The Kremlin has said that a purported Ukrainian air strike on a fuel depot in western Russia will hinder future peace talks.
“Of course, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of negotiations,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, told reporters.
Mr Peskov said authorities were doing everything to reorganise the fuel supply chain and avoid disruption of energy supplies in Belgorod.
His comments came after Russia accused Ukraine of striking the fuel depot in Belgorod, which if true would mark a significant escalation of the war since it broke out in February.
Video images of the purported attack posted online showed what looked like several missiles being fired from two helicopters flying at low altitude, followed by an explosion. Reuters has not yet been able to verify the images.
Follow the latest updates below.
12:01 PM
Russia launches conscription drive amid Ukraine conflict
Russia on Friday launched its spring draft of young men eligible for national service, vowing conscripts will not be sent to fight in Ukraine, where over 1,000 troops have been killed.
The Russian military holds two annual draft sessions, in spring and autumn, when it recruits eligible men aged 18 to 27 to serve for a year.
This time, President Vladimir Putin has set a recruitment goal of 134,500 men, according to a Kremlin decree.
Military service is nominally mandatory for men but many Russians avoid the draft by entering higher education or evading the summons.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said this week that conscripts will not be sent to any hot spots and those currently ending their military service would all be sent home.
11:50 AM
Chinese Premier says China pushes for peace talks on Ukraine ‘in its own way’
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told EU leaders on Friday that China pushes for peace talks on Ukraine in “its own way”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Li reiterated that China advocates for the safeguard of international law and international norms, including the territorial integrity of all countries, CCTV reported.
EU and Chinese leaders met for their first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels pressing Beijing for assurances that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
11:46 AM
Erdogan says he will urge Putin to take steps on Donbas and Crimea with Zelensky
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he will tell his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call later that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky need to take a step to address issues over Ukraine’s Donbas region and Crimea.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said he will hold the phone call with Putin at 1pm GMT and renew an offer to host the Russian and Ukrainian leaders for peace talks, which he said Mr Zelensky was warm towards after their call on Thursday.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country would be grateful to Turkey if it could help organise a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
11:36 AM
UN says ‘tragedy must stop’ as 4.1 million Ukrainians flee
The number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s war in their country has crossed 4.1 million, the United Nations said Friday, adding: “This tragedy must stop”.
The flow of people escaping across the western borders to flee the Russian assault has settled at around 40,000 a day over the past week.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,102,876 Ukrainians had fled the country since the February 24 invasion – a figure up 43,771 on Thursday’s numbers.
More than 3.4 million fled in March.
“Forced to run for their lives. Forced to leave their homes. Forced to be apart from family. This tragedy must stop,” UNHCR said.
11:31 AM
EU proposes letting Ukraine refugees convert their money into euros
The European Commission proposed on Friday allowing Ukraine refugees to convert their hryvnia currency into euros up to a maximum of around 300 euros ($331.7) person, as part of the bloc’s humanitarian assistance to those fleeing the war.
The proposal, which takes the form of a recommendation to EU governments and would need their backing, would allow those who have fled to the European Union the right to convert a maximum of 10,000 hryvnia per person without charges.
Based on the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine, the rate that would be used, that would equate to a maximum of 307.91 euros.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, over 3.8 million people have fled over the border into EU countries. The EU has already granted them “temporary protection” status, meaning they are entitled to work, receive medical assistance and send their children to school.
11:25 AM
Ukraine ‘pushing Russian forces back in Kyiv region’
Ukrainian forces are pushing back Russian troops northeast and northwest of the capital Kyiv, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.
Political adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the encircled port city of Mariupol was still holding out after weeks of bombardment but Russian forces were now trying to encircle the northern city of Chernihiv.
11:21 AM
Pictured: Wounded Ukrainian soldier awaits treatment
11:05 AM
Ukraine war a limited threat to European banks in short-term, EBA says
The European Banking Authority (EBA) said on Friday that the war in Ukraine would have a limited impact on European banks initially but there were clear medium-term risks.
“First-round (direct) risks stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine are not a fundamental threat to the stability of the EU banking system but second-round (indirect) effects may be more material,” the EBA said in its latest risk report.
