LIVE: Zelensky Says "Weak" NATO Won't Introduce"No-Fly Zone"
EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen claps as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears on large screens via video conference to address members of the European Parliament during an extraordinary Plenary session | Photo: EFE/EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ
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Putin also warned Scholz about the dangers emanating from Neo-Nazis in Ukraine in talk with Scholz
March 5th - 00:00 EST update:
Talks with Russia won’t go easily, Ukrainian presidential office advisor says
Both Ukraine and Russia have taken tough positions in talks so the negotiation process will not go easily, Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Mikhail Podolyak said at a briefing in Lvov.
"Russia’s stance is tough," he noted. "However, the position of the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief and Ukraine in general is also tough, so talks will not go easily, but there will be talks," he pointed out.
According to Podolyak, Russia’s position is clear to Ukraine but the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky won’t make concessions "diminishing Ukraine’s fight for territorial integrity." The support of Western partners strengthens Kiev’s position in talks, the Ukrainian official added.
Podolyak also said that talks proceeded in a constructive atmosphere. "Strange as it may seem, the atmosphere was very constructive so we held a conversation. The other party made claims, we also made claims, and then we discussed them," he noted.
Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, head of the Servant of the People ruling party’s parliamentary faction David Arakhamia, said at a briefing that Kiev and Moscow had agreed to hold talks behind closed doors "in order to be able to make some agreements."
US ready to engage in meaningful diplomacy with Russia - top diplomat
The United States will engage in meaningful diplomacy with Russia if Moscow shows willingness to do the same, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with the BBC.
"It depends entirely on President Putin and on Russia. If they show any signs of being willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy, of course, we’ll engage," he said, when asked about the prospects for resolving the situation around Ukraine diplomatically.
"We look to our Ukrainian partners too. They are talking to the Russians, but that’s not producing anything," Blinken added.
March 4th - 21:00 EST update:
UN Security Council to hold a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on March 7
Western delegations have set for March 7 a meeting of the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
CNN to stop broadcasting in Russia
We continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward, the spokesperson said
The US-based CNN television channel will stop broadcasting in Russia, according to tweets citing a CNN spokesperson.
"CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward," the spokesperson said.
Besides CNN, the CBC, Bloomberg have made similar announcements.
Samsung announces the suspension of product deliveries to Russia
The South Korean company Samsung Electronics announced on Saturday that it is suspending the supply of its products to the Russian market.
The move is motivated by "current geopolitical events."
"We continue to actively monitor this complex situation to determine our next steps," the corporation said in a statement.
Earlier, the Yonhap agency, citing the South Korean Ministry of Commerce, reported that mobile phones, cars and other consumer goods are not subject to US sanctions on exports to Russia.
March 4th - 18:30 EST update:
A still image taken from a handout video released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on 03 March 2022 shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky making a statement UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
Zelensky believes that NATO deliberately decided not to introduce a "no-fly zone" in Ukraine
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is disappointed with NATO's decision not to introduce a "no-fly zone" over the country.
"Today was a NATO summit, a weak summit, a confused summit. A summit that shows that not everyone considers the fight for freedom for Europe the number one goal. (...) NATO has consciously decided not to close the sky over Ukraine," Zelensky said in a video message Friday night.
According to the president, "the NATO countries themselves have created a narrative that the alleged closing of the skies over Ukraine will provoke direct aggression" against the North Atlantic Alliance.
According to Zelensky, "all that the alliance has bothered to do so far is to pass 50 tons of diesel fuel for Ukraine through its procurement system."
“I don’t know who you can protect, and whether you are able to protect your countries, the countries of the alliance: you won’t be able to pay off us with liters of fuel (...),” he said.
At the same time, he expressed gratitude to Ukraine's friends in NATO, partners who, according to the president, are in the majority in the alliance, "so we don't feel alone."
March 4th - 17:30 EST update:
Putin approves law on sanctions for foreigners breaching rights of Russians
Under the law, the blacklisted individuals are denied entry Russia. The law also provides for freezing their financial or other assets, prohibiting any business dealings with the property and investments as well as owning property or conducting business activities in Russia
Russian defense minister discusses situation in Ukraine with UN chief
The Russian minister explained that the decision stemmed from the fact that over the past eight years Ukraine’s leadership has been refusing to implement the Minsk agreements
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on the possibility of imposing sanctions against citizens of any foreign state, not just the United States, along with stateless persons who have violated the rights of Russians or committed offenses against them, the Kremlin said in a statement on its site on Friday.
The document extends the law ‘On Sanctions for Individuals Violating Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms of the Citizens of the Russian Federation’ adopted in 2012, which imposes restrictions only on US citizens.
Under the law, the blacklisted individuals are denied entry Russia. The law also provides for freezing their financial or other assets, prohibiting any business dealings with the property and investments as well as owning property or conducting business activities in Russia. In addition, the federal law stipulates that the operation of entities controlled by sanctioned individuals should be suspended and that their seats on the boards of directors and other management bodies of companies registered in the Russian Federation should be suspended as well. Those measures were applied to the US nationals placed on the list of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The law extends the current legislative measures to foreign nationals and stateless persons who are placed on corresponding lists by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In accordance with the law, restrictions might be used against foreigners who have abused their state or official positions to exempt from liability those individuals who have committed crimes against Russian citizens. The measures target the foreigners who have been involved in the kidnapping or illegal imprisonment of Russian nationals, who have brought groundless and unjust verdicts against them or pursued ungrounded legal proceedings. (TASS)
March 4th - 17:00 EST update:
Blinken said that the United States wants to reduce the role of the Russian Federation in the world's energy supplies
The United States is not interested in a global reduction in the supply of energy resources but seeks to lower the status of Russia as a leading supplier of such products, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday.
"There is no strategic interest in reducing global energy supplies. The immediate result of this will be higher prices. (...) However, we and our allies have a strong interest in lowering Russia's status as a leading energy supplier," Blinken said at a press conference. conferences.
Peskov said that Russia does not aim to divide Ukraine into parts
Russia, conducting a military operation on Ukrainian territory, does not aim to divide Ukraine into parts, but only seeks to ensure guarantees for its own security. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Sky News Arabia, which was published on Friday evening.
"After the 2014 coup d'état, Ukraine became subject to the influence of Nazi ideology. <...> We want to free it from this ideology. In addition, the presence of NATO infrastructure in Ukraine has increased, which directly threatens the security of Russia. <...> We do not have the aim of dividing Ukrainian territory into parts, but we are striving to ensure guarantees of our own security," the spokesman said.
March 4th - 15:00 EST update:
Putin informs Scholz about goals of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine — Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz continued to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin press service said on Friday after their telephone conversation.
"The leaders continued to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin informed the German chancellor about Russia’s principled approaches in the context of the special military operation to protect Donbass’ population and explained in detail its goals and tasks, which will be implemented," it said.
The German chancellor "expressed concern over active combat operations and reports about casualties among civilians and military losses of the sides," it said. "In this connection, Vladimir Putin recalled that Western partners for eight years have been turning a blind eye on the Kiev regime’s genocide against the Donbass republic’s residents, on the death of around 14,000 , including thousands of children."
"In the course of the special operation, Russian servicemen are taking all possible measures to save the lives of civilians and reports about alleged shelling of Kiev and other large cities are flagrant propaganda fakes," it said.