- US President Joe Biden has warned China against helping Russia in the Ukraine war.
- Biden has also warned that NATO will “respond” if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in the conflict.
- The G7 nations say they are “shocked” by the attacks in Ukraine and support an International Criminal Court investigation into possible war crimes.
- The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution calling for aid access and civil protection in Ukraine.
- The Ukraine crisis is expected to dominate US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming visit to the Middle East.
Here are all the latest updates:
Ukraine says 3,343 people were evacuated from cities on Thursday
A total of 3,343 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Thursday, a senior official said, down from 4,554 who managed to escape the previous day.
Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said in an online post that 2,717 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol. He accused Russia of blocking humanitarian aid convoys in the city for the past three days.
G7 warns of danger of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
G7 countries have warned against the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, rebuking Russia for “completely baseless” allegations of bio-weapons in Ukraine.
“We recall Russia’s obligations under international treaties to which it is a signatory, and which protects all of us,” the countries said in a joint statement.
Daniil Medvedev dismisses Wimbledon ban threat
Daniil Medvedev has ruled out the possibility of being banned from this year’s Wimbledon after the British government questioned the status of Russian players in the tournament.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston told a parliamentary hearing last week that the government could assure Medvedev that he would not support Russian President Vladimir Putin before he was allowed to compete at Wimbledon.
“Don’t comment on Wimbledon,” said Medvedev. “I will have to see what happens next. I try to take it tournament by tournament. I mean, there are always different rules, laws to play or not to play.”
Russia’s space chief says cooperation with Europe now ‘impossible’
Russia’s space director has accused Europe of ruining cooperation by imposing sanctions against his agency, saying rockets built to launch European satellites will now be used for Russian companies or countries friendly to Moscow.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in a Chinese television interview that the decision would apply to about 10 rockets.
“At this time, having taken a frenzied position on the conduct of the European Space Agency and the entire European Union, [Russia’s] Special military operations in Ukraine and sanctions against Roscosmos, we consider further cooperation impossible, ”said Rogozin.
Ukraine will play key role in Blinken’s upcoming Middle East visit: US official
A US official has said that discussions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran will dominate US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming visit to the Middle East and North Africa.
“They’re both really going to be at the top of the agenda,” Yale Lampert, Washington’s top diplomat for Near Eastern Affairs, told reporters.
Blinken is set to visit Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria from March 26 to 30.
G7 backs ICC investigation of war crimes in Ukraine
The G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US – have backed the International Criminal Court’s investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine, saying they were “shocked” by Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.
“We will work together to gather evidence of war crimes,” the G7 said in a joint statement.
“The siege of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities, and the denial of humanitarian access by Russian military forces, is unacceptable. The Russian military must immediately provide safe passage to other parts of Ukraine, as well as provide humanitarian aid to Mariupol and other besieged cities. Needed.
Biden warns China against helping Russia in Ukraine
US President Joe Biden reiterated his warning to China against coming to Russia’s aid in Ukraine, saying he clarified the “consequences” of such aid to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a phone call last week.
The US president said Xi understands that China’s economic interests lie with the West, not with China.
“I didn’t make any threats, but I did point to the number of American and foreign corporations that left Russia as a result of their barbaric behavior,” Biden told reporters about his conversations with Xi.
Read more here.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Thursday 24 March here.