It said European banks’ direct asset exposures to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were concentrated in just a few countries and a limited number of banks, mostly through their subsidiaries in these countries.
But it warned the war could have more significant consequences in the longer term on banks in the European Economic Area – the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Banks would be affected by “lower economic growth”, which could reduce demand for loans, the EBA said.
10:52 AM
Ukraine foreign minister says he has no information about who carried out Belgorod strike
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Friday he could not confirm or deny Ukraine’s alleged involvement in a strike on a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod because he was not privy to all military information.
Responding to a question about the attack at a briefing in Poland, Mr Kuleba said: “I can neither confirm nor reject the claim that Ukraine was involved in this simply because I do not possess all the military information.”
He also said Ukraine was waiting for Russia’s formal response to Kyiv’s proposals laid out at peace talks in Turkey and that foreign powers were not pushing Ukraine to compromise in negotiations.
10:45 AM
HRW urges Ukraine to probe possible ‘war crimes’
Human Rights Watch has called on Ukrainian authorities to launch an investigation into possible war crimes following the emergence of video footage that appears to show its soldiers shooting Russian war prisoners in the legs.
The video, which began circulating on March 27, shows three men in fatigues, hands bound behind their backs, thrown to the ground by armed men who then shoot them in the legs.
While the authenticity of the footage could not be independently confirmed, AFP was able to geolocalise it to the village of Mala Rogan outside the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which Ukrainian forces had just recaptured after an offensive.
AFP journalists were able to visit Mala Rogan on March 28 and saw the bodies of two Russian soldiers lying on one of the streets of the village, which was to a large extent destroyed by fighting.
Two other bodies were partially visible under pieces of concrete in a well.
10:39 AM
Ukraine says Russia talks resumed online on Friday
Ukraine and Russia resumed peace talks on Friday in an online format, Ukraine’s presidential office said, citing Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak but without providing further details.
Delegations from the two countries held talks in Turkey on Tuesday, after which Podolyak said he felt “positive”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow was preparing its response to Ukrainian proposals at Tuesday’s talks.
10:34 AM
Fresh blast heard in Russia’s Belgorod, witness says
A fresh explosion was heard around 1 pm local time (10am GMT) on Friday in the Russian city of Belgorod, where a local official said Ukrainian forces hit a fuel depot earlier in the day, a witness told Reuters.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said two Ukrainian military helicopters struck the depot in the early hours of Friday, making the first accusation of a Ukrainian air strike on Russian soil since Moscow invaded its neighbour in late February.
10:32 AM
The latest images from Ukraine
10:08 AM
Kremlin ready to explain Ukraine situation to French actor Depardieu after criticism
The Kremlin on Friday said it was ready to explain the situation in Ukraine to French actor Gerard Depardieu, who on Thursday criticised what he described as President Vladimir Putin’s “crazy, unacceptable excesses” there.
Mr Depardieu, who took up Russian nationality in 2013 and has praised Putin in the past, told Agence France-Presse on Thursday: “the Russian people are not responsible for the crazy, unacceptable excesses of their leaders like Vladimir Putin.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Mr Depardieu probably does not completely understand the situation.
09:59 AM
Russia pulling back some troops in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine – governors
Russia is pulling back some of its forces in the northern Ukrainian regions of Kyiv and Chernihiv, the two regions’ governors said on Friday.
Russia said during negotiations on Tuesday that it would scale down operations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. Fighting has continued in both regions and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said Russian forces are not withdrawing but regrouping.
“We are observing the movement of joint (Russian) vehicle columns of various quantities,” the Kyiv region’s governor, Oleksandr Pavlyuk, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Mr Pavlyuk said some of the troops were heading towards the border with Belarus, a Russian ally.
He said Russian forces had left the village of Hostomel, which is next to an important airport, but were digging in at the town of Bucha. Reuters was unable to verify the information.
09:58 AM
Gas exports to continue under Russian rules, Gazprom says
Russian gas exports are to continue under Russian rules, Gazprom said, adding that on Friday the company started to notify clients of a requested switch of end-payment currency to roubles.
