowing to make a strong response if the US takes measures harming China's legitimate interests. 

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, an anonymous Chinese official said China accepted the US' proposal for the phone call between the heads of the two countries on China-US relations and the Ukraine situation out of considerations of bilateral relations, promoting peace talks and urging the US to take right stance. 

China will never accept US threats and coercion, and if the US takes measures that harm China's legitimate interests and the interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals, China will not sit idly by and will make a strong response, the official stressed, noting the US should not have any illusions or miscalculations about this. 

China's strong signals were sent as the Biden administration has intensified its disinformation campaign over China's "military support" to Russia and attempted to threaten China with "dire consequences."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Biden will make clear during Friday's call that China will "bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia's aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs," he told a media briefing.

Russia has set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine's Donbas region, Interfax reported, citing an official in the region.

Missiles hit an area near the airport in Lviv in western Ukraine, destroying an aircraft repair plant, the city's mayor, Andriy Sadovy, said on Friday via Telegram.
 
No casualties have been reported from the strike so far.

China-US Photo: GT

 
An anonymous official told the Global Times that at the request of the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden will hold a phone call to exchange views on China-US relations and the Ukraine situation; out of considerations of bilateral relations, promoting peace talks and urging the US to take right stance, China accepted the proposal. 

Not surprisingly, before the phone talk, some US officials have intensively made irresponsible remarks and spread disinformation to smear China and pressure it over the Ukraine issue. Such deeds have become "common practices" of the US before high-level interactions, which are irresponsible and immoral, said the official. 

China will never accept US threats and coercion, and if the US takes measures that harm China's legitimate interests and the interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals, China will not sit idly by and will make a strong response, the official stressed, noting the US should not have any illusions or miscalculations about this. 

Since the Ukraine crisis began, given the right and wrongs of the facts, China has made an independent judgment and constructive efforts. China has insisted on independent diplomatic policies, respected the sovereignty and integrity of every country, abided by the UN Charter and principles, paid attention to the security concerns of all countries, and supported all efforts that facilitate handling the crisis peacefully, said the official. 

The international community can fairly judge who is frank and open and who is up to something, who is easing the situation and who is aggravating tension, who is promoting peace talks and who is pouring fuel on the fire, and who is maintaining peace and stability and who is provoking confrontations between blocs, the official said.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that he held a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss France's support for Ukraine.

"Discussed the support for Ukrainians in the fight against Russian aggression, especially in the defense sphere," Zelensky tweeted.

According to him, during the talks, a special emphasis was put on the continuation of peaceful dialogue aimed at ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

"We must strengthen the anti-war coalition," Zelensky said.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Thursday it would take between a few days and a week and a half for Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace agreement, the Ukrainian online media outlet Liga.net reported.

Kiev wants to fix in detail a specific plan for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine in the peace deal, said Podolyak, who is also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia.

If the agreement is inked, it would allow Ukraine and Russia to end the acute phase of the conflict, he added.

On Wednesday, Podolyak said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral cooperation and the Ukrainian crisis during a phone conversation on Thursday.

The leaders positively assessed the recent talks between their foreign ministers and voiced support for the further development of mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement.

They also exchanged views on Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, and Putin briefed Erdogan about the Moscow-Kiev peace talks.

Erdogan thanked Putin for the evacuation of Turkish citizens from Ukraine and the safe exit of ships with Turkish cargo from Russian ports in the Sea of Azov.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: VCG

Anyone with a sober mind could see clearly which country is behind the Ukraine crisis and which is inciting Kiev to exacerbate the situation. But not Scott Morrison. 

The Australian prime minister reportedly said that his government would move in lockstep with its allies and partners to introduce sanctions against China if China were to provide military equipment to Russia. He even said that any move by China to arm Russia would be "an abomination."

Why didn't Australia suggest its US ally stop its military support to Ukraine, if the intention of Australia is to deescalate tensions? Both China and Russia have denied US allegation that China would provide military aid to Russia. Still, Australia chose to play with this disinformation, which only shows that it is a lackey of the US.

Australia has little stake in the Ukraine issue - it is not a NATO member, has no geopolitical entanglement with Ukraine, and is far away from Ukraine and Russia. The sole stake is to safeguard US interests within the framework of its alliance with the US, Qin Sheng, executive research fellow at Center for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"Even the Australian top leader does not view his country as independent and sovereign, but positions it as a follower of the US. When he said that Australia 'will move in lockstep' with allies on sanctioning China, it actually indicates that Australia has no ability to do it alone," said Qin.

Screengrab of Russian Defence Ministry briefing showing US-sponsored biolabs on Ukraininan territory. Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

Russia is now strengthening its accusations against the US of developing biological weapons in Ukraine with documents and evidence it had detained amid its military operations in its neighboring country, and the US keeps claiming that Russia's accusations are "disinformation" even if statements from different officials of the Biden administration are contradictory, and this has caused rising international concerns over US biolabs worldwide. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an extensive speech on the Ukraine crisis on Wednesday. "There was a network of dozens of laboratories in Ukraine, where military biological programs were conducted under the guidance and with the financial support of the Pentagon, including experiments with coronavirus strains, anthrax, cholera, African swine fever and other deadly diseases," Putin said during his speech.

Putin noted that "frantic attempts" are underway to conceal the "traces of these secret programs," according to RT.

Analysts said Putin's remarks showed that Russia is very serious about the accusations against the US, and apart from providing documents it had obtained in Ukraine, and in order to further verify the accusations, Moscow and Kiev could consider inviting an international investigation team to include neutral countries like China, India, Turkey and representatives from international organizations to enter the relevant facilities to collect more direct and convincing evidence. 

The responses from Washington have made the international community more concerned. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki last week called out Russian claims that the United States has secretly operated chemical and biological weapons laboratories on Ukrainian territory as a "disinformation campaign." 

A view of aHunteras housea?, which is readied to host second round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, in Brest, Belarus on March 03, 2022. Photo: VCG

Signs of a potential breakthrough showed up a bit amid the Ukraine crisis, as Russia claimed that the neutral status of Ukraine had been discussed in the latest round of bilateral talks. However, the two countries disagreed on the exact model of neutrality, with the Ukraine side saying that it had rejected Russia's proposal of Sweden's or Austria's neutrality, as the model must be "Ukrainian-style."

Chinese experts viewed the contrary postures as a tussle between Russia and the US: Washington is attempting to make the negotiations last longer, which will cause more costs and losses for Russia, but also more bloodshed in Ukraine.  

According to the Financial Times, which cited three people close to the fourth round of bilateral negotiations, a 15-point peace plan has been drawn up by the two sides. The plan would involve Ukraine dropping its aspiration to join NATO and declaring neutrality, in return for a ceasefire and Russia's army withdrawing. 

Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Wednesday that Ukraine had proposed the Austrian and Swedish models of a "neutral and demilitarized state, albeit with its own army and navy," Russian media reported. However, the model was rejected by Ukrainian top negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak, as the model must have "legally verified security guarantees." 

Analysts said that although there is room for the two sides to compromise on Ukraine's potential neutrality, huge gaps remain to be solved. As for Ukraine, avoiding the repetition of today's crisis is the lesson it learned, especially considering the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 on Security Assurance (in which the US, the UK and Russia promised to offer security assurance to Ukraine in exchange for Kiev agreeing to give up the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal) has failed to work once again this time.   

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

The ongoing Ukraine crisis and the multifaceted competition between Russia and the US-led West are taking place against the backdrop of globalization that is encountering setbacks.

Russia does not oppose globalization. Moreover, it once tried to lean toward the West economically and politically after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and joined various Western-led international organizations. It was even a member of the G8. 

It seemed that the West provided Russia with cooperation platforms. But why, after joining the G8 and the global economic system, did Russia's economic structure fail to enable it to reduce dependence on primary products like energy, food and minerals? Why didn't Russia achieve desired economic prosperity? This also points to a deeper question: Can Russia achieve prosperity by embracing globalization?

Scientific and technological innovation and industrial revolution are necessary but not sufficient conditions for the rise of countries in recent times. The degree of interest from the world market in a country determines not only the depth of scientific and technological development as well as the industrial revolution in that country, but also the limit of transforming technological progress into national economic strength. Those innovations are meaningless from an economic point of view if they cannot be translated into market demand.  

