The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war:
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations is unable to meet the needs of millions of civilians caught in conflict in Ukraine today and is urging safe passage for people to go "in the direction they choose" and for humanitarian supplies to get to areas of hostilities, according to the UN humanitarian chief.
Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths told a UN Security Council meeting Monday that his office has sent a team to Moscow to coordinate with the Russian military to try to scale-up the delivery of humanitarian aid to the level needed. He said this followed a phone call Friday between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The first UN-Russia meeting has been held, he said, welcoming cooperation by both sides and expressing hope of "further progress in the hours ahead."
Griffiths said the UN and its partners have already provided food to hundreds of thousands of people and the World Food Program "is setting up supply chain operations to deliver immediate food and cash assistance to 3-5 million people inside Ukraine," and the Ukrainian Red Cross has distributed hygiene and food kits, warm clothing and medicine to thousands of people.
The UN humanitarian chief also expressed deep worry at the consequences of "this unnecessary conflict" on "vulnerable people living half a world away" affected by spiking food prices and uncertain supplies and record-level prices. "People in the Sahel, Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, Madagascar, and beyond already face profound food inseucirty," Griffiths said, and high gas prices means "life becomes harder still in places like Lebanon."
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BERLIN — The UN nuclear watchdog says Ukraine has informed it that a new research facility producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial uses has been damaged by shelling in Kharkiv.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the Ukrainian regulator told it that Sunday’s incident didn’t cause any increase in radiation levels at the site. It said the nuclear material at the facility is "always subcritical" and there is a very low stock of it, so the IAEA’s assessment is that the reported damage would have no "radiological consequence."
However, it adds to a string of concerns the Vienna-based IAEA has over nuclear facilities and material in Ukraine.
It reported "another worrying development" Monday at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Ukraine’s biggest, which was seized last week by Russian forces. The IAEA said the Ukrainian regulator has informed it that it’s not currently possible to deliver spare parts or medicine to the plant.
The IAEA reiterated that "having operating staff subject to the authority of the Russian military commander contravenes an indispensable pillar of nuclear safety."
The Ukrainian regulator said eight of the country’s 15 reactors were operating, including two at Zaporizhzhia.
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NEW YORK — Stoli Group is renaming its Stolichnaya vodka brand as part of a broader effort to distance itself from Russia. In a news release, Luxembourg-based Stoli Group said the vodka will now be sold and marketed as Stoli. Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, founded Stoli Group in 1997 but was exiled from Russia four years later and moved production to Latvia. "More than anything, I wish for Stoli to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine," Shefler said in a statement. Stoli Group said a state-owned company in Russia continues to make a vodka called Stolichnaya which is sold in a limited number of markets. But Stoli Group owns the trademark rights to the Stolichnaya name in 150 countries, including the U.S. Stolichnaya means "from the capital city" in Russian.
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he does not expect a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine for weeks.
He said that he has told the Russian leader that a cease-fire must come before any real dialogue, but that President Vladimir Putin has refused, making their regular talks "difficult."
"I don’t think that in the days and weeks to come there will be a true negotiated solution," Macron said at a forum in Poissy, a southwest suburb of Paris, while campaigning for the first time to renew his mandate in April presidential elections.
He said that Putin is making a "historic fault" with his war pitted against Ukrainians, "brothers." Macron stressed the need to respect the people of all countries … "and ensure that no nation, no people be humiliated."
Macron said that Russia, too, must be respected as a country and people because "There is no durable peace if Russia is not (part of) a … grand architecture of peace on our continent. Because History and geography are stubborn."
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ROME — Italy is looking to house those fleeing war in Ukraine in residences confiscated from organized crime syndicates.
Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese on Monday said that the national agency which keeps track of hundreds of seized and confiscated properties over the years are quickly checking to determine those suitable for refugees.
Some 14,000 refugees have arrived in Italy from Ukraine. Many of them have relatives or friends living in Italy, and it isn’t immediately clear how many have no one to host them.
