March 15 (Reuters) – The United States warned China against providing military or financial help to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, as sanctions on Russian political and business leaders mounted and civilians sought to flee intense fighting on the ground.
China denied claims by U.S. officials that Russia had sought military assistance in Ukraine and accused Washington of spreading “malicious disinformation” that risked escalating the conflict. Read full story
Further talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators to ease the crisis were expected on Tuesday after discussions on Monday via video ended with no new progress announced. Read full story
FIGHTING
* Ukrainian media report two powerful explosions in the capital Kiev on Tuesday. Daily air raid sirens sound in parts of Ukraine, including in Odessa, Chernihiv, Cherkasy and Smila.
* Ukraine reported more air strikes on an airport in the west, heavy shelling on Chernihiv northeast of Kyiv and attacks on the southern town of Mykolayiv. Ukraine’s forces counter-attacked in Mykolayiv and the eastern Kharkiv region, an Interior Ministry official said.
CHERNOBYL
Power supply has been renewed to Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Ukraine 24 television station said on Tuesday, adding that authorities had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency. Read full story
DIPLOMACY
* A Ukrainian negotiator said a fifth round of talks with Russia would resume on Tuesday.
* The Kremlin denied U.S. officials’ reports that Russia asked China for military equipment after invading Ukraine. Beijing called the reports “disinformation”.
* U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia in a seven-hour meeting with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome. Read full story
* Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke again with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the conflict.
CIVILIAN TOLL
* Mariupol City Council Telegram post early on Tuesday said the number of people killed in the besieged port city as of March 14 stood at approximately 2,357 people. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
* At least one person was killed when an apartment block in Kyiv was hit by a Russian shell and a second person was killed by falling debris after a missile strike on another part of the Ukrainian capital, local authorities said. Read full story
* Russia said 20 civilians were killed and 28 wounded by an Ukrainian missile in the eastern city of Donetsk controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine denied the report and Reuters was unable to independently verify it.
EVACUATIONS
* Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said more than 4,000 people were evacuated from front-line cities. Read full story
* About 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the latest tally from the UN refugee agency. Read full story
SANCTIONS
* European Union member states agreed on a fourth package of sanctions against Russia, the office of the French EU presidency wrote. Diplomats said sanctions would target Russian steel and iron, and include an export ban on luxury goods and a ban on investment in the energy sector. Read full story
* A jet linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich landed in Moscow early on Tuesday, after taking off from Istanbul following a brief stop there, FLIGHTRADAR24 data shows. The jet arrived in Istanbul from Israel on Monday, shortly after Abramovich was seen in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. Read full story
COMING UP
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will virtually address the U.S. Congress at 9 a.m (1300 GMT) on Wednesday Read full story
(Compiled by Lincoln Feast, Tomasz Janowski and Michael Perry; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Cynthia Osterman and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