At the economic level, globalization reflects the will of the dominant countries, but it is directly driven by multinational corporations, which follow the logic of business to maximize the return of capital. It is not interested in giving special favor to the latecomers or promoting the balanced development of the world. Instead, it selectively considers the place, scale and direction of capital investment based on market scale, transportation cost, industrial accumulation, education level as well as other factors as preconditions. Different countries have various attractiveness capacities for capital, which are important prerequisites for scientific and technological innovation and industrial revolution. Therefore, not any country can achieve this process.  

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

When asked whether China's position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is awkward, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China's position is as open, fair and objective as it has always been. 

"Countries that believe they have won the Cold War so they can dominate the world, countries neglect others' concern and pushed for five rounds of NATO expansion and countries that have waged wars around the world but blamed others, should truly feel uncomfortable," Zhao said at a routine Foreign Ministry news conference on Thursday.

Regarding the issue in Ukraine, China has been calling on the international community to focus on "promoting peace and talks" and "preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis," and has made a lot of efforts. China has put forward a six-point initiative to alleviate the current crisis in Ukraine and has taken practical actions. 

Zhao said that he heard even cats, dogs, and trees in Russia are being sanctioned, along with Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

"Tchaikovsky is a famous composer who died more than 100 years ago. What is his crime?" Zhao asked. "Swan Lake is a world masterpiece. What is its crime?"

A laboratory in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkov has studied transmitting diseases to humans through bats under US control, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

"Specialists of the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces have studied original documents revealing the details of the US implementation of a secret project to study the ways of transmitting diseases to humans through bats in a laboratory in Ukraine's Kharkov," the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

"According to the documents, these studies were carried out on a systematic basis and under direct supervision of US specialists for many years," he told a briefing.

The Russian Defense Ministry will publish a new package of documents on the developments of Ukrainian biological laboratories, which were received from lab employees, he added.

Russia has expressed grave concerns over US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine, where various kinds of dangerous viruses were stored and studied.

Russian-European Mars mission suspended over Ukraine war: ESA

Screenshot of French Embassy's post on Sina Weibo that quotes Chinese writer Lu Xun

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western diplomatic agencies have been conducting public diplomacy on the Chinese internet, with many insinuating China's inaction during the conflict, although they know the cause of the crisis was NATO's eastward expansion. 

A post from the French Embassy's official Weibo account on Tuesday quoted Lu Xun, a well-known anti-imperialist Chinese writer, as saying that "lies written in ink can never disguise facts written in blood." 

The comment drew backlash among netizens, given the historical background of Lu Xun's quote - the March 18 massacre, a tragedy in which Chinese civilians were killed and injured opposing the ultimatum from the eight nations to invade China amid an anti-imperialist demonstration. 

As one of the participants in the ultimatum from the eight nations, France also played a disgraceful role in the imperialist exploitation of China.

Many Chinese netizens believed that the post intended to criticize Russia amid the Ukraine crisis. "An imperialist should not use the anti-imperialist writer's quote to criticize others," one Weibo user wrote in response to the French Embassy's post.

The key to solving the Ukraine crisis is in the hands of the United States and NATO, and China hopes that the United States can truly stand on the side of peace and justice with most developing countries in the world, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press conference that China has been promoting peace talks and making efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully, and will continue to play a constructive role on the issue.

He stressed that the initiators of the Ukraine crisis should carefully reflect on their role in it, earnestly assume their due responsibilities, and take practical steps to ease the situation and solve the problem, rather than blame others.

The US government's decision on NATO's eastward expansion is directly linked to the current crisis in Ukraine, Zhao said, adding that the key to resolving the Ukraine crisis lies in the hands of the United States and NATO, and China hopes that the United States can truly stand on the side of peace and justice with most developing countries in the world to ease the situation in Ukraine.

He said China's position on the Ukraine issue is fair and objective, and the countries that should really "feel uncomfortable" are those that think they have won the Cold War and can dominate the world, ignore the concerns of other countries and continue to advance NATO's enlargement through five rounds of eastward expansion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on Germany to take a leadership role in providing more support for his country.

While addressing the German parliament via video, Zelensky called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to provide more support.

Disappointed by its failure to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Zelensky said Ukraine is still seeking access to the European Union.

At a press conference in March, Scholz made clear that Germany and NATO will not play an active role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that his government would use all diplomatic means for "a joint way out of this crisis."

A troop of additional US soldiers deployed to Europe in response to tensions between Russia and Ukraine arrives at Wiesbaden, Germany on February 4, 2022. Photo: IC

Editor's Note:

"We can regard the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a "preview" of the US' possible acts in Asia… NATO's expansion will not stop unless there is another bloc that forms as a check and balance," said Zheng Yongnian (Zheng) in an exclusive interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Li Aixin and Bai Yunyi. The conflict continues, as peace talks are inching ahead amid stumbling blocks. Will it turn into a Pandora's box for the global geopolitical landscape? What lessons can China learn? Zheng shared his views about these issues. Zheng is the presidential chair professor, acting dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, and the Founding Director of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

Zheng Yongnian Photo: Courtesy of Zheng

GT: What do you predict for the future development of the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Will a compromise be reached or will it trigger a larger-scale war? 

Zheng: So far, although NATO has been reluctant to directly confront Russian forces, it is still hard to say that this conflict is just between Russia and Ukraine. Due to complicated factors, neither side has shown any sign of stopping their moves. There are even signs of escalation when all other parties are calling for a truce.

From a realistic perspective, Putin's goal may not be taking the entire Ukraine. Putin should have realized that conquering Ukraine, a country larger than Germany in size, is not an easy task. Besides, Zelensky is not a fantasist. By now he should have understood that Ukraine cannot win the war without the direct involvement of NATO. Europe has been taking the US side to impose economic sanctions on Russia, yet countries such as Germany and France are paying more for something less. 

All the factors mentioned above are the potential impetus for various parties to reach a compromise. The problem is how to bring the impetus into full play. If conventional warfare goes out of control, the use of small nuclear weapons is not completely impossible, and once this scenario occurs, the war will spill over to the whole of Europe.

The hopeless fault-finder Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Russia and Ukraine have had four rounds of talks since conflicts broke out, including one between the foreign ministers. China adheres to the principle of promoting peace and talks, and hopes the international community will create the necessary environment for negotiations. But contradictory smears against China have been fabricated by Western politicians, think tanks and media sources.

The West is trying to pass responsibility to China, accusing it of not stopping Russia before its military operations and not condemning or sanctioning Russia afterward. China appealed for abandoning Cold War mentality before Russia took action. China also called for effective and sustainable security mechanisms in Europe through negotiations, and for respecting and solving Russia's concerns. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has expressed its stances under the framework of the UN Charter. It is nonsense to criticize China for dodging its responsibilities. 

What's absurd is that a minority of countries attempt to define what the so-called responsibilities are. They try to include unilateral sanctions on Russia within the Western umbrella of "political correctness." They try to make military support to Ukraine the only standard to judge whether a country is responsible or not.

The top priority for now is to avoid escalating the situation. A good environment should be created for the sides involved to keep negotiating and find a solution that meets different sides' reasonable demands. 

The West claims that China knew Russia's plans before the actual military moves. This disinformation is a conspiracy theory that aims to scapegoat China while suggesting that it is cooperating with Russia to destroy the post-WWII world order. This is in line with some countries' strategic design to contain both China and Russia. 

Editor's Note: 

"The working class of Europe and North America will pay the price of the NATO crazed suicide-mission against Russia," tweeted George Galloway (Galloway), six-term British parliamentarian. He believes the US "is ready to fight to the last drop of Ukrainian blood, in the end, it's prepared to fight to the last drop of European blood." Why does he say so? What's his take on the ongoing Ukraine crisis? Galloway shared his opinions in a video talk with Global Times (GT) reporter Xu Hailin. 

George Galloway Photo:Sun Wei/GT

GT: You tweeted that "The working class of Europe and North America will pay the price of the NATO crazed suicide-mission against Russia." There are now energy crises in Europe and the US, with energy prices jumping, affecting ordinary people's lives. To what extent will this restrain politicians' behaviors? 

