Russia-Ukraine crisis Highlights | New Ukraine-Russia talks next week

Russia's lead negotiator in the conflict, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed the upcoming talks with Ukraine, but gave a slightly different time frame, saying they would start Tuesday and end Wednesday.

Russia and Ukraine failed to make a breakthrough in their first top-level talks, on March 10 in Antalya, since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The two sides have held regular talks via video conference but offered scant hopes for any breakthroughs with both sides describing efforts as difficult.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan said this week that Russia and Ukraine appeared to have reached an understanding on four out of six negotiating points; Ukraine staying out of NATO, the use of Russian language in Ukraine, disarmament and security guarantees.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Friday however that there was "no consensus" on key points with Russia. (AFP)

3.8 million people flee Ukraine, says UN

More than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, UN figures showed Sunday, but the flow of refugees has slowed down markedly.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,821,049 Ukrainians had fled the country -- an increase of 48,450 from Saturday's figures.

Around 90 percent of them are women and children, it added.

Of those who have left, 2.2 million have fled for neighbouring Poland, while more than half a million have made it to Romania. Nearly 300,000 have gone to Russia.

Before the crisis began a month ago, EU member Poland was home to around 1.5 million Ukrainians.

In total, more than 10 million people -- over a quarter of the population in regions under government control before the February 24 invasion -- are now thought to have fled their homes, including nearly 6.5 million who are internally displaced.

Ukraine's refugee crisis is Europe's worst since World War II.

The UN children's agency, UNICEF, said Thursday that 4.3 million children -- more than half of Ukraine's estimated 7.5-million child population -- had been forced to leave their homes.

It puts at some 1.5 million the number of those children who have become refugees, while another 2.5 million are displaced inside their war-ravaged country, it said.

The number leaving daily has fallen well below 100,000 per day, and even 50,000 in recent days, even as living conditions in Ukraine worsen.

The figures do not include citizens of neighbouring states who have left Ukraine to return home. (AFP)

Ukraine rebel region says may vote on joining Russia

The head of Ukraine's Lugansk separatist region said Sunday it may hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia, after Moscow sent troops into its pro-Western neighbour.

"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will... express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation," Russian news agencies quoted Leonid Pasechnik as saying.

"I am sure this will be the case," he said.

Russia launched its military action in Ukraine on February 24, saying it was acting in defence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in the country's east.

President Vladimir Putin had two days earlier recognised the two regions as independent.

The announcement of a possible referendum drew mixed reactions from Russian lawmakers.

"I think now is not the right time for this," said Leonid Kalashnikov, a lawmaker who heads the committee on relations with the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States in Russia's lower house of parliament.

"It is hardly necessary to occupy oneself with such questions when the fate at the front is being decided," state news agency TASS quoted him as saying.

But Andrei Klishas, head of the constitutional legislation committee in the upper house, said the breakaway regions had every right to determine their own future.

"Russia has recognised the sovereignty of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics," he told state news agency RIA Novosti. "The authorities of these republics have the right to make any decisions in accordance with their constitutions."

The industrial, mainly Russian-speaking regions broke from Kyiv's control in 2014 in fighting that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.

Kyiv slammed the proposed vote, with foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko describing it as part of continued Russian efforts to "undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity," he said in written comments to AFP.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine after a pro-Moscow leader was ousted in a popular uprising in Kyiv in February 2014 and a referendum was held in the southern region on becoming part of Russia. (AFP)

France's President Emmanuel Macron warns against 'escalation' after Joe Biden brands Vladimir Putin 'butcher'

France's President Emmanuel Macron warned Sunday against a verbal "escalation" of Russia's invasion in Ukraine, after US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power".

The Kremlin had reacted in fury over Biden's comments which it said narrows the window for bilateral relations, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine now into a second month.

Macron said he would speak to Putin in the next two days to organise the evacuation of civilians from the heavily bombarded port city of Mariupol.

The French leader told broadcaster France 3 that he saw his task as "achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of (Russian) troops by diplomatic means."

"If we want to do that, we can't escalate either in words or actions."

Ukraine was making a new push to get civilians out of the city on Sunday, with an aid route agreement for people to leave by cars or on evacuation buses, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Several attempts at establishing safe routes for civilians to flee have collapsed as both sides trade blame for violating temporary ceasefires.

