The third week of conflict in Ukraine began with the White House warning that the risk that Russia "uses chemical weapons" cannot be ruled out. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stressed that "we should all be alert to Russia's use of chemical weapons or expect Moscow to use them to create a pretext, it's a clear pattern."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also feared the use of chemical weapons by Kremlin troops, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "worried and pessimistic" about the coming days of conflict.

As regards the talks, the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba on the sidelines of the Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, the first face to face between the two, ended with nothing. since the beginning of the war, strongly supported by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, no agreement was reached on the ceasefire.

According to some sources, however, the Kiev leaders are ready to "talk about a ceasefire and peace" and there are rumors of negotiations for a meeting between President Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, after the bombing of the pediatric hospital in Mariupol (the toll for now is three people dead including a child), Zelensky himself shouted his anger: "It's a war crime, it's the definitive proof that it is in the genocide of the Ukrainians took place ". "You cannot say that you did not see what happened to the Ukrainians, what happened to the residents of Mariupol!", The warning to Westerners. And "war crimes" have also been evoked by many European leaders, while Moscow speaks of a "staging".

According to the updated UN estimates, the total civilian casualties since the beginning of the war are at least 549 and nearly a thousand injured.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi has also returned to talk about the crisis, reiterating the need to continue asking Putin to "cease hostilities and in particular the bombing of civilians".

Live updates on the conflict ( HERE all the articles on the crisis in Ukraine and HERE all the videos):

Missiles near Odessa

A Russian ship launched five missiles near Odessa. CNN reports this, citing sources from Ukraine.

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Zelensky: "I'm ready to talk about peace"

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says he is ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace. Skynews reports this, quoting a spokesman for the president and recalling that Zelensky had previously rejected the proposal to meet Vladimir Putin in Minsk. The Ukrainians had proposed that the meeting be held in Poland. According to Russian news agencies, discussions on the date and place of a possible meeting are underway.

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Humanitarian corridors and "green" corridors to Russia

Russia will unilaterally open humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian civilians to its territory starting tomorrow at 10 am local time (9 am Italian time). This was announced by the Ministry of Defense, as reported by TASS.

According to a source cited by Tg2, a "green corridor" could also be established for Russian soldiers who are leaving the troops from Moscow because they are understanding what kind of aggression they are being forced to do. Many would have already abandoned the camp even leaving the tanks in the countryside. In order not to trigger reprisals from fellow soldiers, a "corridor" for a safe "escape" could therefore be made available to them.

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Civilian casualties are at least 549

At least 549 civilians have been killed and 957 injured since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine 15 days ago. This was stated by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Ohchr), which in the previous report yesterday spoke of 516 victims and 908 injured. However, the United Nations agency itself points out that, beyond the established budget, the real figures could be "significantly higher", especially in areas under Russian control, including the cities of Volnovakha, Mariupol and Izium.

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"Trying Putin and Lukashenko"

"We must be clear: what Putin and Lukashenko are doing in Ukraine is criminal. It is a war crime. It overturns the democratic world order, and we must hold the culprits accountable through the international criminal court when the time comes." This is a passage from the speech by the president of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola, at the informal EU summit in Versailles.

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Metsola: "The EU must have a common defense"

"We need to go beyond the European Defense Fund and make the EU budget work for our security and defense policy. We need to use it to implement the strategic compass and make the Defense Union a reality." This was stated by the president of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola, at the informal EU summit in Versailles.

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Johnson: "I'm afraid Putin uses chemical weapons"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson fears that President Vladimir Putin's Russia may use chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine. The prime minister said this in an interview with Sky News, stressing that it is "in the style" of Putin to resort to this type of method, with a reference to the cases of poisoning of dissidents and former Russian agents in the United Kingdom of which he was accused the Kremlin leader.

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"Xi Jinping knew nothing of the Russian plans"

Chinese President Xi Jinping was "disturbed" by the Russian invasion of Ukraine also because "it seems that his services did not warn him of what would happen". This was stated by the director of the CIA, Bill Burns, in a hearing at the intelligence commission of the American Senate. According to Burns, the Chinese leader also fears "an image damage to China by being associated with the brutality of the aggression in Moscow" and is concerned about the "economic consequences at a time when the growth rate of the Chinese economy is the lowest. of the last 30 years ".

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Macron: "Worried and pessimistic"

"With Chancellor Scholz we spoke today again with Putin to obtain a cease on

fire "in Ukraine" and a conflict exit that may be political. I say this to the French, I am worried, pessimistic, I do not see a ceasefire in the next few days ": the French president, Emmanuel Macron said, as he entered the palace of Versailles for the summit with the EU leaders." In the short term I do not see diplomatic solutions - he added - but I hope so and we will continue to insist, to push the Russians towards a compromise, to help. But we cannot decide it for the parties involved ".

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Macron: "Attack on hospitals unworthy act"

"We are all shocked by the images, in the heart of the city a maternity hospital was bombed. Women and children were again victims, deeply lethal weapons were used without discrimination. France condemns with the utmost firmness this unworthy and illegal act of war" : said the French president, Emmanuel Macron, entering the palace of Versailles for the summit with EU leaders dedicated to the war in Ukraine.

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Moscow: "The staging in Mariupol"

A provocative staging. "This is how the Russian Defense Ministry defined the attack on the maternity clinic in Mariupol as reported by Ukraine, according to Interfax.

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Twitter against Russian censorship

To bypass surveillance and censorship in Russia, Twitter - restricted by that country's authorities - has launched a version with privacy protection, also known as an "onion" service (word that is the suffix instead of .com). Users can access the secure version if they download the Tor browser, which allows them to enter what is called the 'dark web'. A network that includes illegal and / or criminal sites but often used by people to remain anonymous for security reasons or to access sites censored by governments.

