Russia invades Ukraine: Biden announces ban on Russian oil entering US

The New Arab's live coverage of the latest on the Ukraine-Russia crisis concludes for today.

Join us tomorrow for the latest news and analysis on Ukraine-Russia.

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The first convoy carrying civilians from the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine arrived via a humanitarian corridor in the central city of Poltava, Ukraine's presidency said late on Tuesday.

"The first column of 22 buses has already arrived in Poltava," the president's deputy chief of staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram, hailing this as "good news."

He added that 1,100 foreign students would travel onwards by train to Lviv in Western Ukraine.

Coffee chain Starbucks said Tuesday that it would halt operations in Russia, the latest fallout in the corporate world over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"We have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products," noted the firm, which previously said it has 130 stores in Russia that are wholly owned and operated by a licensed partner.

Systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in Ukraine, which were taken over by Russian forces last month, have stopped transmitting data to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, it said on Tuesday.

"The Director General ... indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Moscow has announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine for Wednesday morning to carry out the evacuation of the civilian population, Russian news agencies reported.

"From 10:00 MSK (0700 GMT) on March 9, 2022, the Russian Federation is declaring a 'regime of silence' and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors," a cell of the Russian defence ministry charged with humanitarian operations in Ukraine said Tuesday.

President Joe Biden's ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine will take immediate effect, while providing a 45-day wind down period for contracts already signed, a senior administration official said.

The move will also ban new U.S. investment in Russia's energy sector, and prohibits Americans from participating in any foreign investments that flow into the Russian energy sector, the official told reporters, urging U.S. companies to boost their own production.

"It's a time for oil and gas companies to work with Wall Street to unleash our productive capacity," the official said.

McDonald’s is to temporarily close restaurants in Russia

Fast-food giant has released a statement announcing that it will “temporarily close restaurants & pause operations in Russia”.

The statement, from CEO Chris Kempczinski, said that McDonald’s condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called for peace. 

“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace,” the statement read. 

They announced that, despite the suspensions of services due to conflict, they will continue to pay Ukrainian salaries.  

“We are continuing to pay full salaries for our Ukrainian employees and have donated $5 million to our Employee Assistance Fund, and continue to support relief efforts led by the International Red Cross in the region.”

The McDonald’s CEO also highlighted the efforts of their charity. 

“The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Poland Care Mobile is at the Polish-Ukrainian border to provide medical care and humanitarian aid for families and children, and another Care Mobile is on the way from RMHC Latvia. Additionally, RMHC Ukraine is deploying medical supplies and providing humanitarian aid throughout the country, and its programs are being repurposed for use by hospital personnel.”

Kempczinski praised the work of Russian McDonald’s employees, but added they the fast-food chain could not ignore the events in Ukraine. 

“At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.”

“As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if any additional measures are required. At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia.” 

“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation,” the statement concluded. 

Ukraine's President Zelensky has addressed the UK parliament via video link in a speech described as "historic" by MPs.

The Ukrainian leader received a standing ovation from a packed house, invoking a hint of Churchill during his defiant speech.

More to follow

Historic moment for Parliament. President Zelensky addresses the House of Commons.

Zelensky: “The question for us now is to be or not to be. The Shakespearean question. For 15 days this question has been asked. I can give you a definitive answer is yes- to be.” pic.twitter.com/rAqMjcOS1U

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) March 8, 2022

Alert: Ukraine will 'never be a victory for Putin': Biden

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia would be unable to ever control all of Ukraine, vowing the war would "never be a victory" for President Vladimir Putin.

"Russia may continue to grind out its advance at a horrible price but this much is already clear -- Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin," Biden said. "Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country."

This is a developing story. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

ALERT: US bans Russian oil imports over Ukraine invasion: Biden

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Alert: UK says will phase out Russian oil imports by end of year

Britain said Tuesday it would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of this year, in line with an expected announcement by the United States following the invasion of Ukraine.

"This transition will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports -– which make up 8.0 percent of UK demand," Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng tweeted.

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Pentagon estimates 2,000 to 4,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

The US Defense Department told lawmakers Tuesday it estimates between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Moscow's nearly two-week-old invasion of Ukraine.

Asked at a House Intelligence Committee hearing how many Russian troops have died to date in the military operation, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, said "somewhere between two (thousand) and 4,000."

