All updates in Central European Time (CET).
11:06 | Uncertainty about the evacuation of Mariúpol this Friday
It has not yet been confirmed that the evacuation of the besieged city of Mariupol in Ukraine can take place this Friday, said a spokesman for the International Red Cross in Geneva. “There are many parties in action and not all the details have been finalized to ensure this takes place with reasonable certainty… It is not yet clear if this will happen today,” said Ewan Watson, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in regular UN contact with the press. AFP
10:58 | The humanitarian situation in Chernihiv was reported as “extremely difficult”.
The humanitarian situation in the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine is “extremely difficult” as its citizens have been without water, electricity, gas, heating and other basic services for more than two weeks. “The humanitarian situation in Chernihiv remains extremely difficult. Citizens endure and heroically live more than two weeks without water, electricity, heating and other essential means of communication,” the press service of the National Police of Ukraine published on its Telegram account. EFE
10:50 | Russia values India’s neutrality in the conflict with Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov thanked India for its neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict during a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday during his two-day official visit to New Delhi. “We appreciate that India is taking this situation in its entirety, not just from one of the parties,” the head of Russian diplomacy said in his statement before the start of the meeting. India has maintained a neutral profile since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has refrained from condemning the aggression in the UN General Assembly
10:47 | EU regrets Russian veto on European envoys
The European Union (EU) this Friday regretted Russia’s decision to impose a travel ban on officials and politicians from the Community and Member States in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Moscow for invading Ukraine. In a statement, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell deplored the Russian veto on a number of European Union nationals, including officials of the Community and Member States, as well as members of the European Parliament and the parliaments of EU countries, “as Retaliation for EU sanctions linked to Russian invasion of Ukraine.” EFE
10:09 | Australia sends armored military vehicles to Ukraine
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday that his country would send Bushmaster armored vehicles to Ukraine in response to a request made the day before by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to defend his territory against a Russian invasion. “We’re going to put them on our C-17s (planes) to make sure they can support there,” Morrison announced, without specifying the number of those vehicles or the shipping date. Australia’s announcement comes after Zelensky gave a virtual speech in Australia’s parliament calling for more military aid, reiterating the need for armaments. EFE
9:11 | The EU and China will discuss the war in Ukraine
The European Union is keen to persuade China not to help Moscow dodge Western sanctions at a summit on Friday where Beijing is trying to revive its economic ties with a Europe weakened by the war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel will hold talks via video conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and then President Xi Jinping. “The meeting will focus on the role we encourage China to play in exerting all necessary influence and pressure on Russia. It was not the original aim of the summit, but it has become one of necessity,” French State Minister for European Affairs Clément Beaune said on Tuesday. AFP
8:39 | Russia accuses Ukraine of bombing an oil depot
Russia today accused Ukraine of attacking an oil depot in Russia’s Belgorod region near the Russian-Ukrainian border, causing a huge fire. “The fire in the oil depot is the result of an airstrike by two helicopters of the Ukrainian armed forces, which entered Russian territory at low altitude. There are no injuries,” Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov was quoted as saying to Russian authorities. EFE
7:48 | Russia is preparing “powerful attacks,” says Selenskyj
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was consolidating its positions and preparing “powerful attacks” on the south of the country, including the besieged port of Mariupol, where a new attempt to evacuate civilians is being prepared this Friday. Russia’s announcement of a de-escalation in attacks on the capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv was met with skepticism by Ukraine and its western allies, who see nothing more than a troop deployment. “It’s part of their tactics,” Zelenskyy said in an overnight newscast. “We know they leave areas where we beat them to focus on others that are very important (…) and where it can be difficult for us,” he said. AFP