Russia-Ukraine talks due as battle for Kharkiv rages – Live news

Singapore to impose ‘sanctions and restrictions’ on Russia

Singapore intends to impose “appropriate sanctions and restrictions” on Russia, foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan has told parliament, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

“Singapore intends to act in concert with many other like-minded countries to impose appropriate sanctions and restrictions against Russia,” it quoted Balakrishnan as saying.

He said Singapore, a major financial and shipping hub, would impose export controls on items that could be used as weapons to harm or subjugate people in Ukraine, the report said.

Sehen Sie sich jetzt Ihren Lieblingssport an!

Geben Sie jetzt Ihre Informationen ein, um loszulegen

Click Hare 

S.Korea bans exporting strategic items to Russia, joins SWIFT sanctions

South Korea has decided to tighten export controls against Russia by banning exports of strategic items, and join Western countries’ moves to block some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

Get a Year of CocaCola along With a Fridge!

Enter your mobile number now for a chance to win.

Click Hare 

2 hours ago (04:22 GMT)

Belarus prepares to join Russia invasion on Ukraine: Reports

Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine to support Russia’s invasion in a deployment that could begin “within hours”, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing unnamed sources.

A US administration official also told the Washington Post that Belarus is joining Russia to fight Ukrainian forces.

“It’s very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

2 hours ago (03:48 GMT)

Russian rouble plunges to all-time low

The Russian rouble has plummeted to a record low against the dollar amid an accelerating Western-led campaign to punish Moscow.

Investors flocked to safe-haven currencies, including the dollar and yen, amid the growing international isolation of Russia.

Read more here.

2 hours ago (03:42 GMT)

UN says Ukraine radioactive waste site struck

The UN nuclear watchdog says missiles have hit a radioactive waste disposal site in Kyiv, but there are no reports of damage to the buildings or indications of a release of radioactive material.

In a statement, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Ukrainian authorities informed his office of the overnight attack and the agency expects to receive the results of on-site radioactive monitoring soon. A day earlier, an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility in Kharkiv was damaged.

Sehen Sie sich jetzt Ihren Lieblingssport an!

Geben Sie jetzt Ihre Informationen ein, um loszulegen

Click Hare 

Such facilities typically hold low-level radioactive materials such as waste from hospitals and industry, but Grossi says the two incidents highlight a “very real risk.” He says if the sites are damaged there could be “potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment”.

3 hours ago (03:17 GMT)

Japan: Tokyo working on anti-Russian SWIFT measures

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says Japan was asked to join in measures blocking Russia from SWIFT by Western nations and was working with them to make the measures effective.

He said Japan will continue to cooperate with other nations, including the Group of Seven, but declined to comment when asked about sanctions on the Russian central bank.

(Al Jazeera)

3 hours ago (03:16 GMT)

Biden to discuss Russia’s Ukraine attack with allies on Monday

US President Joe Biden will host a call with allies and partners on Monday morning at 11:15am ET (16:15 GMT) to discuss the latest developments in Russia’s attack on Ukraine and to coordinate a united response, according to the White House.

3 hours ago (03:02 GMT)

FINA cancels World Junior Championships in Russia

Swimming’s global governing body FINA has called off the World Junior Swimming Championships that were set to take place in Kazan, Russia, in late August.

“FINA will not be holding any future events in Russia if this grave crisis continues,” the group said in a statement, saying also it had decided to cancel the biennial event after consulting athletes and stakeholders.

Switzerland-based FINA added that it would provide whatever practical support it could to members of the aquatics family impacted by Russia’s invasion.

Sehen Sie sich jetzt Ihren Lieblingssport an!

Geben Sie jetzt Ihre Informationen ein, um loszulegen

Click Hare 

3 hours ago (02:43 GMT)

Russia’s nuclear forces high alert is a ‘psychological ploy’: Analyst

Robert Hunter, a former US ambassador to NATO, said Putin’s decision to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert is meant as a warning to the West not to get involved.

“This is a psychological ploy to try to increase his leverage, as he decides how far he wants to go in Ukraine,” Hunter told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t believe it’s a threat at all, because the Russians would have just as much to lose, if not more, if they went in this direction.”

Get a Year of CocaCola along With a Fridge!

Enter your mobile number now for a chance to win.

Click Hare 

4 hours ago (02:30 GMT)

Two media companies in Canada drop Russia’s state TV channel

The two largest media companies in Canada have decided to drop Russian state TV channel RT from their cable offerings.

Rogers spokesman Andrew Garas said Russia Today will no longer be available on its channel lineup as of Monday. The Bell media company also is removing RT.

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has commended the action, saying Russia has been conducting warfare in Ukraine since 2014 and information warfare across the world. He added RT is the propaganda arm of Putin’s government that spreads disinformation.

4 hours ago (02:23 GMT)

Get a Year of CocaCola along With a Fridge!

Enter your mobile number now for a chance to win.

Click Hare 

Australia to provide lethal military equipment to Ukraine

The Australian government says it will provide lethal military equipment to Ukraine to help it resist the Russian invasion but gave no details on what material it may be sending.

The move follows an offer on Friday of non-lethal military equipment, medical supplies and a $3m contribution to a NATO trust fund for the country.

Australia has imposed sanctions on more than 350 Russian individuals, including Putin, since Thursday. It has also targeted with sanctions 13 individuals and entities in Belarus, including that country’s defence minister, Viktor Khrenin.

4 hours ago (02:18 GMT)

Blasts heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv

Blasts were heard in the capital Kyiv and the major city Kharkiv, Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection has said.

Kyiv had been quiet for a few hours prior to that, it said in a brief statement on the Telegram messaging app.

