Russia-Ukraine Highlights: India's stance on conflict similar to 'walking on tightrope', says Shashi Tharoor

Even as Russia and Ukraine prepare for another round of talks in Turkey's Istanbul, reports of Ukrainian negotiators being poisoned rocked the world. Russia continued its aggression in Ukraine, with the death toll from the war mounting to over 5,000. Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is set to visit China and India to discuss the war situation with the former and the rupee-rouble payment system for trade with the latter. Stay tuned to DH for live updates.

Bit of dancing on tightrope: Tharoor on India's stand on Ukraine-Russia conflict

India has gone through a very "complicated and challenging time" in negotiating its diplomatic stand on theUkraine-Russia conflict, and because of its multiple interests with other countries, it's been a "bit of dancing on a tightrope," Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question during an interaction held here after inaugurating a three-day photo exhibition, 'UkraineUntold (Glimpse)', on how the country looked barely a month before the war began.

Blinken says no sign Russia serious on Ukraine peace efforts

Washington has not seen "signs of real seriousness" from Russia in pursuing peace after its invasion ofUkraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, even as talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey sparked hopes of progress toward ending the war.

Ukrainehas proposed adopting neutral status in the most detailed formula yet for a potential settlement to the five-week conflict and Russia said it would reduce military activity on a northern front nearUkraine's capital Kyiv to create conditions for a possible agreement.

Russia has repeatedly fired hypersonic missiles at Ukraine targets: US general

Russia has repeatedly fired hypersonic missiles at Ukrainian military targets, the top USmilitary commander in Europe, Air Force General Tod Wolters, told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

"Most of those strikes have been designated at specific military targets," Wolters said.

War in Ukraine impacting all countries like pandemic did: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that Russia-Ukrainewar has impacted all countries.

Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Finance Bill, she said that the impact of a full-blown war inUkraineis being felt by "all of us" as the war's impact has disrupted supplies and broken value chains.

"Now we are also facing the situation of a full-blown war inUkrainewhich is not some war in some corner of the world but it seems to be having an impact on all countries like the way the pandemic has," she said.

Ireland kicks out four Russian diplomats: Foreign minister

Ireland on Tuesday said it had expelled four Russian diplomatic officials amid reports that Moscow's embassy in Dublin had become a hotbed of espionage and surveillance.

Foreign minister Simon Coveney said "four senior officials have been asked to leave the state" for engaging in activities "not... in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour".

Belgium expels 21 Russian diplomats.

(NEXTA)

The Netherlands expels 17 Russian diplomats

(NEXTA)

Ukraine proposes Moscow drop any opposition to it joining EU

Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Tuesday that Kyiv's proposals to Moscow at talks in Istanbul included one that Russia would not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union.

He made the comment in footage broadcast on state television after talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.

(Reuters)

Biden to discuss Ukraine war in phone call with European leaders

US President Joe Biden will discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a phone call Tuesday with key western European allies, the White House said.

Biden convened the call for 9:15 am (1315 GMT) with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy "to discuss the latest developments regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine," a spokesman said.

(AFP)

J&J to suspend supply of personal care products to Russia

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would suspend the supply of its personal care products in Russia, adding that it would continue to supply medicines and medical devices in the region.

(Reuters)

Russia to 'radically' reduce military activity near Kyiv, Chernigiv

Russian negotiator says 'meaningful' talks held with Ukraine

(AFP)

European Union, as well as the G7 countries, rejects #Russia's demand to pay for Russian gas in ruble

(NEXTA)

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal estimated the preliminary losses of Ukraine from the war at a trillion dollars

Russia insists on ruble payments for gas after G7 outcry

Russia reiterated Tuesday that it will only be accepting payment for gas deliveries to the EU in rubles after G7 ministers called this arrangement "unacceptable".

"Nobody will supply gas for free. This is just impossible. And it can only be paid for in rubles," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

(AFP)

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appears in public for first time since mid-March

Russia says Ukraine's military capacity seriously degraded

Russia's defence minister said on Tuesday that Ukraine's military capacity had been seriously degraded and restated that the main tasks of the first phase of Russia's military operation in Ukraine had been completed.

Sergei Shoigu, speaking to officials in a televised meeting, also warned that Russia would respond appropriately if the NATO military alliance supplied Ukraine with planes and air defence systems.

(AFP)

Russia resumes LPG exports from Sea of Azov

Russia is set to resume supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from a Sea of Azov port on Tuesday for the first time since Moscow started its military operation in Ukraine, data from the port and Refinitiv Eikon showed.

Supplies of LPG, which is used in the petrochemical industry and to fuel vehicles and stationary generators, had been halted from the Temryuk terminal since Feb. 24 following a ban on shipments in the region imposed by the Russian sea and river transport regulator.

