- Russian energy giant Gazprom says it is still supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine.
- Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine could contaminate NATO territory, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warns, as the alliance meets in Brussels.
- US President Joe Biden is in Brussels for NATO, G7 and EU summits. He is expected to unveil further sanctions against Russia.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for global protests to demand an end to the Russian invasion.
- Zelenskyy also calls on NATO to provide “effective and unrestricted” aid for Ukraine.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow plans to sell its gas to “unfriendly countries” in roubles.
Here are all the latest updates:
15 seconds ago (09:27 GMT)
Turkish exports to Russia halved, exports to Ukraine near zero: Report
Turkish exports to Russia have halved, while exports to Ukraine are near zero, the Reuters news agency has quoted a Turkish Central Bank official as saying.
The remarks by the bank’s research and monetary policy general manager, Orhun Sevinc, were made during a call with investors and economists, according to participants cited by Reuters.
NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea. It has close ties with both countries and has attempted to mediate between the two.
1 hour ago (08:22 GMT)
Russia’s Gazprom still exporting gas to Europe via Ukraine
Russian energy giant Gazprom says it is still supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European consumers.
The company said requests stood at 104 million cubic metres for March 24, down from 106.5 million cubic metres the previous day.
1 hour ago (08:18 GMT)
EU’s Borrell: Russia has no interest in a ceasefire now
The Russian government has no interest in negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine for now as its army has not reached its military goals, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has said.
“Right now, Russia doesn’t want to sit and negotiate anything: What it wants is to occupy the ground,” Borrell said in an interview with Spanish channel TVE. “It wants to … isolate Ukraine from the sea. It wants to negotiate in earnest only when it has secured a position of strength.”
The EU and its allies will keep on delivering military aid to the Ukrainian army, Borrell said.
1 hour ago (07:59 GMT)
Russia lost 15,800 soldiers, 530 tanks and 108 planes: Ukraine General Staff
In the month since Moscow invaded Ukraine, it has lost some 15,800 servicemen, Ukraine’s General Staff of Armed Forces has said.
Russians also lost 530 tanks, 1,597 armoured vehicles, 108 planes, 124 helicopters and 50 drones, it said in a Facebook post.
It added that the data is being updated and cannot be verified because of the intense hostilities.
2 hours ago (07:57 GMT)
EU says assessing scenarios of potential Russian gas halt next winter
The European Union is assessing scenarios including a full halt to Russian gas supplies next winter, as part of its contingency planning for supply shocks, European Commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis has said.
“We are reassessing scenarios for partial and full disruption of gas laws from Russia next winter to help member states revise their gas supply contingency plans,” Dombrovskis told the European Parliament.
2 hours ago (07:54 GMT)
West to warn Putin in three summits
Western nations will warn Putin that his country will pay “ruinous” costs for invading Ukraine, during an unprecedented one-day trio of NATO, G7 and EU summits that will be attended by Biden.
The hectic day of summitry to maintain Western unity will kick off at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where the transatlantic defence alliance’s leaders will agree to ramp up military forces on Europe’s eastern flank.
Alarmed by the prospect that Russia might escalate the war, the 30 NATO nations will also agree to send Kyiv equipment to defend against biological, chemical and nuclear attacks.
2 hours ago (07:45 GMT)
Belgium to inject another billion euros into its army: L’Echo
The Belgian government has agreed – a few hours before a NATO summit – to inject an extra billion euros ($1.098bn) in its defence forces, on top of 10 billion euros ($10.98bn) already agreed, according to Belgian newspaper l’Echo, a move prompted by the war in Ukraine.
The new investments aim at reinforcing Belgian defence by 2030, including developing a cybersecurity unit in the Belgian army, replenishing stocks of fuel and munitions, military equipment and supplies, and improving intelligence and communication systems, the paper said.
NATO member states are supposed to spend more than 2 percent of their GDP on defence annually. Belgium is currently spending 1.2 percent and the latest investments will increase it to 1.54 percent.
2 hours ago (07:40 GMT)
NATO: Ukraine no-fly zone means attacking Russia
NATO’s Stoltenberg has said declaring a no-fly zone over Ukraine means the alliance would need to massively attack Russian air defence.
