Russia invades Ukraine updates: Over 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled, UN says

The New Arab concludes its live coverage of the latest updates from the Russian invasion of Ukraine for today.

Here were the key developments:

Russian evacuation offer rejected

Ukraine rejects a Kremlin offer to open escape routes for civilians trapped by the fighting in the cities of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy because several of the routes lead to Russia or its ally Belarus.

Moscow says the proposal was based on a request from French President Emmanuel Macron, denied by Macron, and accuses Ukraine of blocking civilians from leaving, which it calls a "war crime".

Shelled while fleeing

Russia steps up its shelling of cities, including the town of Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest.

Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky accuses Russian troops of the "deliberate murder" of civilians after a family with two children was killed by shelling while trying to flee the town of Irpin.

Tens of thousands are still trapped without water or power in the southern port of Mariupol after two failed evacuation attempts.

Bakery hit

At least 13 people are killed by shelling at an industrial bakery in Makariv, around 50 kilometres west of Kyiv, Ukrainian rescue services say.

More talks

A third round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations gets underway on the Belarus-Poland border to discuss humanitarian corridors.

Turkey announces it will host Russia's and Ukraine's foreign ministers for talks Thursday.

EU to consider membership bids

EU members agree to start the lengthy process of examining membership bids submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in the wake of Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Rock-solid friendship

China's foreign minister says the friendship between Beijing and Moscow is "rock solid" despite the Russian invasion and offers to help mediate.

Oil, gas prices rocket

Oil prices hit a near 14-year high and European and UK natural gas prices reach record levels after the United States proposes an embargo on Russian oil imports.

The leaders of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands warn against such a ban, however, saying it could put Europe's energy security at risk.

Join us tomorrow for more news and analysis on the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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'More room' for sanctions against Russia, say experts

There is still "plenty of room" for punitive measures against Russia after "unprecedented" Western sanctions in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, experts told the British parliament.

"We're in uncharted territory, using sanctions against a country that is so integrated with the West is unprecedented," said Tom Keatinge, director of the centre for financial crime and security studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.

And if the "freezing assets of the central bank obviously has had a massive impact", there is "plenty of room to ratchet up" the sanctions, especially around measures targeting Russian energy, Keatinge told the British parliament's Treasury Committee during a hearing.

After coordinated sanctions targeting the Russian economy, a possible ban on hydrocarbons - the main source of income for the regime of President Vladimir Putin - is at the heart of discussions between Western countries.

"There are still banks that are untouched. We know that they're untouched because of the requirement for energy payments to continue to flow," Keatinge added.

"If the objective is to hit Russia's economy, it's the energy sector that you need to touch," said Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics.

But, he added, "there's a cost for the rest of the world", pointing to oil prices surging after the announcement of talks on the subject in the West.

"We have never used sanctions in this way against another G20 country," said Justine Walker, head of global sanctions and risk at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists.

China open to mediating on Ukraine, says Russia friendship 'rock solid'

China has stressed that the friendship between Beijing and Moscow was still "rock solid", despite international condemnation of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, as Beijing said it was open to helping mediate peace.

China has refused to condemn its close ally Moscow after only last month touting a "no limits" strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The friendship between the two peoples is rock solid, and both sides' future cooperation prospects are very vast," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press briefing during the Chinese leadership's annual political congress in Beijing.

But he said China was "willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation, when necessary".

Wang also spoke with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Monday, Chinese state media said.

Wang said China "laments" the situation in Ukraine, but pushed back against the West's sanctions policy toward Russia, and urged the EU to engage in "sincere dialogue" with Russia over European security, Chinese state-backed outlet Xinhua reported.

Wheat hits 14-year highs as Russia-Ukraine conflict curbs supply

US wheat futures gapped higher today, notching a limit-up move as it neared an all-time high on concerns that global supply shipments will be disrupted until the Russia-Ukraine conflict is resolved.

European wheat has already hit record highs as deepening Western sanctions against Russia fuelled concerns about exports from the Black Sea region.

The two countries combined account for about 29% of wheat exports.

