Belarus said this morning that it had prepared the venue that will host talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia, as Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine went into its fifth day.
Ukraine has agreed to send a delegation to meet Russian representatives in neighbouring Belarus, a key Kremlin ally that has allowed Russian troops passage to attack Ukraine.
Kyiv was initially reluctant to send a delegation to Belarus, given the country’s role as facilitator in Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Ukraine has vowed not to give ground at the talks, which come as its forces fiercely resist the Russian offensive and a day after Vladimir Putin ordered his defence chiefs to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was sceptical about the prospect of talks in Belarus: “As always: I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try.”
Sanctions that the UK, the US and other nations have imposed on Russia appear to be having an impact. By early this morning the rouble had already sunk by nearly 26pc against the US dollar.
A three-mile column of Russian troops and tanks has been moving slowly towards Kyiv.
Belarus is expected to send reinforcements into Ukraine as soon as today after a referendum paved the way for the country to host nuclear weapons and Russian forces permanently.
A US official with direct knowledge of intelligence assessments says the decision by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on whether to bring Belarus further into the war depends on talks between Russia and Ukraine in the coming days.
The latest development came after the European Union decided for the first time in its history to supply weapons to a country at war. Fighter jets were expected to arrive overnight.
Follow the latest updates below.
07:33 AM
‘Better ways’ to help Ukraine than travelling to join the fighting, says Defence Secretary
Ben Wallace said there were “better ways” to help Ukraine than travelling to join the fighting, for those in the UK without military experience.
The Defence Secretary was asked about comments made by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Sunday, where she supported anyone who wished to travel to the country to help fight the Russian invaders.
Mr Wallace told Sky News Ms Truss was right that it was a “just cause”, but he said: “If you’re keen to help and you’re a United Kingdom citizen, come and join our armed forces.”
He said: “Look, there are people who will go… I think what I would say is unless you are properly trained, unless you are a – you know – experienced member of an armed forces, I think there are better ways for you to contribute to the security of Ukraine.”
07:30 AM
UK government announce further economic sanctions
The UK government have announced further economic sanctions to target Russia’s Central Bank.
“The UK Government will immediately take all necessary steps to bring into effect restrictions to prohibit any UK natural or legal persons from undertaking financial transactions involving the CBR, the Russian National Wealth Fund, and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation,” the Treasury said.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, said: “These measures demonstrate our determination to apply severe economic sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“We are announcing this action in rapid co-ordination with our US and European allies to move in lockstep once more with our international partners, to demonstrate our steadfast resolve in imposing the highest costs on Russia and to cut her off from the international financial system so long as this conflict persists.”
07:22 AM
Breaking: Russia’s Central Bank has raised its key rate to 20%
Russia’s Central Bank has raised its key rate to an unprecedented 20% in desperate bid to shore up the ruble amid crippling sanctions.
07:19 AM
Putin’s nuclear warning is an ‘attempt to distract away from his troubles in Ukraine’, says Defence Secretary
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear warning is a “big attempt to distract away from his troubles in Ukraine”, the Defence Secretary has said.
Ben Wallace did not rule out Mr Putin launching a nuclear attack, and was asked on Sky News whether the Russian leader was “crazy enough” to start a nuclear conflict.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says Vladimir Putin ordering Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces to be put on high alert is “a big attempt to distract from his troubles in Ukraine”.
Ukraine-Russia latest: https://t.co/5xGmj0hqsU
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— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 28, 2022
Mr Wallace told Sky News: “I think he has certainly done a lot of irrational things recently.”
He added: “I think I’m not going to speculate on what he would or wouldn’t do, but that’s why we all keep our deterrents at a state of readiness in the West.”
07:12 AM
Ministry of Defence update
07:04 AM
Boris Johnson: Russian invasion is a ‘disastrous misbegotten venture’
Boris Johnson has called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “disastrous misbegotten venture by President Putin” as the Kremlin’s forces continue to face fierce resistance on the ground.