Gazprom added that it remained a responsible partner and maintained secure gas supplies.
09:50 AM
Kremlin claims no conscripts being sent to Ukraine
The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow was not sending conscripts to Ukraine, a day after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia’s annual spring draft.
The issue of conscripts’ involvement in Russia’s military campaign with Ukraine is highly sensitive. On March 9, the Russian defence ministry acknowledged that some had been sent to Ukraine after Putin had denied this on various occasions, saying only professional soldiers and officers had been sent in.
09:48 AM
‘From our heart’: Taiwan rejects China’s criticism over Ukraine aid
Taiwan’s foreign minister on Friday strongly rejected criticism of its relief efforts for Ukraine from China, saying the aid came “from our heart” and was not an exercise in political manipulation.
China’s government last month described Taiwan’s humanitarian aid for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia as “taking advantage of other’s difficulties”, after the island announced it was sending funds donated by the public for refugees.
The war in Ukraine has garnered broad sympathy in Taiwan, with many seeing parallels between Russia’s invasion – which Moscow terms a “special military operation – and military pressure from China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory.
Speaking at an event in Taipei detailing the donations, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Chinese authorities criticised Taiwan no matter what it did.
Wu, to applause from an audience that included Ukrainians and senior European diplomats in Taiwan, cited an unnamed US diplomat previously based in Taiwan as telling him: “You must be doing something right when the Chinese government is upset”.
09:45 AM
Moscow says progress made in peace talks with Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that some progress had been made at peace talks with Ukraine and that Moscow was preparing its response to Ukrainian proposals.
Speaking at a briefing after talks with his Indian counterparts, he said that peace talks with Ukraine needed to continue but that Kyiv had shown “much more understanding” of the situation in Crimea and Donbas and the necessity of its neutral status.
09:35 AM
Poland PM says Russia will try to control one third of Ukraine
Russian forces intend to capture a third of Ukraine so that Moscow will be in a strong negotiating position when it comes to possible peace talks, the prime minister of Poland believes, reports Nick Squires in Krakow, Poland.
“ I see the Russian troops regrouping, reorganising. I think that they will try to surround the Ukrainian forces quite soon — in the Donbas region in particular,” Mateusz Morawiecki told CNN.
“ And then having captured one-third of the land in Ukraine, they will want to negotiate from this… very strong position.”
The prime minister said the West must keep up sanctions against Russia and do everything possible to wean itself off Russian oil and gas imports.
He warned that the Western public was likely to grow weary of a war that could drag on for months.
“For the next weeks and the next couple of months, Russia is prepared for this war. I’m not so sure if the West, if the US, the European Union and Nato, are as prepared. Our public opinion will get tired of this war.”
Read: Polish recruits rush to join army amid fears of Russian invasion
09:29 AM
EU urges China at summit not to help Russia in Ukraine war
EU and Chinese leaders met for their first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels pressing Beijing for assurances that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
In uncommonly open language, EU officials close to the summit preparations said any help given to Russia would damage China’s international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners — Europe and the United States.
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, along with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, began virtual talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. They were due later on Friday to speak with President Xi Jinping.
09:19 AM
Turkey still has 30 citizens in Ukraine’s Mariupol, minister says
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday around 30 Turkish citizens remain in Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, the scene of the worst humanitarian emergency since Russia’s invasion.
In a news conference, Mr Cavusoglu said 87 Turkish citizens remain in Ukraine, with the total rising to around 190 people including those accompanying them.
The United Nations believes thousands of people have died in Mariupol after more than a month under Russian siege and relentless bombardment.
The Red Cross had hoped to begin evacuations from the city on Friday with the first aid convoy, but Ukraine said Russia had prevent buses from reaching it on Thursday.
09:12 AM
Gas still flows from Russia to Europe as buyers navigate Putin’s rouble order
Russian gas flowed into Europe on Friday, while European gas prices continued to rise, as firms grappled with President Vladimir Putin’s threat to cut off supplies unless they paid in roubles.
Two of the three main pipelines for Russian gas into Europe, Nord Stream 1 across the Baltic Sea and into Slovakia over Ukraine were flowing normally, while flows through the Yamal-Europe pipeline over Belarus had reversed direction.
