The latest developments on Ukraine-Russia tensions after Russia launched military operation against Ukraine on February 26, 2022
The latest developments on Ukraine-Russia tensions after Russia launched military operation against Ukraine on February 26, 2022
President Joe Biden has said that dictators who do not “pay a price for their aggression” cause more chaos. According to excerpts released on Tuesday ahead of his first State of the Union address, Mr. Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was premeditated and unprovoked.
The United Nations’ top court has scheduled hearings next week into a request by Ukraine for the court to order Moscow to halt its invasion.
The news of a fellow Indian dying in shelling in Kharkiv spread rapidly among hundreds of students glued to their phone screens and sheltering in bunkers in cities on the eastern border of the country that is witness to fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian militaries. The Indian embassy in Ukraine issued an advisory on March 1, urging all Indian nationals to leave Kyiv urgently, “preferably by available trains or through any other means available”, as Russian invasion continued its sixth day.
The first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded on February 28, without resulting in a deal. Both sides agreed to continue the talks, as Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged that the country be given membership of the European Union.
The United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council met separately to address the ongoing Russian invasion. At the emergency special session of the UNGA, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “Nothing can justify the use of nuclear weapons.”
At the UNSC, India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti informed the Security Council that the Government was sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Russia’s global isolation continued as the United States expelled 12 Russian diplomats staffing the U.N. mission.
More than 350 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed during the invasion, Ukraine says, while more than half a million people have fled the country.
The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.
Here are the latest updates:
India
Six flights departed for India in last 24 hours under ‘Op Ganga’: EAM Jaishankar
Six flights under India’s evacuation mission ‘Operation Ganga’ have departed for India in the last 24 hours, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
India launched the evacuation mission under which the Indians from Hungary, Romania, Poland and Slovakia are being brought back home after they exited Ukraine through its land border crossings.
Mr. Jaishankar said the flights that departed for India in the last 24 hours included the first one from Poland. -PTI
India
Visuals of IAF plane at Hindon Airport carrying humanitarian assistance
Visuals of a C-17 going to Romania and sending material to Ukraine
Visuals of a C-17 going to Romania and sending material to Ukraine
Ukraine
Russian airborne troops land in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv: army
Russian airborne troops landed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army said, adding that there were immediate clashes.
“Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv… and attacked a local hospital,” the army said in a statement on messaging app Telegram. “There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.” -AFP
Biden announces release of 30 mn barrels of oil to maintain global oil prices
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that his administration has worked with 30 other countries to release millions of barrels of oil from American strategic reserves to maintain the global oil prices in the midst of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In his maiden State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said his administration was taking “robust action” to make sure the pain of the US sanctions is targeted at Russia’s economy.
He vowed that his administration will use every tool at its disposal to protect American businesses and consumers. -AP
International
Oil prices surge $5 per barrel despite release of supplies
Oil prices surged another $5 per barrel on Wednesday after an agreement by the United States and other major governments to release supplies from strategic stockpiles failed to calm market anxiety over Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Benchmark U.S. crude rose $5.24 per barrel to $108.60 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Brent crude, the international price standard, gained $5.43 to $110.40 per barrel in London. -AP
USA
Japan
Around 70 Japanese have volunteered to fight for Ukraine: report
Several dozen Japanese men have answered a Ukrainian call for foreign volunteers to fight Russia’s invasion, according to a media report on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Sunday for the formation of an “international legion,” prompting dozens from the United States and Canada to volunteer.
As of Tuesday, 70 Japanese men – including 50 former members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and two veterans of the French Foreign Legion – had applied to be volunteers, the Mainichi Shimbun daily said, quoting a Tokyo company handling the volunteers. -Reuters
State of the Union: Unity on Ukraine amid division at home
Lawmakers gathered Tuesday at the heavily secured U.S. Capitol for President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address — some wearing blue and yellow ribbons and lapels in support of Ukraine — as attention turns from challenges at home to the intensifying war overseas.
It’s the first time all members of Congress are invited to the House chamber since the COVID-19 outbreak largely shuttered the Capitol and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection by a mob of the former president’s supporters tried to stop Biden’s election. Masks are optional now, but the security fencing is up, a stark reminder of the nation’s divisions.
The challenge for the president, and the lawmakers listening from the chamber, will be to address the crisis abroad will confronting the difficulties still at home.
USA
Biden to ban Russian planes from U.S. airspace
President Joe Biden plans to announce Tuesday night that the U.S. is banning Russian aircraft from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the decision.
The move follows similar action by Canada and the European Union this week. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s State of the Union speech in advance.
In remarks released by the White House in advance of the speech, Biden offers an ominous warning that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine. -AP
China
China says ‘highly concerned’ about civilian casualties in Ukraine
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing was “highly concerned” about the damage done to civilians amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Tuesday night’s phone call was the first high-level contact between Ukraine and China, which has neither criticised the actions of its close ally Russia nor called it an invasion. Mr. Wang did not do so either, although his comments expressing concern on civilian casualties marked the strongest from China so far about the actions of Moscow.
Russia
Russia excluded from more sports as sanctions mount
More and more sports are following the appeal of the International Olympic Committee and banning Russian athletes from competing in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia was barred from competing in international ice skating, skiing, basketball, track and some tennis events Tuesday, a day after being kicked out of soccer competitions and hockey — Vladimir Putin’s favourite team sport. The decisions follow the IOC’s request to international sports federations to keep Russian athletes out of events they organize.
The International Skating Union, the body that runs the sport around the world, said no athletes from Russia or Belarus “shall be invited or allowed to participate” in events until further notice. -AP
Russia
Boeing announces suspension of support for Russian airlines
American aviation giant Boeing on Tuesday announced it was suspending its support for Russian airlines and its operations in Moscow amid a growing backlash to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kyiv,” the Ukrainian capital, a Boeing spokesperson said.
“We are also suspending parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines. As the conflict continues, our teams are focused on ensuring the safety of our teammates in the region.” -AFP
International
World Bank, IMF racing to get aid to Ukraine in coming weeks, months
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank on Tuesday said they were racing to provide billions of dollars of additional funding to Ukraine in the coming weeks and months, adding the war there is creating “significant spillovers” to other countries.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass said the war was driving commodity prices higher, which risked further fueling inflation, and disruptions in financial markets would continue to worsen should the conflict persist. Sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe and other allies would also have a significant economic impact. -Reuters