"Nothing has changed," said Greg Grow, director of agribusiness at Archer Financial Services in Chicago. "We know that Ukraine and Russia are going to be dearly missed in the wheat ... sector."

Soybean futures also were firm, supported by strength in the global vegetable oil market as overseas buyers scrambled to find replacements for exports of sunflower oil from Ukraine.

But corn futures were weaker, easing from the 9-1/2-year high hit on Friday after some rains in key growing areas of South America.

Britain says Russian limiting social media out of concern over public's attitude

Russia's restriction of domestic social media indicates the Kremlin's concern over the attitude of the public to its invasion of Ukraine, Britain's defence ministry has said.

"Russia is increasingly restricting domestic social media access to limit negative coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Britain's Ministry of Defence said.

"This will further confine the information space and make it increasingly difficult for the Russian population to gain access to anything other than the Russian state's official view.

"This indicates the Kremlin's concern over the Russian population's attitude to the conflict."

Britain is not easing its rules for Ukrainian refugees seeking to come to the UK but it does expect its existing route to expand quickly, Minister for Europe James Cleverly said on Monday.

Britain has already announced visa schemes for those who have family in the country or a willing sponsor, but the government has been criticised by opposition lawmakers for not doing enough to help compared with its European neighbours.

"You've got to remember that two weeks ago this situation didn't exist at all," he told BBC television. "We're looking to create something at a very, very large scale very, very quickly. Initially, of course, it will be slower than we would like. But that will pick up."

(Reuters)

Five million Ukrainian refugees could flee to Europe: Borrell

Europe could see the entry of five million Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of their country if the assault continues, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said.

"If the indiscriminate bombardments of cities continues, we can expect five million exiles," Borrell said after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Mediterranean city of Montpellier.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has said for its part that an estimated four million people could leave Ukraine as Russian forces press towards Kyiv and other major cities.

Borrell said European nations should prepare to unlock significant funds to help the displaced, after the European Commission announced 500 million euros ($560 million) in extra funding to help deal with the "humanitarian consequences" of the war.

All options on the table, UK PM says when asked about Russian oil ban

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said options that were unthinkable three weeks ago were now on the table when asked whether European countries were considering a ban on Russian oil over it's invasion of Ukraine.

"Now we are moving very, very fast and see that something that perhaps three weeks ago would never have been considered is now very much on the table. We have to consider how we can all move away as fast as possible from dependence, reliance on Russian hydrocarbons, Russian oil and gas," he told a news conference.

"Everybody is doing that, everybody is on the same journey. Some countries will it faster and easier than others," he said, adding that the West would work together.

US says it may become harder to transport arms to Ukraine in the coming days

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has said it may become harder to transport arms to Ukraine in the coming days.

"It is critical that what we send in is what (Ukraine's President Volodymyr) Zelensky asks for. He knows what his military needs," she said at a briefing in Madrid, as part of a week-long trip to visit Turkey, Spain and North Africa.

"That may become harder in the coming days and we'll have to find other ways to handle it," she added without providing further details.

Russia announced new humanitarian corridors on Monday to transport Ukrainians trapped under its bombardment - to Russia itself and its ally Belarus, a move immediately denounced by Kyiv as an "immoral stunt."

Canada announces new sanctions after Ukraine invasion

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced new sanctions against 10 people he said were "complicit" in the "unjustified" invasion of Ukraine.

"This includes former and current senior government officials, oligarchs and supporters of the Russian leadership," he told a joint press conference with his UK counterpart Boris Johnson and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands.

Trudeau said the names of those sanctioned came from a list compiled by the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

"The sanctions put increased pressure on Russia's leadership, including on (President Vladimir) Putin's inner circle," he told reporters.

"This is of course in addition to all the other sanctions we've announced, including our recent announcement on imposing massive tariffs on Russian and Belarusian imports."

The government in Ottawa last week revoked special trading status for Russia and Belarus because of Moscow's invasion, resulting in 35 percent tariffs.

