Reside updates: France’s Macron speaks with Putin, Zelenskyy | Well being and Health

They reached “no settlement,” the assertion stated, however Macron “stays satisfied of the necessity to proceed his efforts” and he “stands alongside Ukraine.”

The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Macron had a name by which they exchanged views concerning the scenario in Ukraine, together with the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. It didn’t give additional particulars.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

— Ukraine says it has retaken a strategically necessary suburb of Kyiv. In the meantime, the Russian siege of Mariupol continues.

— A professional-Kremlin Russian newspaper briefly reported that just about 10,000 Russian troopers had been killed.

— Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to 9 yr in jail

— Ukrainian orphans who’re headed to refuge within the UK are caught in Poland attributable to lacking paperwork

— An Related Press journalist recounts his staff’s harrowing escape from Mariupol

Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for extra protection

UNITED NATIONS — For the third time, Russia has accused Ukraine of making ready chemical assaults with Western assist and of pursuing organic and even nuclear weapons — accusations vehemently denied by the US and the UK.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed concern Tuesday that Russia’s “ludicrous accusations” that Ukraine plans to make use of chemical weapons are “a precursor for Russia’s plans to make use of chemical weapons — and we now have to ensure that the world hears this and understands what’s going down.”

Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky advised reporters that Russia raised “the specter of chemical provocations in Ukraine” in closed consultations on the finish of a U.N. Safety Council assembly on the Mideast Tuesday, claiming Ukrainian nationalists had been chargeable for a latest ammonia leak at a chemical plant within the northern metropolis of Sumy. Sumy’s regional governor stated the leak on the plant, which produces fertilizers, was brought on by Russian shelling.

Polyansky claimed this was one among a number of eventualities of “false flag chemical provocations by the Ukrainian radicals that they’re making ready to stage with the help of Western intelligence and personal army firms as a way to accuse Russia of allegedly utilizing chemical weapons.” He additionally once more accused “the Kyiv regime” of creating “a army organic program with the assistance of the USA, in addition to its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

President Joe Biden has stated Russia’s suggestion that Ukraine has organic and chemical weapons is a transparent signal that President Vladimir Putin is contemplating utilizing them, and he has warned of extreme penalties if they’re used.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to announce new sanctions in opposition to Russia on Thursday whereas in Brussels for conferences with NATO and European allies, based on a prime nationwide safety aide.

Biden, who will participate in a particular assembly of NATO and handle the European Council summit, can be anticipated to underscore efforts to implement the avalanche of current checklist of sanctions already introduced by the U.S. and allies.

“He’ll be part of our companions in imposing additional sanctions on Russia and tightening the prevailing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to make sure sturdy enforcement,” stated White Home nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan, who declined to additional preview the brand new sanctions the president will announce.

Biden is travelling to Brussels and Poland — which has acquired greater than 2 million Ukrainian refugees who’ve fled because the Feb. 24 invasion — trying to press for continued unity amongst western allies as Russia presses on with its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s state TV says one other flight from Belgrade to Moscow needed to flip again after receiving a bomb menace.

The RTS stated Tuesday police are investigating the eighth nameless bomb alert on the Belgrade airport in 10 days. All earlier alarms turned out to be false.

Serbian state media say all of the threatening emails got here both from Ukraine or Poland.

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic has blamed the earlier threats on unidentified overseas secret companies that need to hurt Serbia.

Moreover Turkish carriers, Serbia’s nationwide airline AirSerbia is the one airline in Europe nonetheless flying to and from Russia.

Serbia, which formally seeks European Union membership however has maintained shut relations with ally Russia, has refused to hitch a world flight ban in opposition to Moscow in response to the warfare in Ukraine.

PARIS — French vitality large TotalEnergies stated it has determined to halt all its purchases of Russian oil and petroleum merchandise by the tip of 2022 on the newest.

The French firm stated in an announcement it should “step by step droop its actions in Russia” amid the “worsening scenario” in Ukraine.

Russia represented 17% of the corporate’s oil and gasoline manufacturing in 2020.

TotalEnergies holds a 19.4% stake in Russia’s pure gasoline producer Novatek.

It additionally has a 20% stake within the Yamal LNG mission in northern Russia. The group stated it continues to produce Europe with liquefied pure gasoline from the Yamal LNG plant “so long as Europe’s governments think about that Russian gasoline is important.”

“Opposite to grease, it’s obvious that Europe’s gasoline logistics capacities make it tough to chorus from importing Russian gasoline within the subsequent two to a few years with out impacting the continent’s vitality provide,” the assertion stated.