Ministry officials will be pinpointing real estate that has been confiscated, but not yet assigned for use by municipalities or charities. After judicial authorities determine that property was bought with illicit revenues from organized crime like drug trafficking or extortion, it is seized and eventually made available for use by charities or other non-profit groups.
Lamorgese said using the properties to house refugees, even on a temporary basis, can give "concrete responses to those fleeing from war and above all to the most fragile persons, such as women and children."
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TIRANA, Albania — Albania on Monday strongly denounced the shelling of its consulate in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and called on Russia to stop aggression against Ukraine.
The Albanian Foreign Ministry tweeted photos of the building in Kharkiv where its consulate is seen destroyed after being shelled.
"Albania strongly condemns the .Russian aggression which led to the destruction of the Honorary Consulate of Albania in Kharkiv," it tweeted, adding that, "Perpetrators must be held accountable! .StopRussianAggression .StandWitxjmtzywhUkraine."
Albania has joined the European Union in the hard-hitting sanctions against Russian top officials and institutions.
Last week Albania and the United States initiated a resolution at the United Nations Security Council denouncing the Russian invasion.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Both Russia and Ukraine say they’ve made a little progress during a third round of talks and Russia’s top negotiator says the corridors are expected to start functioning Tuesday.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said without elaboration Monday that "there were some small positive shifts regarding logistics of humanitarian corridors" to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities. He said that consultations will continue on ways to negotiate an end to hostilities.
Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, said he expects that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine will finally start functioning Tuesday. He said no progress has been made on a political settlement, but voiced hope that the next round could be more productive.
"Our expectations from the talks have failed, but we hope that we would be able to make a more significant step forward next time," Medinsky said. "The talks will continue."
Efforts to set up safe passage for civilians over the weekend fell apart amid continued shelling. But the Russian Defence Ministry announced a new push Monday, saying civilians would be allowed to leave the capital of Kyiv, Mariupol and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.
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MADRID — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman says that getting military material for Ukrainians to fight a Russian invasion is set to become more difficult for the U.S. and its allies.
"I think that the international community has been tremendously responsive and have found ways to get the material in. That may become harder in the coming days, and we’ll have to find other ways to manage this," Sherman said Monday during a visit to the Spanish capital for meetings with officials.
The Biden administration is considering how to fulfill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for warplanes, the official said, considering that Ukrainians would only be able to operate soviet-era warplanes provided by Poland.
"People are trying to see whether this is possible and doable," she said, adding that the warplanes should not be regarded by Moscow as direct involvement in the conflict: "We would expect that this delivery would be seen as all the deliveries have been seen as a right for Ukraine to defend itself."
Sherman met in Madrid with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and other officials. She arrived from Turkey and was on her way to Morocco, Algeria and Egypt for a week of intense diplomatic contacts amid the war in Ukraine.
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PARIS — French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian criticized Russia’s offer of humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian civilians as a "trap" that could possibly lead to more bombing in Ukraine.
Le Drian referred to Russia’s tactic of bombing and then offering humanitarian corridors in the past, citing Aleppo in Syria and Grozny, in Chechnya. He said in such cases Russia’s proposal of establishing humanitarian corridors actually led to more bombings after negotiations failed.
"We must not fall into traps," Le Drian said Monday in France’s southern city of Montpellier after a meeting of European ministers.
"I’m even wondering if in Russian military schools there are classes to explain: ‘bombing, corridor, negotiations, breach (of negotiations), we start it all again’. It’s quite tragic but unfortunately it sends shivers down your spine," he said.
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TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s capital Tirana on Monday named a street "Free Ukraine" to express solidarity with Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion.
Tirana’s city hall council, or parliament, voted unanimously to rename a downtown street in the capital where the Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian and Kosovar embassies are located.
"The two conflicts: Serbia against Kosovo and Russian Against Ukraine are two marking points for the generations and memories of a modern Europe," said Mayor Erion Veliaj.
