Thousands of people took part in a demonstration in Berlin-Mitte to protest against the transfer of more weapons to Ukraine, and called on the German government to pave the way for negotiations with Vladimir Putin instead. In London, Marina Litvinenko – the widow of a defector who was poisoned in London – led a demonstration by several hundred outside the Russian embassy calling for Ukraine to win the war.
A meeting of finance chiefs from the group of the top 20 economies ended without consensus. with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document. In a statement at the end of the meeting in Bengaluru, G20 leader India said a statement calling for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine had been backed by all members except Moscow and Beijing.
The French President said China’s commitment to peace in Ukraine is a “good thing”. Emmanuel Macron told reporters he would visit China in early April, in part to solicit Beijing’s help in ending the war. “China must help us put pressure on Russia to never use chemical or nuclear weapons,” he said.
The US has information that the Chinese government is considering supplying Russia with drones and ammunition according to US officials for use in the war in Ukraine. They said Beijing has not yet made a final decision, CNN reported, but negotiations between Russia and China over the price and scope of the equipment are ongoing.
Poland’s largest oil company, PKN Orlen, no longer purchases oil from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, said its CEO, Daniel Obajtek. Orlen said it can supply its refineries entirely by sea and that consumers are unaffected by the disruption. Russian oil accounts for about 10% of Poland’s supply.
Explosions were reportedly heard in the Russian-held city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. said Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the city’s exiled mayor. The blasts were reported at the site of a large group of Russian military personnel, he said, adding, “It’s a good trend.” the effective range of Ukrainian missiles.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dismissed China’s proposal as “unrealistic”. to end the conflict. Podolyak tweeted that Beijing should not “bet on an aggressor who is broke [international] law and will lose the war”. President Zelenskyi has cautiously welcomed China’s 12-point proposal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but said it would only be acceptable if it resulted in Vladimir Putin withdrawing his troops from all occupied Ukrainian territories.
Russia seems to have used up its current stock of Iranian-made drones and will try to resupply. says the latest update from the UK Ministry of Defence. Russia most likely views the drones as “useful decoys that can distract Ukraine’s air defenses from more effective Russian cruise missiles,” it said.
The European Union has agreed to impose a tenth set of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. just in time for a self-imposed deadline for the first anniversary of the war. The latest round of sanctions affected the banking sector, advanced technologies and Russia’s access to technologies that could be used for civilian and military purposes, said the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell.
Joe Biden has “for now” ruled out sending American fighter jets to Ukraine. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “do not need F-16s now”. The US President told the American Broadcasting Company: “There is no basis on which our military now has a justification for supplying F-16s to Ukraine.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he and Vladimir Putin had long talks on Friday. Lukashenko’s comments to reporters came as the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed he is expected to visit China on Tuesday.
A former commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer in Oslo, according to the Norwegian Prosecutor’s Office. Andrey Medvedev, who has lived in Norway since fleeing Russia in January, was reportedly arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after a fight outside a bar in the Norwegian capital.
Thousands of tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest are to be given to Ukrainians who have been evicted from their homes and live in the UK. The UK government also announced £10m in funding to “help ensure the event truly reflects Ukrainian culture”.