While this meant gas is flowing from Germany to Poland through the Yamal-Europe route, it is not an uncommon switch.
Under the decree signed by Putin, foreign buyers of Russian gas must open rouble accounts in state-controlled Gazprombank from Friday to allow foreign currency to be converted to roubles.
Analysts said the plan, which puts Gazprom at the heart of the trade, was more about shielding it from future sanctions than depriving Europe of gas.
09:09 AM
Watch: Huge explosion as Russia accuses Ukraine of striking fuel depot in Belgorod
[embedded content]
08:58 AM
‘Not yet clear’ that Mariupol evacuation will happen Friday, Red Cross says
The Red Cross said it was “not yet clear” that the evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol would go ahead as planned on Friday.
“We remain hopeful, we are in action moving towards Mariupol… but it’s not yet clear that this will happen today,” Ewan Watson, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told reporters in Geneva, as an ICRC team of three cars and nine staff headed towards the city.
08:50 AM
Russia withdrawing some troops from Kyiv region, governor says
Russia is continuing to withdraw some of its forces from Ukraine’s northern Kyiv region and they are heading towards Belarus, the local governor said on Friday.
“We are observing the movement of joint (Russian) vehicle columns of various quantities,” Governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said Russian forces had left the village of Hostomel, which is next to an important, but was digging in at the town of Bucha. Reuters was unable to verify the information.
08:42 AM
Ukrainian flag ‘undamaged’ after Russian rocket attacks on building
08:35 AM
Nearly 300,000 refugees from Ukraine recorded in Germany
Almost 300,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany as of Friday, according to Germany’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry, citing figures from the federal police, said 294,508 refugees have been recorded so far and most of them are women, children or the elderly.
08:29 AM
Russian troops have withdrawn from Chernobyl, staff say
Russian troops have withdrawn from Chernobyl, staff at the former nuclear plant have said, amid claims that some of the occupiers received “significant doses” of radiation, my colleague Tom Ough reports.
With the invaders gone, the head of the International Atomic Agency said the organisation was planning a mission to the plant over the next few days.
Putin’s forces had seized the plant, the scene of the worst nuclear disaster in history, on February 24. It was feared that the plant’s occupation would interfere with the careful stewardship that it still requires, years after the reactor meltdown of 1986.
Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, Energoatom, said that staff at Chernobyl reported there were no longer “outsiders” at the plant. Energoatom also said that Russian troops had received significant doses of radiation as a result of digging trenches in the most contaminated part of the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
There have also been reports that armoured Russian vehicles kicked up clouds of radioactive dust while driving through the nearby Red Forest. The troops within the vehicles were not protected by anti-radiation gear, an oversight that a Chernobyl employee told Reuters was “suicidal”.
08:14 AM
Russian forces withdrawing from northern Ukrainian region, governor says
Russian forces are withdrawing from the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine but have not yet left entirely, the local governor said in a video address on Friday.
“Air and missile strikes are (still) possible in the region, nobody is ruling this out,” Governor Viacheslav Chaus said, adding that Ukrainian forces were entering and securing settlements previously held by Russian troops.
Mr Chaus said it was still too early for Ukrainian forces in the Chernihiv region to let their guard down as Russian troops “are still on our land.” Russia said on Tuesday it would scale down operations in the Chernihiv and Kiev regions.
08:02 AM
Ukraine says some Russian troops still in Chernobyl exclusion zone
Some Russian troops were still in the “exclusion zone” around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station on Friday morning, the head of the Ukrainian agency in charge of the zone said.
Yevhen Kramarenko confirmed on national television that the Russian forces that occupied the power station after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24 had left the plant itself but said some troops had been seen in the exclusion zone outside the territory of the decommissioned power station.
The exclusion zone was established around the plant soon after a reactor there exploded in the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986.
07:49 AM
Russian foreign minister ‘appreciates’ India’s response to Ukraine crisis
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday Russia appreciated India’s response to the Ukraine crisis.
“We appreciate that India taking this situation in the entirety of facts and not just in a one sided way,” Mr Lavrov said in a statement before talks with his Indian counterpart.
