General view of Kyiv after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
February 26, 2022
(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis right now:
HEADLINES
* Russian troops captured the southeastern city of Melitopol, Russia’s Interfax news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying, as Russian forces launched coordinated missile and artillery attacks on several cities including the capital, Kyiv.
* President Joe Biden instructed the State Department to release $350 million in military aid to Ukraine.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the Ukrainian military to overthrow leadership and negotiate peace.
* Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s spokesman said on social media.
* Russia vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Friday that would have deplored Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while China abstained from the vote.
* The White House said the United States would, in a rare move, impose sanctions on Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. The European Union and Canada are doing the same.
* Canada, the United States, Britain and the European Union said they could act to exclude Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payments system.
* The White House asked Congress to approve $6.4 billion in aid to address the humanitarian and security crisis.
* Ukraine said more than 1,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. Russia did not release casualty figures. The United Nations said 25 civilians had been killed and 102 wounded.
* NATO allies will provide more weapons to Ukraine, and will deploy more forces to the Eastern part of the alliance.
* The conflict could drive up to 5 million people abroad, U.N. agencies said, adding that at least 100,000 people were uprooted and fuel, cash and medical supplies are running low.
* Ukraine said Russian warships shelled a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship near Odessa.
QUOTES
– “We will not put down weapons, we will defend our state,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, facing the worst European security crisis in decades.
(Editing by Robert Birsel and William Mallard)