Galloway: In the short term, none at all. They are gung-ho to fight to the last drop of Ukrainian blood. But the pain and suffering that will be inflicted on their own people at home - working-class people, poor people - who are already suffering a massive increase, not just in the price of energy, that's obvious. 

Gas that was 48 pence ($0.63) per therm (2.83 cubic meters) this time last year is now almost 800 pence ($10.5) per therm. Begin to calculate what that will mean in domestic and manufacturing, industrial, transport, aviation, all the industries that depend on energy and on fuel. But it isn't just the price of gas. It isn't just the price of petrol. Because an increase in the price of both feeds into every other sector of the economy, especially in this economy, which is now ever more dependent on Deliveroo and on Amazon and on the others who deliver to you daily rather than you having to go to the shops.

The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Maximo Torero, on Wednesday warned of the possible heavy toll of the Ukraine conflict on world food security.

To assess the potential impact on international food prices caused by a conflict-induced reduction in cereal and vegetable oil exports from Ukraine and Russia, simulations have been carried out, he said.

On the basis of their already elevated baseline values, wheat price would increase by 8.7 percent in a moderate-shock scenario and by 21.5 percent in a severe-shock scenario, he told reporters.

For maize, the increase would be 8.2 percent in the moderate case and 19.5 percent in the severe scenario. For ­other coarse grains, prices would rise by 7 to 19.9 percent, and for oilseeds by 10.5 to 17.9 percent, he said.

Globally, in terms of impacts on food security, in the moderate scenario, the number of undernourished people would increase by 7.6 million people, while this level would rise to 13.1 million people in the severe-shock setting, said Torero.

China sent two batches of humanitarian aid to Ukraine over the past few days, with the third batch expected to arrive soon. The supplies include food, sleeping bags and moisture-proof pads. China's humanitarian aid will be delivered in multiple batches and is worth about 5 million yuan ($791,000) in total. Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine

China supports all efforts that will help de-escalate tensions and reach a political settlement in Ukraine, and China is willing to make its contribution to help the country overcome the humanitarian crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday in response to Chinese ambassador in Ukraine Fan Xianrong's remarks on helping Ukraine with its economy during a meeting with local officials in Lviv. 

"China and Ukraine are strategic partners, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. China is a friendly country for the Ukrainian people. As an ambassador, I can responsibly say that China will forever be a good force for Ukraine, both economically and politically. We will always respect your state, develop relations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We will respect the path chosen by Ukrainians because this is the sovereign right of every nation," Fan said at the meeting in Lviv Regional Military Administration, Ukrinform reported on Tuesday. 

"China will never attack Ukraine, we will help, in particular in the economic direction. We have seen how great the unity of the Ukrainian people is, and that means its strength," the ambassador added.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to Fan's remarks at Thursday's press briefing, saying that China supports the statement made by the Chinese ambassador, reiterating that China supports all efforts that will help de-escalate the situation and reach a political settlement in Ukraine, while opposing all acts that are not conducive to promoting a diplomatic solution. 

China will continue to play a constructive role in easing the situation in Ukraine, and is willing to help the country overcome its humanitarian crisis, Zhao said.

Following a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow is prepared to continue high-level trilateral negotiations with Ukraine mediated by Turkey.

"If such initiatives appear, we would only be happy to continue communicating in this format," Lavrov said at a press conference following his talks with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.

He explained that Moscow would only be interested in talks with Ukraine if these would lead to concrete results and solve existing problems.

According to Cavusoglu, Turkey is ready to host a potential meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.

Lavrov met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey's southern province of Antalya last week on the sidelines of an international forum.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak.

"Obviously, the only way to end this war is direct talks between the two presidents, and this is what we are working on in the current talks," Podolyak, also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia, was quoted as saying.

Work is underway to prepare the documents that could be signed during the meeting of the two leaders, the official said.

The Ukrainian side has high hopes that ceasefire will be achieved in the near future, he added.

The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations started on Monday via video link and continued into Wednesday.

Turkey and Poland agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to end the Ukrainian crisis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"We mainly discussed the developments in Ukraine and Russia, as well as our bilateral relations. As two NATO allies, we had a detailed exchange of views. In this process, we will continue our consultation and cooperation with Poland," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Duda paid a visit to Turkey on Wednesday to discuss with the Turkish president ways to defuse the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Erdogan welcomed the Polish president in Ankara as part of Turkey's mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.

"We continue our attempts to achieve a ceasefire," Erdogan said, adding that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will continue "shuttle diplomacy" visiting Ukraine on Thursday after his talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Wednesday.

Ukraine has integrated its electricity transmission network into the European energy system, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.

"Ukraine has become a member of the European Energy Union. The unification of Ukrainian and European energy systems has been completed," Zelensky tweeted.

Ukraine, which was importing electricity from Russia and Belarus, last year set a target to integrate its energy system into the European network of electricity transmission system operators by 2023.

According to media reports, 15 nuclear units at four Ukrainian nuclear power plants generate about 55 percent of Ukraine's electricity needs. Thermal power plants produce 29 percent of Ukraine's electricity, while the rest is powered by other sources or imported from abroad.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference ahead of the alliance's Defence Ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 15, 2022. Photo: AFP

The Ukraine crisis was largely triggered by NATO's aggressive eastward expansion. The bloc is the culprit. Instead of reflecting on itself, NATO piles pressure on other countries to stand with it against Russia. This is unreasonable and quite sinister.

"China should join the rest of the world in condemning strongly the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, "The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law so we call on [China] to clearly condemn the invasion and of course not support Russia. And we are closely monitoring any signs of support from China to Russia."

NATO is a puppet of the US, a Cold War military bloc manipulated by the US. The obsolete military organization has launched many ruthless military aggressions and triggered corresponding disasters in which local people underwent great suffering. NATO's aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 during the Kosovo War is one example. 

NATO's hands are stained with blood and the bloc itself has been a major threat to global and local security. Is NATO qualified to criticize other countries? This organization should have been dismantled long ago.

"NATO is the most serious war machine that violates international law and endangers the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries since the end of the Cold War. Since when has the group become a defender of international law? If it is a defender of international law, could you please first apologize for their bombing of Yugoslavia? Could you first compensate for bombing the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in 1999, which left three journalists dead, and more than 20 people injured? Stoltenberg is not qualified and has no right or moral basis to make such remarks," Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, told the Global Times.

Students who were evacuated from Ukraine arrive at the Hindon Airforce station in Ghaziabad, India, on March 3, 2022. Photo: AFP

While the Russia-Ukraine conflict unfolds with all the stakeholders following their respective scripts, the stance of a major country, India, has caught the attention of many globally, especially the Chinese public.

This time, India chose not to stand alongside the US - its perceived ally in  other instances in global affairs. The Indian government has, so far, refrained from taking clear sides, choosing not to join the West's chorus of condemnation of Russia. Domestically, a growing wave advocating for India to decouple from the West's control and implement a more independent diplomacy, or even calls for a joining of forces with China and other developing countries, have started brewing.

Though officially, India, within a short, has hardly relented in its stance toward China, reasonable and amicable voices have emerged in the country, especially among the elites that could serve as an impetus to ease tensions between the two most populous nations in the world, analysts noted.

So what has India and its people seen from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US' maneuvering that has allowed them think less from an American-friendly  perspective but rather for their own independent interests?

Growing objective voices toward China

Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang Photo:VCG

Two days after China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi met with US national security advisor Jake Sullivan in Rome, Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang reiterated China's stance on the Ukraine crisis and hit back at recent rumors and disinformation spread by some US politicians, whose conducts have showed the country's true face of "an empire of lies" by passing the buck to China, despite knowing that the cause of the crisis is the NATO's eastward expansion. 

In an opinion piece by Qin published in The Washington Post on Wednesday, the ambassador refuted recent media reports that claim "China had prior knowledge of Russia's military action," demanded that "Russia delay it until the Winter Olympics ends," and Russia was "seeking military assistance from China." 

