LIVE | Russia says ready for talks if Ukraine ‘lays down arms’

Ukraine

13:32

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was launching a major military operation in Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.

Western countries have imposed a barrage of international sanctions against Russia since then.

13:31

Lavrov said Moscow was ready for talks with Kyiv if the Ukrainian army surrenders.

“We are ready for negotiations at any moment, as soon as the armed forces of Ukraine respond to our call and lay down their arms,” Lavrov said.

He said the aim of Putin’s operation was “openly declared: demilitarisation and de-Nazification”.

Lavrov said that “nobody intends to occupy Ukraine”.

He denied Ukrainian claims that Russian forces had hit civilian infrastructure, despite widespread evidence of residential areas being damaged.

The Ukrainian army said Friday that Russian forces were approaching Kyiv from the north and northeast.

13:30:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday Moscow was ready for talks if Ukraine’s military surrendered, as he insisted that invading forces were looking to free the country from “oppression”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “took the decision to conduct a special military operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine so that, freed from oppression, Ukrainians themselves could freely determine their future”, Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

The comment suggested that Moscow intends to overthrow the Ukrainian authorities with its invasion.

09:19:

09:16:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russians to protest against Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine as Moscow’s invading forces reached Kyiv.

“To the citizens of the Russian Federation that are coming out to protest, we see you. And this means that you have heard us. This means that you believe us. Fight for us. Fight against war,” Zelensky said, switching into Russian in a video address. – AFP

09:15:

09:14:

09:05

Here are the latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

‘Horrific’ rocket attacks on Kyiv 

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba slams “horrific rocket strikes” that shook the capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, hitting civilian areas.

Russia deep into Ukraine 

Russia’s forces press deep into Ukraine, taking the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kyiv after Russian paratroopers took Gostomel airfield on the northwestern outskirts of the capital.

Ukraine ‘left alone’ 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country has been left on its own to fight Russia. “Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone.”

137 dead, 316 hurt 

Zelensky says at least 137 Ukrainian “heroes” were killed after the first day of fighting and 317 wounded, as he calls up conscripts and reservists nationwide.

‘Sabotage groups’ in Kyiv 

He warns that Russian “sabotage groups” have entered Kyiv and that he would remain in the capital even though he and his family were the Kremlin’s top targets.

Moscow hails its ‘success’ 

Moscow’s defence ministry says its forces have “successfully completed” their objectives for the first day of the invasion, earlier claiming to have destroyed over 70 Ukrainian military targets, including 11 airfields.

Refugees pour into Poland 

Refugees from Ukraine, including dozens of children, camp overnight at a train station in neighbouring Poland where reception centres are being hastily set up.

Russia controls skies 

Russia has “eliminated” Ukraine’s air defences and has complete air superiority but Ukraine is putting up stiff resistance, according to a senior Western intelligence officer.

Moscow arrests anti-war protesters 

More than 1,400 anti-war protesters are arrested across Russia, including in Moscow and St Petersburg, as they brave warnings that they would be prosecuted if they take to the streets.

EU’s ‘severe’ sanctions 

EU leaders agree to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine with “severe” sanctions targeting its financial, energy and transport sectors.

US measures… 

US President Joe Biden had earlier announced new sanctions on Russia, including freezing assets of major banks and cutting off high-tech exports to the country. He says excluding Moscow from the SWIFT international banking system is also an “option”.

…but no troops 

Biden says he will not send US troops but will “defend every inch of NATO territory”.

Japan ban on chips 

Japan is also sanctioning Russia, targeting semiconductor exports and financial institutions, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says.

Stocks rally 

Tokyo stocks close higher rebounding from previous losses following gains on Wall Street despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

-AFP

06:54:

06:50:

Facebook, Twitter highlight security steps for users in Ukraine

Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc has set up a special operations centre to monitor the conflict in Ukraine, and it launched a feature so users in the country can lock their social media profiles for security, a company official said in Twitter posts.

Twitter Inc posted tips on how users can secure their accounts against hacking, make sure their tweets are private and deactivate their accounts. The company tweeted the safety tips in English, Russian and Ukrainian.

Both social media platforms are often used by political activists and researchers to disseminate information during times of crisis. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday also raised concerns about the spread of disinformation about the conflict on social media.

With one click, users in Ukraine can lock their profile to prevent users who are not their friends from downloading or sharing their profile picture, or seeing posts on their timeline, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, said.

Twitter also shared information on how users can deactivate their account. As the conflict in Ukraine escalated on Thursday, social media users took to platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter to post videos of evacuation lines, helicopters in the sky and anti-war protests in Russia.

On video app TikTok, the hashtags “Russia” and “Ukraine” had 37.2 billion and 8.5 billion views, respectively. Reuters

06:49:

Western intelligence has said that Russia is seeking to mass “overwhelming force” around the Ukrainian capital and that Moscow has established “complete air superiority” over Ukraine.

Elsewhere, Russian ground forces moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east, forcing many Ukrainians to flee their homes as the sound of bombing reverberated.

Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces had “successfully completed” their objectives for the day, earlier claiming to have destroyed over 70 Ukrainian military targets, including 11 airfields.

Olena Kurilo was among 20 people wounded by flying shards of glass following a blast in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv.

“Never, under any conditions will I submit to Putin. It is better to die,” the 52-year-old teacher said, her face covered in bandages. – AFP

06:40:

US, Albania call for UN vote Friday on resolution condemning Russia

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a draft resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding a withdrawal of its troops, a text doomed to fail due to Moscow’s veto, diplomatic sources said.

The strongly worded text, proposed by the United States and Albania, hinges on chapter seven of the UN Charter, which allows for “action by air, sea, or land forces” to enforce international peace and security. But it will likely be dead on arrival because of Russia’s veto power as a permanent member of the council, diplomats said.

For Washington, however, use of the expected veto would show Russia’s “isolation,” said a senior US official, on condition of anonymity.

A vote on a similar text is expected to follow in the UN General Assembly, where resolutions are non-binding and where its 193 members do not have vetoes. According to the draft resolution, seen by AFP, the Security Council would condemn “in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine in violation of Article 2, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter,” which says all member states must not attack other countries.

The text, if adopted, would also require Russia to “immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” AFP

06:30

Ukraine said Russian forces had seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, an area still heavily contaminated with radioactive material after a devastating 1986 accident, prompting the IAEA nuclear watchdog to call for “restraint”.

Witnesses told AFP that Russian paratroopers wrested control of the strategic Gostomel airfield, on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv, after swooping in with helicopters and jets from the direction of Belarus.

“The helicopters came in and then the battles started. They were firing machine guns, grenade launchers,” resident Sergiy Storozhuk said. AFP

06:28:

06:20:

The United States moved to impose sanctions on Russian elites and banks, but stressed that US forces would not head to eastern Europe to fight in Ukraine, but would instead defend “every inch” of NATO territory.

Zelensky said there was now a “new iron curtain” between Russia and the rest of the world, like in the Cold War, adding in a later speech that his nation had been “left alone”.

“Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone.” AFP

06:19:

Invading Russian forces pressed deep into Ukraine as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kyiv and the West responded with punishing sanctions.

Russian missiles and shelling rained down on Ukrainian cities Thursday after President Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale ground invasion and air assault, forcing civilians to shelter on metro systems, with 100,000 people displaced.

Across Ukraine, at least 137 “heroes” were killed after the first day of fighting, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling up conscripts and reservists nationwide to fight in a general mobilisation. AFP

06:15: Ukraine has entered a second day under Russian attack. Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening dire consequences for any outside power that interferes.

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