Berrier did add however that the estimate is considered "low confidence" because it was put together using a combination of intelligence sources and open source data.

🇺🇦The frontline wedding pic.twitter.com/yX3Zu0BpvS

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 8, 2022

President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, over its invasion of Ukraine, sources have told AP.

US crude prices have rocketed on the news following already historic highs.

Biden will make a speech at 10:45am Washington time.

More to follow.

The Speaker of the UK's House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address MPs today.

Zelensky made an emotional speech to the EU parliament last week and is set to address the UK lawmakers today.

Almost all MPs have backed Ukraine in its war with Russia along with the UK's main political parties.

I have granted the request to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give a statement to the House virtually at 1700 GMT today.

It is an important moment to hear directly from the President, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine. @ZelenskyyUa

— Sir Lindsay Hoyle (@CommonsSpeaker) March 8, 2022

Russian authorities are continuing to clamp down on anti-war protesters

UN human rights office say 12,700 people have been arbitrarily arrested in Russia for holding peaceful anti-war protests against the invasion of Ukraine.

— kristyan benedict (@KreaseChan) March 8, 2022

Ukrainians from the city of Irpin are fleeing Russian bombardments.

Evacuations from #Irpin continue today in the blinding snow | #Ukarine #Kyiv @AFP pic.twitter.com/Sf3KvuoOHS

— Dylan Collins (@collinsdyl) March 8, 2022

Shell says to stop Russian oil purchases

Energy giant Shell said Tuesday it would withdraw from its involvement in Russian gas and oil, including an immediate stop to purchases of crude from the country.

The company also said it would shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia.

This is a developing story. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

German prosecutors launch probe into Ukraine war crimes

Germany's federal prosecutor has opened an investigation into possible war crimes by Russian troops since the invasion of Ukraine, a source in his office told AFP Tuesday, confirming earlier media reports.

"We will collect and secure all evidence of war crimes," Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper, adding that the federal prosecution had opened a so-called structural investigation to begin gathering evidence.

This is a developing story. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

21 killed in air strikes on Ukraine's Sumy: official

wenty-one people, including two children, were killed in air strikes on the besieged northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy, the authorities said.

"The bodies of 21 people, including two children" were found at the site of Monday's strikes, the regional public prosecutor said on Facebook. A previous toll given by the emergency services was nine dead.

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Ukraine's Zelensky denounces unkept 'promises' by West

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday denounced what he called unkept "promises" by the West to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks.

"It's been 13 days we've been hearing promises, 13 days we've been told we'll be helped in the air, that there will be planes, that they will be delivered to us," Zelensky said on a video broadcast on Telegram. 

"But the responsibility for that rests also on those who were not capable to take a decision in the West for 13 days," Zelensky added. "On those who have not secured the Ukrainian skies from the Russian assassins."

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed his fellow countrymen from his office in the capital Kyiv. 

Day 12 of Russia’s full-on invasion of Ukraine. Where’s President Zelensky?

“I’m staying in Kyiv. In my office. I’m not hiding. And I’m not afraid of anyone.”

The comic turned president has truly become a wartime leader. pic.twitter.com/dKbzYWwpbo

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 7, 2022

While much of the world has felt the knock-on effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with an increase in prices at petrol pumps, there is another commodity that has also seen a sharp rise in recent days.

Nickel has shot up from around $20k a ton at the end of 2021 to $100k on Tuesday due to fears that metal supplies could be cut due to the war, Bloomberg has reported.

Russia is one of the world's leading nickel exporters, a commodity used as a protective coating in a range of products, from coins to cars.

Russia has threatened to use its vast energy reserves as an economic weapon against Europe, following threats to cut its oil exports.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that oil prices could spiral to $300 a barrel if Russian oil is blocked by the west and that it could retaliate by cutting gas exports to Europe.

Germany, which is heavily reliant on Russian energy, has ruled out such an embargo.

This graph shows just how much Russian gas Europe uses.

Good morning, welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Russia's siege on Ukrainian cities continues with civilians killed in shelling as they attempted to leave the war zone.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out an offer by Moscow to create "humanitarian corridors" in besieged Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other cities due to the risks to civilians using them.

Russia and the Syrian regime have shelled civilians using such "humanitarian corridors" before.