Russia-Ukraine crisis: Venezuela assures 'strong support' to Russia

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. Jean-Jacques Kabeya is furious: like other foreign students in Ukraine -- from Africa, Asia and the Middle East -- he says has been stopped from leaving the country by its border guards.

. In rare backing for Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday assured Vladimir Putin of his "strong support" in a telephone call, according to a Kremlin statement.

In the call initiated by Caracas, the Venezuelan leader also condemned "destabilizing actions of the United States and NATO" and spoke out against a Western campaign of "lies and disinformation," it said.

Dozens of people have been killed and nearly 680,000 have fled Ukraine since Putin ordered his troops into the country last week after failing to get guarantees that NATO will not expand its military alliance eastward.

. Russia sees "no desire on the part of Ukraine" to try to find a legitimate and balanced solution to the problems between the two countries, Gennady Gatilov, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told Lebanese television in an interview aired on Tuesday.

. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday ruled out imposing economic sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and criticized what he called censorship of Russian media.

"We are not going to take any economic type of retaliation, because we want to maintain good relations with all the governments of the world and we want to be in a position to be able to talk with the parties in conflict," he told reporters.

. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during which the top American diplomat discussed Russia's attack on Ukraine and the importance of respecting the UN Charter’s principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

During the telephonic call Blinken also emphasised on the strong diplomatic ties between Nepal and the US.

"US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Deuba during which the top American diplomat discussed Russia attack on Ukraine and the importance of respecting the UN Charter’s principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," said an official statement.

. Russian flags and the playing of its national anthem will be banned in Formula One, the FIA announced on Tuesday in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The FIA had already cancelled the Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for September 25, last week.

It says professional drivers from Russia and Belarus can only compete "under the FIA flag" and in a "neutral capacity" until further notice.

Haas' Nikita Mazepin is the only Russian driver currently in F1.

. Tech giant Apple announced Tuesday a halt in all product sales in Russia, the latest fallout over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country," said an Apple statement carried by US media.

. NATO's chief said on Tuesday that, despite Russia's threats about nuclear weapons, the alliance sees no need to change its own nuclear weapons alert level.

The alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke to The Associated Press following talks on European security with Polish President Andrzej Duda at an air base in Lask, central Poland, where NATO's Polish and US fighter jets F-15 and F-16 are based.

. Britain said on Tuesday it was pledging another 80 million pounds ($106.5 million) towards aid for Ukraine to help it tackle a growing humanitarian crisis.

The extra funding brings British support for Ukraine to 220 million pounds, the government said.

Of this 120 million pounds is earmarked for aid and the other 100 million pounds, announced last month, is to bolster the economy and reduce Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas imports.

. US credit card giants Visa and Mastercard said they were blocking Russian banks from their payment networks following international sanctions in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"As a result of sanction orders, we have blocked multiple financial institutions from the Mastercard payment network," Mastercard Chief Executive Michael Miebach said in a statement released Monday night.

. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian and Russian delegations were unlikely to meet for planned talks on Wednesday, adding Moscow's demands to end its invasion were "unrealistic".

"They will most likely not meet (on Wednesday)," Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk. "It will most likely be postponed a couple of days, we are in touch with the negotiating teams," he said, adding he hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin would end the assault by realising the economic damage it causes to Russia.

. Five medical students, including four girls and a boy, landed at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport on Tuesday evening from war-torn Ukraine.

The panic-stricken students said that they heaved a sigh of relief after arriving here in Jharkhand and they do not want to recall the harrowing experience they faced in the last few days.

The students were identified as Ankit Kumar, Trisha Rana, Hafiza Samshi, Priya Priyanka, and Aman Tejaswini.

. Russian nuclear submarines sailed off for drills in the Barents Sea and mobile missile launchers roamed snow forests on Tuesday in Siberia after President Vladimir Putin ordered his nation's nuclear forces put on high alert over tensions with the West over the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Northern Fleet said in a statement that several of its nuclear submarines were involved in exercises designed to “train maneuvering in stormy conditions.”

It said several warships tasked with protecting northwest Russia's Kola Peninsula, where several naval bases are located, would join the maneuvers.

