Russia-Ukraine War (LIVE BLOG)

Update from Russia-Ukraine conflict. (Photo: PC)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Due to the lack of credible information emerging from the Russian-Ukrainian war, The Palestine Chronicle offers its readers a regularly updated live blog, based on information provided by international media, news agencies, and social media statements.

Some of the information below is also translated from French, Arabic and other languages, to provide a rounded view of the ongoing conflict. 

What is being described as a ‘Russian invasion’ by Western and other media, is depicted as a ‘special operation’ by the Kremlin. While Ukrainian and Russian media argue that the ‘Russian invasion’ is completely unprovoked, Russia and its supporters refute the claim, arguing instead that Russian-speaking people in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions have been living under a state of war waged by the Ukrainian military and militias for the last eight years.

BLOG CLOSED

March 3, 1:50 pm GMT

TASS: Ukrainian delegation has arrived for talks

The Ukrainian delegation has arrived for talks with the Russian side in Belarus’ Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

March 3, 10:50 am GMT

Russian FM Lavrov: Russia is ready for dialogue on basis of equality, and taking into account each other’s interests 

“I am sure our western will calm down and we will be ready to pursue dialogue,” Sergey Lavrov told RT while addressing foreign media.

March 3, 10:50 am GMT

Russian FM Lavrov: Russia is ready for dialogue on basis of equality, and taking into account each other’s interests 

Sergey Lavrov added that Russia’s requests are minimal and that President Putin has been consistent with his position.

March 3, 12;55 pm GMT

Palestine Chronicle citing Times of Israel: Ukrainian Refugees Detained in Israel, Held at Airport, Ambassador Says

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk expressed “disappointment” at news that “Ukrainian refuge-seekers were being detained upon arrival in Israel,” the Israeli newspaper, The Times of Israel reported.

March 2, 6:99 pm GMT

The UN General Assembly voted to condemn Russia’s military operation in Ukraine 141-5, with 35 abstentions. Israel voted in favor.

March 2, 5:30 pm GMT

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Israel on Wednesday, amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis and Vienna talks, aimed at forging a new Iranian nuclear deal.

March 2, 4:30 pm GMT

RT: Ukrainian delegation set to arrive on Thursday

The talks, which had been set to start on Wednesday night, have been postponed until the following day.

The venue for the negotiations will be in an undisclosed location on the Poland-Belarus border.

March 2, 4:26 pm GMT

RT: Russian delegation has arrived for negotiations with Ukraine

The second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia is set to take place in Belarus on Thursday. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Zelenskyy’s statement about his desire to receive security guarantees is a positive step.

March 2, 11:30 am GMT

RT: Zelenskyy’s office confirms talks with Russia

Zelenskyy’s office confirmed that the second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place on the evening of March 2.

March 2, 9:45 am GMT

Kremlin: Russia is ready to continue talks with Ukraine on Wednesday

March 1, 6:40 pm GMT

RT: Zelensky speaks with Biden – urges US president to say something “strong” and “useful”

Ukrainian leader Zelensky has urged Joe Biden to harden up and say something “useful” and move away from vague statements of support unbacked by action ahead of the State of the Union address.

“I’m very serious […] I’m not in a movie,” Zelensky told CNN.

Zelensky also said, “The American leadership on anti-Russian sanctions and defense assistance to Ukraine was discussed,” in a recent tweet hinting to the vagueness of US-Ukrainian dialogue.

March 1, 4:40 pm GMT

AFP: NATO foreign ministers to hold emergency Ukraine meeting Friday

March 1, 1:30 pm GMT

NATO website: Poland will not supply warplanes to Ukraine

At a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda at Łask Military Airbase in Poland, Duda said: “We are not joining that conflict. NATO is not a party to that conflict. However, as I said, we are supporting Ukrainians with humanity aid. However, we are not going to send any jets to the Ukrainian airspace.”

March 1, 1:30 pm GMT

RT: Russia to strike Kyiv security service HQ with ‘high-precision weapons’ – warns residents living close by to evacuate

Russia will launch a strike against the ‘Center for Information and Psychological Operations’ in the Ukrainian capital to suppress the number of information attacks on various state institutions and Russian citizens.