"Let me say this responsibly: Assertions that China knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported this war are pure disinformation. All these claims serve only the purpose of shifting blame to and slinging mud at China," Qin wrote in the article. 

There were more than 6,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine. China is the biggest trading partner of both Russia and Ukraine, and the largest importer of crude oil and natural gas in the world. Conflict between Russia and Ukraine does no good for China. Had China known about the imminent crisis, we would have tried our best to prevent it, Qin said. 

The Chinese envoy stressed that China is committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and the country's position on Ukraine is objective and impartial. Given this, threats against Chinese entities and businesses, as uttered by some US officials, are unacceptable. Neither war nor sanctions can deliver peace. Wielding the baton of sanctions at Chinese companies while seeking China's support and cooperation simply won't work, Qin said. 

US Senator Lindsey Graham. Photo: AFP

The US Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal" in the wake of Russia's actions against Ukraine. As US politicians were playing politics to incite hatred against Russia, they showed the world the shallowness and ugliness of their political ecology. 

At a time when world's forces which advocates for peace are making active efforts for a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflicts, US politicians are exploiting the crisis. What they have done increases the difficulty for peacefully resolving the conflicts. A few days ago, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who spearheaded the resolution of the Senate, said that Putin is "destroying Russia and you need to take this guy out by any means possible" in an interview with Fox News. Such remarks were interpreted as his calling for the assassination of Putin.

The Senate resolution condemning Putin as a "war criminal" is ridiculous. Is the US Senate qualified to determine who is a war criminal? Since WWII, how many US presidents can be condemned as war criminals given the wars the US waged against other countries, ranging from the Vietnam War to the War in Afghanistan? If the US Senate can arbitrarily call Putin a "war criminal," then what should it call its own presidents? 

"US senators exploited the Ukraine crisis to make political stunts with the approaching of the mid-term elections," said Song Luzheng, a research fellow at the China Institute, Fudan University. 

Xu Liang, an associate professor of Beijing International Studies University, believed that the Senate's resolution is a blasphemy against international law. "The evaluation of Putin should be made by the Russian people, the international law and the history. The US is not in the position to point an accusing figure," Xu said.

US President Joe Biden announced a full ban on imports of Russian oil and energy products on March 8, 2022. Photo: AFP

Russia and the US have exchanged and escalated sanctions with Russia announcing on Tuesday tit-to-tat sanctions on US President Joe Biden and 12 top officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. 

Analysts said Russia's new move is a reciprocal countermeasure against US provocations and sanctions, and the escalation of sanctions between the two world powers cast a shadow on dialogue and that it showed a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Ukraine crisis is not yet in sight.  

The sanctions, which also apply to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns, came after US sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in February. 

Russian media said the people on Kremlin's black list will be denied entry to Russia. 

Russia's sanctions against the Biden administration are reciprocal countermeasures in response to US sanctions, Zhang Hong, an Eastern European studies expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

File photo: Xinhua

Global financial markets could be on the verge of suffering another shockwave as the US and its allies are attempting to crush Russia's economy with sweeping sanctions.

US credit rating agency Fitch Ratings claimed on Tuesday that Russia's sovereign bonds may default, if it doesn't pay $117 million in US dollars for coupon interest payments that are due on Wednesday with a 30-day grace period.

Russia has sufficient foreign reserves to service its external debt, but the problem is that half of the country's gold and foreign exchange reserves were frozen due to sanctioning measures imposed by the US and its allies over the conflict in Ukraine. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered repaying foreign currency debts to "unfriendly" countries in rubles.

But still, servicing external debt with rubles will most likely still be viewed by Western rating agencies as a default. If Moscow is unable to use the frozen funds of its foreign exchange reserves by the end of the 30-day grace period, the likely outcome could be that Russia would default on its liabilities for the first time since 1998, which may cause a new round of turmoil or even a crisis across international financial markets.

At a time when the world economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, the shock from a potential Russian default on global markets should not be underestimated. If any foreign bank that is of considerable importance to the global financial system has significant exposure to the Russian debt, then a default could trigger major financial turbulence. 

Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian. Photo: The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority recently has been hyping up the situation in Ukraine and the so-called threat from the Chinese mainland, deliberately increasing cross-Straits confrontation and preaching wars, which exposes their hypocricy, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

On March 9, deputy regional leader of Taiwan Lai Ching-te openly said that the island “needs to have the capability to defend itself” in an interview with Yahoo TV. His remarks came after Tsai Ing-wen, the regional leader of Taiwan, threatened to not "rule out firing the first shot." 

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Wednesday said, “we are willing to create a broad space for peaceful reunification, but we will not leave any space for various forms of separatist activities.” If the DPP authority continue to indulge in the dream of relying on foreign forces in “seeking independence by force,” and dare to take the risk, all the lies they have weaved and boasted will vanish in an instant. “We hope our compatriots in the island will have a clear understanding of their interests, reject the coercion and deception of the DPP authority, and make a clean break with Taiwan secessionists.” 

Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, some foreign politicians are hyping up the mainland's "military threat" to Taiwan. They're not only expressing support for the island, but also threatening to provide weapons to Taiwan. According to reports, the island of Taiwan has signed an arms sale contract with the US recently to purchase a Field Information Communications System (FICS) at a total of NT$6.99 billion.

The DPP authority, acting for its own selfish interests, is willing to be used as a pawn by external forces, Zhu said. It does not care about the safety of 23 million Taiwan compatriots and does not hesitate to kidnap them as cannon fodder to gain profits. This will harm the island and only push it further into the abyss of disaster, Zhu noted.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian

The US has the obligation to abide by the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and clarify the concerns of the international community on its military biological labs around the world, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry made the comments after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed the importance of establishing a verification mechanism as US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine have caused concerns.

For a long time, the international community has had serious concerns over the US' military biological activities at home and abroad. This is not the issue of US' labs in Ukraine alone, nor is it a new issue arising from the current situation, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at Wednesday's media briefing. 

He said China welcomes the international community's joint assessment of the documents disclosed by Russia under the framework of the BWC and the UN. And at the same time, we will hear US' clarification in a fair and just manner, Zhao said.

The international community can also take this opportunity to restart the negotiation of establishing a verification mechanism of the Convention. 

"We once again urge the US to change its opposition to the establishment of a verification mechanism, and US' change will help restore the international community's confidence in US' compliance with its international obligations and improve global biosecurity," Zhao said.

Russia on Tuesday sent a notice of withdrawal from the Council of Europe to the organization's Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The states of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union, abusing their majority in the Council of Europe, are consistently turning this organization into an instrument of anti-Russian policy, refusing equal dialogue and all the principles on which this pan-European structure was created," the ministry said in a statement.

Nevertheless, Russia remains open to pragmatic and equal interaction with the members of the Council of Europe on issues of mutual interest, it added.

Russia announced on Thursday that it would no longer participate in the Council of Europe. Russia joined the council in February 1996 as its 39th member.

Ukraine and Russia will continue their peace talks on Wednesday, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, also a member of the delegation, said Tuesday.

"We'll continue tomorrow. A very difficult and viscous negotiation process. There are fundamental contradictions. But there is certainly room for compromise," Podolyak tweeted.

The work in subgroups will continue during the break, he added.

The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations started on Monday via video link and continued into Tuesday.

Yang Jiechi (1st L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st R) in Rome, Italy, March 14, 2022. Photo: Xinhua)

On the same day as a seven-hour meeting between senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Rome on Monday which was described by some media outlets as "intense," US Air Force General Kenneth Wilsbach blatantly threatened to teach China a lesson from the Ukraine situation, which could be applied to the Taiwan question. Such conceit was defied by the first direct high-level engagement between Chinese and US officials over the situation in Ukraine on which Washington had tried to misguide Beijing to serve its own interests, although failing to do so as the Chinese side stressed its consistent stance on the issue and urged the US side to correct its wrong words and deeds. 

Ahead of the meeting, the US has been constantly spreading disinformation about China's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and some US officials tried to mix the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question, trying to hijack China over the issues and portraying a false image of the "China-Russia alliance." All these ill-intentioned tactics, in the eyes of Chinese experts, reflect little goodwill from the US for constructive talks while its contradiction between its words and deeds dampens the prospects of a healthy and stable China-US relationship. 