Russian steel billionaire calls lost lives in Ukraine a tragedy

Vladimir Lisin, a Russian billionaire, told employees at steelmaker NLMK that lost lives in Ukraine were a tragedy that was hard to justify, and called for a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Lisin, NLMK's chairman and main shareholder, said in a letter to staff that was posted on social networks by an employee that the company and its board of directors hoped that the conflict was resolved soon.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed the authenticity of the letter, according to Reuters.

UN watchdog urges Russia, Ukraine to agree on nuclear safety

The UN nuclear watchdog's head has said he hoped Moscow and Kyiv would agree within hours to his offer to discuss nuclear safety after Russia seized Europe's largest power plant in Ukraine.

The battle had caused "unprecedented danger of a nuclear accident" and should not be repeated under any circumstances, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi.

Grossi offered on Friday to travel to Chernobyl to negotiate with both sides to ensure the security of Ukraine's nuclear sites.

He was speaking hours after Russian forces had seized control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following the battle with Ukrainian troops that caused a fire and fears of an accident.

"We should not be losing time," Grossi told reporters after opening the regular board meeting of his Vienna-based organisation.

"We need to have an agreed clear framework of what is supposed to be done. So I hope that my consultations in the next few hours are going to be successful."

Grossi said Russia had informed him they preferred to meet somewhere other than Chernobyl.

"This is going to be part of a process of consultation," he said.

"There is safe operation but there are many, many questions on the ability to sustain this for much longer if we don't support this in some way."

France's Macron accuses Putin of 'moral cynicism' over Ukraine humanitarian corridors

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy and cynicism after Moscow said it would open humanitarian corridors to allow the evacuation of civilians from several Ukrainian cities, but only to Russia or Belarus.

"All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable," Macron told LCI television in an interview.

He added that promises to protect civilians only so that they could flee towards Russia were "hypocritical".

"I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia," he added, saying that full ceasefires to protect civilians were needed rather than corridors.

Moscow announced the proposed escape routes from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy after Putin and Macron spoke by telephone on Sunday, saying the move was taken after a "personal request" by Macron.

But the Élysée Palace said no such request was made and Macron accused Moscow of a "PR stunt" with its announcement.

Ukrainian sporting legend Bubka calls on sporting world to aid refugees

Ukraine's former Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder Sergey Bubka called on the sports world to help provide essential goods for Ukrainians who have had to flee their homes as a result of Russia's invasion.

The 58-year-old - who was crowned world outdoor champion on six successive occasions and broke the world record 35 times - had said on Friday Ukraine would win the war.

Bubka said he was going to use all his international connections to "defend his country" and he backed up his words through an open letter.

"Please, allow me to turn to you at this difficult times of the war in my country," he wrote.

"It is a very hard time for me - the time of hard working and the time of decisions on how to help my country, my compatriots, athletes and coaches, my colleagues and friends, who need help as never.

Bubka, president of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee, said: "Over a million people, mostly women and children have been forcibly displaced from their homes.

"Millions of people lose their livelihoods and stay without medical care, food and clothes on the Ukrainian territories.

"From the sports community side, we are trying as much as we can to channel and reinforce the soft power of our global unity to support people in Ukraine as much as we can in these unprecedented times."

More than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled, UN says as tide of refugees grows

More than 1.7 million Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion have so far crossed into Central Europe, the United Nation's refugee agency said on Monday, as thousands more streamed across the borders.

Poland - which has the largest Ukrainian community in Central Europe - has received more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees since the conflict began on Feb. 24, with the milestone passed late on Sunday.

"Today at 20:00 the number of people who escaped from Ukraine to Poland exceeded one million," the Polish border guard service tweeted late on Sunday.

"This is a million human tragedies, a million people banished from their homes by the war."

A total of 1,735,068 civilians - mostly women and children, as men stayed home to fight - have so far crossed the border into Central Europe, the UNHCR said.

The European Union could see as many as 5 million Ukrainian refugees if Russia's bombardment of Ukraine continues, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation".

UAE sends 30 tonnes of aid, medical supplies to Poland for transportation to Ukraine

The United Arab Emirates says it has flown 30 tonnes of aid and medical supplies to Poland for transportation to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, to help relieve the "deteriorating humanitarian situation" after Russia's brutal invasion.

