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       Putin orders Russia's nuclear deterrence forces on 'high alert'

       Belarus says it will host the first peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations at its border today, five days after Vladimir Putin ordered the start of the invasion.

       It comes as Monday morning brought havoc to Russian markets, with the ruble plummeting to a historic low and the opening of stock market trading delayed until the late afternoon.

       Late on Sunday president Volodymyr Zelensky said that the next 24 hours would be a “crucial period” for Ukraine, as he spoke on a call with Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson pledged more military aid to the embattled nation.

       Russian troops made limited headway overnight and attacked buildings in Kyiv and Kharkiv but the night was reported to be comparatively quieter.

       Earlier on Sunday Mr Putin placed Russia’s nuclear deterrent on “high alert”, in response to what he called aggressive statements by Nato leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow.

       Recommended The conflict between Russia and Ukraine explained What are thermobaric rockets? New weapon ‘Putin could unleash on Ukraine’ Ukrainian man offers to tow enemy tank back to Russia after it runs out of fuel

       Key Points Belarus ready to host Russia-Ukraine negotiations Putin places Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces on 'high alert' EU bans Russian planes, state media, and imposes sanctions on Belarus Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes, submits application to the Hague

       Show latest update 1646037920 Latvia allows its citizens to fight in Ukraine

       Latvia's parliament voted unanimously on Monday to allow its nationals to fight in Ukraine if willing, the parliament said in a statement.

       "Our citizens who want to support Ukraine and volunteer to serve there to defend Ukraine's independence and our common security must be able to do so," said Juris Rancanis, chairman of the parliamentary defence, home affairs and corruption prevention commission, which drafted the law.

       (AP)

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:45

       1646037274 Ukraine’s delegation arrive in Belarus for peace talks with Russia

       The Ukrainian delegation have arrived at the Belarusian border for peace talk with their Russian counterparts, the president’s office has confirmed.

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:34

       1646037020 Japanese billionaire donates 1 billion yen to Ukraine and calls Russian invasion ‘challenge to democracy’

       A Japanese billionaire pledged one billion yen (￡6.5m) to the government of Ukraine for humanitarian aid in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country.

       Hiroshi Mikitani, the founder and CEO of Rakuten, a Japanese company that specialises in e-trade and other online services, announced on Twitter on Sunday that he wrote to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky informing him of his decision to donate the amount.

       “Consulting with my family, we Mikitani family, have decided to donate 1 billion yen to Ukraine,” he wrote.

       Our reporter, Sravasti Dasgupta, has the full report below:

       Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani donates 1 billion yen to Ukraine Hiroshi Mikitani promises the sum in a letter to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:30

       1646036120 China opposes sanctions after Swift ban on Russian banks

       China's foreign ministry on Monday reiterated its opposition to the use of what it calls illegal and unilateral sanctions, after western countries moved to block some Russian banks from the Swift international payments system.

       Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was speaking at a regular daily news briefing.

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:15

       1646035820 UK says Putin nuclear remarks aimed to distract from Ukraine troubles

       Russian president Vladimir Putin's nuclear deterrent alert is rhetoric designed to distract from the invasion of Ukraine and not linked practical steps to increase readiness to use the weapons, British defence secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday.

       Mr Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday, which the United States said served to escalate the war with "dangerous rhetoric".

       "He's made this comment. We keep it under review," Wallace told Sky News after Putin said he was putting Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert.

       "But you know, what we shouldn't really forget is that this is a big attempt to distract away from his troubles in Ukraine by just deploying into the sort of media space these phrases."

       (PA/Kremlin/EPA)

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:10

       1646035220 Ukrainian soldiers adopt freezing puppy who now stands guard for them

       In the middle of all the fighting, there was a moment when the kindness of Ukrainian soldiers won everyone’s heart.

       In a video shared widely, Ukrainian soldiers were seen bringing in a puppy standing outside alone in the cold. In the minute-long video, soldiers, who named the pup, can be heard saying, “He is our protector, right Rambo?”