Hours after the meeting between Yang and Sullivan finished, China released an 850-word readout reiterating its stance on core issues such as the Taiwan question and the current situation in Ukraine. In rejecting Washington's continuous pressure on misleading Beijing over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Yang called for taking a long-term view, actively advocating a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, encouraging relevant parties to conduct equal-footed dialogue, and set up a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework based on the principle of indivisible security in a bid to preserve peace in Europe and around the world.

"The Chinese side resolutely opposes any words and deeds that spread false information, or distort and discredit China's position," he said. 

On the heels of the high-level meeting, some US media outlets, citing unnamed US officials, hyped the role of China in the crisis by saying that "Russia asked China to give it military equipment and support for the war," and based on that disinformation, Sullivan expressed "deep concerns" about China's close ties with Russia during the meeting. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced sanctions on top U.S. officials, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Russia's "stop list" also includes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden's son Hunter, and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton among others.

Moscow made the "stop list" on the basis of reciprocity in response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting, among other things, top Russian officials from entering the United States starting Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia introduced the restrictions as a counter reaction to the extremely Russophobic course taken by the current U.S. administration, the ministry said, warning that the blacklist could be expanded in the future.

"At the same time, we do not refuse to maintain official relations if they meet our national interests. And, if necessary, we will solve problems arising from the status of the blacklisted persons in order to organize high-level contacts," it added.

The US has repeatedly spread lies about China since the beginning of Ukraine crisis. Has Russia asked China for military equipment? Has China learned about Russia's plan beforehand? Here's the truth.

Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy and Finance, talks to press before the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting in Brussels, Belgium on March 15, 2022. Ministers are scheduled to discuss the economic and financial consequences of the sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine crisis. Photo: AFP

Following in the steps of the US and Japan, the EU moved to revoke Russia's "most-favored nation" (MFN) trade status under the WTO framework, which experts called a "middle ground choice" between halting trade with Russia and stopping the pace of sanctions, as the EU and its allies hope to isolate Russia from the global economic system, but fear this may backfire on its own economy as the region's trade is closely intertwined with Russian supplies. 

Experts said the effects of such a policy would be strategic over the longer term, as they will gradually erode Russia's trade with Western countries, but the EU's economy will also suffer shockwaves, such as rising inflation, they said. 

The revocation, disclosed by the French EU presidency on Twitter on Monday, is believed to pave the way for further punitive measures, such as imposing higher tariffs on certain Russian goods, according to a Reuters report.

Specifically, sanctions are set to include an import ban on Russian steel and iron, an export ban on luxury goods including cars worth more than 50,000 euros ($55,000), and a ban on investments in oil companies or the energy sector, Reuters cited sources as saying. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a bill to the parliament, proposing the extension of the current martial law in Ukraine, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Tuesday.

If the lawmakers pass the bill, the martial law in Ukraine will be extended for another 30 days starting from March 26.

Ukraine imposed the martial law after Russia started a special military operation on Feb. 24.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Tuesday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution.

Negotiations between the two sides are being held daily, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said on Monday.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations resumed peace talks on Tuesday, local media outlet Ukrayinska Pravda reported, citing David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation.

"The talks are already underway," Arakhamia said without giving further details.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations started the fourth round of their talks via video link on Monday.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, also a member of the delegation, said the two sides took a technical pause in the negotiations until Tuesday for "additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions."

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged the United States to make tangible efforts to ease the situation in Ukraine.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a question on recent allegations reportedly made by an unnamed US official on relations between Russia and China with regard to the Ukraine crisis.

According to media reports, the official said the US government has notified NATO and certain Asian allies that Russia has requested military and economic assistance from China, and that China agreed but would deny it publicly.

The media reports also claimed that the United States took this step in order to increase its disclosure of intelligence as a means of countering disinformation.

Noting that Russia has denied asking China for military assistance, Zhao said that the United States creates and spreads disinformation from time to time, and such actions are unprofessional, unethical and irresponsible.

Workers walk past oil barrels at a filling station in Chennai, India on February 24, 2022. Photo: AFP

India is reportedly planning to buy Russian oil at discounted prices and even considering the Chinese yuan as a reference currency in an India-Russia payment settlement mechanism, a move that Chinese analysts say represents the growing frustration among world economies over the US-led sanctions against Russia that have rattled global markets.

The reported plans come as India has been shrugging off pressure from the US to join in its sanctions against Russia, despite growing diplomatic ties between the two countries. This also underlines a trend of countries working to seek alternatives to US-dominated global financial mechanisms to fend off risks as they have been repeatedly weaponized, analysts noted.    

One of the issues to be ironed out is in what currency the trade will be settled, and Livemint, an Indian news outlet, reported that India and Russia are exploring the possibility of using the yuan as a reference currency to value a rupee-ruble trade mechanism. The outlet cited unidentified Indian government officials.

The rupee-ruble trade mechanism will allow Indian exporters to be paid in rupees for their exports to Russia instead of dollars or euros amid sanctions against Moscow. However, there have been concerns as neither the Russian nor Indian currencies are widely used in international trade. 

Illustration: Tang Tengfei/Global Times

Despite growing pressure from the US, the Indian government is considering taking up a Russian offer to import crude oil and other commodities at a heavy discount, Reuters reported recently, citing anonymous Indian officials.

"India, which imports 80 percent of its oil needs, usually buys only about 2-3 percent from Russia. But with oil prices up 40 percent so far this year, the Indian government is looking at increasing imports if it can help reduce its rising energy bill," Reuters said on Monday.

Actually, maintaining normal trade with Russia or any country is New Delhi's legitimate rights. Some in the US and the West may criticize Indian government for not following the heels of Washington to shun Russian commodities, but India has every reason to protect its own economy, which is increasingly affected by the sky-rocketing oil prices on the global market. 

As the sixth largest economy in the world, India is a country short of crude reserves. According to data platform Worldometers, India ranks far behind on the list of oil reserves in the world, with a reserve volume accounting for 0.29 percent of the global total. Under such circumstances, India has no choice but to keep purchasing oil from other countries, including Russia.

And, Indian currency, rupee, is weakened, which is heaping pressure on India's oil imports. In 2021, Indian rupee was viewed as one of the weakest currencies in Asia, recording a fourth straight year of devaluation against the US dollar and the euro. And it may be difficult to reverse course in 2022, especially at a time when the US' monetary policy is turning hawkish in order to control inflation. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that although the Group of 20 (G20) is a major forum for international economic cooperation, it is not an appropriate forum to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at Tuesday's press briefing and said that China supported Indonesia's comments that the G20 was established to promote multilateral economic cooperation.

Holding presidency of the G20, Indonesia believes that it will focus on fulfilling its obligations under the G20 Rome Leaders' Declaration and does not intend to include the Ukraine crisis on the present agenda. 

Under the current situation, the G20 has undertaken important responsibilities in promoting international cooperation against COVID-19 and maintaining stability and recovery of the global economy, Zhao said. The G20 has remained committed to its responsibilities, deepened solidarity and cooperation, and worked together to address challenges in global public health, economy and finance, according to Zhao.

China supports Indonesia's efforts in promoting G20 cooperation in various fields in accordance with the set agenda, Zhao said.  

Elon Musk. Photo: VCG

Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has once again attracted the world's attention due to a recent post. The world's richest man challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to a "single combat'' for Ukraine on Twitter.

Musk's post has added a special chapter to the escalating Ukraine crisis, as the major two sides - Russia and Ukraine - are expected to resume the fourth round of peace talks, which took a technical pause until Tuesday. 

With 77.8 million followers on Twitter, Musk said in a Monday post that "I hereby challenge Владимир Путин (Putin's Russian name) to single combat." He tagged the Kremlin's official account in a follow-up post, asking in Russian "Do you agree to the fight?" 

Musk did not clarify what category of combat would be involved, strength of body, or factors involving technology and politics.

Musk's Tweets have received more than 306,000 likes and 33,000 comments, among which are Russian and Ukrainian officials. But no reaction has come from the Kremlin so far.