Ahead of the United Nations holding a rare emergency meeting of its General Assembly over the crisis, the Prime Minister also told the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Britain would do all it could to get more arms to his military.
Mr Zelensky told Mr Johnson the next 24 hours would a “crucial period” for his country.
A Ukrainian delegation is due to meet the Russians today “without precondition” on the border with Belarus, although Mr Zelensky has indicated he sees little prospect of any meaningful dialogue.
Last night Mr Johnson said that Putin’s nuclear threat was a “distraction from what’s really going on in Ukraine” as resistance forces put up more of a fight than the Kremlin was expecting.
07:01 AM
Fears that Covid isolation has unbalanced Putin
Fears are growing that the Covid pandemic has influenced Vladimir Putin’s behaviour.
Normally regarded as coldly rational, Putin has alarmed influential figures in Washington with his angry outbursts as the Ukraine crisis unfolded.
Florida senator and former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio was among those to question Putin’s mental health.
“I wish I could share more, but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with Putin,” he tweeted.
Read the full story here.
06:57 AM
Latest updates from overnight
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A three-mile column of Russian troops and tanks has been moving slowly towards Kyiv
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Belarus is expected to send reinforcements into Ukraine as soon as today after a referendum paved the way for the country to host nuclear weapons and Russian forces permanently
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The European Union decided for the first time in its history to supply weapons to a country at war. Fighter jets were expected to arrive overnight
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Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear arsenal on standby on Sunday amid growing fears he could deploy weapons of mass destruction to avoid the humiliation of defeat in Ukraine
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Putin blamed the West’s “unfriendly steps” when ordering Russia’s military command to put its nuclear deterrent “into a special mode of combat service”
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A Ukrainian tractor was filmed towing away a Russian tank, underlying the chaos that has underpinned the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbour
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The world’s largest aircraft – the Antonov An-225 Mriya – is feared to have been destroyed in an attack on Antonov Airport in Ukraine
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A triumphant essay hailing how Vladimir Putin “solved the Ukrainian question” was published by the Russian media and then hastily deleted
06:36 AM
Rouble plunges to a record low
The rouble plunged to a record low of less than one US cent on Monday after Western nations moved to tighten sanctions against Russia, blocking some of its banks from the Swift global payments system.
Shares were mixed in Asia but US and European futures were sharply lower as Vladimir Putin escalated tensions by ordering that Russian nuclear forces be put on high alert.
Russian’s invasion of Ukraine has caused markets to swing wildly, given the potential impact on inflation, energy supplies and other economic repercussions.
Central bank restrictions target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal, hindering Russia’s ability to support the rouble as it plunges in value.
The rouble was quoted at 105.27 to the dollar early on Monday, down from about 84 roubles to the dollar on Friday.
Sanctions announced earlier had taken its currency to its lowest level against the dollar in history and gave its stock market its worst week on record.
06:09 AM
Singapore breaks tradition to apply sanctions
Singapore will impose “appropriate sanctions and restrictions” on Russia, its foreign minister said on Monday, including banking and financial measures and export controls on items that could be used as weapons against the people of Ukraine.
The tiny city-state, an Asian financial centre and key international shipping hub, complies with United Nations Security Council resolutions but rarely issues sanctions of its own against countries.
“Singapore intends to act in concert with many other like-minded countries to impose appropriate sanctions and restrictions against Russia,” Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told parliament, describing Russia’s invasion as unacceptable and a gross violation of international norms.
He said the sanctions were due to the “unprecedented gravity” of the situation and Russia’s veto last week of a draft Security Council resolution.
05:33 AM
Facebook, Twitter block hackers and fake accounts
Meta Platforms said a hacking group used Facebook to target a handful of public figures in Ukraine, including prominent military officials, politicians and a journalist.