“Then the risk between a full war between NATO and Russia will be very high,” he told reporters before an alliance summit on the invasion.
2 hours ago (07:39 GMT)
Ukraine says seven humanitarian corridors agreed, no safe passage from Mariupol
Agreement has been reached on the establishment of seven humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian towns and cities, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says.
She said civilians trying to leave besieged Mariupol would find transport at nearby Berdyansk, making clear Russia was not allowing a safe corridor to be created to or from the centre of the southern port city.
2 hours ago (07:35 GMT)
Stoltenberg warns chemical weapons could contaminate NATO territory
Any use of chemical weapons by Russia in its war in Ukraine could cause contamination in NATO territory, Stoltenberg has warned.
“Any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict – it would be a blatant violation of international law, and it will have widespread and severe consequences,” he said ahead of the NATO summit.
“The seriousness of using chemical weapons, of course, becomes even more obvious knowing that there is a risk always for contamination… we can see the spread of chemical agents also into NATO territory,” he said.
2 hours ago (07:33 GMT)
Putin made ‘big mistake’ invading Ukraine: NATO chief
Stoltenberg says Putin made a “big mistake” by invading Ukraine, as leaders gathered to discuss overhauling the alliance’s eastern defences.
“President Putin has made a big mistake and that is to launch a war against an independent sovereign nation. He has underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and their armed forces,” Stoltenberg said ahead of the summit.
Stoltenberg said the leaders of the US-led military alliance would “address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term”, starting with agreeing on new deployments to eastern members Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
2 hours ago (07:30 GMT)
Bodies of Russian servicemen ‘endanger’ Ukraine’s environment: Official
A Ukrainian health official says Russia has not taken away many bodies of its servicemen killed in action, and the decaying corpses pose an environmental threat.
Russia “doesn’t need them, doesn’t take them away”, Anatoly Kotlyara, the top healthcare official in the northern Sumy region, was quoted by the UNIAN news agency as saying. He added that 10 railroad refrigerators had been commissioned for storing the bodies, but their arrival was delayed by the hostilities.
Most of the bodies Russia does take away are shipped to neighbouring Belarus and only then delivered to relatives, he said.
2 hours ago (07:27 GMT)
UK’s Johnson: Pressure could be applied to Putin’s gold reserves
The UK and its western allies will increase the economic pressure on Russia and are looking to see if more can be done to prevent Putin from accessing his gold reserves, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Ahead of the NATO summit, Johnson told LBC Radio that Putin had already crossed a red line and that he should appear before the International Criminal Court.
“We need to do more economically,” he said. “Can we do more to stop him using his gold reserves for instance, in addition to his cash reserves? “The more pressure we apply now, particularly on things like gold, that I believe the more we can shorten the war.”
2 hours ago (07:23 GMT)
Banned phosphorus bombs kill 4, destroy houses in Luhansk: Governor
Russia has used banned white phosphorus bombs to shell residential areas in the southeastern Luhansk region, its governor has said on his Telegram channel.
Four people were killed, Serhiy Haidai said, adding that the shelling destroyed 10 apartment buildings and 13 private houses, and set fire to 16 of them.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs, which cause huge fires and lead to severe injuries or excruciating death; the 1977 Geneva Convention bans their use if they endanger civilians.
2 hours ago (07:18 GMT)
Russian ship destroyed in occupied port of Berdiansk
A Russian ship has been destroyed in the Azov Sea port of Berdiansk, Ukraine’s defence ministry has reported, not specifying any details but posting a video showing huge plumes of smoke rising from the port.
The Orsk was a beachable landing support ship for paratroopers. The Perepichka news Telegram channel reported earlier Thursday that loud explosions were heard in Berdiansk, a town of 100,000 taken by Russian forces on February 27.
Berdiansk was crucial for shipping grain, vegetable oil and steel from Ukraine until Russia blockaded the Sea of Azov for Ukrainian and international vessels.
2 hours ago (07:15 GMT)
Ukraine: Russia stepping up airstrikes
Russia is stepping up its air attacks, with more than 250 flights registered in 24 hours, the Ukrainian military’s general staff has said.