07:33 AM
Pictured: ‘Ukrainian air strike’ on Russian fuel depot
07:30 AM
Russia eases some curbs on transferring money abroad
Russia’s central bank said on Friday it was softening restrictions on foreign fund transfers for individuals for a six-month period.
The bank said the measures, which raise an earlier limit on funds that can be transferred abroad, did not apply to residents and non-residents from countries that had imposed sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.
“Within a calendar month, individuals have the right to transfer no more than 10,000 US dollars or the equivalent in another currency from the Russian Federation from their account in a Russian bank to their account or to another person abroad,” the bank said in a statement.
The bank added that transfers abroad from bank accounts of non-residents, individuals or legal entities from countries that had imposed sanctions were suspended for the next six months.
The measure will ease strain on Russians who regularly send funds to relatives abroad, or to those who have left the country without access to their funds at home.
07:13 AM
Russia’s Gazprom says gas exports to Europe via Ukraine continue
Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom said on Friday it was continuing to supply natural gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European consumers.
The company said requests stood at 108.4 million cubic metres (mcm) for April 1, down from 109.5 mcm a day earlier.
07:11 AM
Russian gas nominations for Slovakia rise to four-month high
Daily nominations for Russian gas deliveries to Slovakia via Ukraine rose to their highest since November 30 on Friday, data from Slovak pipeline operator Eustream showed.
Nominations rose to 966,305 megawatt hours at the entry point in Velke Kapusany from 882,914 megawatt hours on Thursday.
07:04 AM
US warns India against unreliable Russia
The US has warned India against warming up to Russia, ahead of a visit by Moscow’s top diplomat to press New Delhi to resist Western pressure to condemn its invasion of Ukraine.
India has abstained from UN resolutions censuring Moscow and continues to buy Russian oil from its “longstanding and time-tested friend” and biggest supplier of arms.
But Delhi shares Western alarm over Beijing’s assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, with 20 Indian and four Chinese troops killed in a brawl on their disputed Himalayan border in 2020.
Daleep Singh, Washington’s chief sanctions strategist, was quoted by local media in a visit to Delhi as saying that India could not rely on Russia if there was another clash.
“Russia is going to be the junior partner in this relationship with China. And the more leverage that China gains over Russia, the less favourable that is for India,” Mr Singh was quoted as saying on Thursday.
07:03 AM
EU and Chinese leaders to meet for first summit in two years amid Ukraine crisis
EU and Chinese leaders will meet today for a first summit in two years, with Brussels expected to push Beijing for assurances that it won’t assist Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, reports Sophia Yan in Beijing.
EU officials are expected to make clear to China that any help it provides to Russia would mean damaging its ties with both Europe and the US, relationships already on the roks.
China’s stance toward Russia will be the “million-dollar question” in Friday’s talks, said an EU official.
China is likely to focus on trade with the EU, and to message its interest in working with the bloc as a single strategic actor, without the influence of the US. Beijing believes the EU is taking a harder foreign policy stance toward China, because of the US.
Negotiations on the investment agreement concluded at the end of 2020, but the deal was put on hold after the EU – along with the US, UK and Canada – sanctioned China over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, prompting Beijing to respond with its own counter-sanctions a year ago.
06:43 AM
Ukraine unable to get supplies to Mariupol, civilians unable to leave – mayor’s aide
An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said on Friday the besieged southern Ukrainian city remained closed for anyone trying to enter and was “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.
Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces had since Thursday been preventing even the smallest amount of humanitarian supplies reaching trapped residents, making clear a planned “humanitarian corridor” had not been opened.
06:35 AM
Putin ally warns agriculture supplies could be limited to ‘friends’
One of President Vladimir Putin’s allies warned on Friday that Russia, a major global wheat exporter, could limit supplies of agriculture products to “friendly” countries only, amid Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s security council, said he would like to outline “some simple but important points about food security in Russia,” given the sanctions imposed.
Most of them have been part of the country’s agricultural policy for years.
“We will only be supplying food and agriculture products to our friends,” Mr Medvedev said on social media. “Fortunately we have plenty of them, and they are not in Europe or North America at all.”