In the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia, units of the Strategic Missile Forces dispersed Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers in forests to practice secret deployment, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

. British finance minister Rishi Sunak called for his counterparts from the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations and central bank governors to do more to support Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion, Britain's finance ministry said.

"We must do what we can to protect the fundamental freedoms of Ukraine and its people," Sunak said.

. The Russian military advance on Kyiv has momentarily stalled, hampered by Ukrainian resistance as well as fuel and food shortages, a senior US defense official said Tuesday.

"We generally sense that the Russian military movement... the overarching movement on Kyiv, is stalled at this point," the official told reporters.

"We do think that some of it has to do with their own sustainment and logistics," the official said.

"And we also think that just in general... the Russians themselves are regrouping and rethinking and trying to adjust to the challenges that they've had."

. Approaching 6,80,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian military invasion on February 24, with the number rising rapidly.

"The number of people who have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries has reached 6,77,000," Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said on Twitter.

. An apparent Russian airstrike aimed at Kyiv's main television tower killed five people on Tuesday, officials said, knocking out some broadcasts but leaving the structure intact.

. Spain's leftist government said Tuesday it will allow in Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion and send another 150 troops to Latvia as part of a NATO buildup in the region.

Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez said Ukrainian refugees would be "full citizens" from the moment they arrived in Spain, notably "in terms of access to employment".

. A senior Western intelligence official briefed by multiple intelligence agencies estimated on Tuesday that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers have been captured or killed so far, and that Ukrainian forces have eliminated significant numbers of Russian aircraft and tanks and some air defense systems.

The official said that Russian forces have increased use of artillery north of Kyiv and around the eastern city of Kharkiv and northern city of Chernihiv, and have been using heavier weapons over the last 48 hours.

. Afghanistan and Myanmar are vote for a United Nations General Assembly resolution denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to diplomats.

Afghanistan -- ruled by the Taliban -- and Myanmar, which is run by a military junta, are represented at the UN by ambassadors appointed by the countries' previous democratically elected governments that were overthrown last year.

The Taliban and Myanmar's military rulers have named their own UN ambassadors but they have not been recognized by the world body.

. Workers of the Congress' youth wing held a candle march here to pay tribute to the 21-year-old Indian student who was killed in shelling in Ukraine's Kharkiv city.

The march was carried out from the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office to Jantar Mantar.

Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar died on Tuesday in shelling in Kharkiv which is witnessing intense fighting in face of a renewed Russian assault.

. The Haryana government has contacted 700 out of 1,786 students from the state studying in Ukraine, while 90 students have been brought back from the war-hit country, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday.

“The students of Haryana stuck in Ukraine will be brought back safely. For this, the Ministry of External Affairs and the government of Haryana are making dedicated efforts,” he said.

The chief minister said the state government has so far contacted 700 students through e-mail, WhatsApp and other media.

The Haryana government has contacted 700 out of 1,786 students from the state studying in Ukraine, while 90 students have been brought back from the war-hit country, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday.

“The students of Haryana stuck in Ukraine will be brought back safely. For this, the Ministry of External Affairs and the government of Haryana are making dedicated efforts,” he said.

The chief minister said the state government has so far contacted 700 students through e-mail, WhatsApp and other media.

. Multiple cluster bombs were fired on Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv on Monday, two munitions experts said after reviewing footage posted on social media.

Reuters geo-located two separate videos that show thuds and flashes over a wide residential area in the city of 1.4 million in northeast Ukraine. Reuters was unable to obtain the original footage to confirm the time and date of the recordings, which were posted online on Monday.

Kharkiv has been the target of some of the worst aerial attacks since Ukraine was invaded by Russian forces on Feb. 24.

. Respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states underpin contemporary global order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, sending out a message to President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, after a medical student from Karnataka became the first Indian casualty of Russia’s military aggression into Ukraine.

. After a medical student from Karnataka was killed in shelling by the Russian Army in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the envoys of Moscow and Kyiv to New Delhi were summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and asked to urgently ensure safe passage for all Indians from the war-torn country.

. NATO foreign ministers will hold emergency talks in Brussels on Friday over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the alliance said in a statement.