Meta said in the last 48 hours it had also separately removed a network of about 40 fake accounts, groups and pages across Facebook and Instagram that operated from Russia and Ukraine, targeting people in Ukraine, for violating its rules against coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
A Twitter spokesperson said it had also suspended more than a dozen accounts and blocked the sharing of several links for violating its rules against platform manipulation and spam. It said its ongoing investigation indicated the accounts originated in Russia and were attempting to disrupt the public conversation around the conflict in Ukraine.
05:17 AM
UN General Assembly to hold first emergency session in decades
The United Nations’ two major bodies – the 193-nation General Assembly and the more powerful 15-member Security Council – are holding separate meetings on Monday, reflecting widespread demands for a ceasefire and escalating concern for the millions of Ukrainians caught up in the war.
The Security Council gave a green light on Sunday for the first emergency session of the General Assembly in decades. It will give all UN members an opportunity to speak about the war and vote on a resolution later in the week that US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said would “hold Russia to account for its indefensible actions and for its violations of the UN Charter”.
French Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere announced that the Security Council will hold a meeting on Monday afternoon on the humanitarian impact of Russia’s invasion, a session sought by French President Emmanuel Macron to ensure the delivery of aid to growing numbers of those in need in Ukraine.
04:32 AM
Russia makes Facebook largely unusable
Russia has apparently rendered Facebook largely unusable across leading Russian telecommunications providers amid rising friction between Moscow and the social media platform.
The London-based internet monitor NetBlocks reports that Facebook’s network of content-distribution servers in Russia was so badly restricted Sunday that “content no longer loads, or loads extremely slowly making the platforms unusable.”
Russian telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday announced plans to “partially restrict” access to Facebook. That same day, Facebook’s head of security policy had said the company was barring Russian state media from running ads or otherwise profiting on its platform anywhere in the world.
Facebook says it has also refused a request by the Kremlin not to run fact checks related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the platform for users inside Russia.
04:05 AM
Biden to hold secure call with allies
US President Joe Biden will hold a secure call with allies and partners on Monday to discuss “developments” in Russia’s attack on Ukraine and “coordinate our united response,” the White House said.
The administration did not elaborate on who would participate in the call.
Russia has become an international pariah as its forces do battle on the streets of Ukraine’s cities, and is facing a barrage of sanctions including a ban from Western airspace and key financial networks.
Earlier Sunday, the G7 threatened fresh sanctions as top US diplomat Antony Blinken said the group of wealthy nations was “fully aligned” against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
03:49 AM
Russian missile strikes north of Kyiv
A Russian missile struck a residential building in Chernihiv, a city 150km north from Kyiv, according to the State Communications Service.
The Kyiv Independent said two lower floors were set on fire, with one woman injured. The fire has since been put out.
The State Communication Service was also reporting blasts in Kyiv and Kharkiv early on Monday morning.
03:31 AM
Missiles hit radioactive waste site, reports nuclear watchdog
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says missiles have hit a radioactive waste disposal site in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but there are no reports of damage to the buildings or indications of a release of radioactive material.
In a statement late Sunday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Ukrainian authorities informed his office about the overnight strike. He says his agency expects to soon receive the results of on-site radioactive monitoring.
The report came a day after an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was damaged.
03:27 AM
Japan ‘working with West’ to block Russian finances
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday that Japan was asked to join in measures blocking Russia from SWIFT by Western nations and was working with them to make the measures effective.
He said Japan will continue to cooperate with other nations, including the Group of Seven, but declined to comment when asked about sanctions on the Russian central bank. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Elaine Lies; Editing by Tom Hogue)
03:18 AM
Rouble plunges to all-time low on back of sanctions
The rouble plunged to an all-time low on Monday, and the dollar soared against nearly all peers after Western nations announced fresh sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin put nuclear-armed forces on high alert.
The rouble dropped to as low as 119 per dollar in early trading, screaming through its previous low of 90 roubles per dollar.