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Draghi: "We need a ceasefire"

"We have asked President Putin many times together to stop hostilities and in particular the bombing of civilians. We will continue to do so". Prime Minister Mario Draghi says this as he arrives at the Versailles summit.

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"Power supply to Chernobyl restored"

The Russian Energy Ministry announced that Belarusian experts have restored the electricity supply to Chernobyl. The Guardian reports it. The nuclear power plant was in danger of running out of energy needed to activate the plant's cooling systems

storage of radioactive material.

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Putin: "Harsh actions against companies that leave"

"It is necessary to act decisively towards foreign companies that are interrupting their operations in Russia, there are legal solutions in this regard." This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by Interfax.

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3.30 pm - Putin: "The increase in energy costs is not our fault"

"Russia is keeping all its commitments related to energy exports, including those via Ukraine." This was stated by President Vladimir Putin, quoted by TASS, thus asking the West not to blame Moscow for the increase in energy prices and reiterating that the sanctions taken by the West "are illegitimate".

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Biden evaluates sanctions against Rosatom

The Biden administration is considering imposing sanctions on Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy company. This was reported by informed sources to the Bloomberg agency. The body is one of the largest suppliers of nuclear power plants in Europe and in the world, especially with regard to enriched uranium. No definitive decisions have yet been made, the sources specify, and the White House is consulting with the nuclear industry sector to understand what impact any measures could have.

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Harris calls for war crimes investigations

A war crimes investigation by Russia "should definitely be there": said US Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to Poland. This was reported by the pool of reporters following him.

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The EU bishops in Kirill: "Please stop Putin and the war"

"Sharing Pope Francis' sentiments of anguish and concern", "I allow myself to implore His Holiness in a spirit of brotherhood: please make an urgent appeal to the Russian authorities to immediately stop hostilities against the Ukrainian people and show good will to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict, based on dialogue, common sense and respect for international law, while allowing safe humanitarian corridors and unrestricted access to humanitarian assistance ". Thus Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the EU bishops, in a letter to the patriarch of Moscow Kirill.

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Kiev: "71 children killed since the beginning of the war"

So far 71 children have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war. This was announced by Liudmyla Denisova, in charge of human rights in the Parliament of Kiev. "Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, 71 children have been killed and over 100 injured," he indicated in a statement posted on Telegram.

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"Half of the population of Kiev has already fled"

Half of the population of Kiev has fled the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The mayor of the city said so.

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12.50 - Putin talks to Scholz and Macron

Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the crisis in Ukraine. This was announced by the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, quoted by TASS. "Germany and France have asked for an immediate truce", we learn from German government sources. "Scholz and Macron insisted that the solution to this crisis must come from the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia". The three leaders also agreed to hear from each other again in the coming days.

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The anti-aircraft sirens sound again in Kiev

The anti-aircraft sirens have returned to sound in Kiev. This was announced by the town hall on its Telegram channel, inviting citizens to hide in shelters.

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Kiev: "Humanitarian convoy to Mariupol blocked"

"A humanitarian convoy trying to reach Mariupol was forced to backtrack due to ongoing fighting." Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said this, according to reports from the international press.

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Lavrov: "Ukraine is neutral"

"We want Ukraine to be neutral." This was stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov, in Antalya.

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Kuleba: "No progress on the ceasefire"

In the meeting we "addressed the issue of ceding the 24-hour fire to resolve most of the urgent issues from the humanitarian point of view. We have not made progress on this unfortunately, it seems that there are other people who decide on this in Russia" . This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a press conference after meeting with Russian Minister Lavrov.

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Abramovich also on the list of London-sanctioned oligarchs

Former Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich appears on the new list of UK sanctioned oligarchs. The list includes 7 people, including the one who is considered the "king of aluminum", Oleg Deripaska. For all there is a freezing of accounts and a ban on travel. "Today's sanctions show once again that the oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or in our society - reads a note by the Foreign Minister, Liz Truss - With their close ties with Putin, they are complicit in the his aggression ".

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The director of the IAEA on his way to Antalya

"I am on my way to Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine." This was announced on Twitter by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (Aiea) Rafael Mariano Grossi, explaining that he was invited by the Turkish foreign minister: "We need to act now".

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Russia leaves the Council of Europe

Russia leaves the Council of Europe. This was announced by the Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov, quoted by the Tass agency. "The course of events has become irreversible - reads a note - and Russia has no intention of enduring the subversive actions undertaken by the West, which pushes for an order based on rules and the replacement of international law trampled by the United States. and its satellites ".

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Four dead in a bombing near Kharkiv: also two children

An overnight bombing by the Russian armed forces hit a residential building near the city of Kharkiv, killing four, including two children. This was reported by the BBC, citing the State Emergency Services of Ukraine. The attack hit the village of Slobozhanske in the south-east of the country. A 5-year-old girl was injured in the attack and rushed to hospital. Rescuers continue search operations to extract the bodies from the rubble.

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First vote of the US Congress on the budget: 14 billion for Ukraine

First vote in the US Congress to approve the budget, the text under consideration also includes 14 billion dollars for Ukraine.

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Sony suspends the shipment of PlayStation to Russia

Japanese electronics giant Sony has announced that it has suspended all shipments of PlayStation consoles and video games to Russia, thus joining the growing list of companies severing their ties with Moscow following the military operation in Ukraine. Sony also donated $ 2 million to UNHCR and Save the Children to support war victims.

(Unioneonline)

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