NATO allies have rushed to bolster their eastern flank after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack, but remain adamant that they will not get involved militarily in the war in non-NATO member Ukraine. - AFP.

. The intelligence arm of the Ukrainian defence ministry said on Tuesday that Russia was preparing a provocation to justify the entry of Belarussian troops into the conflict.

In a post on social media, it said it had data showing there were about 300 Belarussian tanks in Belarus near the border with Ukraine. - Reuters.

. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv was recalling ambassadors from fellow ex-Soviet republics Kyrgyzstan and Georgia over their government's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We are recalling for consultations our ambassador from Kyrgyzstan over a justification of the aggression against Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in a video on Facebook. -AFP.

. The Cannes film festival said in a statement on Tuesday that it would ban official Russian delegations from its 2022 festival unless the Ukraine conflict ends.

It added that the festival will only admit official Russian delegations if the Ukraine conflict ends in a manner acceptable to the Ukrainian people. - Reuters.

. The consignment comprised medicines, medical equipment & other relief material. Another flight tomorrow will carry a 2nd consignment, also through Poland. Besides medicines, we have a number of other items that are also there which will be of humanitarian use in Ukraine.

. The Paris Grevin Museum on Tuesday removed the wax figure of Russian President Vladimir Putin in protest against his invasion of Ukraine and after it was damaged by visitors over the weekend.

The statue, which was created in 2000, was moved to a warehouse until further notice and the museum is considering replacing it with a statue of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Today is it no longer possible to present a character like him...for the first time in the museum's history we are withdrawing a statue because of historical events currently under way," museum director Yves Delhommeau told France Bleu radio. - Reuters.

. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday British troops would not fight Russian forces in Ukraine, and that recent reinforcements were firmly within the borders of NATO members.

"These are nothing more than defensive measures, which have been the essence of NATO for more than 70 years," he said during a visit to Estonia where Britain has deployed more troops.

"I want to be crystal clear finally, on that point, we will not fight Russian forces in Ukraine and our reinforcements like these reinforcements here in Tapa are firmly within the borders of NATO members and they are profoundly the right thing to do." - Reuters.

. The US Secretary of State also told the UN that the Kremlin is also ramping up its repression within Russia.

. "Expressed my condolences on the death of an Indian student in Kharkiv today due to indiscriminate Russian attacks against innocent civilians," Michel tweeted

. 21-year-old Swathi, a medical graduate at a university in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, stood hours together at a railway station to board a train to reach the border from where she hoped to be evacuated by officials from the Indian Government.

. The European Union must prepare for "millions" more refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine after more than 400,000 have passed into the bloc, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Tuesday on a visit to Slovakia.

She said she hoped the European Council would activate the temporary protection directive on Thursday giving protection to those fleeing, and added they were looking at deploying more people to help the EU country's bordering Ukraine. - Reuters.

. NATO's chief says the alliance sees no need to change its nuclear weapons alert level, despite Russia's threats.

“We will always do what is needed to protect and defend our allies, but we don't think there is any need now to change the alert levels of NATO's nuclear forces,” Stoltenberg said. - AP.

. The operator of the Russia-led gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 said on Tuesday it had to terminate contracts with employees because of USsanctions.

. Ukrainians arriving into the European Union on Tuesday described their frantic journeys to the border after leaving behind husbands and fathers to fight a Russian invasion and escaping their homes to the sound of shelling.

. A draft resolution being prepared for Wednesday's emergency meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors strongly criticises Russia's invasion of Ukraine and already has majority support, diplomats said on Tuesday.

The board of the IAEA "condemns in the strongest terms the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine", the draft text seen by Reuters said.

The text is still being negotiated and could yet be watered down in order to gain more votes on the Board, diplomats said, adding that it had not yet been submitted.

. Russian forces have cut off the Ukrainian military from the Sea of Azov north of the Black Sea, the TASS news agency quoted Russia's defence ministry as saying on Tuesday.

The forces of Russian-backed separatists have reached the borders of Ukraine's Donetsk province and joined Russian troops, another agency, RIA, quoted the ministry as saying. - Reuters.

