UN says more than 500,000 people fled Ukraine because of war

The head of a UN agency said on Monday that more than 500,000 people had fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the start of the Russian invasion last week.

Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, made the remarks on his Twitter account as the head of the global agency said his teams were stepping up humanitarian efforts amid escalating rights abuses.

More than 500,000 refugees have now fled from Ukraine into neighboring countries.

— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) February 28, 2022

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia sat at a negotiating table for the first time since the start of the war, on Monday, in the region bordering Belarus.

According to a statement, the Ukrainian delegation includes, among others, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, adviser to Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podoliak’s chief of staff, and Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is not part of the group. The country demanded an “immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops,” a Ukrainian presidency statement said earlier.

On Sunday (27), Zelensky refused talks with Russia in Belarus, saying the country is an accomplice in the invasion, but left the door open for negotiations elsewhere. In a later agreement, the countries chose to meet in a border region, near the Pripyat River, located in the north of the Ukrainian country.

Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, took responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain on the ground during the trip, without activities.

Last Friday, in a video message, the president of Ukraine again asked for direct conversations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. There is fighting all over Ukraine now. Let’s sit at the negotiating table to stop people from dying,” Zelensky said.

The most important thing that happened over the weekend

• The mayor of the city of Berdyansk, on Ukraine’s southern coast, said Russian forces had entered and taken control of the city.
• Ukraine and Russia agreed to hold a meeting on Monday at the Belarus border to discuss the conflict, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• The UN Security Council approved the convening of an emergency meeting of the organization’s General Assembly
• The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that about 100 Brazilians are still in Ukraine and 80 have already left the country.
• Ukraine has resisted and repelled Russian attacks, especially against the capital Kiev, according to the country’s president.
• US, EU, UK, Canada and Japan have decided to exclude Russia from Swift, a global payments system
• The European Union has established a series of sanctions against Russia, such as the closure of airspace to the country’s aircraft.
• When talking about the war in Ukraine, President Jair Bolsonaro said that the country opts for “neutrality”
• EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell announced that the bloc would introduce new sanctions against Russia on Monday, with a focus on the country’s elite.
• Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was the scene of a new Russian onslaught, with the explosion of a gas pipeline.
• FIFA banned Russia from using anthem, flag and hosting games
• The special envoy of CNN Mathias Brotero showed refugees leaving Kiev for Warsaw on crowded trains
• Thousands of protesters gathered in Europe to protest Russian attack on Ukraine
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country will allocate more than 2% of GDP to defense
• The Ukrainian government announced the closure of borders with Russia and Belarus
• European countries announced the sending of reinforcements and weapons to Ukraine amid the invasion of Russia
• A residential building in Kiev was hit by a missile, amid the Russian onslaught on the city
• The White House called on China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

* With information from Reuters