Ukraine updates: Blinken and Lavrov exchange words at G20

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov spoke briefly on Thursday, in their first face-to-face contact since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The brief encounter occurred during the G20 foreign ministers meeting in the Indian capital, New Delhi. 

"Blinken has asked for contact with Lavrov," Lavrov's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, according to Russia's state news agency TASS.  

Their encounter was not the product of any formal meeting or even negotiations, she said. 

The last time Blinken and Lavrov were in the same room was at a G20 meeting in Bali in 2022, where Lavrov is said to have stormed out, according to Western officials at the time. 

An unnamed US official told AFP that Blinken reiterated US support for Ukraine to the Russian foreign minister. He is said to have also urged Russia to resume the New START nuclear disarmament treaty recently suspended by President Vladimir Putin.

Blinken also appealed for the release of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is currently in prison in Russia. 

But Zakharova downplayed the significance of the talk, telling state news agency RIA Novosti that Blinken had initiated it and that it had been very brief. 

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning the war in Ukraine on Thursday, March 2:

US: Possibility remains for China to arm Russia

The United States said there is "no indication" China has decided to supply weapons to Russia, but it believes the possibility is still "on the table."

"This is not a move that would be in the best interest of the Chinese and their standing in the international community, which we know they highly prize," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

"We've communicated to the Chinese our concerns about this," Kirby added.

The statement echoes comments made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Thursday.

Beijing has forcefully denied allegations that it is considering arming Russia.

Putin accuses Ukraine of 'terrorist' attack on Bryansk, while Ukraine rejects claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged Ukraine had staged "another terrorist attack" on the border region of Bryansk, accusing Ukraine of opening fire on civilians in a car, including children, Reuters news agency reported.

While the regional governor said the attack killed two people and wounded a young boy, Ukraine denied responsibility.

Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, said the Russian claims were a "classic deliberate provocation."

Russia wants "to scare its people to justify the attack on another country and the growing poverty after the year of war," he tweeted.

Russia's FSB security service later added that "Ukrainian nationalists" who had allegedly crossed into the southern Bryansk region had been pushed back over the Ukrainian border. 

Putin convenes national security council meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a special meeting of the National Security Council following reports about fighting with Ukrainian troops on Russian territory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not speak to the topic when asked by journalists.

While the outcome of the meeting is yet to be seen, there are speculations that Russia could officially declare war on Ukraine and order an additional mobilization of troops.

Scholz speaks to Armenian prime minister about Western sanctions

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Berlin about reports on dodging Western sanctions.

"Naturally, we talked about this situation," Scholz told reporters, adding that Germany was monitoring the situation.

The EU and its allies are investigating a surge in exports to countries in Russia's neighborhood, especially Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

The spike in trade flows, according to a report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development released last month, raised questions about whether sanctions against Russia were being evaded.

Russian oligarch speaks out against war in rare public criticism

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska urged the Russian government to create a predictable environment based on the rule of law to attract foreign investors back to a Russian economy foundering under Western sanctions.

The billionaire told an economic forum in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk that he didn't expect the war to de-escalate before mid-2025 at the earliest.

Russia needed to and could attract investors from friendly countries, Deripaska said. 

"I'm very worried all the time that the state and business are constantly being set against each other," he said.

The 55-year-old founder of aluminum giant Rusal was surprisingly critical of the Russian government's policies in public. 

Most oligarchs have maintained a low profile following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Moldovan Parliament condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine

Moldova's Parliament adopted a declaration condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that Russia was waging an illegal and unprovoked war of aggression.

A narrow majority of 55 lawmakers in the 101-seat assembly voted for the declaration, which stated that Moscow's invasion began with the seizure of the Crimean peninsula in February 2014.

Tensions between Russia and Moldova, which lies on Ukraine's southwestern border, have grown sharply since the war began.

In February, the former Soviet republic accused Russia of plotting to topple the pro-Western government in Chisinau, which Russia denies. 