. Russian troops and pro-Moscow rebels have linked up in a key region along the Azov Sea coast in eastern Ukraine, a defence ministry spokesman said Tuesday, on the sixth day of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that rebels had "joined the military units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which took control of the regions of Ukraine along the coast of the Sea of Azov". - AFP.

. A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars is "very unlikely" to launch this year due to sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency said.

The launch of the Rosalind Franklin rover, whose mission is to drill into Martian soil to seek out signs of life, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to Covid-19 and technical delays. - AFP.

. Russia will strike sites in Kyiv belonging to Ukraine's security service and a special operations unit, Russia's TASS and RIA news agencies quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying on Tuesday.

The strikes aim to prevent "information attacks" on Russia, the ministry said, urging those near the sites to leave the areas. - Reuters.

. Red Cross agencies appealed on Tuesday for 250 million Swiss francs ($273 million) to provide food, water and shelter to millions of people in Ukraine where the humanitarian situation is "deteriorating rapidly" and to those who have fled abroad.

. At least 10 people were killed and 35 wounded on Tuesday in rockets strikes by Russian forces on the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said in a post on social media.

"The rubble is being cleared and there will be even more victims and wounded," he said. - Reuters.

. Belarus is deploying more forces on its border with Ukraine, state news agency Belta quoted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as saying on Tuesday.

"Those are well trained rapid deployment groups which are ready to stop any provocation and any military action against Belarus," Lukashenko said. - Reuters.

. NATO's Chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on Tuesday to end the war in Ukraine and withdraw all its forces, adding the alliance would not send troops or combat jets to support Kyiv as it does not want to become part of the conflict.

"The Russian assault is totally unacceptable and it is enabled by Belarus," Stoltenberg said on Tuesday after meeting Polish president Andrzej Duda.

"NATO is a defensive alliance, we do not seek conflict with Russia. Russia must immediately stop the war, pull all its forces from Ukraine and engage in good faith in diplomatic efforts," he added. - Reuters.

. China welcomes the beginning of talks between Russia, Ukraine, according to its foreign ministry.

. South Korea announced sanctions on Russian banks and other measures on Tuesday, a day after saying it would tighten export controls onRussiaand join the West's response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.The finance ministry said it would suspend financial transactions with seven major Russian banks—Sberbank, VEB, PSB, VTB, Otkritie, Sovcom and Novikom—and their subsidiaries subject to US sanctions.

. The UK government orders ports to block Russian vessels. The UK’s Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps announced the decision in a letter on February 28.

. Two more flights under the Operation Ganga mission, to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine from neighbouring Romania and Hungary, started from Budapest in Hungary for New Delhi.

. The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhayev, announced the blockade of the city by the #Russian military."The Russian army has set up roadblocks at the entrances to Kherson. It is difficult to say how the situation will develop further," he said.

. Microsoft's Threat Intelligence Center detected cyberattacks targeting Ukraine's digital infrastructure hours before the Russian military movement on February 24, Microsoft president and vice-chair Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on February 28.

Smith also wrote that these attacks on civilian targets raise serious concerns under the Geneva Convention, and that they have shared information with the Ukrainian government about each of them.

(The Kyiv Independent)

. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state communications regulator is blocking sites that write about Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Among blocked sites is the Siberian news site taiga.info which has called Russia's so-called 'military operation' in Ukraine a full-scale war.

(The Kyiv Independent)

. According to CNN, the WhiteHouse believes that the next stage of Russia's war will be the blockade of Kyiv in order to finally break the resistance of Ukrainians.

(NEXTA)

. The daily UN meeting revealed that the number of refugees from Ukrainein the EU has already exceeded half a million.

(NEXTA)

. US President Joe Biden said Americans should not worry about a nuclear war after Moscow put its nuclear deterrent on high alert amid a barrage of Western reprisals overRussia's invasion of Ukraine.

In response to a question about whether US citizens should be concerned about a nuclear war breaking out, Biden said "no."

. American lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ukrainians in the United States in connection with the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Senators Bob Menendez, Dick Durbin, and Rob Portman are among them.