This was 60 more flights than the day before, the authorities said. The main targets remain areas in and around Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian army said 11 “enemy air targets” were hit Wednesday, including seven planes, a helicopter, a drone and two cruise missiles.
2 hours ago (07:10 GMT)
Photo gallery: One month of the war in Ukraine
Click here to see the photo gallery marking one month since Russia invaded Ukraine.
3 hours ago (06:28 GMT)
Ukraine sunflower seed harvest likely to plunge 42 percent: APK-Inform
Ukraine’s 2022 sunflower seed harvest could decrease by 42 percent to 9.6 million tonnes due to a sharp decrease in sowable areas, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy has said.
Ukraine is the world’s largest sunflower grower and sunflower oil exporter.
“This reduction is due to the fact that much of the battles in the country are concentrated in the main regions of sunflower cultivation,” the consultancy said.
3 hours ago (06:19 GMT)
Turkcell: 10 percent of its mobile infrastructure in Ukraine disabled
Turkish telecoms operator Turkcell, one of three main operators in Ukraine, says about 10 percent of its infrastructure in the country had been disabled by Russia’s invasion, but added there was no damage to its central network.
Turkcell, which operates under the name “lifecell” in Ukraine, said in a stock exchange statement on Wednesday that some 10 percent of its 9,000 base stations in Ukraine had been disabled, but there had been no casualties among its employees.
The company said it had provided the necessary equipment to maintain operations and established backup data centres in Lviv and some neighbouring nations, adding that 45 percent of its retail stores in Ukraine remained open.
3 hours ago (06:01 GMT)
Japan considers doubling humanitarian aid, loans to Ukraine: NHK
The Japanese government is considering extending additional humanitarian aid of $100m to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, on top of the $100m it has already announced, public broadcaster NHK said.
The government is also looking into doubling emergency loans to Ukraine to $200m and dispatching Self-Defence Force medical officers to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland and other neighbouring nations, NHK said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he plans to unveil Japan’s new support measures for Ukraine at a G7 summit meeting scheduled in Brussels on Thursday.
4 hours ago (05:25 GMT)
UN to vote on blaming Russia for humanitarian crisis
The UN General Assembly is voting Thursday on a resolution backed by over 90 countries that blames Russia for the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and demands an immediate halt to hostilities, especially attacks on civilians and their homes, schools and hospitals.
Russia has denounced the resolution as “anti-Russian” and accuses its supporters of not really being concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground, saying they want to politicise aid.
The vote follows the Security Council’s overwhelming defeat on Wednesday of a Russian resolution that would have acknowledged Ukraine’s growing humanitarian needs – but without mentioning Russia’s invasion that has left millions of Ukrainians in desperate need of food, water and shelter.
5 hours ago (04:09 GMT)
Huge fire blazing in Sumy: Official
Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, governor of the Sumy region, says emergency workers have not been able to access the site of a huge fire that broke out in the city of Trostianets on Tuesday.
“For the third day in a row, Trostianets remains the hottest spot, fierce battles are going on,” he said in a video address.
“Due to the shelling and the fighting, it is impossible for firefighters to get there to extinguish the fire.”
The fire near Trostianets, Sumy oblast. Russian troops do not let Ukrainian fire brigades to put the fire out. Video – Dmytro Zhyvytskiy, head of Sumy Regional State Administration. pic.twitter.com/zxvDX2oBtZ
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) March 23, 2022
6 hours ago (03:52 GMT)
24 bodies recovered from rubble of Kharkiv building: Ukraine official
Rescue workers have now recovered bodies of 24 people from the rubble of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, which was shelled on March 1, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.
Rescuers are continuing to clear the debris, a spokesperson for the emergency service told local media.
6 hours ago (03:40 GMT)
Japan unsure how Russia will process rouble payments for its gas sales
Japanese finance minister Shunichi Suzuki says Tokyo does not know how Russia will handle the required rouble payments for its energy sold to “unfriendly” countries.
“Currently, we’re looking into the situation with relevant ministries as we don’t quite understand what is [Russia’s] intention and how they would do this,” he said in a parliament session.