TotalEnergies has additionally determined to placed on maintain its enterprise developments for batteries and lubricants in Russia. It’ll present no additional capital for the event of initiatives in Russia, the assertion stated.

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis held a gathering along with his Polish counterpart in Bucharest on Tuesday by which the 2 leaders mentioned safety points amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda met with Iohannis on the presidential Cotroceni Palace in Romania’s capital. The leaders agreed to prepare a Bucharest 9 assembly forward of a NATO summit scheduled for June in Madrid, Iohannis advised the media.

“We urgently want a constant and balanced consolidation of the Japanese Flank, a united and strengthened Ahead Presence,” Iohannis stated. “An elevated allied army presence is required in our nation and within the Black Sea area, in response to a strictly defensive response to Russia’s aggression.”

The so-called Bucharest 9 is a gaggle of the easternmost NATO members, which Romania and Poland launched in 2015 to offer Japanese alliance members a platform to debate regional points and forge a united voice inside the 30-country alliance.

Iohannis additionally stated that he mentioned with Duda the “deep humanitarian disaster” brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has to date pressured greater than 3.5 million refugees to flee the battle into neighboring European international locations. Greater than 2.1 million have already sought security in Poland, and greater than half one million in Romania.

Duda’s go to to Romania comes simply two days forward of a rare NATO summit set to be held in Brussels on Thursday, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend. Biden is scheduled to go to Warsaw for a bilateral assembly with Duda on Saturday.

WASHINGTON — Russian ships within the Sea of Azov have been shelling Mariupol from offshore over the past 24 hours, a senior U.S. protection official stated Tuesday.

The official stated that there are about seven Russian ships in that space, together with a number of warships, a minesweeper and a pair touchdown ships.

Against this, the official stated the U.S. didn’t see indications that ships within the Black Sea had been firing on Odesa, as that they had finished days in the past. The officers stated the U.S. assesses that the Russians have about 21 ships within the Black Sea, together with a couple of dozen floor combatant warships and a few touchdown ships that carry troops.

In keeping with the official, Russian floor forces are nonetheless largely stalled outdoors Kyiv – with troops nonetheless about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of town, and 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of town. The official spoke on situation of anonymity to supply the U.S. army evaluation.

Extra broadly, the protection official stated the U.S. continues to see Russia struggling to get meals and gasoline to its power, and has been seeing indications that some troops don’t have correct chilly climate gear and are struggling frostbite. The meals and gasoline shortages have been persistent logistical and provide issues because the early days of the warfare.

The official stated there are also indications that Russia is exploring methods to resupply troops and is contemplating bringing in reinforcements, however to date there was no lively strikes seen to do both. There are also indications that Russian has used a major variety of its precision guided munitions, significantly its air-launched cruise missiles, and is exploring methods to resupply these weapons, the official stated.

Related Press Author Lolita Bandor in Washington contributed to this report.

LVIV, Ukraine — Hundreds of Ukrainians arrived by prepare within the western Ukraine metropolis of Lviv on Tuesday as others departed.

Households exchanged tearful farewells as ladies and kids boarded trains to Poland whereas males of combating age stayed behind, barred from leaving the nation.

Julia Krytska, her husband and and her son left Mariupol on Saturday, arriving in Lviv on an overcrowded prepare.

She stated they had been fortunate to get out after volunteers discovered them within the besieged metropolis that has misplaced almost all reference to the surface world.

“The individuals in Mariupol, they don’t have an opportunity to be heard,” she advised journalists on the prepare station. “There isn’t a one you may ask for assist.”

An air raid siren might be heard blaring over town.

CHISINAU, Moldova — The warfare in Ukraine is severely impacting the bodily and psychological well being of hundreds of thousands of individuals, World Well being Group regional director Hans Kluge stated Tuesday at a refugee heart in Moldova.

Because the starting of the warfare, greater than 367,000 refugees from Ukraine have handed via Moldova, and greater than 100,000 individuals, together with 50,000 youngsters, stay within the nation.

“Our precedence is to assist guarantee Moldova and all international locations concerned within the humanitarian response have the infrastructure and experience in place to face this problem which is inserting an enormous pressure on sources, each human and financially,” Kluge stated at a joint information convention with Moldovan Well being Minister Ala Nemerenco.

Round 1,300 refugees in Moldova have requested medical help with 400 having been hospitalized because the starting of the warfare. Round 100 are most cancers and dialysis sufferers, Nemerenco stated.

Nemerenco spoke of Moldova’s challenges in coping with the inflow of refugees, particularly these with well being issues.

“We should face it, our sources are restricted, and we wouldn’t wish to see that the burden of this disaster is affecting our residents,″ Nemerenco stated.