Emirates airlines will continue to fly to Russia until told not to by owners -president

Emirates airlines will continue to fly to Russia until its owners tell them not to, President Tim Clark said on Tuesday.

"As long as the state, our owner, requires us to fly there, we will continue," he said.

"There are lots of reasons why we fly, we carry humanitarian goods in our holds. We've got NGOs travelling in and out of Russia. We've got the diplomatic community going in and out of Russia...so all we're doing is being an enabler, facilitator, without taking a political position on this for the time being," Clark added.

Saudi oil chief says energy security imperiled by attacks

Saudi Arabia's oil chief said markets are going through a “jittery period” and reiterated on Tuesday that the kingdom's ability to ensure energy security is no longer guaranteed.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said cross-border attacks have put to question “our ability to supply the world with the necessary energy requirements.” The attacks have been carried out by Yemen's rebel Houthis, who are supported by Iran.

(AP)

Ukraine resumes evacuations after Russian 'provocations'

Ukraine said Tuesday it had reopened humanitarian corridors and evacuated civilians from war-scarred regions after a one-day pause over what Kyiv called possible Russian "provocations".

The first corridor will be from the battered city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia using private cars, with Mariupol residents who had made it to Berdyansk also joining, she said.

A second corridor will travel from the Russian-occupied town of Melitopol to Zaporizhzhia.

The third will leave Energodar, where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant captured by Russian troops is located, and also head to Zaporizhzhia.

(AFP)

The negotiations in Istanbul underway as Erdogan personally welcomes delegations

Russian missiles strike target near Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

City authorities said there are no casualties.

The city is very close to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, being located just across the river from it.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Ukrainian delegation arrives for talks with Russia in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace

Oligarch Roman Abramovich, who acts as a mediator in the negotiations is also present.

(NEXTA)

Irish lessors have completely terminated all contracts with Russian airlines

(NEXTA)

UN chief launches effort for Ukraine humanitarian cease-fire

The United Nations chief launched an initiative Monday to immediately explore possible arrangements for “a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine” in order to allow the delivery of desperately needed aid and pave the way for serious political negotiations to end the month-long war.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he used his “good offices” and asked Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, the head of the UN's worldwide humanitarian operations, to explore the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia and Ukraine. He said Griffiths has already made some contacts.

(AP)

Oil prices dropped on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous day as Ukraine and Russia headed for peace talks and on fears of a drop in fuel demand in China after the financial hub of Shanghai shut down to curb a surge in Covid-19 cases

Brent crude futures were trading down $1.18, or 1.1%, at $111.30 a barrel at 0348 GMT, having dipped as low as $109.97.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures hit a low of $103.46 in an early trade and were down $1.09, or 1.0%, at $104.87. Both benchmark contracts lost around 7% on Monday.

Ukraine and Russia were set to meet in Istanbul on Tuesday for their first peace talks in over two weeks.

Another round of talks aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine is scheduled for Tuesday as the fighting looks increasingly like a stalemate on the ground, with the two sides trading control of a town in the east and a suburb of the capital.

Ukrainian forces retook Irpin, northwest of Kyviv, from Russian troops, who were regrouping to take the area back, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday as he sought to rally the country.

“We still have to fight, we have to endure,” Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation. “We can't express our emotions now. We can't raise expectations, simply so that we don't burn out.”

Ahead of the talks, to be held in Istanbul, the Ukrainian president said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the country's east.

As fighting raged throughout the country, the mayor of Irpin, which has been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting, said that the city had been “liberated” from Russian forces.

Kremlin spokesman: Russia would use nuclear weapons only in case of 'threat to existence of state'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told PBS in an interview on Monday that Russia would resort to nuclear weapons only in the case of a "threat to the existence" of his country - and not as a result of the current conflict with Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces ‘continue to maintain circular defence’ of Mariupol

The Ukrainian general staff said its forces “continue to maintain the circular defence” inside the port city of Mariupol, even as Russian forces consolidated control around the city.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine

The Russian delegation has arrived inTurkey's largest city Istanbul on Monday for a fresh round of peace talks with Ukraine, the CNN Turk broadcaster reported.

The plane carrying the Russian representatives landed at the Ataturk Airport, which is exclusively used for diplomatic missions, it said.

Biden says remark on Putin's power was about 'moral outrage'

US President Joe Biden said Monday that he is “not walking anything back” after his weekend comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power," although Biden insisted he's not calling for regime change in Moscow.

“I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man,” he said. "I wasn't articulating a policy change."

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov may visit India this week

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is likely to visit India this week and the key focus is expected to be discussions on a payment system for New Delhi's procurement of oil and military hardware from Moscow, people familiar with the developments said on Monday.

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