Japan – which Moscow branded as an unfriendly nation along with the US and EU states – accounted for 4.1 percent of Russia’s crude oil exports and 7.2 percent of its natural gas exports in 2021.
6 hours ago (03:07 GMT)
Russian troops setting up ‘defensive positions’ outside Kyiv: US
A senior US defence official says Russian ground forces appear to be digging in and setting up defensive positions between 15 and 20 kilometres (9-12 miles) outside Kyiv, as they continue to make little to no progress moving towards the city centre.
In some cases east of Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have been able to push Russian soldiers away, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, claiming that Russian forces who had been 20 to 30 kilometres (12-19 miles) away to the east and northeast are now about 55 kilometres (34 miles) away.
The official said now Russian troops are exerting more energy and effort in the eastern Donbas region, specifically Luhansk and Donetsk.
7 hours ago (02:36 GMT)
Russian troops ‘kidnap’ esteemed theatre director in Kherson
Russian troops occupying the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson have seized one of the country’s most prominent theatre directors, according to Ukraine’s Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
russian terrorists in a brutal fascist way kidnapped the director of the Kherson Regional Music and Drama Theater, the deputy of the Kherson Regional council Alexander Knyha. We call on the entire world cultural community to make possible efforts for him quick release! pic.twitter.com/nZTglvryhd
— Tkachenko Oleksandr (@otkachenkoua) March 23, 2022
Witnesses cited by The Associated Press news agency said nine Russian military vehicles pulled up to the home of Oleksandr Kniga, 62, early on Wednesday and led him out.
Kniga was among many in Kherson who oppose the Russian occupation. On Monday, Russian troops used stun grenades and fired in the air to disperse a protest there.
7 hours ago (02:17 GMT)
Zelenskyy calls for ‘effective and unrestricted aid’ from NATO
Ukraine’s president has called on NATO to provide “effective and unrestricted” support to his country, including any weapons it needs to fend off the Russian invasion.
Speaking on the eve of NATO and G7 summits in Brussels, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “expecting serious steps” from the West and its Allies.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian skies are still not closed to Russian aircraft and missiles and that Ukraine has not received the fighter jets or modern air-defence systems it requested, and that Ukraine also needs tanks and anti-ship systems.
7 hours ago (02:13 GMT)
Dozens of Ukrainian orphans arrive in the UK
Dozens of orphans and their caretakers from Ukraine have arrived in the UK, where they are being given refuge following the Russian invasion of their country.
Aged between one and 18 years old, the 52 children came from orphanages in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Their escape from Ukraine was coordinated by supporters of the Edinburgh-based football team, Hibernian.
The flight from Warsaw to London, before onward transfer to Scotland, with the 52 orphans from Dnipro is in the air. Well done to @DniproKids and all those who have made this happen.
— Ian Blackford
(@Ianblackford_MP) March 23, 2022
The kids are ready to go… pic.twitter.com/5SsIeUQa7d
— Dnipro Kids Appeal (@DniproKids) March 21, 2022
7 hours ago (01:58 GMT)
Ukraine using facial recognition to identify dead Russian soldiers
Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says Kyiv is using facial recognition software to identify the bodies of Russian soldiers killed in combat and trace their families to inform them of their deaths.
Fedorov told Reuters Ukraine has been using technology from Clearview AI, a New York-based facial recognition software provider, to find the social media accounts of the dead soldiers then message relatives to make arrangements to collect the body, he said.
He declined to specify the number of bodies identified through facial recognition but he said the percentage of recognized individuals claimed by families has been “high”.
8 hours ago (01:51 GMT)
Ukraine’s agriculture minister resigns: Report
Ukraine’s agriculture minister Roman Leshchenko has submitted his resignation but did not provide a reason for doing so, according to the Ekonomichna Pravda newspaper.
His resignation will have to be submitted to a vote in Parliament.
Leshchenko told Reuters Tuesday that Ukraine’s spring crop sowing area might more than halve this year from 2021 levels to some 7 million hectares (17 million acres) versus 15 million hectares (37 million acres) expected before the invasion.
8 hours ago (01:40 GMT)
Russian journalist killed in Ukraine
Oksana Baulina, a Russian reporter working for an independent Russian news outlet, has been killed while filming in Kyiv.
