Latest Developments in Ukraine: March 5
Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine …
US Indo-Pacific Partners’ Approach to Ukraine Fractured
While U.S. President Joe Biden has played a key role in galvanizing Western nations’ condemnation of Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, his administration is finding it harder to build a global coalition in the Indo-Pacific to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Key regional partners such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan have announced significant …
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NATO Rejects No-Fly Zone for Ukraine After Russian Attack on Nuclear Plant
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels just hours after Russia’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. …
White House Disavows Senator’s Call for Assassination of Putin
The Biden administration is not advocating for regime change in Russia, the White House said Friday, after a U.S. senator called for Russians to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. “That is not the position of the U.S. government and certainly not a statement you’ll hear from — coming from the mouth of — anybody working for …
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Ghana Evacuating Students From Ukraine
Among African students evacuated from Ukraine when Russia attacked were hundreds of Ghanaians, some of them arriving back home this week. But just an hour from the border with Russia, a number of Ghanaian and other African students are sheltering underground while waiting for a safe escape. Senanu Tord reports from Accra, Ghana. Camera: Senanu …
IAEA Chief: Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Safe After Russian Strike
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that the reactors at Ukraine’s largest nuclear plant had not been affected during a Russian attack on the site in the early hours Friday that shocked the globe and raised fears of a possible nuclear accident. “We confirm through our contacts at the regulator, but …
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Top US Diplomat, EU Leaders Agree to Continue Pressure on Moscow
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with leaders of the European Union on Friday, pledging with them to keep pressuring Russia with sanctions in response to its invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia’s aggression is a threat relevant to the entire world. Following a similar meeting with NATO allies in Brussels, Blinken attended a special …
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Russian Space Agency Chief Threatens to End Cooperation Over Western Sanctions
The head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, is again threatening to end service to the International Space Station, saying Russia will stop supplying rocket engines to the United States and may curtail cooperation on the station in retaliation for Western sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. NASA says operations on the orbiting observatory …
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Russia Blocks Facebook, Alleging ‘Discrimination’ Against Russian Media
Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday said it has blocked access to Facebook in the country. It said it took the action following “26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook.” It said Facebook “has restricted access to accounts: the Zvezda TV channel, the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, …
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Hundreds of Nigerians Head Home Fleeing Russia’s Ukraine Invasion
Some 2,000 Nigerians who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion last week are on their way back to Nigeria. Nigerian authorities say 8,000 Nigerians were in Ukraine when Russia attacked, most of them students. A flight from Romania carrying the first batch of 415 evacuees arrived at the private wing of the Abuja International Airport …
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VOA, BBC Vow to Keep News Flowing Despite Russian Ban
Access to Western news outlets—including parts of Voice of America and the BBC—were blocked by Russia’s media watchdog on Friday. Moscow restricted several sites over “deliberate and systematic circulation of materials containing false information,” the media regulator Roskomnadzor said in a statement. Requests to block the news websites were made on February 24, the day …
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Resisting US Pressure, India Stays Neutral on Russia
Despite its growing strategic ties with the United States, India is resisting pressure from Washington to join the West and other countries in condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine for fear of alienating Moscow at a time when New Delhi views Beijing as its main threat, according to some analysts. India stayed firm in …
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US Top Diplomat Meets With NATO Chief on Russia-Ukraine Crisis
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, said NATO allies are not seeking conflict with Russia, but they are ready for it if it comes. Speaking to reporters ahead of Friday’s NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, Blinken added that the alliance “will defend every inch of NATO …
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Shelling Intensifies as Ukrainians Fear Putin Has Chosen ‘Grozny Option’
Larysa left Kharkiv three days ago with her 9-year-old daughter, and trauma is etched across her face. Her jitteriness suggests she is suffering shellshock, and she is already missing her husband who decided to stay and fight. Her name means citadel but her high-rise apartment in Ukraine’s second largest city — the scene of some …
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US Calls for Greater African Support After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
The U.S. government says more African voices are needed to challenge Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. This week, most African countries voted in favor of a U.N. resolution condemning the conflict in Ukraine waged by Russia. But experts say African nations will likely say little about the war and protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Speaking …
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NATO Meets as Ukraine Calls for No-fly Zone to Hinder Russia
NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Friday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as Kyiv called on Western allies to implement a no-fly zone or provide them with more planes to protect civilians and infrastructure including nuclear plants. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has consistently called for a no-fly zone since Moscow’s invasion more than …
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Many Asian Countries Condemn Russia’s War in Ukraine
Countries across Asia are condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some key Asian countries are even joining international sanctions against Moscow. As VOA’s Bill Gallo reports, it is not just U.S. allies that are concerned. …
Did China Know Russia Would Invade Ukraine? Answer Will Affect Beijing’s Reputation
China has rejected a report that said its officials told their Russian counterparts to delay an invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Experts say the flap indicates Chinese leaders could have known an attack was coming and that such a discovery would taint China’s reputation in the West. Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry …
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Poland Under Pressure as Over 1 Million Refugees Flee Ukraine
As the train from Lviv limps across the Polish border, children peer from the windows, their curiosity undimmed by the horrors they have left behind. Beside them, crammed tightly into the carriages, their mothers and grandparents sit bewildered, terrified and exhausted. As the trains pulls into Przemyśl, teams of Polish guards and volunteers help them …
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Poland Under Pressure as 1 Million Refugees Flee Ukraine
More than 1 million Ukrainians have fled the country in the first week of Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations. Henry Ridgwell reports from the border between Ukraine and Poland, where most of the refugees are fleeing. …
Latest Developments in Ukraine: March 4
Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine …
IAEA ‘Gravely Concerned’ for Safety of Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants
Even before Russian forces shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, sparking a fire in a nearby building early Friday, Ukraine’s main nuclear regulatory agency had sought “immediate assistance” from the international nuclear agency. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said Wednesday he had received a letter from the State Nuclear Regulatory …
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China-Backed Bank Halts Lending to Russia, Belarus
The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank said it will suspend business related to Russia and Belarus, which have been hit with massive international sanctions over the Ukraine war. In a statement issued Thursday, the AIIB said that “in the best interests of the bank, management has decided that all activities relating to Russia and Belarus …
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European Media Offer Support to Ukrainian, Russian Colleagues
“We’re publishing this text while there’s still time,” independent Russian media site Meduza said. “Within a few days, maybe even today, it is possible that there will be no independent media left in Russia,” read the statement published to Meduza’s website Thursday. The independent media outlet said that Moscow’s regulator, Roskomnadzor, has ordered journalists to …
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