More than 1.5 million people have fled across Ukraine's borders in over a week of attacks from air, land and sea, according to the UN.

The UAE's ambassador to Ukraine, Salem A. Al-Kaabi, noted that the aid is "part of the UAE's steadfast commitment to essential humanitarian needs in conflicts... and to provide whatever assistance we can in what is a deteriorating humanitarian situation," according to a foreign ministry statement.

The plane-load of aid has landed in Poland for onward transportation to Ukraine. The UAE has also contributed 18.36 dirhams ($5 million) to UN appeals for the refugees, the statement said.

When the UN Sec. Council voted to condemn Moscow for its Ukraine invasion, Russia vetoed it. Joining China & India, the UAE abstained. Many in Washington were outraged, but this shouldn't have shocked informed observers. @GiorgioCafiero explains why ⬇ https://t.co/R6KM0IlTbz

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) March 7, 2022

Over 900 Ukrainian communities without power, heat or water supply

Attacks by Russian forces have left over 900 communities in Ukraine without any supplies of electricity, water and heating, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has said.

"Barbarians of the XXI century. Russia damaged/destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals, 1500+ residential buildings," he said on Twitter.

The energy ministry said 646,000 people across Ukraine had no electricity, and that 130,000 were without gas.

Russian negotiator accuses Ukraine of blocking humanitarian corridors, a 'war crime'

Russia's chief negotiator in talks between Moscow and Kyiv accused Ukraine of blocking humanitarian corridors for civilians escaping advancing Russian forces, calling it a "war crime".

"The nationalists who have seized positions in cities continue to hold civilians there," Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told state television. He accused Kyiv of using the civilians as "a human shield" and said that "this is undoubtedly a war crime".

He added the latest round of talks between the warring countries, taking place on the Poland-Belarus border, are focused around the corridors.

Ukraine displacement and needs are 'massive': Red Cross

The Red Cross has decried the spiralling humanitarian emergency in Ukraine, warning of "massive" displacement and needs inside the war-ravaged country and in neighbouring nations.

"The conflict in Ukraine is shaping up to be one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in Europe for years to come," Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters in Geneva.

"The displacement and needs are massive and will likely grow, both inside and outside of Ukraine."

The UN refugee agency said today that more than 1.7 million refugees had flooded out of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, with 60 percent of them in Poland.

Speaking via Zoom, Rocca pointed out that millions of people still in Ukraine are currently "in desperate need of safe drinking water and food".

"With roads impassable, and electricity and water supplies cut off, people desperately need emergency medical care, medicine, clean water and shelter," he said.

Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish ministers to meet on Thursday

The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia and Turkey will meet in southern Turkey on Thursday, Ankara has announced as the war in Ukraine intensified.

"God willing, we will hold this meeting at a trilateral format in Antalya on Thursday" on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey, Cavusoglu said Monday in comments published in the official Anadolu news agency. 

The announcement of the meeting comes after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. 

"Upon President @RTErdogan's initiatives and our intensive diplomatic efforts, Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia & Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine have decided to meet with my participation on the margins of @AntalyaDF," Cavusoglu tweeted. 

"Hope this step will lead to peace and stability," he commented. 

Russia recruiting Syrian fighters for Ukraine invasion, US officials say: report

Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters experienced in urban combat as it ramps up its assault on Ukraine, according to US officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

One official told The Journal that some fighters are already in Russia readying to join the fight in Ukraine, though it was not immediately clear how many combatants have been recruited, and the sources would not provide further detail.

Moscow, which launched a brutal invasion of its Eastern European neighbour on 24 February, has in recent days recruited fighters from Syria hoping they can help take Kyiv, four US officials told the US daily.

Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime and has been accused of grave violations there. The country has been mired in a conflict marked by urban combat for more than a decade.

Ukraine sets export quotas on wheat, key agricultural products amid Russia's brutal invasion

Ukraine, one of the world's top wheat producers, has set export restrictions on the crop and other agricultural products amid Russia's brutal military invasion, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

According to a government decree published on Sunday evening, a license issued by the authorities is now required in order to export wheat, poultry meat, eggs and sunflower oil.