4 hours ago (02:02 GMT)

Ukraine calls for Russia and Belarus to be expelled from International Tennis Federation

The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has urged the International Tennis Federation to immediately expel Russia and Belarus.

The federation said the action was warranted given Russia and Belarus’ “unprecedented, cynical and bloody” attacks on Ukraine over the past four days.

4 hours ago (02:01 GMT)

Belarus votes to give up non-nuclear status

Belarusians voted to allow the country to host nuclear weapons and Russian forces permanently, results have showed, part of a package of constitutional reforms that also extended the rule of leader Alexander Lukashenko.

The agencies cited the Belarus central elections commission as saying 65.2 percent of those who took part voted in favour, while 10.07 percent voted against.

The new constitution could see nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil for the first time since the country gave them up after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia’s invasion kills 352 civilians, 14 children

Ukraine’s health ministry said 352 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed since the beginning of Russia’s invasion.

It also said 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been wounded.

Sehen Sie sich jetzt Ihren Lieblingssport an!

Geben Sie jetzt Ihre Informationen ein, um loszulegen

Click Hare 

4 hours ago (01:47 GMT)

NATO, US, must take Putin announcement ‘seriously’: Analyst

Jim Walsh, an expert in international security and a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program, said NATO and the US have to take Putin’s announcement on placing Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert “seriously”.

“If an adversary goes on nuclear alert, and you are a target of that, then you’re going to begin to make preparations in case your adversary moves higher along the alert chain,” Walsh told Al Jazeera. “But I think politically, it’s hard to believe that anyone takes it seriously,” he said.

“My guess is … that, in particular, people in the Pentagon, military officials, are reaching out to their counterparts in Russia in quiet closed conversations. I think back channel communication, reassurance – that’ll be the main emphasis, at least in the US and in NATO, because there’s obviously no reason for this to escalate into a nuclear war,” he added.

5 hours ago (01:22 GMT)

Google temporarily disables Google Maps live traffic data in Ukraine

Alphabet Inc’s Google confirmed it has temporarily disabled in Ukraine some Google Maps tools that provide live information about traffic conditions and how busy different places are.

The company said it took the action for the safety of local communities after consulting with sources, including regional authorities.

5 hours ago (01:21 GMT)

European subsidiary of Russia’s Sberbank ‘failing or likely to fail’: ECB

The European subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned Sberbank is likely to fail in the wake of sanctions, the European Central Bank has said.

“The European Central Bank (ECB) has assessed that Sberbank Europe AG and its two subsidiaries in the banking union, Sberbank d.d. in Croatia and Sberbank banka d.d. in Slovenia, are failing or likely to fail owing to a deterioration of their liquidity situation,” the ECB said in a statement.

5 hours ago (01:21 GMT)

EU chief says bloc wants Ukraine as a member: ‘They are one of us’

Ukraine belongs in the European Union and the bloc would like to see the country be a part of it in time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Euronews.

“Indeed, over time, they belong to us. They are one of us and we want them in,” Von der Leyen said.

Her comments came hours after the 27-nation EU decided to supply weapons to Ukraine, a first in the bloc’s history.

Get a Year of CocaCola along With a Fridge!

Enter your mobile number now for a chance to win.

Click Hare 

6 hours ago (00:23 GMT)

Satellite images show new military activity

US company Maxar Technologies has released a series of new satellite images that appear to show a large deployment of Russian ground forces, including tanks, moving in the direction of Kyiv, from approximately 64km (40 miles) away.

The images showed a deployment comprised of hundreds of military vehicles and extending more than 5km (3.25 miles).

The convey was northeast of the Ukrainian city of Ivankiv and included fuel, logistics and armored vehicles including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery, Maxar said.

A satellite image shows Russian ground forces heading towards Kyiv, February 27 [Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters]

6 hours ago (00:17 GMT)

Bolsonaro won’t condemn Putin, says Brazil will remain neutral

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declined to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, while departing from his government’s official stance at the UN to say Brazil would remain neutral.

Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, recently snubbed US entreaties not to visit Putin in Moscow ahead of the invasion, and angered Western allies by saying he was “in solidarity with Russia”, without elaborating.

At a press conference, Bolsonaro said Russia and Ukraine were “practically brother nations”. “We will not take sides, we will continue being neutral, and help with whatever is possible,” Bolsonaro said.

6 hours ago (00:12 GMT)

Next 24 hours crucial for Ukraine: Zelenskyy tells UK’s Johnson

Zelensyy told the UK prime minister by telephone that the next 24 hours are crucial for Ukraine, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

Johnson said the UK and its allies would do everything possible to guarantee that defensive aid reached Ukraine, the spokesperson said in a statement.

6 hours ago (00:10 GMT)

Ukrainian military says Sunday was difficult for its forces

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces described Sunday as “a difficult time” for the military, saying Russian troops “continue shelling in almost all directions”.

In an English-language post on Facebook, the general staff said defence force members in the Vasylkiv military airbase southwest of Kyiv were resisting artillery and other attacks.

Sehen Sie sich jetzt Ihren Lieblingssport an!

Geben Sie jetzt Ihre Informationen ein, um loszulegen

Click Hare 

6 hours ago (00:08 GMT)

Russia-Ukraine talks to begin on Monday morning, says TASS

Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will begin in the morning on Monday, a source has told Russian news agency TASS.

“It is not a postponement. The meeting will begin in the morning. The reason is the Ukrainian delegation’s logistics,” the source said.

Ukrainian and Russian officials are due to meet for talks at a venue on the Belarus border with Ukraine, Zelenskyy’s office said earlier.

Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Read all the updates from Saturday, February 27, here.

Get a Year of CocaCola along With a Fridge!

Enter your mobile number now for a chance to win.

Click Hare