The Insider, Baulina’s employer, said the journalist died “under fire in Kyiv”.
“She was filming the destruction after Russian troops shelled the Podil district of the capital,” it added.
ALERT: Russian journalist Oksana Baulina has been killed by missile fire in Kyiv, #Ukraine. She was reporting for the Russian investigative site @the_ins_ru. Journalists must not be targets of war! pic.twitter.com/3WlIpRMR80
— RSF (@RSF_inter) March 23, 2022
And now it’s someone I’ve known for 16 years and worked with at several independent outlets. Oksana Baulina, a Russian journalist with phenomenal sense of moral clarity, killed by Russian rocket fire on a reporting mission in Kyiv today. I’m yet to process this. pic.twitter.com/eUPuMoUw54
— Alexey Kovalyov (@Alexey__Kovalev) March 23, 2022
8 hours ago (01:20 GMT)
Ukraine carrying out ‘successful counter attacks’ near Kyiv: UK
The British Ministry of Defence says Ukrainian forces are successfully counterattacking Russian positions in towns on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv.
“There is a realistic possibility that Ukrainian forces are now able to encircle Russian units in Bucha and Irpin,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.
It added that these counterattacks will likely “disrupt the ability of Russian forces to reorganise and resume their own offensive towards Kyiv”.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 23 March 2022
Find out more about the UK government’s response: https://t.co/FPfp8ZAOdc
#StandWithUkraine
— Ministry of Defence
(@DefenceHQ) March 23, 2022
8 hours ago (01:10 GMT)
Australia concerned over Putin’s plans to attend G20 meeting
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has been raising concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia this year.
“The idea of sitting around a table with Vladimir Putin, who the United States are already in the position of calling out [for] war crimes in Ukraine, for me is a step too far,” Morrison said during a media briefing.
8 hours ago (01:03 GMT)
UK to send Ukraine thousands more missiles
The UK is giving Ukraine 6,000 more missiles, including anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry, as well as 25 million British pounds ($33m) to help Kyiv pay its military and police forces.
Johnson said the UK “will work with our allies to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defenses as they turn the tide in this fight”.
The UK has already sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
9 hours ago (00:53 GMT)
Mexican legislators create Russia ‘friendship’ group
Mexican legislators have created a “Mexico-Russia Friendship Committee” nearly a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Six legislators from the ruling Morena Party, to which Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador belongs, supported the creation of the committee.
Russian Ambassador Viktor Koronelli welcomed the move: “For us, this is a sign of support, of friendship, of solidarity in these complicated times in which my country is not just facing a special military operation in Ukraine, but a tremendous media war,” he said in an address to the committee. “Russia didn’t start this war, it is finishing it.”
9 hours ago (00:22 GMT)
WHO records 64 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has verified 64 incidents of attacks on Ukrainian health care facilities and workers since the invasion began, amounting to two to three attacks on healthcare per day, causing 15 deaths and 37 injuries.
“Attacks on healthcare are a violation of international humanitarian law, but a disturbingly common tactic of war – they destroy critical infrastructure, but worse, they destroy hope,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine.
“They deprive already vulnerable people of care that is often the difference between life and death. Healthcare is not – and should never be – a target.”
1 month since the Russian Federation invasion of #Ukraine began.
Almost 10 million people have been forcibly displaced.
The disruption to health services & supplies is posing an extreme risk to people with serous conditions.
Attacks on health must stop.
This war must stop. pic.twitter.com/fNJykRyQm5
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 23, 2022
9 hours ago (00:04 GMT)
US making contingency plans in case Russia uses chemical or nuclear weapons: NYT
The New York Times says the White House has assembled a group of national security officials to draw up plans for how the US and its allies should respond if Putin orders the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Known as the Tiger Team, the group is also looking at responses if the Russian president reaches into NATO territory to attack convoys bringing weapons and aid to Ukraine, the Times reported, citing several officials involved in the process.
11 hours ago (22:50 GMT)
Zelenskyy urges global protests against invasion
Zelenskyy has called for global protests against the Russian invasion, saying that Moscow is trying to defeat the freedom of “all the people in the world” and show that only crude force matters.