       Our reporter, Maroosha Muzaffar, has the full story below:

       Ukrainian soldiers adopt freezing puppy who now stands guard for them The pup is doing its job very well, Ukrainian soldiers who rescued it say

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 08:00

       1646034952 Russian central bank moves to stem plunge in ruble

       Russia's central bank sharply raised its key rate Monday in a desperate attempt to shore up the plummeting ruble and prevent the run of banks amid crippling western sanctions over the Russian war in Ukraine.

       The bank hiked the benchmark rate to 20 per cent from 8.5 per cent. That followed a Western decision Sunday to freeze Russia's hard currency reserves, an unprecedented move that could have devastating consequences for the country's financial stability.

       It was unclear exactly what share of Russia's estimated $640 billion hard currency coffers would be paralyzed by the decision by western nations to block Russian banks from the Swift global payment system. European officials said that at least half of it will be affected.

       (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 07:55

       1646034400 Belarus president blames western sanctions ‘for pushing Russia into Third World War’

       Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has warned that the West is “pushing Russia into World War Three” by imposing sanctions on the country.

       Mr Lukashenko said, “Now there is a lot of talk against the banking sector, gas, oil, Swift. It’s worse than war. This is pushing Russia into a Third World War. We need to be restrained here so as not to get into trouble. Because nuclear war is the end of everything”.

       The comments come after president Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert citing “aggressive statements” by Nato and tough financial sanctions.

       Our reporter, Thomas Kingsley, has the full story below:

       Belarus president blames western sanctions ‘for pushing Russia into Third World War’ Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has warned that the West is “pushing Russia into World War Three” by imposing sanctions on the country.

       Thomas Kingsley 28 February 2022 07:46

       1646032513 Rishi Sunak announces fresh sanctions on Russian central bank

       British chancellor Rishi Sunak said the UK is imposing fresh sanctions against Russia, barring British entities from undertaking transactions with the Russian central bank, finance ministry wealth fund.

       “In conjunction with our allies, I am taking immediate steps to impose new financial sanctions on the Central Bank of Russia, Russian National Wealth Fund, and the Ministry of Finance,” Mr Sunak said today.

       He added that the UK will continue to “support the Ukrainian people in bringing this unjust war to an end”.

       The fresh tranche also imposes restrictions on Russian financial institutions,

       They also include “measures to prevent Russian companies from issuing transferable securities and money market instruments in the UK,” a statement released today read.

       These restrictions are in addition to the prohibition of the Russian state raising sovereign debt in the UK already announced, it added.

       The UK also said it the measures will include a “power to prevent designated banks from accessing Sterling and clearing payments through the UK”.

       “This will match the power the US already has. Banks subject to this measure will be unable to process any payments through the UK or have access to UK financial markets,” the statement added.

       Arpan Rai 28 February 2022 07:15

       1646030471 Ukraine crisis poses dilemma for India as it walks a tightrope between Russia and the west

       India’s balancing act on the Ukraine-Russia crisis is getting more difficult by the day, as its attempts to avoid harming itself diplomatically see it increasingly more isolated.

       India was alongside only China and the UAE in abstaining on a UN Security Council vote on Ukraine, while Russia vetoed the measure on Friday. All other 11 members voted in favour.

       Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is in a tight spot: on the one side he has Russia — a “time-tested” and “reliable” ally — and on the other it has a battery of vital trading partners including the US, UK and European Union which keep India afloat in the global markets.

       In Delhi, fears are growing that while India sits on the fence in this crisis, arch-rival China could be using the conflict to its advantage.

       Read Shweta Sharma’s report from Delhi here:

       Ukraine crisis poses a dilemma as India walks a tightrope between Russia and the west India has stayed largely silent on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as it tries to remain neutral between Moscow and the west amid fears that its arch-rival China could take advantage of the conflict, reports Shweta Sharma

       Arpan Rai 28 February 2022 06:41

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