Russia already supplies wheat mainly to Africa and the Middle East. The European Union and Ukraine are its main competitors in the wheat trade.
06:11 AM
Europe faces Russia gas deadline
European buyers of Russian gas faced a deadline to start paying in roubles on Friday, while negotiations aimed at ending the five-week war were set to resume even as Ukraine braced for further attacks in the south and east.
Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing and galvanised the United States and allies around the world to impose punishing penalties on Russian government entities, businesses and oligarchs.
Russia will respond to European Union sanctions, the RIA news agency quoted a senior foreign ministry official on Friday.
“The actions of the EU will not remain unanswered … the irresponsible sanctions by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans,” Nikolai Kobrinets told the news agency.
Russian President Vladimir Putin played one of his biggest cards on Thursday, demanding European energy buyers start paying in roubles from Friday or have existing contracts halted.
06:09 AM
The latest pictures from Ukraine
05:40 AM
UK says Ukraine has retaken villages of Sloboda, Lukashivka
British military intelligence said on Friday Ukrainian forces have retaken the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka to the south of Chernihiv and located along main supply routes between the city and Kyiv.
“Ukraine has also continued to make successful but limited counter attacks to the east and north east of Kyiv,” Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.
Chernihiv and Kyiv have been subjected to continued air and missile strikes despite Russian claims of reducing activity in these areas, the ministry added.
05:07 AM
The oil depot in Belgorod, Russia, reportedly on fire
04:44 AM
IEA to hold emergency meeting to tackle soaring oil prices
The International Energy Agency will hold an emergency meeting on Friday among consuming nations to discuss a new release of strategic reserves alongside a plan by the United States to pump massive supplies starting in May to cool soaring oil prices.
Major consumers are seeking ways to ease the impact of global oil prices, which have soared more than 30 per cent this year, on their economies after top producers group OPEC+ stuck to plans to add a modest 432,000 barrels per day of supply in May.
Western sanctions on Russia after their invasion of Ukraine are expected to see a loss of about 3 million barrels per day of Russian oil in April, according to the IEA.
To fill the shortfall, President Joe Biden on Thursday authorized the largest release ever from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserves, a release of 1 million bpd of crude for six months starting in May.
04:07 AM
Fuel storage unit on fire in Russian city near Ukrainian border-governor
A fire broke out at a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod located close to the Ukrainian border, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, two days after the province was rocked by blasts at an arms depot.
Two people were hurt in Friday’s fire, Gladkov said on Telegram, and residents of three city streets were being evacuated.
Gladkov said this week that the arms depot explosions were believed to be a result of another fire, although he said the regional authorities were awaiting confirmation from the defence ministry.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.
03:36 AM
Russia will not ask EU to end sanctions
Russia will not ask the European Union to end sanctions and has a sufficient “margin of safety”, the RIA news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
“The European Union is not the centre of the universe,” Nikolai Kobrinets, the head of the European cooperation department at the ministry, said.
03:11 AM
Russia preparing for ‘powerful strikes’, says Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia is consolidating and preparing “powerful strikes” in the country’s south, including besieged Mariupol, where a new attempt will be made on Friday to evacuate civilians from the devastated city.
In peace talks this week, Russia said it would scale back attacks on the capital Kyiv and the city of Chernihiv, but Ukrainian and Western officials have dismissed the pledge, saying Moscow’s troops were merely regrouping.
“This is part of their tactics,” said Mr Zelensky in a late-night address.
“We know that they are moving away from the areas where we are beating them to focus on others that are very important… where it can be difficult for us,” he said.
In particular, he warned, the situation in the country’s south was “very difficult”.
“In Donbas and Mariupol, in the Kharkiv direction, the Russian army is accumulating the potential for attacks, powerful attacks,” he said.
02:52 AM
Australia to send armored vehicles to Ukraine after request
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday he will send armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky specifically asked for them during a video appeal to Australian lawmakers for more help in its war against Russia.
Mr Zelensky addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-made, four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Mr Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes. He didn’t specify how many would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Mr Morrison said.