“I ask you to stand against the war starting from March 24 – exactly one month after the Russian invasion, from this day and after then,” Zelenskyy said in a video message in English.
“Show your standing; come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities. Come in the name of peace. Come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to sport freedom, to support life.”
11 hours ago (22:27 GMT)
Renault suspends operations at Moscow plant
French automobile manufacturer Renault says it has suspended operations at its plant in Moscow while it assesses options on its majority stake in Avtovaz, Russia’s top carmaker.
The move came amid mounting pressure over the French company’s continued presence in Russia. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had called for a global boycott of Renault.
Renault industrial activities in Russia are suspended as of today. To learn more: https://t.co/0cKrLsOgmI pic.twitter.com/6amDN3tefC
— Renault Group (@renaultgroup) March 23, 2022
11 hours ago (21:59 GMT)
Russia ‘does not care’ about humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: US envoy
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN, has slammed Russia for introducing a humanitarian resolution on Ukraine, which was defeated at the Security Council.
“Russia does not care about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions or the millions of lives and dreams the war has shattered,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“If they cared, they would stop fighting. Russia is the aggressor, the attacker, the invader, the sole party in Ukraine engaged in a campaign of brutality against the people of Ukraine.”
12 hours ago (21:37 GMT)
Expert says evidence so far raises ‘serious questions’ about Russian war crimes in Ukraine
James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Foundation’s Justice Initiative, says there seems to be ample evidence that at least raises “serious questions” of war crimes being committed in Ukraine.
“We are seeing more and more reports of indiscriminate attacks … attacks that are deliberately targeting civilians,” Goldston told Al Jazeera from New York City.
While the ICC is looking into the situation, the challenge lies in linking “responsibility to those highest authorities… The question is whether they can make the case,” Goldston said.
12 hours ago (21:29 GMT)
Russian-drafted proposal on Ukraine aid fails at UN Security Council
A Russian-drafted UN Security Council proposal calling for humanitarian aid access in Ukraine has been defeated with two “yes” votes and 13 abstentions.
Only Russia and China voted in favour of the draft resolution. The US and its allies voiced opposition to the measure because it does not assign blame for the crisis.
12 hours ago (21:16 GMT)
Biden thanks Belgium for supporting Russia sanctions
Biden has thanked Belgium for its role in supporting sanctions against Russia following his arrival in Brussels.
Biden told Prime Minister Alexander de Croo of Belgium that he was grateful for Brussels’s “robust support in the EU for sanctions against Russia and for ongoing coordination in providing security assistance to Ukraine,” a statement from the White House said.
13 hours ago (20:48 GMT)
First shipment from US’s $800m arms package to be sent to Ukraine this week
The first shipment from the US’s $800m arms package for Ukraine will be shipped in the next day or so, and will not take long to reach Ukraine, a senior US defence official has said.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, did not specify which systems would be included in the first shipments to Ukraine but said priority would be given to the kinds of defensive weapons already being used by Ukrainian troops.
“We are already aggregating stocks in the United States and we’re getting ready to ship them over there,” the official said.
13 hours ago (20:44 GMT)
Biden lands in Brussels ahead of key meetings with European allies
Biden has landed in Brussels ahead of NATO, G7 and EU summits on Thursday.
He is expected to announce fresh sanctions on Russia, while shoring up support for Ukraine among Washington’s allies.
Before he departed for Belgium, Biden told reporters as he boarded the Marine One helicopter at the White House that he sees “a real threat” of Russian chemical warfare against Ukraine.
13 hours ago (20:39 GMT)
More than 4,550 people evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Wednesday
A total of 4,554 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Wednesday, a senior official has said.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office, said in an online post that 2,912 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol in private vehicles.
A day earlier, Tymoshenko said 8,057 people had escaped from cities across the country.
13 hours ago (20:32 GMT)
US says it determined Russian forces committed ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington has determined that Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine, stressing that the assessment is based on information drawn from “public and intelligence sources”.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said there have been numerous credible reports of “indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians” in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began.
“Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the US government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” he said.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Wednesday, March 23 here.
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