Russia, Ukraine talks conclude, massive explosion rocks Kyiv: LIVE UPDATES
Belarus may join the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which entered its fifth day on Monday. Fighting in the streets has engulfed Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and Russian troops are encircling Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv.
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United States will impose more sanctions on Russia if Moscow continues to escalate its conflict with Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.
"We will do more, assuming the Russian Federation continues to escalate, and we have seen no indication at this point that the Russian Federation is prepared to do otherwise," Price added, according to Reuters.
A United States senator confirmed that Russian forces have fallen behind their timeline for the Ukrainian invasion, after a classified briefing on the war.
"Confirmation that the Russians have fallen behind their timeline. Ukrainian resistance has been fierce and there have been multiple Russian equipment and logistics failures," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who chairs the Senate Appropriation's Committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security, wrote on Twitter.
Jesse Watters rebuked "Russia's sickening assault" on Ukraine, as the war continues for a fifth straight day.
"Ukrainian forces have been slowing Putin's advances. It's David versus Goliath as they follow the example of their brave president," the "Jesse Watters Primetime" host said.
Russia is very likely to default on foreign debt and its economy will suffer a double-digit contraction this year after the West launched sanctions unprecedented in scale and coordination, a global banking industry lobby group said on Monday.
"If we stay here and this (the crisis) escalates, then default and restructuring is likely," Elina Ribakova, the lobby group's deputy chief economist told reporters during a media call.
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A video shared with Fox News Digital shows bombing in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. About 1.4 million people live in the city, which is located less than 30 miles from the Russian border.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Satellite imagery provided by Maxar shows a large Russian military convoy heading towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The convoy is approximately 40 miles long, stretching from Antonov airport in the south to Prybirsk.
Additional images show increased military activity in southern Belarus, with ground attack helicopters spotted less than 20 miles from the country's border with Ukraine.
Russia voiced safety concerns for diplomatic staffers employed in embassies in the United States and Canada on Monday amid protests near the facilities over its invasion of Ukraine.
During a meeting with U.S. ambassador John Sullivan in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented on demonstrations outside its embassy in Washington D.C., Reuters reported.
He asked Sullivan to ensure the safety of workers at the facility. Ryabkov also called in Canada's ambassador to Moscow over demonstrations in Ottawa and two other consulates.
International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday he will open an investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine "as rapidly as possible."
The investigation will look into any alleged crimes before the Russian invasion, with Khan noting in a statement that it is my intention that this investigation will also encompass any new alleged crimes falling within the jurisdiction of my office that are committed by any party to the conflict on any part of the territory of Ukraine.”
A view of damage due to armed conflict between Russia, Ukraine in Donetsk region under the control of pro-Russian separatists, eastern Ukraine on February 28, 2022.
Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova said Monday that Russia used a bomb "prohibited by the Geneva convention" in Ukraine.
"They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention," after a briefing with members of Congress, according to Reuters. "The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bombing Sunday of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is garnering comparisons to Nazi Germany's actions at the start of World War II.
"This reminds you of something doesn’t it?" Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said at an emergency meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday. "Indeed, very clear parallels could be drawn to the beginning of the Second World War."
"The most recent example," he continued, "the Russian army shelled with Grad multiple rocket launcher systems the residential area of the city of Kharkiv – the second biggest in Ukraine."
A water engineering nonprofit has sent a team to Ukraine's borders and neighboring countries in order to assess the safe water, sanitation and hygiene needs of tens of thousands of displaced refugees
Water Mission's rapid responders, who are working alongside other humanitarian organizations in the region, are in the midst of determining where the biggest populations of refugees are. Once that's determined, they look into what safe water resources they can tap into, or if any safe water resources exist, in order to determine how to bring emergency safe water systems where they are needed most.
Russia could launch more indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainians because of its failure to quickly seize the capital, a retired Navy captain and former intelligence officer told Fox News.\
"Because they haven't been as successful as they expected, I think we might unfortunately see the Russian forces behave a little more indiscriminately," said Steven Horrell, who's now a nonresident senior fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. "This will start to turn into even more of a humanitarian crisis."
President Biden on Monday downplayed the possibility of nuclear war with Russia, answering "no" when asked if that is something that should concern Americans.
The comments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin put the country's nuclear forces on high alert amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
As many bars and stores across the country began boycotting Russian made spirits, Stoli vodka has inadvertently found itself in the crosshairs.
"Stoli Group has had a long history of fighting oppression from the Russian regime," the company said in a statement posted to its website Monday. "We unequivocally condemn the military action in Ukraine and stand in support of the Ukrainian people."
The company said its owner was "exiled from Russia nearly two decades ago," while also noting that their products are not produced in Russia.
"Stoli Premium and Elit vodka are manufactured and bottled in Riga, Latvia," the company said. "The brand is registered with the US TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) as a Latvian product."
The Snake Island soldiers who reportedly told a Russian warship to "go f--- yourself" were captured alive by Russia after initial reports indicated the service members died in the attack, the Ukrainian Navy confirmed Monday.