LONDON — A Western official says Ukrainian resistance has slowed Russia’s advance nearly to a halt, and Ukraine has repulsed Russia’s makes an attempt to take the strategic southern port of Mariupol regardless of weeks of bombardment.

However the official stated Russian troops haven’t been pushed again from established positions, and had the aptitude to maintain up a grinding warfare of attrition for a while — making a fast breakthrough in negotiations geared toward ending the violence unlikely.

The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate intelligence issues, stated Odesa, one other strategic port on the Black Sea, was a key goal for Russia however there are not any indications of an imminent siege.

Odesa has been spared main assault, although Russia has ships working off the Black Beach. The U.S. additionally says Russia has elevated naval exercise within the northern Black Sea, however there are not any indications at this level of an imminent amphibious assault on Odesa.

Related Press Author Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

ANKARA, Turkey — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says his authorities want to see Turkey be part of sanctions in opposition to Russia however stated the nation, which is speaking to each Ukraine and Russia, is taking part in a useful function in making an attempt to finish the battle.

Rutte made the feedback throughout a go to to Ankara Tuesday forward of a NATO summit in Brussels that’s scheduled to debate the scenario in Ukraine.

“We’d very a lot favor Turkey to implement all (of) the sanctions,” Rutte stated throughout a joint information convention with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “However I believe we additionally need to be pleased with the truth that Turkey is taking part in now its diplomatic function and its management function in making an attempt to finish the battle.”

Turkey has criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable however has additionally pledged to take care of its shut relations with each Moscow and Kyiv, whereas making an attempt to mediate between the 2 sides. It has closed the Turkish Straits on the entrance of the Black Sea to some Russian warships however just isn’t imposing sanctions on Russia.

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has once more dismissed calls to boycott Russian vitality provides within the wake of the assault on Ukraine.

Scholz stated Tuesday that the sanctions already imposed on Russia had been already hitting its economic system “and this may solely get extra dramatic daily.”

On the similar time, the sanctions had been designed to be “tolerable” for these imposing them, together with in the long run, he stated.

“That’s the reason Germany’s place on this query (of an vitality boycott) stays unchanged,” stated Scholz.

He added that different international locations in Europe are much more depending on Russian oil, coal and gasoline than Germany “and no one should be left standing out within the rain on this regard.”

Scholz stated Germany is working to diversify its vitality provide and that, whereas this may take time, it should ultimately have the identical impact as a boycott.

European international locations pay Russia a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} every day for fossil fuels. Ukrainian officers say this commerce successfully funds Russia’s warfare in opposition to their nation.

BERLIN — Germany has condemned the most recent verdict in opposition to Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny.

In an announcement, Germany’s Overseas Ministry stated Tuesday that the brand new jail sentence “is a part of the systematic instrumentalization of the Russian judicial system in opposition to dissidents and the political opposition.”

The ministry famous that the most recent trial happened largely behind closed doorways and accused Russian authorities of breaching basic rules of rule of regulation whereas failing to current any credible proof in opposition to Navalny.

“The German authorities renews its demand for Navalny’s fast launch,” it stated.

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian photojournalist has gone lacking in a fight zone close to the capital, elevating fears he might have been injured, killed or taken captive by Russian forces.

The UNIAN information company reported Tuesday that Maksym Levin has been unaccounted since March 13 when he contacted his buddy from Vyshhorod close to Kyiv. His buddy, Markiyan Lyseiko, stated Levin went to the realm in his automotive to report on combating there.

Lyseiko stated Levin left his automotive close to the village of Huta Mezhyhirska and was going to go to the village of Moshchun. Levin hasn’t contacted him ever since and hasn’t been seen on-line, Lyseiko stated.

Levin has labored as a photojournalist and videographer for a lot of Ukrainian and worldwide publications.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated Tuesday that Ukrainian refugees shouldn’t be built-in into the Danish society however should as an alternative return to Ukraine and assist rebuild their homeland as quickly as attainable.

“Being a refugee is momentary, so it’s important to return and assist construct up your homeland while you get the chance. It provides us the chance to assist different refugees,” Frederiksen stated in Parliament throughout a debate.

Below a newly adopted regulation in Denmark, Ukrainian refugees can keep within the Scandinavian nation for 2 years and may work, get an training and have entry to well being companies.

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief says his discussions with officers point out “there’s sufficient on the desk to stop hostilities now” and significantly negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres advised reporters Tuesday that the warfare is “unwinnable,” and the one query is what number of extra lives will likely be misplaced and what number of extra cities like Mariupol will likely be destroyed earlier than the warfare strikes from the battlefield to the peace desk.

