Ukraine war live: Terror threat emerges in Moscow as Putin warns of full-scale war in Europe

Turkey is ready to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday after talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, and added Ankara supported Kyiv’s territorial integrity.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Zelensky, Erdogan said he had discussed developments concerning the war in detail, as well as navigational security in the Black Sea, including the defunct grain deal.

He also said Turkey would strongly contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine once the war ends.

At least two Indians have died so far, with the most recent one reported on Wednesday, while about 35 people are believed to be fighting in the war, said a CBI spokesperson.

The federal investigations agency has so far recovered £471,500 in their raid, along with incriminating documents, electronic records such laptops, mobiles, desktops and CCTV footage, according to local media reports.

Read the full report here…

Turkey is ready to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.

In a meeting lasting about an hour, Erdogan and Zelensky discussed developments in the Ukraine-Russia war, shipping security in the Black Sea including the defunct grain deal, and defence industry cooperation, according to the two sides.

NATO member Turkey supports Ukraine‘s territorial integrity, but also maintains cordial relations with Russia, and regularly speaks with both sides in the conflict, notably as a sponsor of the Black Sea deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports.

“We discussed developments about the war in detail today, I stated our observations with all my sincerity,” Erdogan said at a press conference alongside Zelensky, whose trip comes before an expected visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin following elections in Russia on March 15-17.

“We are giving our utmost contribution for the war to end on the basis of negotiations. We are ready to host a peace summit that Russia will attend too,” he said, adding he had reiterated Ankara’s support for Ukraine‘s sovereignty.

Turkey had hosted peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, but has since complained that no diplomatic step has been taken to advance these discussions. It has repeatedly offered to host further talks, saying a summit of leaders was needed.

Zelenski said Russia would not be invited to the first peace summit due to be held in Switzerland in the coming months, but that a Russian representative could be invited to the next meeting after a roadmap for peace had been agreed upon with Ukrainian allies.

“We do not see any representatives of Russia at this summit. We don’t see how you can invite people who block, destroy, and kill everything. We want to get a result – a just peace,” he said.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after meeting Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that it was time for Ukraine and Russia to start ceasefire talks, but added that this must not mean the recognition of Russia’s occupation.

Ukraine‘s former military chief has been appointed the country’s new ambassador to the United Kingdom, a month after he was sacked as head of the armed forces by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy announced that he has approved the appointment of Valerii Zaluzhnyi to one of Ukraine’s most important diplomatic positions.

Britain is a key supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Zelenskyy fired Zaluzhnyi as military commander-in-chief in February, part of a shake-up aimed at reigniting momentum in the deadlocked war. The president said at the time that Ukraine must be led by individuals who are “convinced of victory” against Russia.

Zaluzhnyi is widely respected among Ukrainian troops and considered a national hero. He is credited with stalling Russia’s full-scale invasion in the early days of the war and expertly pushing back Moscow’s troops.

Read the full story here…

After a public outcry, Serbia’s authorities have revoked an expulsion order for a Russian woman who signed an open letter denouncing the invasion of Ukraine, a pro-democracy Russian group in the Balkan country said on Friday.

Police told Elena Koposova that her appeal has been granted and that she can stay in Serbia, where she has lived with her family since 2019, the Russian Democratic Society group said in a statement.

“The annulment of Elena’s expulsion (order) is a great victory for us all,” the group said. “We are glad the Serbian state is correcting its mistakes but we are convinced this would not have been possible without active and warm (public) support.”After a public outcry, Serbia’s authorities have revoked an expulsion order for a Russian woman who signed an open letter denouncing the invasion of Ukraine, a pro-democracy Russian group in the Balkan country said on Friday.

Police told Elena Koposova that her appeal has been granted and that she can stay in Serbia, where she has lived with her family since 2019, the Russian Democratic Society group said in a statement.

“The annulment of Elena’s expulsion (order) is a great victory for us all,” the group said. “We are glad the Serbian state is correcting its mistakes but we are convinced this would not have been possible without active and warm (public) support.”

The U.S. embassy in Russia warned that “extremists” had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow, hours after Russian security services said they had foiled a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell from the Afghan arm of Islamic State.

The embassy, which has repeatedly urged all U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately, gave no further details about the nature of the threat, but said people should avoid concerts and crowds and be aware of their surroundings.

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the embassy said on its website.

It issued its warning several hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said it had foiled an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by a cell of the militant Sunni Muslim group Islamic State.

It was unclear if the two statements were linked.

U.S. allies including Britain, Canada, South Korea and Latvia repeated the U.S. warning and told their citizens not to travel to Russia.

Most Western countries advise against all travel to Russia and say their citizens should leave. The U.S. has the highest level of warning for Russia – red “4 – Do not travel” – the same level as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and South Sudan and Iran.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The U.S. embassy in Russia warned that “extremists” had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow, hours after Russian security services said they had foiled a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell from the Afghan arm of Islamic State.

The embassy, which has repeatedly urged all U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately, gave no further details about the nature of the threat, but said people should avoid concerts and crowds and be aware of their surroundings.

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the embassy said on its website.

It issued its warning several hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said it had foiled an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by a cell of the militant Sunni Muslim group Islamic State.

It was unclear if the two statements were linked.

U.S. allies including Britain, Canada, South Korea and Latvia repeated the U.S. warning and told their citizens not to travel to Russia.

Most Western countries advise against all travel to Russia and say their citizens should leave. The U.S. has the highest level of warning for Russia – red “4 – Do not travel” – the same level as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and South Sudan and Iran.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Russian drones killed three people in Ukraine‘s south and north on Friday, while a missile strike a day earlier killed two and wounded dozens more, local authorities said.

The missile strike on Thursday damaged a hospital, an emergency medical care centre, and a water utility in the northern city of Sumy, bordering Russia, the regional military administration said on Friday.

Two people were killed and 26 wounded, of whom six remained in hospitals, it added.

On Friday afternoon, a civilian car was hit by a kamikaze drone in Kharkiv region, killing a man and a woman, the regional governor said on the Telegram messenger app.

Another drone hit a village in the southern Kherson region, its governor added. A woman was killed.

All three regions frequently come under Russian drone and missile attacks.

Moscow has denied deliberately targeting civilians, though many have been killed in frequent air strikes across Ukraine in the course of the two-year-old war.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned that the country needs unrestricted and timely arms supplies to fight Russia’s invading forces.

“The strategy of dripping support for Ukraine drop by drop does not work anymore,” he told a press conference in the capital of Lithuania.

“What is required is an unrestricted and timely supply of all types of weapons and ammunition to ensure that Ukraine defeats Russia and the war in Europe does not spill over,” he said.

Turkey is expected to emphasise its continued strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence during a visit byVolodymyr Zelensky to Istanbul, a Turkish diplomatic source has told Reuters.

Talks between the Ukrainian president and his counterpart Tayyip Erdogan were scheduled to start at 4pm GMT, and the Turkish source said: “It is planned to convey that Turkey is continuing its efforts to end the war as soon as possible on the basis of negotiations.”

They added: “When peace returns to Ukraine, we aim to continue to be a strong supporter of the country’s reconstruction efforts, based on our strategic partnership.”

Mr Zelensky’s visit to Istanbul also comes before an expected visit by Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin has said would be after Russian elections conclude on 17 March.