Kyiv agrees to talks with Moscow at Ukraine-Belarus border, Zelenskyy says
(Al Jazeera) Ukraine’s president says Kyiv has agreed to send a delegation for talks “without preconditions” with Russian officials on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border following talks.
“We agreed that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian delegation without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River,” Zelenskyy said in a statement after holding a phone call with Lukashenko.
He did not give a precise time for the meeting, but said Lukashenko, a Putin ally, “has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return.”
Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military command 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.
France closes airspace for Russian aircraft
France has announced that it will follow other European countries in shutting its airspace to Russian aircraft to punish the country for invading Ukraine.
“France is shutting its airspace to all Russian aircraft and airlines from this evening on,” Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari tweeted.
Russia faces sporting fallout over invasion of Ukraine
The consequences of Russia’s war are rippling through the sports world, as athletes and fans express solidarity with Ukraine.
Read more here.
Kyiv’s defence holding firm, mayor says
Kyiv’s mayor says there are no Russian troops in the Ukrainian capital, adding the city’s defence is holding firm against attacks from Moscow’s forces.
“Our military, law enforcement and territorial defence continue to detect and neutralise saboteurs,” Vitali Klitschko wrote on his Telegram messaging channel.
A member of the Territorial Defence Forces of Ukraine stands guard at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv [Mikhail Palinchak/Reuters]Elon Musk says Starlink internet service ‘active’ in Ukraine
SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk says the company’s Starlink satellite broadband service is now “active” in Ukraine, where internet access has been disrupted due to Russia’s assault.
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route,” Musk wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Read more here.
Ukraine’s president says he spoke with Belarusian counterpart
Zelenskyy says he has spoken with Lukashenko.
The Ukrainian president’s announcement, issued on his Telegram messaging channel, came after Kyiv rejected talks with Moscow in Belarus, accusing it of allowing Russian troops to enter Ukraine through its territory.
Zelenskyy provided no further details of his talks with the Belarusian president.
Tanks in the middle of Bucha, resident says
Russian tanks are stationed in the middle of Bucha, a city 30km (18 miles) west of Kyiv, a local resident told Al Jazeera by phone.
Another town, Makarov, 50km (31 miles) west of Kyiv, is “being attacked” by Russian tanks, a resident told Al Jazeera by phone. Her family, including two teenage girls, is hiding in the basement of her house, she said.
The woman also wished to remain unidentified.
Reporting by Mansur Mirovalev in Kyiv.
Ukraine has full control of Kharkiv, regional official claims
Ukraine has full control of Kharkiv, Sinegubov says.
“Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! The armed forces, the police, and the defense forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging service.
UN refugee agency says more than 360,000 Ukrainians have fled the country
At least 368,000 people have now fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighbouring countries in the wake of Russia’s invasion, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says.
The number has risen rapidly since Moscow launched its onslaught and is expected to continue to climb quickly.
More European states bar Russian planes from their airspace
A string of European countries, including Germany and Finland, have said they are preparing to close their airspace to Russian planes, mirroring measures already taken by other states on the continent.
Sweden, Denmark and Iceland were alongside Berlin and Helsinki as the latest to take action.
The United Kingdom, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania, as well as Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, have also moved to shutter their airspace to Russian planes.
As Russia’s assault intensifies, Nigerian students try to flee Ukraine
As Russia’s assault on Ukraine intensifies, international students from Nigeria are scrambling to try and flee Ukraine.
‘Stress and tension’ throughout Ukraine amid hunt for saboteurs
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, says local officials in Kyiv report that clashes with “saboteurs … [who are] thought to be undercover Russians” are ongoing.
“These saboteurs are set upon by anybody available, that can be civilians with free, hand-out guns, or it can be the security forces,” Simmons said.
“That’s happening a lot and we are hearing that some of the explosions around Ukraine, and some of the attacks, are down to these saboteurs.
“We don’t have full details … but we do know that it is incredibly dangerous anywhere in the country, particularly in Kyiv, not just because of the Russian attacks but because of the level of stress and tension with field operations going on to try to find these saboteurs.”
Greece to send defence supplies to Ukraine
Greece is sending defence supplies to Ukraine in response to a request from Kyiv, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s office says.
The move comes after Athens said on Saturday that 10 Greek nationals had been killed and six others wounded by Russian bombings near the city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
World in ‘new era’ after Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz says
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the world has entered a “new era” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In essence, it’s a question of whether might can break right,” he said.
(Updates provided by Al Jazeera on Sunday)