“From my outreach with numerous actors, parts of diplomatic progress are coming into view on a number of key points,” he stated, sufficient to finish hostilities now.

Guterres didn’t state what these parts are or reply any questions.

He stated the warfare is intensifying and “getting extra damaging and extra unpredictable by the hour.” Ten million Ukrainians have already been pressured to flee their houses.

“Even when Mariupol falls, Ukraine can’t be conquered metropolis by metropolis, avenue by avenue, home by home,” the secretary-general stated.

Guterres stated “the Ukrainian individuals are enduring a dwelling hell,” and the warfare’s reverberations “are being felt worldwide with skyrocketing meals, vitality and fertilizer costs threatening to spiral into a worldwide starvation disaster.”

PRZEMSYL, Poland — The movement of refugees from Ukraine right into a main entry level in Poland has slowed to fewer than 8,000 individuals a day, town’s mayor stated.

That quantity is six to seven instances decrease than through the top of the Ukrainian exodus into Poland, Przemyśl Mayor Wojciech Bakun stated Tuesday outdoors town’s prepare station. He in contrast the Polish effort to supply secure harbor for refugees to a marathon.

“After one month, lots of people are very drained, so we now have to consider subsequent month, or perhaps, hopefully not, however perhaps about years,” Bakun stated. “In order that’s the primary factor at this second. Not just for Poland, but in addition for EU international locations.”

Poland has established a system to assist new arrivals, offering them with fast help and serving to prepare journey to different components of Poland and different European international locations.

BRUSSELS — Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu is warning that the plight of Ukrainian refugees in his nation might get a lot worse if the warfare launched by Russia approaches its borders.

Popescu says that about 360,000 refugees have crossed into Moldova in latest weeks. Round 100,000 of them – equal to 4% of Moldova’s inhabitants – have remained, and lots of are minors. The remaining have moved additional into Europe.

“This can be a very, very dramatic pace and scale of a humanitarian scenario and, in our evaluation, it might get a lot worse if the frontline approaches our borders,” he advised European Union lawmakers on Tuesday.

Russia has troops in Moldova, a rustic of two.6 million situated between Ukraine and Romania, stationed within the disputed territory of Transnistria. Concern is rife in Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin would possibly push his forces west although Ukraine to hitch up with them.

Popescu says that “for now, the scenario is calm” in Transnistria, however that issues might change quickly if the combating spreads.

He says the warfare in Ukraine has damage Moldova’s economic system, notably its commerce, simply because the nation struggles to get better from the coronavirus pandemic and an vitality disaster.

MEDYKA, Poland — Ukrainians, principally ladies and kids, continued to cross into the Polish border city of Medyka on Tuesday.

Viktoria Totsen, 39, arrived there from Mariupol.

“Mariupol is sort of 99% destroyed,” Totsen stated. “They bombed us for the previous 20 days. Over the past 5 days the planes had been flying over us each 5 seconds and dropped bombs all over the place, on residential buildings, kindergartens, artwork faculties, all over the place. We dwell close to the theater within the metropolis heart, and, as you understand, they broken the theater. It was horrible and we took a threat and we left. They metropolis is beneath blockade, and after we left we obtained (cell phone) connection, and we managed to seek out the path to Zaporizhzhia.”

Olena Almazova, 54, fled Kharkiv, a northeast Ukrainian metropolis close to the Russian border.

“It’s a very tough scenario in Kharkiv,” Almazova stated. “On daily basis they bomb, 40, 50, 60 instances a day. They bombed suburbs and metropolis heart. They broken the tradition heart, they broken historic structure. To date, 700 buildings have been destroyed.”

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says this week’s assembly between NATO leaders needs to be targeted on methods of securing a cease-fire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and never simply on sanctions and deterrence.

“Everybody’s first purpose needs to be a cease-fire,” Cavusoglu advised Turkish journalists on the sideline of an Group of Islamic Cooperation in Pakistan on Tuesday. “It needs to be to cease the warfare that is occurring proper now. Everybody ought to act responsibly and constructively.”

Cavusoglu continued: “After all, we have to present unity and solidarity inside NATO, we have to present deterrence. However who’s paying the value of the continued warfare?”

U.S. President Joe Biden and different NATO leaders are scheduled to satisfy Thursday in Brussels. NATO Secretary-Common Jens Stoltenberg advised CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the assembly is meant not simply to indicate NATO’s “assist to Ukraine, but in addition our readiness to guard and defend all NATO allies,”

Cavusoglu stated Turkey was urgent with its efforts as a “mediator and facilitator” to finish the combating and was in contact with negotiators on each side. Turkey was additionally making an attempt to convey the warring sides to satisfy head to head once more, Cavusoglu stated.