Moscow warned residents who live in close proximity to communications towers near the headquarters in the center of Kyiv to evacuate their homes for their own safety.

March 1, 12:15 pm GMT

Zelenskyy’s office: Ukraine’s EU membership application – under accelerated procedure – has been accepted, registered and is under consideration

March 1, 12:00 pm GMT

Kremlin: No plans for conversation between Putin and Zelensky yet

The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin has been informed about the results of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, but it is too early to give an assessment.

March 1, 12:00 pm GMT

Russian FM Lavrov: Russia can only react to the danger of Ukraine acquiring nuclear weapons

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said at Tuesday’s Conference of Disarmament that Russia “cannot but react to the real danger of Ukraine acquiring nuclear weapons and is taking all measures to prevent this”.

March 1, 11:30 am GMT

Reuters: All ‘Nord Stream 2 AG’ staff in Zug, Switzerland dismissed – over 140 employees 

Switzerland’s Economy Minister Guy Parmelin said in an interview with Swiss radio service RTS on Monday that all Nord Stream staff, more than 140 employees, who worked for the company in the Swiss city of Zug had been fired.

March 1, 11:00 am GMT

RIA Novosti (Citing Ukrainian media): Russians reported demands during negotiations with Kyiv:

  • Consolidate non-bloc status of Ukraine at parliamentary level and hold a referendum
  • Recognize DPR/LPR within the Donetsk and Lugansk regions
  • Denazify Ukraine

March 1, 10:00 am GMT

RT: Zelensky to deliver a speech to European Parliament Tuesday 

February 28, 7:55 pm GMT

RT Arabic: Palestinian Foreign Ministry calls on UNSC to End Double Standards

In a statement issued by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah today, the State of Palestine called on the UN Security Council to end the politics of double standards and to respect international decisions pertaining to the Palestinian case. 

The statement was made in the context of US-Western efforts aimed at isolating Russia as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. 

February 28, 7:40 pm GMT

US State Department: the US will discuss the results of Russia-Ukraine negotiations with Kyiv.

February 28, 4:20 pm GMT

Reuters: France to move its embassy from Kyiv to Lviv

France will move its embassy from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to the Western city of Lviv, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM TV on Monday.

Paris is the last Western country to move its embassy from the capital but opted to move it given the worsening situation on the ground.

February 28, 4:20 pm GMT

RT: Russia-Ukraine Talks, “The parties are leaving for consultations in their capitals”.

According to the head of Zelenskyy’s office, Russia and Ukraine have identified a number of priority topics and have determined a list of possible solutions.

The head of the Russian delegation to talks with Ukraine said that the next meeting will take place in the coming days on the Belarus-Poland border.

February 28, 3:35 pm GMT

RT: Gazprom announces a major gas pipeline deal with China.

Gazprom announced a deal Monday to develop its Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline to china via Mongolia and supply 50 billion cubic meters a year to Beijing.

February 28, 3:30 pm GMT

RT: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

In a phone conversation, Macron expressed to Putin his hope for a speedy settlement of the Ukrainian crisis through dialogue and negotiations with Kyiv.

Putin told Macron that a settlement is only possible if Russia’s legitimate security interests are unconditionally taken into account. These interests include:

  • Recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimea region
  • Demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine
  • Ensuring a neutral status of Ukraine

February 28, 1:30 pm GMT

TASS: Kremlin spokesman says weapon supplies to Ukraine will not help restore order

Western weapon supplies to Ukraine are a dangerous factor that by no means helps restore order, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

February 28, 1:13 pm GMT

RT: In delegation talks, Kyiv reportedly demands the withdrawal of all Russian troops. 

According to the office of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Ukraine demanded the withdrawal of all Russian troops, including from Crimea and Donbas.

February 28, 1:13 pm GMT

February 28, 8:45 am GMT

RIA NOVOSTI: The Ukrainian delegation has arrived for talks with Russia (VIDEO)

February 28, 8:12 am GMT

RT: Russian Ministry of Defense-Update

The Russian military will create safe passages for civilian residents to leave the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

February 28, 7:46 am GMT

China Daily: Chinese Foreign Ministry says it opposes illegal unilateral sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. 

In a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China disapproves of using sanctions as a means to solve problems and rejects unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law.