Quotas were also introduced for the export of cattle and beef, salt, sugar, oats, buckwheat, rye and millet.

The conflict has pushed wheat prices higher as Russia is the world's top exporter of the cereal and Ukraine is the fourth, according to estimates by the US Department of Agriculture.

Modi thanks Zelinsky for helping evacuate 15,000 Indians

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the Ukrainian government for assisting stranded Indians leave the war-hit country.

Modi discussed the evolving situation in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky today in a 35-minute phone call.

The Indian PM sought Zelensky's "continued support" in helping evacuate the remaining Indians as Russia devastates Ukraine, according to government sources.

It comes after mounting criticism of the Modi government over the slow pace of the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine.

Russia demands protection of diplomatic missions in France

A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry has demanded France protect Moscow's representative offices in the country, claiming an attack had occurred at a building used by a Russian government agency in Paris.

"We demand that the French authorities ensure the proper security of our official institutions," wrote Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, on Telegram.

Stocks plunge, oil and metals rocket on Russia supply fears

World stock markets tumbled, metals prices struck record highs and oil neared an all-time peak on widespread financial fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Frankfurt and Paris led the losses in Europe with drops of more than three percent in midday deals after Hong Kong closed down almost four percent, extending last week's sharp drops for global equities.

Monday also saw benchmark Brent North Sea crude oil soar to a near 14-year high close to $140 per barrel.

Brent reached $139.13 before cooling to $125.57. The record high stands at $147.50, achieved in 2008 during the global financial crisis.

Elsewhere Monday, European gas prices struck record peaks on energy supply fears after the United States proposed an embargo on Russian crude.

Russia is one of the world's biggest crude producers and is also a leading supplier of natural gas.

Levi Strauss suspends commercial operations in Russia

Levi Strauss & Co is temporarily suspending commercial operations in Russia, including any new investments, joining a slew of Western brands that have halted operations in the country following its invasion of Ukraine.

"In 2021, approximately 4% of the company's total net revenues were derived from Eastern Europe, half of which was related to Russia," Levi said in a statement.

Today, we announce our humanitarian and business response to the crisis in Ukraine and associated operational conditions in Russia. https://t.co/3NoxqLJKjm

— Levi Strauss & Co. (@LeviStraussCo) March 7, 2022

Paris denies asking Putin for civilian corridors to Belarus, Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron did not ask Russian leader Vladimir Putin to open humanitarian corridors towards Russia and Belarus for Ukrainians fleeing bombardments, his office has said, denying a claim by Russian officials.

Moscow announced the proposed escape routes from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy after Putin and Macron spoke by telephone on Sunday, saying the move was taken after a "personal request" by Macron.

But the Elysee Palace said no such request was made, with Macron insisting on "the respect of international humanitarian law, the protection of civilian populations and the supply of aid."

"That means that protection of civilians must be organised and humanitarian access allowed," a French presidency official, who asked not to be named, said Monday.

The Ukraine government rejected the offers of safe passage to Russia, which began its invasion nearly two weeks ago, or to Belarus, which is offering Moscow staging grounds for attacks.

Judo federation removes titles from Putin, Russian oligarch

The International Judo Federation has removed the titles and jobs Vladimir Putin and a long-time Kremlin-supporting oligarch held at the organisation.

"The International Judo Federation announces that Mr. Vladimir Putin and Mr. Arkady Rotenberg have been removed from all positions held in the International Judo Federation," the Budapest-based governing body said in a statement late on Sunday.

Putin’s honorary presidency of the IJF was suspended last week with the organisation citing “the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine.”

The Russian president is an avid judoka and attended the sport at the 2012 London Olympics.

Rotenberg is a long-time friend of Putin from their home city of St. Petersburg and was a member of the IJF executive committee as "development manager".

Mayor of town near Kyiv killed by Russian fire

Russian forces have killed the mayor of Gostomel, a town near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv that is home to a strategic airport, city authorities have said.