Yang Jiechi (1st L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st R) in Rome, Italy, March 14, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the Italian capital of Rome on Monday, elaborating on China's position on the situation in Ukraine and calling on the international community to jointly support Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The two sides also had candid, in-depth and constructive discussions on China-US relations and agreed on jointly implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state and managing the differences. 

Although some US media described the 7-hour meeting as intense, covering a wide range of issues including the Ukraine situation and China-US ties, the White House summarized the meeting in an 80-word readout. Some Chinese experts said though the high-level meeting between senior Chinese and US officials were a positive signal to the world at such a turbulent time, there are still major divergences between the two sides, particularly on their positions concerning the Ukraine crisis.

The two sides agree to jointly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, increase understanding, manage differences, expand consensus and strengthen cooperation, so as to accumulate conditions for bringing China-US relations back on the track of sound and steady development.

The senior Chinese diplomat said President Xi Jinping has proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation as the three principles in developing China-US relations in the new era, which has charted the course for the development of the bilateral ties. Yang said that US President Joe Biden responded by saying the US does not seek a new Cold War or to change China's system, nor will it oppose China through strengthening alliances, support "Taiwan independence," or seek confrontation with China.

"Given the readout from the White House, we can see that the US only cares about the core issues of its concern, but China paid much attention on China's core interests. There's a major divergence in that the US hopes China to solve the Ukraine crisis," Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. He also noted that forcing Beijing to accept the US stance during the talks reflects unhealthy mindset of Washington. 

Zhang Jun (C, front), China's permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks during the Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The world needs dialogue and cooperation, and does not need a new Cold War. Differences between countries in national interests, social systems and ideologies should not become obstacles to dialogue, nor should they become reasons for confrontation, Zhang Jun, Chinas permanent representative to the United Nations, said at the UN Security Council on Monday.

The Ukraine crisis makes us think how to safeguard the peace and stability of the international system and the real way out for general security and common development. The world enters a new era when dialogue and cooperation bring a broader not narrower path, Zhang said. "Differences between countries in national interests, social systems and ideologies should not become obstacles to dialogue, nor should they become reasons for confrontation."

The world is indivisible, and security is indivisible. The indivisible security principle was first established by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is of special significance in the current situation and should be upheld and put into practice, he said.The Cold War ended long ago, and group confrontation-based Cold War mentality should be completely abandoned. 

Sticking to the logic of hegemony and provoking confrontation between camps will only bring disaster to the world and exacerbate turmoil and division. This applies to Europe as well as other regions, Zhang said, adding that all countries should strengthen unity and work together for a shared future for mankind.

The final solution to the crisis in Ukraine is to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, respect the reasonable security concerns of all states, and observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Zhang said, adding that all efforts toward the peaceful settlement of crises must be supported.

Oil prices dropped on Monday as traders monitored updates regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery lost 6.32 U.S. dollars, or 5.8 percent, to settle at 103.01 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery decreased 5.77 dollars, or 5.1 percent, to close at 106.90 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

Traders anxiously eyed the fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations held Monday via video link.

Ukraine and Russia took a technical pause in their peace talks, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, also a member of the delegation, said Monday.

Earlier in the day, Podolyak said that the talks between Ukraine and Russia went on, although they were "hard."

Ukraine and Russia took a technical pause in their peace talks, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, also a member of the delegation, said Monday.

"A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions," Podolyak tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Podolyak said that the talks between Ukraine and Russia went on, although they were "hard."

The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations was held earlier on Monday via video link.

Dollars vs Euro.File Photo:VCG

As Russia and Ukraine engage in a military conflict, the Biden administration has thrown a number of "financial bombs" at the Russian government.

In its first foray, the US government froze the assets of a number of large Russian banking institutions including Sberbank, Russia's largest financial institution, and VTB Bank, the country's second largest financial institution, by severing their access to transactions made in US dollars. At the same time, the US also placed sanctions on a good number of Russian elites and their family members.

Subsequently, the US government persuaded some of its allies to remove selected Russian banks from the SWIFT system, the payment system used by most international financial transactions. 

In the latest round of sanctioning measures against Russia, four US officials introduced a bill to prevent Russia from using its $130 billion in gold reserves abroad, according to a report by website thehill.com on Tuesday. 

Whether the US government will follow up with more punitive measures or if those existing financial sanctions could achieve their desired effect is not clear but one thing is certain, that the global financial markets have been severely rattled by such concentrated and capricious use of weaponized financial sanctioning measures, with global stock markets plunging and the Russian ruble hitting a new low. 

Screengrab of Russian Defence Ministry briefing showing US-sponsored biolabs on Ukraininan territory. Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

At Monday's routine news conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the spokesperson for the ministry rebutted the US' inconsistent and flawed responses regarding its biological laboratories in Ukraine, urging a full clarification of its bio-military activities within and outside its borders. 

When a BBC reporter asked that the US claims seem to suggest that its secret research involving viruses in Ukraine has nothing to do with the military, Zhao Lijian, the ministry's  spokesperson, directly pointed out that the US' response to the issue so far has been contradictory and confusing.

Under a 2005 agreement between the US and Ukraine, US Department of Defense representatives are authorized to participate in all activities related to Ukrainian facilities, and Ukraine is prohibited from releasing information that the US determines to be "sensitive." 

According to the US submission to the 2021 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Meeting of States Parties, the US has 26 laboratories and other cooperative facilities in Ukraine.

"We can't help but ask: Did the US send teams to Ukraine or not? What exactly is the scope of their activities? How many collaborative facilities are there? What sensitive information in the field of public health is not allowed to be disclosed? Does Ukraine know what the US is doing in Ukraine?" Zhao asked.

Contentious sanction Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned Beijing it would "absolutely" face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine. The US will not allow a "lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world."

The next day, Reuters quoted two Indian officials as reporting that India is considering taking up a Russian offer to buy its crude oil and other commodities at discounted prices with payment via a rupee-rouble transaction, amid tough Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. 

The US sanctions seem to be majestic-looking and have many supporters. But the truth is, many of these US followers have been influenced by the US and its media.

The US ended all Russian energy imports last week, yet the EU found it difficult to cut ties with Russian fossil fuel supplies. Last Thursday, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed 2027 as a firm end date to cut Russian energy dependence, which means the EU needs more time to adjust its energy industry and is not willing to blindly follow the Russian energy ban. 

Von der Leyen is a pro-US politician in Europe. German internal opposition to US energy sanctions against Russia is strong. However, the opposition has no opportunity to speak out in such a political climate. The US is fabricating a sense of "political correctness" and the illusion that everyone is following.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations will resume talks on Monday via video link, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

"Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results," Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, tweeted on Sunday night.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in-person in Belarus since Feb. 28, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.

US' game of manipulation Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, most relevant parties including Moscow, Kiev, Paris and Berlin have made frequent diplomatic efforts including direct talks between national leaders or the meeting between foreign ministers to seek a way out of the crisis, but Washington continues to supply weapons to keep the conflict from ending, experts said.

Analysts said Russia, Ukraine and EU states all want the conflict to end as soon as possible because they are the ones who are directly impacted, so even if they have differences, they would be the ones who sincerely want to make diplomatic efforts to effectively ease the crisis. 

But the US, which seems like it is standing with Ukraine, actually does not care about restoring peace in Ukraine as it is too far from the conflict, and the ultimate goal of Washington is to extend the conflict and to maximize the damage to Russia, undermine the EU economy, and strengthen its military presence and control over the continent of Europe, experts said. 

Leonid Slutsky, a Russian delegate to talks with Ukraine was quoted on Sunday as saying they had made significant progress and it was possible the delegations could soon arrive at a "joint position," Reuters reported.  Ukrainian negotiator and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak also said talks had become more constructive, according to media reports.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Workers load fertilizer at an industrial park in Ruichang, East China's Jiangxi Province on February 15, 2022. As the spring ploughing season approaches, workers have been speeding up fertilizer production to meet rising demand. Photo: cnsphotos

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has resulted in a rift in global fertilizer supply chains, with both countries moving to suspend their fertilizer exports, inevitably putting upward pressure on China's potash fertilizer market that remains reliant on imported potash, industry analysts said on Sunday.