Albania has joined the European Union in the hard-hitting sanctions against Russian top officials and institutions. Last week, Albania joined the United States in initiating a resolution at the United Nations Security Council denouncing the Russian invasion.
"We have always aligned on the fair and glorious side of the world’s history, like we did once with the Hebrews, yesterday with the Afghans and today with the Ukrainians," said Veliaj, adding that 1,500 families have offered shelter for the Ukrainian refugees if they come to the country.
Albania was the only country during the Second World War to have more Jews in the end compared to the start offering them shelter from Nazi persecution. Last year, Albania was the first country to offer shelter to the Afghans fleeing their country after the Taliban regime came to power.
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NEW YORK — All four of the so-called Big Four accounting firms are now cutting ties with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Deloitte on Monday was the last of the four to say it will no longer operate in Russia, joining Ernst & Young, Pricewaterhousecoopers and KPMG in making similar announcements.
Deloitte said it is also cutting its ties to Russia-allied Belarus. The company said it is separating its global network of member firms from the firms based in Russia and Belarus.
Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen said in a statement "we know this is the right decision" but it will have an impact on Deloitte’s 3,000 employees in Russia and Belarus who "have no voice in the actions of their government."
Pricewaterhousecoopers and KPMG announced they were pulling out of Russia on Sunday, and Ernst & Young earlier on Monday.
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LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his government’s treatment of Ukrainians fleeing war, after France accused U.K. authorities of "inhumane" behaviour towards the refugees.
Johnson said Britain was being "very, very generous," but would not have "a system where people can come into the U.K. without any checks or any controls at all."
Britain says it expects to take in as many as 200,000 displaced Ukrainians. Very few have managed to reach Britain so far. The Home Office said "around 50" visas had been granted by Sunday.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday that hundreds of Ukrainian refugees in the English Channel port of Calais had been turned away and told by British authorities that they must obtain visas at U.K. embassies in Paris or Brussels.
Calling that "a bit inhumane," Darmanin urged Britain to "stop the technocratic nit-picking."
U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel denied Britain was turning anyone away. The British government confirmed Monday that it did not have a visa centre in Calais.
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BUDAPEST – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed a decree on Monday allowing for NATO troops to station on Hungarian territory in response to the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The government decree reaffirmed Orban’s earlier insistence that Hungary would not allow troops or lethal weapons to be delivered across its borders into Ukraine, but allowed for the transit of NATO forces across its territory into other NATO member countries.
Non-lethal aid, such as personal protective equipment, first aid and medical supplies and humanitarian materials, are permitted to cross into Ukraine from Hungary, according to the decree.
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ROME — Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Russia appears determined to carry on with its war in Ukraine until it can install a government "friendly" to Moscow.
Draghi was asked by reporters in Brussels on Monday if he thought there was still room for diplomacy. "Look, up till now, (diplomacy) hasn’t yielded any fruits. Up till now, the determination of Russia is very clear," Draghi replied.
Russia will proceed until "the country has surrendered, (and it) probably installs a friendly government and defeats the resistance," the Italian leader said. "That’s what the facts demonstrate."
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BRUSSELS — European Commission spokesman for foreign affairs Peter Stano said the EU would like to see China play a mediation role and convince Russia to stop its war in Ukraine.
"China has the potential to reach out to Moscow because of their relationship obviously and we would like China to use its influence to press for a ceasefire and to make Russia to stop the brutal unprecedented shelling and killing of civilians in Ukraine."
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LONDON — Leading Russian banks are looking into issuing cards that operate on a Chinese payment system after Visa and Mastercard said they would cut their services in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
Sberbank and Tinkoff Bank said Sunday that they are considering the possibility of payment cards powered by China’s UnionPay system. They told users that Visa and Mastercard will work within Russia but will stop working for payments outside of the country after Wednesday.
Russian banks are scrambling to find new ways to facilitate cross-border payments after a host of foreign companies suspended financial services, part of a larger move by the West to isolate Russia and cut it off from the global financial system.