Mariupol, in the region of Donetsk, has borne the brunt of Russia's assaults, and residents who managed to flee have recounted harrowing scenes of death and destruction.

About 170,000 people remain trapped in the besieged city and authorities have said they fear some 300 civilians may have died in a Russian strike on March 17 that hit a theatre being used as a bomb shelter.

In an impassioned speech from the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Biden blasted Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," the US leader said, before the White House clarified that Washington was not seeking regime change.

The Kremlin snapped back, saying "a head of state should stay sober". (AFP) 

Ukraine says Russia destroying fuel and food depots

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said on Sunday that Russia had started destroying Ukrainian fuel and food storage centres, meaning the government would have to disperse stocks of both in the near future. (Reuters)

Some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees reach France

Some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in France, with half of them travelling through the country to other places such as Spain, French housing minister Emmanuelle Wargon said Sunday. Wargon told Franceinfo radio the government was preparing to welcome 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine. France has been granting temporary European Union stay permits to Ukrainian refugees, which allows them to have access to schools and to work in the country. (Reuters)

Ukraine says two evacuation corridors agreed for Sunday

Ukraine and Russia have agreed two 'humanitarian corridors' to evacuate civilians from frontline areas on Sunday, including allowing people to leave by private car from the southern city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. (Reuters)

Ukraine President demands Western nations give arms, asks if they're afraid of Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Western nations provide a fraction of the military hardware in their stockpiles and asked whether they were afraid of Moscow. Several countries have promised to send anti-armor and anti-aircraft missiles as well as small arms but Zelenskiy said Kyiv needed tanks, planes and anti-ship systems. (Reuters)

Russian forces trying to encircle Ukraine's troops in Donbas: UK Defense Ministry

The UK Defense Ministry said the Russian forces are focused on trying to encircle Ukraine's troops in Donbas. Russian troops are attempting to advance from Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, the ministry said on March 27. (The Kyiv Independent)

US to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees

US President Joe Biden took to Twitter and said, "Helping Ukrainian refugees is not something Poland or any nation should carry alone. All the world’s democracies have a responsibility to help. And the people of Ukraine can count on the United States to meet its responsibility. We will welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees."

Ukraine asks Red Cross not to open office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don

Ukraine has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross not to open a planned office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, saying it would legitimise Moscow's "humanitarian corridors" and the abduction and forced deportation of Ukranians.

Biden says Putin 'cannot remain in power' in fiery speech on Ukraine war

US President Joe Biden said that Russia's leader Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" in Poland Saturday, remarks a White House official said later were meant to prepare the world's democracies for extended conflict over Ukraine, not back regime change in Russia. (Reuters)

Kremlin says it's not for Biden to say if Putin stays in power

The Kremlin dismissed a remark by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," saying it was up to Russians to choose their own president. Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians." (Reuters)

White House says Biden is not calling for regime change in Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia when he said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," a White House official said.

"The President's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change," the official said following Biden's speech in Warsaw. (Reuters)

Multiple rockets hit Lviv city in western Ukraine
Four rockets hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26. Lviv, just 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the Polish border, has so far escaped the heavy bombardment and fighting that has devastated some Ukrainian cities closer to Russia since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24. (Reuters)

Man detained at site of Lviv rocket attacks

The governor of the Lviv region says a man was detained on suspicion of espionage at the site of one of the two rocket attacks that rattled the city on Saturday.

Maksym Kozytskyy said police found the man had recorded a rocket flying toward the target and striking it. Police also found on his telephone photos of checkpoints in the region, which Kozytskyy said had been sent to two Russian telephone numbers. (AP)

Russian oligarchs welcome in Turkey, says foreign minister

Russian oligarchs are welcome in Turkey but must abide by international law in order to do any business, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on March 26. Turkey has strongly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine but opposes sanctions imposed by its NATO allies on principle. (Reuters)

UK says Russian sanctions could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine

British foreign minister Liz Truss says sanctions imposed on Russian individuals and companies could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to end aggression, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday. (Reuters)

Russian forces take control of Chernobyl workers' town

Russian forces have taken control of Ukraine's Slavutych, where workers at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant live, and three people were killed, Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted the local mayor as saying. (Reuters)