Ukraine's military lost contact with the 13 marines and border guards on Zmiinyi Island, or "Snake" Island, after a Russian attack, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said each of them would be posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine."
The Russian attack decimated the island’s infrastructure. The crew of a Ukrainian Sapphire civilian ship sent to the island to aid the victims were also captured by the Russians, Ukraine said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the government would be allowing criminals out of jail in order to help fight off the Russian invasion.
"We have taken a decision which is not easy from the moral point of view, but which is useful from the point of view of our defense," Zelenskyy said Monday, according to reporting from Clint Ehrlich.
FIFA and UEFA, two of the preeminent governing bodies in world soccer, announced Monday that "all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice."
The unprecedented decision comes just weeks before the Russian national team was set to face off against Poland in a single-leg semi-final for the chance to advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq MarketSite have temporarily halted trading in select Russian companies listed on their respective exchanges.
Per a notice with the NYSE, the listed companies are Mechel PAO, American Depositary Shares – each representing two ordinary shares – and Mobile TeleSystems Public Joint Stock Company and Cian PLC American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share.
ImageSat International (ISI) intelligence report, space-based intelligence solutions company
Satellite images show the damage left at an airport outside of the Ukraine capital Kyiv in the town of Hostomel.
The images show damage to the largest cargo airplane and the airport itself. The images were taken Monday and released by ImageSat International (ISI) intelligence report, space-based intelligence solutions company.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a second round of negotiations with Russian officials will "take place in the near future." Russian and Ukrainian officials met for the first round of discussions Monday near the Belarus-Ukraine border.
"Ukrainian and Russian delegations held the first round of negotiations in the area of the Ukraine-Belarus border in order to find common ground for the fastest ceasefire. The parties discussed in detail a number of key topics on which they have prospects for finding mutually acceptable decisions," a memo from Zelenskyy says.
"A decision was made to immediately hold additional consultations in the capitals of the states. After that, the second round of negotiations of Ukrainian and Russian parties is to take place in the near future."
An explosion was seen outside of Kyiv Monday.
The explosion comes as the first round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials ended. Another round of talks is expected.
The first round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials has ended, the Associated Press reported.
There are plans for a second round of discussions between Kyiv and Moscow, a Ukrainian negotiator told AFP.
"The negotiations have just ended. Delegates found topics which they could agree upon next time. Now they will return to their capitals for consultations. There were 3 rounds of talks. So far no tangible result but they agreed to meet again on the Belarus-Poland border after consultations," a Ukrainian Member of Parliament told Fox News.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is leading some U.S. politicians, experts and world leaders to question President Vladimir Putin’s mental stability.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, called Putin’s recent behavior "erratic."
"I met with him many times, and this is a different Putin," she said on Fox News Sunday. "He was always calculating and cold, but this is different. He seems erratic. There is an ever deepening, delusional rendering of history."
The Ukrainian Parliament sent a letter to the United States Congress detailing what weapons and other materials the country needs as it battles Russian forces.
The list of weapons and material requested include: FIM-92 Stingers; AT guided weapons; small arms, grenade launchers and other ammunition produced in the Warsaw Pact states which were to be delivered to Afghanistan by the US; military portable radio sets; body armor and helmets.
The Parliament also made a special request for a MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.
"The safety and the establishment of no-fly zone above Ukraine may prove to be the most important and valuable part of the support from our partners."
Photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at signing of Ukraine's application to EU
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Ukraine's application to the European Union on Monday.
Earlier Monday, Zelenskyy asked the European Union to fast-track Ukraine for membership.
"Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I'm sure that's fair. I am sure we deserve it," he said in a video speech shared on social media.
The United Nations held a rare special session Monday as Russia invades Ukraine.
U.S. defense officials have not seen any "appreciable or noticeable" changes in Russian posture despite Russian President Vladimir Putin raising the alert status for his nuclear forces to "special regime of combat duty."
U.S. officials also said they see no indication Belarusian troops are being readied to go into Ukraine.
"We see no indications that are preparing to get involved," a defense official said. "Our best indications are the forces inside Ukraine are all Russian"
Russian President Vladimir Putin has deployed nearly 75% of the assembled combat power into Ukraine, a U.S. defense official said Monday.
There is "heavy fighting" in and around Kharkiv, and Russia is aiming to take that city and Mariupol to "section off" the eastern part of Ukraine, the official said. Neither city has yet fallen to Russia.
Russian troops have advanced around 3 miles closer to Kyiv and are more than 15 miles from the capital city, the official said. Capturing Kyiv is Russia's "main line of effort," and Russia still intends to encircle the city in the coming days, the official said.
Ukrainian air space continues to be contested, with Ukrainian air defense systems still intact, viable and engaged, according to the official.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Swiss officials said investigations show it is unlikely Russian President Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons.
“We are, of course, looking at all scenarios, but our investigations indicate that the likelihood of these nuclear weapons being used is low,” Defence Minister Viola Amherd said on Monday.
Putin raised the alert status for his nuclear forces to "special regime of combat duty" on Sunday. The move was panned by the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, as an unacceptable escalation.
The Ukrainian sailors on Snake Island who were thought to be dead are still alive, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
The Ukrainian Navy said they are “alive and well."