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PRAGUE — Two Czech army convoys are on the way to neighbouring Slovakia to help the NATO and European Union ally cope with the wave of refugees from Ukraine
"We didn’t have to think twice and immediately met the Slovak request," Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said on Monday.
Over 128,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in neighbouring Slovakia since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have remained close allies following the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
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GENEVA — The UN human rights office says it has been able to confirm the deaths of 406 civilians in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
It said that another 801 injured civilians had been confirmed as of midnight Sunday. The rights office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has confirmed.
It says it believes the real figures are considerably higher, "especially in government-controlled territory and especially in recent days." Fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still need to be corroborated.
Ukrainian officials have presented far higher numbers.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine recorded 1,207 civilian casualties in the country (406 killed and 801 injured) between 24/02/2022, when Russia’s armed attack against Ukraine started, and Sunday 06/03/2022: https://t.co/iEKwvpmpYU pic.twitter.com/xahCT1i3RT
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) March 7, 2022
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NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that he hold direct talks with Ukrainian’s Volodymyr Zelensky, as it "may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts," his office said in a statement.
This is the second time Modi has spoken to Putin after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
Modi also called Zelensky, expressing "deep concern about the ongoing conflict and resultant humanitarian crisis." He thanked Ukrainian authorities for their help in evacuating more than 20,000 Indian citizens after Russia’s invasion and asked for the quick evacuation of Indians who remain stuck there.
Hundreds of Indian students remain stranded in Sumy in northeast Ukraine. They have shared several videos asking for help.
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BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is making clear that he stands by exempting Russian energy deliveries from an increasing raft of sanctions against Russia.
Scholz said in a statement on Monday emphasizing Germany’s support for tough measures against Russia that Europe has deliberately exempted energy deliveries.
He added: "Europe’s supply with energy for heating, for mobility, power supply and for industry cannot at the moment be secured otherwise." That, he said, is of "essential significance" for people’s daily lives.
The chancellor added that Germany has been working with its partners in the European Union and beyond for months to "develop alternatives to Russian energy." But he said that that can’t be done overnight, "so it is a conscious decision on our part" to allow companies to continue their involvement with Russian energy supplies.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. and its allies are having a "very active discussion" about banning the import of Russian oil and natural gas.
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WARSAW, Poland — Poland, the country receiving the largest numbers of refugees from Russia’s war against Ukraine, on Monday approved legislation offering financial help to refugees and allowing them to stay legally in the country for 18 months.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described helping the Ukrainians as the most important challenge Poland has faced in decades, and he argued that the efforts "cannot be only spontaneous."
Poland has accepted more than 1 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than half of the 1.7 million to flee.
Poles have sought to help fleeing Ukrainians in multiple ways, with volunteers showing up at the borders to feed and help people, and often to take them into own homes. Many have taken time off work to help, a form of assistance that will not be sustainable.
Under the new regulation Ukrainian citizens will have the right to stay legally in Poland for 18 months and will be allowed to work legally. They will receive medical help and get a one-time allowance of 300 zlotys (US$66) per person.
Polish citizens will receive 40 zlotys a day to house Ukrainians for up to two months.
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron criticized "hypocritical" rhetoric and "cynicism" from Moscow about offering to open humanitarian corridors to Russia for Ukrainian civilians.
"Humanitarian actors need to be able to intervene, so we must get full ceasefires when they intervene to place under protection women, children, men who need to be protected. And (we must) be able to get them out of the conflict area," Macron said Monday in an interview on French news broadcaster LCI.
The issue won’t be solved via "corridors which are being threatened right away (by Russia)," he said. Saying that "we are going to protect people by bringing them to Russia" is "hypocritical," he added. "This is cynicism" that is "unbearable," he said.
Macron addressed the issue publicly after the Russian task force said the new pledge for humanitarian corridors was announced at his request, following a call with Putin on Sunday. Macron’s office said he asked for a broader end to military operations in Ukraine and protections for civilians.