Experience has shown that sanctions do not solve problems, but create new ones. They not only result in “lose-lose” or “all-lose” economic situations but also interfere with the process of a political settlement, Wang said.

February 28, 12:35 am GMT

Bloomberg: Germany to Boost Military Spending in Latest Historic Shift

“Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans for a massive boost in defense spending in the latest historic policy shift in Germany triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Germany will channel 100 billion euros ($113 billion) this year into a fund to modernize the military, Scholz said Sunday in a speech to a special session of the lower house of parliament. By 2024, the government will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO target that Berlin has consistently failed to meet.”

February 27, 9;50 pm, GMT

RT: Kiev’s mayor says city ‘encircled,’ then backtracks

“Ukraine’s capital has been “blocked” by the Russian military, Kiev’s mayor, former world heavyweight champion boxer Vitali Klitschko told the Associated Press in an interview on Sunday when asked whether the evacuation of civilians from the city was possible. “We can’t do that, because all ways are blocked,” he stated, according to AP. “Right now we are encircled.” The AP noted it was unable to independently verify the claim made by the official. Shortly after the interview was published, however, the mayor took to social media to refute the bold claim, bizarrely blaming his own statement to the leading New York-headquartered news agency on “Russian media.””

February 27, 8:50 pm, GMT

Reuters: UN Security Council plans to vote to call General Assembly meeting on Ukraine

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member UN General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which would be held on Monday, diplomats said.

The vote by the 15-member council is procedural so none of the five permanent council members – Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States – can wield their vetoes. The move needs nine votes in favor and is likely to pass, diplomats said.

Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the General Assembly have been convened since 1950.

February 27, 8:42 pm, GMT

Haaretz: Will Israeli Donations Save Putin Ally Roman Abramovich From Ukraine Sanctions?

“As the United States slaps economic sanctions on oligarchs with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine, several billionaire Jewish philanthropists are the focus of concerned attention from Israeli and Jewish organizations who have benefited from their largesse. Topping that list is Roman Abramovich, the dual Russian-Israeli citizen who made a fortune through the privatization of Russia’s oil companies and is now reportedly the second-wealthiest man in Israel.”

February 27, 8:20 pm GMT

RT Arabic: Russian Defense Ministry: “Ukrainian forces began on Sunday to use ‘phosphorus packed munitions’ in Kyiv neighborhood in a a ‘desperate’ attempt to contain the Russian attack.”

February 27, 7:50 pm GMT

AFP: Denmark to allow volunteers to join the foreign brigade in Ukraine

February 27, 7:20 pm GMT

RT: FIFA bans the Russian national anthem and flag from international football games.

Future matches will be played at a neutral venue without spectators.

February 27, 6:10 pm GMT

Reuters: The White House has called on China to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

“This is not a time to stand on the sidelines. This is a time to be vocal and condemn the actions of President Putin and Russia invading a sovereign country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview with MSNBC.

February 27, 5:40 pm GMT

BBC: EU to begin providing arms to Ukraine

The European Union has announced that it intends to begin shipping arms to Ukraine, the first time in its history it has taken such a step.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the move marked a “watershed moment”.

February 27, 4:40 pm GMT

RT News: EU to ban RT, Sputnik and their subsidiaries

Eu Commission Chief Ursula Von der Leyen also announced that the EU bloc will be shutting down its airspace for all Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.-

February 27, 4 pm GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army to put Russia’s deterrence forces – a reference to units which include nuclear arms – on high alert, citing aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow.

“As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in the economic dimension – I mean the illegal sanctions that everyone knows about very well – but also the top officials of leading NATO countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country,” Putin said on state television.

February 27, 1:10 pm GMT

Reuters: Russia says Israel offered to mediate in Ukraine crisis

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered on Sunday to mediate an end to the Ukraine hostilities during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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1 Comment

  1. Today Ukraine is fighting for the freedom of the entire world, the good has to win over the evil and it will!
    What Ukraine needs today is more weapons! Weapons to enforce the No Fly Zone, since the NATO, US and EU (who had no problem enforcing No Fly Zone over Serbia in the 1990s) are too intimidated and too scared of Putin to enforce the No Fly Zone even at the bare minimum of having the limited No Fly Zone only over human corridors to evacuate the civilians, women, children & the elderly.

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