Russian airstrike hits Zaporizhzhia apartment building

Ukrainian police said a Russian strike on a five-story apartment block in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least three people. Search and rescue operations were ongoing, authorities added. 

"One missile hit a high-rise residential building. Residents sleeping peacefully were trapped under the rubble," the police said on Facebook.  

More than 10 apartments were destroyed and emergency services videos showed rescuers combing through debris. Zaporizhzhia Mayor Anatoliy Kurtiev said seven people were injured, including a pregnant woman. 

"The terrorist state wants to turn every day for our people into a day of terror," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following the strike. "But evil will not reign in our land. We will drive all the occupiers out and they will definitely be held accountable for everything."

The city of Zaporizhzhia lies in the region of the same name. Along with Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson, it is one of the regions Russia claims to have annexed in Ukraine.

Russia accuses Ukraine of border incursion 

The Kremlin accused Ukrainian fighters of entering its territory, in a region bordering Ukraine, which Moscow labeled as a "terrorist attack." 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said "neo-Nazis" and "terrorists" had opened fire on civilians in the southern Bryansk region.

"Our soldiers and officers... protect against neo-Nazis and terrorists... those who today committed another terrorist attack, penetrated the border area and opened fire on civilians," Putin said in a televised address.

Ukraine responded to the accusation saying it was a "deliberate provocation."  

"Russia wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country and the growing poverty after the year of war," Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter. 

Scholz urges China to not send Russia weapons 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday asked China not to support Russia with weapons in its war against Ukraine. Scholz spoke about China in the context of the war in a speech to the German Parliament 

"My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to push for the withdrawal of Russian troops," Scholz said. "And do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia."  

He expressed disappointment that Beijing had refused to condemn Moscow for invading Ukraine, although he welcomed efforts toward nuclear de-escalation. 

The remarks came after China put forward a 12-point peace plan calling for a cease-fire. "One can rightly expect China to discuss its ideas with the main stakeholders, with the Ukrainian people and with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy," Scholz said of the proposal.

Russia says UN monitors 'excessively delayed' at Zaporizhzhia

A senior Russian official said the latest rotating team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has failed to take up its post at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The nuclear power plant was occupied by Russia in the early days of the invasion and it remains near the front line. IAEA monitors have been posted at the site in order to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

"It is true that the rotation of specialists, which is planned for once a month, has been excessively delayed," Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's representative to the IAEA in Vienna, told Russia's TASS news agency on Tuesday.

"It was supposed to occur on February 7, but hasn't yet happened, through no fault of our own. We expect the changeover of experts to take place very soon, in the next few days."

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement on Monday that he hoped the changeover would take place this week. He also said the agency's teams had reported more explosions near the plant.

Belarus state TV denies attack on Russian spy plane

Belarusian state television on Wednesday denied claims by a local anti-government group that it destroyed a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane that was stationed in Minsk.

In a segment titled "Stop fake!," the Belarusian state broadcaster showed a short clip of what it said was the same plane the activists claimed to have destroyed.

State television said the plane "is carrying out its work within the framework of the allied grouping of Belarus and Russia, alive and in one piece," during the broadcast.

The TV segment is the first time an official source in either Belarus or Russia has commented on the incident.

Ukraine survives its 'most difficult winter'

Ukrainian officials said the country survived its "most difficult winter" ever as it welcomed what Ukrainians consider the first day of spring on Wednesday.

Russian bombardment at the tail end of 2022 damaged Ukraine's electricity, heating and water infrastructure, leaving civilians vulnerable in freezing conditions.

"We have overcome this winter. It was a very difficult period, and every Ukrainian experienced this difficulty, but we were still able to provide Ukraine with power and heat," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday during his daily address.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the first day of spring as a "major defeat" for Russia's ambitions in Ukraine.

"We survived the most difficult winter in our history," he said in a statement. "It was cold and dark, but we were unbreakable."

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rm, jcg, zc/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)