02:49 AM
More than 1,400 Ukrainians evacuated on Thursday
More than 1,400 Ukrainians were evacuated from violent hot spots on Thursday, with 631 from the besieged city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, local media reported.
⚡️1,458 Ukrainians evacuated from hot spots on March 31.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, 631 people were evacuated from besieged Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. The rest were evacuated from Berdiansk, Enerhodar, and other cities in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 31, 2022
02:27 AM
Local media tweeting earlier that Russian forces have left the Chernobyl nuclear plant
02:22 AM
Germany calls Russia’s energy ultimatum blackmail
European governments rejected Putin’s energy ultimatum, with the continent’s biggest recipient of Russian gas, Germany, calling it “blackmail”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin played one of his biggest cards on Thursday, demanding European energy buyers start paying in roubles from Friday or have existing contracts halted.
01:57 AM
Ukraine Prosecutor Office opens 3,457 criminal cases against the Russian military
Ukraine’s Prosecutor Office has opened 3,457 criminal cases against the Russian military, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the president, tweeted on Thursday.
“The Prosecutor Office has already opened 3457 criminal cases against RF military. The article “violation of the rules & customs of war.” The worst – killing of citizens, violence, kids abuse, torture. Docs of facts. The impact for the RF – disastrous in all jurisdictions,” he said.
The Prosecutor Office ???????? has already opened 3457 criminal cases against RF military. The article “violation of the rules & customs of war.” The worst – killing of citizens, violence, kids abuse, torture. Docs of facts. The impact for the RF – disastrous in all jurisdictions.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 31, 2022
01:44 AM
Russia will respond to EU sanctions, says clash with Moscow not good for bloc
Russia will respond to European Union sanctions and says the 27-nation bloc might realise that a confrontation with Moscow is not in its interests, RIA cited a senior foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
“The actions of the EU will not remain unanswered … the irresponsible sanctions by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans,” Nikolai Kobrinets told the news agency.
01:28 AM
European Parliament leader says visiting Kyiv
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has said she is on her way to Ukraine, making her the first EU leader to visit the war-torn country.
The Maltese MEP, who was elected in January, tweeted Thursday “On my way to Kyiv” alongside a Ukrainian flag, but gave no further details.
In mid-March the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers travelled to Kyiv to show their solidarity with Ukraine.
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and his Czech and Slovenian counterparts, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the capital.
01:20 AM
US pledges extra one million barrels of oil a day
President Joe Biden launched the largest release ever from the US emergency oil reserve and challenged oil companies to drill more in an attempt to bring down gasoline prices that have soared during Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The announcement comes as part of a broad effort by Biden to tackle raging inflation that has hurt USconsumers and threatens Biden’s fellow Democrats as they seek to maintain control of Congress in the November elections.
Starting in May, the United States will release 1 million barrels per day of crude oil for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, he said.
“This is a moment of consequence and peril for the world, and pain at the pump for American families,” Biden said at an event at the White House.
01:15 AM
Today’s top stories
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Longer range artillery and armoured vehicles will be sent to Ukraine in a significant ramping up of Western support, Ben Wallace announced on Thursday
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Whitehall sources have expressed concern that allies including the US, France and Germany are “over-eager” to secure an early peace deal and are pushing Ukraine to “settle”
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A Ministry of Defence chief suggested Britain needs a national effort to boost its nuclear weapons programme
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Russian forces were said to have retreated from a Ukrainian airfield that was key to their original plan of overthrowing the government of Volodymyr Zelensky
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The Pentagon said that it was not clear Russia’s convoy of military vehicles to Kyiv, which once stretched some 40 miles, even existed anymore after failing to accomplish its mission
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The Ukrainian state nuclear company said that most of the Russian forces that occupied the Chernobyl nuclear power station after invading Ukraine have also left
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Joe Biden, the US president, said Vladimir Putin may have fired some of his advisers or put them under house arrest, and that it’s an “open question” as to whether Mr Putin is fully informed on his military’s performance in Ukraine
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Putin has threatened to cut off gas supplies to western Europe on Friday unless buyers “open rouble accounts in Russian banks” as he scrambles to prop up his country’s collapsing economy.