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VIENNA — The head of the UN nuclear watchdog is pressing forward with efforts to secure an agreement with Ukraine and Russia on the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, amid deepening concerns about the situation.
Russian forces took control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest, on Friday following an attack that set off a fire at a building on the site. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Ukraine has since informed it they tightened their control, with Ukrainian staff required to seek their approval for any operation and normal communications impeded.
The IAEA director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Monday that the conditions are "absolutely extraordinary," adding that "there is safe operation, but there are many, many questions on the ability to sustain this for much longer if we don’t support this in some way."
He called for commitments "not to go anywhere near a nuclear facility when it comes to military operations."
Grossi initially proposed talks at the decommissioned Chornobyl plant, the site of the 1986 disaster, which is also controlled by Russian forces. The Kremlin said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes talks could be useful in principle but suggested they could be held by videoconference or in a third country.
I told @IAEAorg Board of Governors that we need to do everything possible to avert a nuclear accident in #Ukraine. I’m working on my initiative to reach an agreement to ensure on safety and security of #Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants. pic.twitter.com/JXFQ27hAg4
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) March 7, 2022
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VIENNA — The head of the UN nuclear watchdog says that a neutron generator at a physics institute in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has apparently been destroyed but there has been no release of radiation.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said on Monday that the relatively new facility was considered "subcritical" and had "a very small inventory of material." He said it produced neutrons for scientific experiments.
The site was part of a cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine, according to Grossi. He said that "it’s a scientific institution, so it’s really very regrettable what happened."
Kharkiv has been under sustained attack by Russian forces in recent days.
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WARSAW, Poland — Polish government officials on Monday said that Poland has not, and will not, send its fighter jets to Ukraine to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia.
A deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, said in an interview on Radio Zet that: "We will not open our airports and Polish planes will not fight over Ukraine – Polish planes will not fight over Ukraine."
But separately the government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, indicated a final decision had not been made. He said that a decision on whether to send fighter jets presents risks and is a "very delicate matter."
The comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begged the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia’s invasion and retain control of its airspace.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Kyiv with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss.
Poland has been less than enthusiastic about the idea, at least publicly, largely because Russia has warned that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be seen in Moscow as participating in the conflict and could create a risk of retaliation.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet near the Turkish Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya this week.
Cavusoglu said Monday he would also take part in the meeting between Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine, which would be in a "trilateral format."
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of an international diplomacy forum in Antalya this week.
Turkey, which has close ties to both Russia and Ukraine, has sought to place itself as a mediator between the warring sides.
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VATICAN CITY — The Vatican says two cardinals dispatched by Pope Francis to promote peace will visit refugee centers in Poland and Hungary before going to war-ravaged Ukraine.
In the first details of the mission announced by Pope Francis on Sunday, the Vatican said Monday that both prelates will press the pontiff’s oft-repeated cry that war is folly.
Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungary on Tuesday. There, he will "raise concern that African and Asian residents in Ukraine, also suffering fear and displacement, be allowed to seek refuge without discrimination."
Czerny also will highlight "the sad similarity between the Ukrainians’ sufferings and the protracted conflicts that no longer attract the world’s attention," the Vatican said, citing the pope’s frequent denunciation of suffering in wars in Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, a Pole, travelled to the Polish-Ukrainian border on Monday, where he will initially meet with refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes.
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GENEVA — A top official with the International Committee of the Red Cross says one of its teams attempting to lead a group of civilians out of the embattled port city of Mariupol discovered that the road they were to take out was mined — a "hugely dangerous situation."
Dominik Stillhart, ICRC’s director of operations, said the incident underpinned calls from the humanitarian group for the fighting sides to "agree on the details for safe civilian passage, including what time, exactly what road, who can leave, and if medical supplies can come in."
"Without this kind of agreement the situation is extremely perilous for civilians," Stillhart said.
ICRC has been working to help facilitate the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, after a second attempt failed Sunday to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city.
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GENEVA — The United Nations’ refugee agency says the number of people who have fled the war in Ukraine has increased to more than 1.7 million.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday put the number of people who have arrived in other countries since the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24 at some 1.735 million. That’s up from more than 1.53 million on Sunday.