Earlier this month, the overseas ministers of Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey on the sidelines of a diplomacy discussion board.

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian actor is now serving within the Territorial Protection Forces on the outskirts of Kyiv in a unit filled with individuals from showbusiness.

Sergiy Volosovets stated on Monday that the combat in opposition to Russian forces has drawn in individuals from all walks of life.

“There may be lots of very completely different individuals right here, I met lots of my mates right here, in addition to artists,” he stated.

“I believe perhaps their inventive spirit simply broke the concern and that allowed them to return and be right here. For instance in my items there have been actors, singers, cameramen, photographers, individuals associated to the showbusiness in numerous methods. These individuals are artists, they imagine they might change their nation for higher in addition to defeat the enemy.”

Volosovets has acted in theater, films and TV and has gained awards for his work.

He now instructions a unit of 11 males, and oversees the army coaching of volunteers in a base northeast of Kyiv, a couple of kilometers away from the frontlines the place Ukraine’s military is making an attempt to dam the Russian advance in direction of the capital.

BRUSSELS — Worldwide information channel Euronews says it has been blocked from broadcasting in Russia attributable to its Ukraine warfare protection.

“We firmly condemn this insupportable restriction imposed on hundreds of thousands … in Russia who relied on us to get neutral information,” Euronews stated, including that Russian authorities pulled the channel off air and blocked its web sites in Russia.

Euronews stated it’d launch authorized motion to proceed to freely broadcast within the nation. Euronews is broadcast in 160 international locations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified a crackdown on media and people who fail to toe his line on Russia’s warfare in Ukraine, blocking Fb and Twitter and signing into regulation a invoice that criminalizes the intentional spreading of “pretend” studies.

Euronews stated it strongly rejected Russian claims it unfold “pretend information” and that it allegedly referred to as on Russians to protest the warfare. It stated it confronted an “unacceptable menace of prison legal responsibility” as a result of new Russian regulation.

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s overseas minister says he intends to personally escort humanitarian help into the besieged southern Ukrainian metropolis of Mariupol, in coordination with the Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross.

Overseas Minister Nikos Dendias stated Tuesday he had despatched an official request to the Ukrainian aspect to facilitate the sending of humanitarian help into town, and an official request to the Russian aspect to let the supply in. A sizeable Greek neighborhood lives within the Mariupol space.

Dendias didn’t present any particulars on a attainable date for the supply or what the humanitarian help would encompass.

He made the announcement after assembly with the Greek consul common in Mariupol, Manolis Androulakis, who arrived in Athens final Sunday after being evacuated from town on March 15.

Androulakis was the final European Union diplomat to depart town, which has been pummeled by Russian forces for weeks. Residing situations within the metropolis are dire.

On arriving in Athens, Androulakis stated civilians within the metropolis had been being hit “blindly and indiscriminately” and likened Mariupol to different cities decimated by warfare up to now, corresponding to Guernica, Aleppo and Grozny.

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s president has in contrast the conduct of Russian forces in Ukraine to that of Adolf Hitler’s notorious SS troops throughout World Struggle II.

“Right now, the Russian military is behaving in precisely the identical approach … because the German SS,” President Andrzej Duda stated throughout a go to to Bulgaria on Tuesday.

Duda, whose nation suffered a brutal Nazi occupation throughout World Struggle II, famous that Russia had already violated worldwide regulation when it attacked Georgia in 2008 and first invaded Ukraine in 2014.

He stated he hoped that these chargeable for assaults on civilians in Ukraine could be introduced earlier than worldwide courts.

PARIS — The previous Paris-based Europe correspondent for Russian state-controlled broadcaster Channel One says she give up her job earlier this month over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Zhanna Agalakova, who was a newsreader on the channel, stated she believes Russian networks have been commandeered by the Kremlin to broadcasts lies and propaganda.

The 56-year-old journalist stated there’s little unbiased media in Russia, which means that Russians are being “zombified” by the stream of media-sponsored untruths.

Agalakova give up March 3, leaving the channel formally on March 17.

BELGRADE, Serbia — A senior Serbian official says Belgrade won’t ever impose sanctions or be part of the Western “hysteria” in opposition to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Serbia’s Inside Minister Aleksandar Vulin stated Tuesday: “Serbia won’t ever be a part of the anti-Russian hysteria by which the property of Russian residents and the property of the Russian Federation is stolen, simply as we is not going to ban Russian media.”

The Balkan nation is a staunch ally of Russia, although it has condemned its invasion of Ukraine.

Serbia is looking for membership of the European Union, however it’s the solely European nation that has refused to hitch worldwide sanctions in opposition to the Kremlin.