However, the fallout of the conflict-induced supply chain turbulence on the domestic fertilizer market as a whole is limited, experts said on Sunday, citing domestic policy changes and the rising costs of fertilizer manufacturing, among other major factors behind an uptrend in fertilizer prices. The impact on China's farm produce market will also be largely subdued, they said.

Potash is a significant fertilizer used on major commodity crops.

Ukraine has banned exports of fertilizers, its agriculture ministry said on Saturday, according to Reuters. 

"The cabinet of ministers is introducing a zero quota for the export of mineral fertilizers that is a de facto ban on the export of fertilizers from Ukraine," the Reuters report said, citing a statement from the ministry.

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on "Military Posture in the Indo-Pacific Region" on Thursday, Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command said the US will continue to support India with equipment and other things it needs along the Line of Actual Control - the border with China, and asserted that Washington and New Delhi share a "tremendous partnership." He also said that the military-to-military relationship between the two countries is probably at its highest point.

Aquilino's remarks indicate that the US may be eager to rope in India. Since the Ukraine crisis, Washington has been in an embarrassing situation. India, which the US is trying to court, has not followed its lead in sanctioning Russia. Some US and Western media outlets have repeatedly pushed India to condemn Russia. 

Aquilino's focus is on driving a wedge between China and India, underlining the factor of the US in China-India relations. Its main goal is to encourage India to coordinate with the US' suppression of Russia. In Washington's view, the most persuasive method is to use China as the primary reason for India to develop closer relations with the US.

This is Washington's consistent trick. To maintain its regional and global hegemony, the US will resort to every conceivable means. But the effect of the wooing will be limited. India is a country with strong self-esteem which emphasizes strategic autonomy. New Delhi's ties with Moscow have been friendly for decades, relying on Moscow to provide arms and energy. In this context, India will not totally coordinate with the US in sanctioning Russia, a geopolitical dilemma it has attempted to avoid.

India would like to see a detente between Russia and the US, in which India could persuade the latter to focus on suppressing and containing China. India cannot simultaneously deal with the US and Russia as easily as it did in the past. Washington is forcing New Delhi to take a side. To become an ally or a partner would mean being the US' lackey and cannon fodder for attacking other countries. 

A view of the US Embassy on January 24, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo: VCG

Let us travel back to 1991. The implosion of the Soviet Union. The end of the Cold War. The triumph of the United States. The implosion was greeted by the West as offering boundless opportunities. Anything was now possible. The world could be remade in the West's own image. The constraints of the previous four decades disappeared. There was much talk of a New World Order. This was the unipolar moment: America had no rivals, it bestrode the world stage, it was no longer subject to the forces of gravity. Actually, if truth be told, it was a dangerous moment for America. Hubris went to its head, world domination beckoned. We can date the beginning of America's rapid decline, now so rampant and obvious, from this moment.

America was to make two huge mistakes. In so doing, it hugely over-estimated the meaning of its victory in the Cold War. First, it seriously believed that it could remake the world in its own interests, that its victory in the Cold War would usher in the beginning of a new American century. The neo-con philosophy that informed the presidency of George W. Bush led to two disastrous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They were classic examples of imperial overreach. Just 20 years after 1991, America was facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat in both wars. And, we might add, China was showing that, far from the world being unipolar, it was increasingly multi-polar. America, in its pomp and arrogance after the Cold War, had completely misread which way the world was moving.

The second huge mistake was how it treated Russia. This was a crucial moment. Would it view Russia as a defeated nation and treat it accordingly, or would it adopt a magnanimous approach, that of an enlightened and benevolent superpower. Alas, it chose the former. Russia was cut down to size, treated as a defeated nation, not a future partner to be nurtured and embraced. The map of Europe was steadily redrawn: The East European states chose membership in the European Union and NATO, and 15 former Soviet states, including Ukraine, became independent. Russia emerged from the implosion in 1991 with only half its previous population, three-quarters of its former territory and 41 percent of its economy. It was humiliated. 

A key question was always going to be Ukraine, historically part of Russia. As Henry Kissinger wrote with great wisdom in 2014: "Far too often the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West. But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side's outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them." His advice was not heeded by the US or Europe. NATO was steadily expanded until it reached Russia's borders. It was only a matter of time before Ukraine too became a NATO member, thereby further extending NATO's border with Russia. 

With Russia's military action against Ukraine, America's policy towards Russia has now unraveled. It was deeply misguided. The refusal of the West to accept that Russia had legitimate security concerns has proved fatal. The central plank of America's post-Cold War strategy now lies in tatters. We are back in a situation that resembles the one prior to 1989. The war dominates the news in Europe to the exclusion of almost everything else. The language is reminiscent of the Cold War. But, of course, this is not a return to the Cold War which cast such a huge shadow over the entire world. America is not what it once was, nor is Europe or Russia. The world has moved on. 2022 is not 1991. If at one time the West dominated the global agenda, today this is increasingly no longer the case.

Explosions were heard on Sunday in Ukraine's western city of Lviv at about 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).

Earlier in the day, air raid alerts went off in Lviv at 3:30 a.m. local time, with residents rushing to bomb shelters for security.

Ukrainian media outlets have yet to release any information about the targets of the airstrikes.

According to the UNN news agency, Kherson in southern Ukraine also reported sounds of explosions, and air alarms continued in most Ukrainian cities and oblasts.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Sunday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution. Following are the latest developments of the situation:

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Macron and Scholz urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement, noting the 75-minute talk as part of the ongoing international efforts to end the conflict.

The three leaders agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile, Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday morning, and learned about Zelensky's assessment of the current situation. The two agreed to keep in touch, according to the German statement.

Russia will publish individual sanctions against the West in the near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday.

"The lists are ready," Ryabkov said on Russian broadcaster Channel One, adding that the sanctions will be made public soon.

According to Ryabkov, Moscow sees no indication that the United States was ready to continue dialogue on Ukraine.

The diplomat also warned Washington against transferring weapons to Ukraine, adding that these weapons will become legitimate targets for the Russian forces.

US President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC March 11, 2022. The US government will revoke Russia's most-favored nation trade status amid the Ukraine crisis, the White House said Friday, noting that it will work with Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union to roll out new sanctions.Photo:Xinhua

The US government will revoke Russia's most-favored nation trade status amid the Ukraine crisis, the White House said Friday, noting that it will work with Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union to roll out new sanctions.

US President Joe Biden and the other G7 leaders "will announce new economic actions" to "further isolate Russia from the global financial system," the White House said in a statement.

The sanction followed an energy embargo on Russia announced by Washington on Tuesday, among a series of moves against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, even though analysts have warned of huge potential consequences and spillovers.

On the same day, leaders of the European Union agreed on imposing new sanctions against Russia in an informal summit in Versailles, France.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions aim to further isolate Russia from the global economic system. She also announced a plan to find alternatives to Russian fuels by 2027 in order to reduce EU's dependence on Russia.

Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine

China's first batch of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine has arrived in the western Ukrainian city Chernivtsi. The second batch is expected to depart from Beijing on Sat and arrive in Ukraine on Mon.

China has provided 5 million yuan worth of materials for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which will be sent in batches. Staff of the Red Cross Society of Ukraine has received the first batch of aid.

Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine

 

People board a bus in Irpin, Ukraine, March 5, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

Ukraine established 12 humanitarian corridors in four regions on Friday to allow civilians to leave the conflict-torn areas, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The humanitarian corridors were set up to evacuate people from some cities and towns in eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv, southern Zaporizhzhya and north-central Kiev, Vereshchuk said.

She added that the Ukrainian authorities also have organized supplies of food and water to civilians in several other regions across the country that were affected by the conflict with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo:VCG

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he supported the idea of allowing volunteers from abroad to provide military assistance to Donbass.

Western countries and Ukraine do not hide that they are gathering mercenaries and sending them to Ukraine, Putin said at a meeting with permanent members of Russia's Security Council.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin that he had received "a huge number of applications from various kinds of volunteers from different countries" who would like to come to Lugansk and Donetsk in order to "participate in what they consider a liberation movement."

