Europe

"We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians," Von der Leyen said in a statement on Sunday, "We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, registered or controlled aircraft." "These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU," she said

The White House, along with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Canada, announced that they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, pledging to "collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin", CNN reported. Targeting the central bank would strike at the heart of Putin's years-long efforts to insulate his economy from sanctions, CNN reported.

This is a major move to escalate the West's economic sanctions against Moscow for its ongoing military operations in Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported. The White House on Saturday said in a joint statement that in concert with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, UK and Canada, the US is supporting the expulsion of "selected Russian banks" from SWIFT "within the coming days", so as to "further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our economies."

The negotiations could put an end to Ukraine's NATO ambitions after its President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to discuss Ukraine's "neutrality" -- a demand of Putin's -- in his latest attempt to appeal to the Russian leader to negotiate. The Kremlin said it took note of Zelensky's offer.

Maria Zakharova held a press conference and reflected on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the intentions of Russia going forward. A clip of her speech has begun to go viral on social media as she appears to issue a threat aimed at Sweden and Finland, saying it would have "serious military-political repercussions."

Explaining Russia’s military offensive, FM Lavrov briefed the Chinese FM regarding the current situation in Ukraine, explaining that the US and NATO did not tend to Russian security sensitivities in easter Europe.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has made yet another plea to Western allies to help Ukraine and stop Russia's brutal assault, BBC reported. The Ukrainian leader has confirmed the multiple missile strikes reported pre-dawn Friday. Zelensky said the strikes began at 4 a.m. on Friday local time. He added that Russia's strikes had targetted both military and civilian sites. Russia has previously said it's not aiming strikes at civilians, the report said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's task was "for that curtain not to fall" on its territory. He made the remarks as Russian forces attacked on several fronts, launching missile strikes and advancing towards the capital Kyiv, the report said. Exact casualty numbers are unclear, but include Ukrainian civilians.

In a joint statement following a virtual meeting, the leaders of France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK, the US, Canada as well as the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Council President, Charles Michel, and the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the report said.

Meanwhile Turkey reported that one of its ships had been hit by a 'bomb' off the coast of Odessa, where fighting is also going on. Turkey is a member of NATO, underlining fears that the war in Ukraine could quickly spread in other states and spark an all-out conflict in Europe.