The declines came despite Russia’s central bank announcing a slew of steps on Sunday to support domestic markets, after Western allies ratcheted up sanctions including blocking certain banks from the SWIFT international payments system.
02:56 AM
Minsk ‘now an extension of Kremlin’
A US administration official has confirmed that Belarus is preparing to send troops into Ukraine in support of Russia.
“It’s very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” the source told The Washington Post, saying the deployment could happen as early as Monday morning.
The results of a referendum held on Sunday in Belarus, Russia’s neighbour and ally, have paved the way for the nation to house Russian nuclear weapons.
02:45 AM
Bank of China’s Singapore arm stops Russian deals
Bank of China’s Singapore operation has stopped financing deals involving Russian oil and Russian companies, amid concerns of western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sources report.
02:10 AM
Russia scrambles to manage financial fallout
Russia’s central bank announced a slew of measures on Sunday to support domestic markets, as it scrambled to manage the fallout of harsh Western sanctions over the weekend.
The central bank said it would resume buying gold on the domestic market, launch a repurchase auction with no limits and ease restrictions on banks’ open foreign currency positions.
It also increased the range of securities that can be used as collateral to get loans and ordered market players to reject foreign clients’ bids to sell Russian securities.
The steps came after Western allies ratcheted up sanctions on Saturday, including blocking certain banks from the SWIFT international payments system and targeting the Russian central bank.
01:53 AM
Belarus to join Russian fight ‘within hours’
Multiple sources in Belarus say Vladimir Putin has called on his ally Aleksandr Lukashenko to join Russia’s military operation.
The Kyiv Independent reports that the first transport aircraft carrying Belarusian paratroopers is likely to take off in the early hours of Monday morning.
The speculation comes after Belarus held a referendum on Sunday that enabled them to ditch the country’s non-nuclear status.
The new constitution could see nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union.
01:40 AM
Saudi Arabia ‘committed’ to Russian oil agreement
Saudi Arabia confirmed its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement with Russia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made the comments during a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron that also covered the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the energy markets.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince affirmed the Kingdom’s keenness on the stability and balance of oil markets and the Kingdom’s commitment to the OPEC Plus agreement,” the agency added.
Members of the OPEC+ oil producers’ group will meet on Wednesday to discuss loosening the taps just days after the Russian invasion sent crude soaring past $100 a barrel.
01:33 AM
Satellite images show Russian convoy heading to Kyiv
The Russian column of troops and tanks was captured via satellite by Maxar Technologies and extended for more than 3.25 miles.
The space technology company said the convoy was north-east of the Ukrainian city of Ivankiv and contained fuel, logistics and armoured vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery.
Maxar has been tracking the buildup of Russian forces for weeks.
01:21 AM
G7 leaders threaten fresh sanctions
Leaders of the G7 threatened fresh sanctions against Russia as the top US diplomat Antony Blinken said the group of wealthy nations was “fully aligned” against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States warned in a joint statement that they would “take further steps” to add to the sanctions already announced if Russia did not cease its operation.
Russian military gains in Ukraine achieved through its ongoing campaign leading to “any change of status” such as the annexation of territory “will not be recognised”, G7 foreign ministers said in a joint statement.
01:18 AM
New York cancels Russian investments
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Sunday forbidding her state from doing business with Russia, including cancelling its investments there.
The governor also said New York will welcome Ukrainian refugees in response to Russia’s invasion, noting that her state is home to the largest Ukrainian population in the US.
“We have said we’ll open up our hearts, our homes, our resources to the people of the Ukraine, to say, ‘We stand with you,”‘ she said.
Federal estimates show that about 140,000 of more than one million people in the US who report Ukrainian ancestry live in New York.
01:08 AM
Google disables Maps tools to protect Ukrainians
Google confirmed on Sunday it has temporarily disabled in Ukraine some Google Maps tools which provide live information about traffic conditions.
The company said it had taken the action for the safety of local communities in the country, after consulting with sources, including regional authorities.