(NEXTA)

. The Walt Disney Co said Monday that it was “pausing” the release of theatrical films inRussia, becoming the first Hollywood company to weigh in publicly on the matter and putting pressure on its rival Warner Bros, which is moving forward with the Thursday release of “The Batman” in the country.

. Taiwan has sent 27 tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine, the government announced Tuesday, saying it was extending a helping hand as a member of the "democratic camp" in the international community.

Taiwan has joined with Western allies in putting sanctions onRussiafor its invasion of Ukraine, and expressed cross-party sympathy for the Ukrainian people, seeing parallels with what Taipei views as Beijing's threats against the island.

. Ruptly, a Russian state-owned news agency based in Berlin, is facing a staff exodus after President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that is part of a broader contraction of Russia's global news empire.

Employees complained in an all-staff call that they were being prevented from describing the invasion as such, amongst other editorial objections, according to a recording of the call heard by Reuters . Russia says its military deployment in Ukraine is a "special operation" and has cautioned local media to use that terminology.

. The Treasury Department of the USA on Monday moved to further cut offRussiafrom the global economy, announcing that it would immobilise Russian central bank assets that are held in the United States and impose sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that is run by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his honorary taekwondo black belt over his country's invasion of Ukraine, a personal rebuke heaped on top of international economic and sporting sanctions.

World Taekwondo, citing its motto of "Peace is More Precious than Triumph," condemned the Russian military action in Ukraine.

. Ukraine on Monday said it had received donated Starlink satellite internet terminals from SpaceX, but an internet security researcher warned these could become Russian targets.

"Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk," Ukraine's vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, tweeted, days after asking SpaceX's billionaire chief executive officer Elon Musk for help. Fedorov's tweet included a picture of the back of a military-looking truck, loaded with terminals.

Musk tweeted back, "You are most welcome".

The terminals look like home satellite television dishes and can provide relatively fast internet service, by residential standards, by connecting to a fleet of satellites in low orbit.

. India is doing whatever it can to undertake immediate & urgent evacuation efforts of Indian nationals who are still stranded in Ukraine... this important humanitarian necessity must immediately be addressed: India at the 11th Emergency Special Session of UNGA on Ukraine

. Peaceful settlement of disputes has been India's consistent position; my govt firmly believes that there's no other choice but to return to the path of diplomacy: India's Permanent Rep to UN, TS Tirumurti, at 11th Emergency Special Session of UNGA on Ukraine

. Satellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

. Russia's stock market is "uninvestable" after stringent new Western sanctions and central bank curbs on trading, making a removal of Russian listings from indexes a "natural next step", a top executive at equity index provider MSCI said on Monday.

"It would not make a lot of sense for us to continue to include Russian securities if our clients and investors cannot transact in the market," Dimitris Melas, MSCI's head of index research and chair of the Index Policy Committee, told Reuters.

. The White House on Monday reacted coolly to a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a no-fly zone for Russian flights over Ukraine, saying US participation in such a move would be tantamount to a direct conflict with Moscow, which Washington does not want.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that implementing a no-fly zone would be a step toward sending US troops to fight Russia, whose forces began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

. An article of faith in global sports — that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments — crumbled Monday when executives worldwide moved to banish Russians from competitions and deepen the country’s isolation for its invasion of Ukraine.

. It's the most horrible & large-scale invasion since World War II... Russia keeps attacking kindergartens, orphanages, hospitals, mobile medical aid brigades & ambulances, with shellfire. This is action of a state determined to kill civilians: Ukraine at UNSC

. The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine to the eastern edge of the European Union showed no signs of stopping Monday, with the UN estimating that more than 5,00,000 people have already escaped Russia's burgeoning war against Ukraine.

. Over 5 days of operation, there hasn't been a single documented case of targetted destruction or evidence of the death of civilians caused by the Russian military... people are trying to blame us for what's being done by Ukraine itself: Russia at UNSC meeting

. Russian Defence Ministry confirms that all peaceful citizens of Kyiv can leave the capital of Ukraine without hindrance via Kyiv-Vasilkov road which is open and safe. This op doesn't impact critical civilian infrastructure: Russia representative at UNSC meeting

. witter will put warnings on tweets sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media, the platform said Monday, as Kremlin-tied outlets are accused of spreading misinformation on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Pressure is on social media giants to squelch misleading or false information about the attack, which has drawn fierce international condemnation.