"The largest number is from the Middle Eastern countries. There are already more than 16,000 applications," Shoigu reported.

"If you see that there are people who want on a voluntary basis, especially not for money, to come and help people living in Donbass, you need to meet them halfway and help them move to the war zone," Putin said after listening to his report.

Photo taken on Nov. 29, 2016 shows the new protective cover over the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear reactor No.4 at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 110 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.Photo:Xinhua

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday held meetings with Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers respectively on nuclear security in a town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, Turkish official sources said Friday.

At the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi arrived in Belek, a town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital, to attend the Antalya Diplomatic Forum that kicked off on Friday, the sources said.

On the sidelines of the international forum, Grossi held separate meetings with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a source of the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Xinhua.

Following the talks, Grossi wrote in two successive tweets that his meeting with Kuleba was "important and forward-looking," and that with Lavrov was "constructive and important."

"We are making progress on the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine," he wrote.

Personnel work inside the bio-level 4 lab research at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick. Photo: AFP

Amid grave concerns from the international community concerning the US' bio-military activities overseas, especially its confusing and inconsistent response on its biological labs in Ukraine, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to convene on Friday to discuss the US' alleged military biological research in Ukraine at Russia's request.

Chinese analysts said suspicions have hovered over COVID-19's origins at US labs at home and abroad for long, which the US has failed to explain, and the US' credibility has further been undermined for not facing up to its research in Ukraine but releasing confusing information. They urged the US to give the world an open and transparent explanation. 

Russia's Defense Ministry on Thursday said that US-funded biolabs in Ukraine worked on establishing a mechanism "for the covert transmission of deadly pathogens," and were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples. Earlier this week, Russia said there was a network of biolabs in Ukraine working on behalf of the US Department of Defense which formed part of US' biological weapons program. 

The World Health Organization has strongly recommended that the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills, the WHO said in an email to the Global Times on Friday. 

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine respectively with his French and Italian counterparts via video link.

When meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Wang said the major consensus reached by Chinese, French and German leaders during a virtual summit held on Tuesday should be well implemented.

The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the summit.

China's stance is consistent and clear, Wang said. "We would like to see an early ceasefire and cessation of fighting, which is also the common aspiration of the international community."

Concerning the three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Wang said that although there remain obvious differences between the two sides, the differences will be reduced each time the two speak, the hope for peace will increase, and the goal of a ceasefire and cessation of fighting will be further advanced.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb. 24.

READY TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Kuleba said that he is ready to meet with Lavrov again in the same format with Turkey as a mediator, whereas Lavrov said that Russia wants to continue talks with Ukraine within the current format in Belarus.

"We had come here not to replace track of negotiations taking place in Belarus. We will not create a parallel track. If there is added value, we are ready to discuss it in different formats," Lavrov told reporters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (back) attending Russia-Turkiye-Ukraine tripartite Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on March 10. Photo: AFP

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The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers held talks in Antalya, Turkey on Thursday, their first meeting since the military conflict between the two countries started, though the meeting failed to reach meaningful consensus, an analyst said high-ranking negotiations between the two sides are a positive signal, and the majority of the international community, including China, will welcome and encourage relevant parties to continue to make diplomatic efforts. 

According to press conferences held by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba after the trilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the talks didn't conclude with a significant breakthrough.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia's stated reasons for taking special military operations against Ukraine, AFP reported on Tuesday.

Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow at the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the latest talks in Turkey are at least a clear signal for peace, because if the previous lower-level talks saw no progress, the two sides wouldn't have agreed to fly to Turkey for a meeting, and it could be a response to the demand for talks among the international community.

An excuse to militarize Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

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Japan imposed another round of sanctions against Russia, adding to earlier sanctions against Russian president and some Russian top officials. The island nation also restricted economic and financial cooperation. Accordingly, Moscow included Tokyo on its list of unfriendly countries. 

This development isn't unexpected but is still disappointing. Some observers were hopeful that Japan would continue its strategic autonomy to maintain balance between major countries. However, Japan shamelessly surrendered its strategic autonomy to the US once and for all. It had already done so regarding relations with China. 

Japan had previously tried to resolve what Tokyo considers the so-called Northern Territories dispute, which Russia refers to as Kuril Islands dispute. They haven't yet signed a peace treaty due to the US' meddling, which has hamstrung their relations across the past seven decades. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe tried to reach an agreement with President Vladimir Putin during his tenure to no avail. 

His successors don't seem sincerely interested in continuing his related attempts, otherwise they wouldn't have complied with their American patron's regional demands, including against Russia. Imposing several rounds of sanctions resulted in Russia regarding Japan as an unfriendly country. There's now no realistic chance of the two signing a peace treaty anytime soon, or resolving their disagreement over the outcome of World War II. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian

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The international community has expressed grave concern over US biomilitary activities and for the US to dismiss this as "fake news" shows an irresponsible attitude, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday when asked to comment on the US' denial that it operates biowarfare labs in the Ukraine.

The international community has no idea what the US has done in its domestic Fort Detrick lab and the 336 biolabs it has abroad, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

"We appeal to all parties to ensure the safety of the biological laboratories in Ukraine under the current circumstances, for the sake of people in Ukraine and in the surrounding regions," said Zhao. The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the same day that documents showed experiments on coronavirus samples from bats have been conducted in the biolabs founded and financed by the US in Ukraine. 

Zhao also expressed concerns over US opposition to the founding of a multilateral inspections mechanism, and whether it complies with the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 8, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

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The Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday announced that US-funded biological labs in Ukraine were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples. 

There is no smoke without fire. Some netizens commented that the Americans seem to have a special preference for making vampire-themed movies, and the prototype of the vampire comes from bat. The Americans' experiments with bat coronavirus have cultural origins.

Discussions about US bio labs in Ukraine are turning heated. Earlier, the Kremlin revealed evidence that the US was involved in biological weapons research in Ukrainian labs. It also said that Ukraine had destroyed samples of various pathogens. On Tuesday, Victoria Nuland, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs of the US, told a congressional hearing that Ukraine has biological research facilities and that "we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of the Russian forces."

Nonetheless, the US backtracked soon. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released eight continuous tweets, which not only accused Russia of making false claims about US biological weapons labs in Ukraine, but also blamed China of endorsing this propaganda. US media outlet Bloomberg ran an article titled "China Pushes Conspiracy Theory About US Labs in Ukraine." 

Lavrov says Russia wants to continue negotiations with Ukraine

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba repeated his vow that the country "will not surrender" following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Turkey. 

"I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender," Kuleba told reporters after the meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (4th L) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (4th R) in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are meeting in a small resort town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, local media reported on Thursday.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The three ministers are scheduled to hold separate press conferences following the talks in Belek, a resort town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting is "an important continuation of the negotiation process."

Senegalese President and current Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Macky Sall on Wednesday held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on securing a "lasting ceasefire" in Ukraine.

Sall later said in a tweet that as president of the AU, he is delighted about his talk with Putin "to press for a lasting ceasefire."

He also welcomed the "listening" and "willingness" of his Russian counterpart "to maintain dialogue for a negotiated solution to the conflict."

The Senegalese president had expressed last week in the Council of Ministers his grave concern about the situation in Ukraine while reaffirming Senegal's adherence to the principles of non-alignment and peaceful settlement of disputes.

In a statement issued on Feb. 24, Sall and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat urged Russia and Ukraine to establish an immediate ceasefire and open political negotiations under the aegis of the United Nations.

lab Photo: CFP

The American authorities previously admitted that Ukraine hosts "biological research facilities", expressing concerns they could come under the control of Russian forces.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday announced that the US-funded biological labs located in Ukraine were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples.

"According to the documents, the American side planned to conduct work on pathogens of birds, bats, and reptiles in Ukraine in 2022, with a further transition to studying the possibility of carrying African swine fever and anthrax", chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defence Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

In addition, the facilities were studying the possible spread of pathogens via wild birds, migrating between Russia, Ukraine, and other countries in the region.

"The purpose of this - and other Pentagon-funded biological research in Ukraine, was to create a mechanism for the covert spread of deadly pathogens", he added.

Russian, Ukrainian foreign ministers expected to meet in Antalya, Turkey