Moscow on Wednesday announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine to carry out the evacuation of the civilian population, Russian news agencies reported.
Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine:
29 fighter jets to the United States, the foreign ministry says, under a scheme that would see the planes given to Ukraine.
But Washington rejects the offer as not “tenable”, saying it raises “serious concerns” for the entire NATO alliance.
Washington says any decision to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is “ultimately one for the Polish government”.
– US bans Russian oil –
President Joe Biden announces a ban on US imports of Russian oil, gas and coal, saying Ukraine will “never be a victory for Putin”.
Britain also says it will phase out Russian oil imports by the end of this year, and the European Union says it will slash gas imports by two-thirds.
Crude prices surge on the US move, with the benchmark Brent jumping 6.8 percent.
Norway – Europe’s largest gas supplier after Russia — says it cannot increase gas deliveries because its fields are already operating at full capacity.
– IAEA concerns on Chernobyl –The UN’s nuclear watchdog warns that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data and voices concern for staff working under Russian guard at the Ukrainian site.
More than 200 technical staff and guards remain trapped there and have worked 13 days straight since the Russian takeover.
IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi reiterates an offer to travel to Chernobyl or elsewhere to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear sites.
At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Russian forces say in a video carried by Russian media that they have full control of the site and it is functioning normally. They accuse Ukraine of storing weapons at the facility.
– Thousands evacuated –
Ukraine evacuates 5,000 civilians from the northeastern city of Sumy under a deal with Moscow to hold fire and set up humanitarian corridors in cities besieged by Russian forces.
Convoys ferry the evacuees to the city of Lokhvytsia, around 150 kilometres (93 miles) to the southwest in Ukrainian-held territory.
Ukrainian authorities say 21 people, including two children, were killed in air strikes on the town on Monday.
Kyiv and its Western allies had rejected a previous proposal to evacuate Ukrainians to Russia and Belarus.