Kremlin-run media outlets RT and Sputnik have both faced accusations of using false narratives in an effort to argue in favour of war.

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the BJP's foreign affairs department and also reached out to several spiritual leaders and other organisations for helping the Indian students stranded in Ukraine as part of the government's all-out efforts to evacuate them from the war-hit country.

. Americans should not be worried about nuclear war, US President Joe Biden said on Monday, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert amid Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is among 26 prominent people sanctioned by the European Union for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the decision published on Monday on the EU's official journal.

The listings include oligarchs and businessmen active in the oil, banking and finance sectors, as well as government members, high-level military people, and "propagandists who contributed to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda," the EU said in a statement.

. With Ukraine pleading to be allowed to join the European Union as Russia invades, we look at the bloc's history of expansion and its crowded waiting room.

The European bloc, which began with six countries in 1957, has expanded several times with some of the most geopolitically sensitive additions coming since 1995.

. President Vladimir Putin's order to place Russia's strategic forces on high alert has served as a stark reminder that he commands what experts agree is the world's biggest nuclear arsenal.

Here is a snapshot of Russia's nuclear capabilities, and how a strike might be launched.

. Given that safety of Indian nationals is of paramount importance to my govt, senior ministers from GoI are being deployed as Special Envoys to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. We stand ready to help neighbours stranded in Ukraine: India at UNSC meeting

. The first round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting between Ukraine and Russia ended Monday with no agreement except to keep talking, while an increasingly isolated Moscow ran into unexpectedly fierce resistance on the ground and economic havoc at home.

. India on Monday decided to send relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation along its bordering areas arising out of tens of thousands of people attempting to flee the Russian invasion.

After a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that reviewed the efforts to bring back Indians from Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the relief supplies will be sent on Tuesday.

. Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine tweets, "400 students housed near Embassy since 24 Feb successfully left Kyiv by train... Ensured movement of more than 1000 Indian students from Kyiv towards Western Ukraine, today. Advised the remaining in Kyiv to leave once curfew is lifted."

. Indian students in the UK have mobilised their networks across Europe to facilitate the evacuation of fellow students stranded in Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Thousands have been attempting to cross the border into neighbouring regions of Poland, Slovakia and Romania to be flown out on one of the Operation Ganga rescue flights, launched by the government to evacuate Indians from the conflict zone.

. The presidents of eight central and eastern European nations on Monday called on European Union member states to immediately grant Ukraine a EU candidate country status and open membership talks according to an open letter published on Monday.

"We, the Presidents of the EU member states: the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Poland, the Slovak Republic, and the Republic of Slovenia strongly believe that Ukraine deserves receiving an immediate EU accession perspective," the letter said.

. The ministry added that the steps the European Union has taken against Russia will not be left without a harsh response.

. NASA is exploring ways to keep the International Space Station in orbit without Russian help, but doesn't see any immediate signs Moscow is withdrawing from the collaboration following the invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said Monday.

Kathy Lueders, who heads the agency's human spaceflight program, told reporters on a call that operations on the research platform were proceeding "nominally" and "we're not getting any indications at a working level that our counterparts are not committed."

. Russia on Monday criticised its expulsion from the World Cup and the suspension of its teams from all international competitions as "discriminatory," in response to the latest international measure against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

"It has an obvious discriminatory character and harms a huge number of athletes, coaches, employees of clubs and national teams, and most importantly, millions of Russian and foreign fans, whose interests international sports organisations must protect in the first place," the Russian Football Union said in a statement.

. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday levelled conditions on ending Moscow's offensive against Ukraine as Russian forces shelled the country's second city in the face of sweeping Western sanctions.

The Russian attacks on Kharkiv killed at least 11 people, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv says more than 350 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed since the invasion began on Thursday. The United Nations said more than half a million people have fled the country.