Nearly three-fifths of the total – nearly 1.03 million — arrived in Poland, according to the agency. Over 180,000 went to Hungary and 128,000 to Slovakia.
In Montpellier, France, EU foreign affairs policy chief Josep Borrell called on mobilizing "all the resources" of the bloc of 27 nations to help countries welcoming refugees from Ukraine, including neighbouring Poland and Romania. Borrell spoke ahead of a meeting of development ministers of the EU.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Monday for a global boycott of all Russian products — including oil.
"If the invasion continues and Russia does not abandon its plans against Ukraine, then we need a new sanctions package," Zelensky said in a video address Monday, including "a boycott of Russian exports, in particular, the rejection of oil and oil products from Russia."
"The international community must act even more decisively."
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says it will end transactions with Russia’s central bank and two sovereign wealth funds as it lends further support to a U.S.-led economic pressure campaign against Moscow over an escalating invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Monday the Seoul government will prohibit financial transactions with the Russian central bank, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Russian Direct Investment Fund starting Tuesday.
South Korea will also stop transactions with Rossiya Bank, which is one of seven Russian banks the European Union is aiming to exclude from the SWIFT global payment system, the ministry said in a press release.
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LVIV, Ukraine — A senior Ukrainian official on Monday rejected a Russian proposal to evacuate civilians from besieged Ukraine to Russia and Belarus.
"This is an unacceptable option for opening humanitarian corridors," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said at a briefing.
According to the Russian proposal, the only options for civilians fleeing Kyiv and its suburbs would be to go to Gomel in neighboring Belarus. Civilians in Kharkiv and Sumy in eastern Ukraine would have to flee to the Russian city of Belgorod.
Belarus is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and served as a launching ground for the invasion.
The Ukrainian government is proposing eight humanitarian corridors, including from the southern port of Mariupol, that would allow civilians to travel to the western regions of Ukraine, where there is no Russian shelling.
"We demand that the Russian Federation stop manipulating and abusing the trust of the leaders of France, China, Turkey and India," Vereshchuk said
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BEIJING — China’s Foreign Minister on Monday called Russia Beijing’s "most important strategic partner," amid its continued refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Wang Yi told reporters ties with Moscow constituted "one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world," adding "no matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era."
China has broken with the U.S., Europe and others that have imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. It says Washington is to blame for the conflict in Ukraine.
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VILNIUS, Lithuania — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a lightning visit to the three Baltic states that are increasingly on edge as they watch Russia press ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.
The former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are all members of NATO and Blinken aims to reassure them of the alliance’s protection in the event Russia chooses to expand its military operations to other neighboring countries.
Memories of Soviet occupation are still fresh in the Baltics and since the invasion of Ukraine last month, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies while the U.S. has pledged additional support.
Blinken’s Baltic tour opened Monday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, where support for Ukraine’s resistance to the invasion government is palpable with signs of solidarity with Ukrainians in many businesses and on public buildings and buses.
"Unfortunately, the worsening security situation in the Baltic region is of great concern for all of us and around the world," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Blinken. "Russia’s reckless aggression against Ukraine once again proves that it is a long-term threat to European security, the security of our alliance."
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to fight in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion. He did not say how many of the foreign volunteers have arrived in Ukraine.
"The whole world today is on Ukraine’s side not only in words but in deeds," Kuleba said on Ukrainian television Sunday night.
He did not name the home countries of the volunteers, saying that some of them forbid their citizens from fighting for other countries.
Kuleba also urged Ukrainians living in other countries to begin a campaign to push for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
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RELATED IMAGESview larger image
A police officer carries a young child arriving on a train originating from Odesa, Ukraine, at the station in Przemysl, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
A woman kisses a child after fleeing from Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, centre, Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, left, and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte attend a press conference at Downing Street in London, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
A Ukrainian woman dressed in military attire prays inside the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