"It’s official Snake Island sailors are alive, Navy confirms.They were taken prisoner by Russia," a reporter with the The Kyiv Independent posted to Twitter.
The 13 border guards had been reported dead after defending the remote island.
Several Russian state-controlled or state-aligned websites appeared to have been hacked early Monday.
The websites for the major Russian state-owned news agency, TASS, the Russian nationally distributed newspaper, Kommersant, and the daily broadsheet newspaper, Izvestia, which was founded in St. Petersburg during the Russian Revolution and was one of principal media outlets in the Soviet Union, all displayed a message signed purportedly by the notorious hacking collective Anonymous.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues at the Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 28, 2022 (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the West an "empire of lies" at an economic summit Monday.
Putin held a meeting with economic advisers on Monday regarding the global sanctions being imposed on Russia due to the war on Ukraine.
"Mikhail Vladimirovich [the Prime Minister] and I previously discussed this topic, bearing in mind, of course, the sanctions that the so-called Western community – as I called it in my speech, the 'empire of lies' – is now trying to implement against our country," Putin said.
Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, came under intense rocket fire Monday.
"Kharkiv has just been massively shelled with Grad multiple rocket launchers. Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded! This horror must be seen by the whole world! Death to the occupiers!" Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
Photo of Vladimir Putin (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool)
Ukrainian forces have pulled off an extraordinary feat in holding off Russian forces for days, but President Vladimir Putin’s superior manpower and weaponry will likely triumph at a substantial cost to the autocratic leader and his people, experts told Fox News Digital.
"It is nothing short of remarkable what the Ukrainian military has accomplished," said U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane, who serves as chairman of the Institute for the Study of War.
The U.S. said it is blocking financial transactions of Russian central bank assets, effectively freezing any of those assets held by Americans.
The freeze is effective immediately, a senior administration official said in a briefing for reporters on Monday.
The U.S. State Department announced Monday it is suspending its operations at the U.S. embassy in Belarus' capital city of Minsk.
The State Department "authorized the voluntary departure (“authorized departure”) of non-emergency employees and family members at our Embassy in Moscow, Russia. We took these steps due to security and safety issues stemming from the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine," according to a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The announcement comes as Ukrainian and Russian officials meet at the Belarus-Ukraine border Monday for peace talks.
Russian forces have massively shelled Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv with rocket launchers.
The Russian army shelled Kharkiv with Grad multiple rocket launchers, resulting in dozens of people killed and hundreds more wounded, according to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
"Kharkiv has just been massively shelled with Grad multiple rocket launchers. Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded! This horror must be seen by the whole world! Death to the occupiers!" Gerashchenko wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
Peace talks are slated to begin Monday near the Ukraine-Belarus border between Russian and Ukraine officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is feeling the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine, as world leaders and corporations slash ties to the Kremlin left and right.
In the days following the announcement that he had authorized invading the neighbor country, entities ranging from world leaders to small business owners are attempting to squeeze Russia out of the global economy.
The announcement comes as Ukrainian officials arrive for peace talks in Belarus.
Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv Mayor and former heavyweight champion gestures while speaking during his interview with the Associated Press in his office in the City Hall in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, is unshaken despite the fact that Russian forces are attempting to besiege the city, he said in an interview.
“We show our character, our knowledge, our values,” the mayor said. "To be honest, we don’t have 100% control. We built this territorial defense (system) in a short amount of time — but these are patriotic people."
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The Russian central bank on Monday raised its key interest rate to 20% from 9.5% to counter risks of rouble depreciation and higher inflation.
Russia has also ordered companies to sell 80% of their foreign currency revenues, the central bank and the finance ministry said.
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"Heroism is contagious," said Amb. Nikki Haley.
"The heroism of Ukraine’s people and leadership is inspiring the free world to support their cause," she added. "Spontaneous pro-Ukraine demonstrations have sprung up all across the world. European governments that didn’t want to be involved are now sending weapons to Ukraine."
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A man holds a poster which reads "No war" as people lay flowers near the place where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was gunned down, with the Kremlin Wall, left, the Spaskaya Tower, center, and St. Basil's in the background, in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Denis Kaminev)
Russians are taking to the streets to protest the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
They are taking to the streets, but they get pushed back or arrested nearly as quickly as they come out. Protests are illegal. Police are out in numbers looking for rule breakers. According to reports, 1,500 had been arrested across Russia by sundown on Sunday.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the next 24 hours will be crucial in his country's fight against the Russian invasion.
Johnson told Zelenskyy that the UK and NATO allies were going to do everything they could to get military aid into Ukraine, a UK spokesperson told Reuters.
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a damaged military vehicle after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. The city authorities said that Ukrainian forces engaged in fighting with Russian troops that entered the country's second-largest city on Sunday. (AP Photo/Marienko Andrew)
A senior U.S. intelligence official says Belarus is expected to send troops into Ukraine as soon as Monday to fight alongside Russian forces that invaded Ukraine last week, according to the Associated Press.Belarus has been providing support for Russia’s war effort, but so far has not taken a direct part in the conflict.
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