. India's top lender will not process any transactions involving Russian entities subject to international sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, according to a letter seen by Reuters and people familiar with the matter.

"No transactions involving entities, banks, ports or vessels appearing" on a US, European Union or United Nations sanctions list shall be processed irrespective of the currency of the transaction, said a letter sent by State Bank of India (SBI) to certain clients.

. The Centre is taking all steps to rescue Tamil Nadu students stranded in Ukraine and they would be brought to India soon, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar assured Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday. The minister gave the assurance to ensure the safe return of students from the state during a telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister.

. President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday repeated that Turkey could not abandon its ties with Russia or Ukraine, amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, adding Ankara would implement a pact on passage from its straits to prevent an escalation of the war.

. Finland has taken the "historic" decision to supply weapons to Ukraine following Russia's invasion of its pro-Western neighbour, the country's prime minister announced Monday.

"Finland is going to supply military assistance to Ukraine," Sanna Marin told reporters. "It is a historic decision for Finland."

. The UK on Monday said it will introduce further sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, promising a "full assets freeze" on all of the country's banks.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the freeze would take effect "in days", as part of new legislation to squeeze Russia's economy for its "unjustified aggression".

. Russian President Vladimir Putin has no assets abroad, the Kremlin said on Monday, dismissing as "absurd and short-sighted" the personal sanctions slapped on him by the US and its Western allies for ordering a full-fledged military offensive against Ukraine.

"He is quite indifferent," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked how Putin takes personal restrictions, adding that the president annually declares all his property.

. Russian and Ukrainian officials met for talks Monday amid high hopes but low expectations for any diplomatic breakthrough, after Moscow ran into unexpectedly stiff resistance when it unleashed the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.

Outgunned Ukrainian forces managed slow the Russian advance and Western sanctions began to squeeze the Russian economy, but the Kremlin again raised the specter of nuclear war, reporting that its land, air and sea nuclear forces were on high alert following President Vladimir Putin's weekend order.

Stepping up his rhetoric, Putin denounced the US and its allies as an “empire of lies.”

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked four union ministers to travel to the four nations neighbouring Ukraine for guiding and coordinating the implementation of “Operation Ganga”, which was launched to evacuate citizens of India from the war-torn East European nation.

. The decision covers all existing agreements including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA national team competitions, and UEFA EURO 2024.

. Russian President VladimirPutinordered a ban on foreign exchange loans and transfers by Russian residents to outside of Russia from March 1, the Kremlin said on Monday, in retaliation for economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West.

Putinalso signed into a law an order for exporting companies to sell 80% of their forex revenues received from Jan 1, 2022, on the market.

. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an application for the membership of Ukraine in the European Union, announces Parliament of Ukraine (ANI)

. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says France is getting ready to seize all assets of Russian officials and business leaders who are being targeted by EU sanctions.

Le Maire said France is in the process of listing property including financial assets, real estate, yachts and luxury cars.

French authorities are also seeking to identify other Russian individuals who could be added into the EU list of people targeted by sanctions due to “their proximity with the Russian leadership,” he added. - AP.

. Talks betweenUkraineand Russia are continuing at the Belarussian border, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter on Monday.

Negotiations started earlier in the day.Ukraine's goal is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces fromUkraine, according to the presidency.

. HelpingUkraineis the highest priority of Monday's emergency meeting of European Union energy ministers, France's ecological transition minister Barbara Pompili told reporters on her arrival to the meeting in Brussels.

Pompili added that the EU had enough short-term oil and gas capacities in stock to deal with any short-term disruption to energy supplies following Russia's invasion ofUkraine.

. The International Olympic Committee said on Monday its executive board had recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.

. The United Nations Security Council on Sundaygave a green light for the first emergency session of the General Assembly since 1982 that will be held later tonight.

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Venezuela assures 'strong support' to Russia

Thank you for following the live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine invasion on DH.

Foreign students stuck at Ukraine border complain of racism

Russia receives Venezuela's 'strong support'

Russia sees 'no desire' from Ukraine to find legitimate solution

Americans' approval of US President Joe Biden's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine rose over the past week, with 43% saying they approve in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday, up from 34% last week.

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