"The head of Gostomel, Yuri Illich Prylypko, died while distributing bread to the hungry and medicine to the sick," the city said on its Facebook page.

Prylypko was shot dead along with two others, it said, without specifying when. 

"No-one forced him to go under the occupiers' bullets," it said. "He died for his people, for Gostomel. He died a hero." 

Russia backs IAEA chief's idea of Ukraine meeting but not at Chernobyl

Russia backs UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi's idea of a trilateral meeting with Ukraine on ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities there during Russia's invasion but not at Chernobyl as Grossi wants, Moscow's envoy to the watchdog has said.

"Russia supported Grossi's idea regarding a trilateral meeting and we expect that the Ukrainians will also be cooperative," Russia's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mikhail Ulyanov, told reporters today.

"I believe Chernobyl is not the best place for such a meeting. There are numerous capitals in the world."

South Korea bans transactions with Russia central bank

South Korea has said it will halt all transactions with Russia's central bank in the latest series of punitive actions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The foreign ministry said in a statement it had decided to ban all financial dealings with the Central Bank of Russia "considering the international community's financial restrictions against Russia".

It did not provide further details on the scope of the move, saying more coordination with related agencies was required. 

South Korea earlier said it would tighten export controls against Moscow by banning shipments of strategic items. It also joined Western countries in suspending financial transactions with several major Russian banks.

Today's decision is the latest in a series of moves that Seoul has taken against Russia and its close ally Belarus.

Russia shuns Ukraine war hearing at UN court

Russia has declined to attend a hearing at the UN's top court this morning, at which Ukraine is asking for an immediate order to halt the conflict, the head judge said.

"The court regrets the non-appearance of the Russian federation in these oral proceedings," International Court of Justice President Joan Donoghue said.

China open to mediating on Ukraine, says Russia relationship still 'rock solid'

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed today that the friendship between Beijing and Moscow is still very strong, despite international condemnation of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, as he said China is open to helping mediate peace.

Beijing has walked a diplomatic tightrope throughout the crisis, refusing to condemn its close ally Moscow after only last month touting a "no limits" strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The friendship between the two peoples is rock solid, and both sides' future cooperation prospects are very vast," said Wang at an annual press briefing.

But he said China was "willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation, when necessary".

Ukraine rejects offer of humanitarian corridors to Russia

Ukraine dismissed Moscow's offer to set up humanitarian corridors from several bombarded cities after it emerged some routes would lead refugees into Russia or Belarus.

The Russian proposal of safe passage from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy had come after terrified Ukrainian civilians came under fire in previous ceasefire attempts.

Russia unleashed another night of relentless attacks from air, land and sea, compounding the humanitarian disaster that has pushed more than 1.5 million people across Ukraine's borders.

UN court hearings to open in Ukraine case against Russia

Lawyers representing Kyiv and Moscow face off on Monday at the United Nations' top court in a legal bid to halt the devastating war.

The International Court of Justice is opening two days of hearings at its headquarters, the Peace Palace, into Ukraine's request for its judges to order Russia to halt its invasion. Ukraine is scheduled to present its arguments this morning and Russia can respond Tuesday.

Ukraine has asked the court to order Russia to "immediately suspend the military operations" launched Feb. 24 "that have as their stated purpose and objective the prevention and punishment of a claimed genocide" in the separatist eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

A decision is expected on the request within days, though it remains to be seen if Russia would abide by any order the court might issue.

Russia announces humanitarian corridors as Ukraine assault intensifies

Russia announced humanitarian corridors would open in several Ukrainian cities, after terrified civilians came under fire in two previous attempts and with Moscow's forces pummelling cities across the country.

The announcement came after another night of relentless bombardment by Russian forces from the air, land and sea, and with Ukraine's leader accusing Moscow's troop of "deliberate murder" over civilian deaths.

Moscow's defence ministry announced new plans for humanitarian corridors, but several led into Russia or its ally Belarus, raising questions over the safety of those who might use them.

"Russian forces, for humanitarian purposes, are declaring a 'regime of silence' from 10:00 am on 7 March and the opening of humanitarian corridors," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.