LIVE UPDATES: Ukraine's Zelensky Says He's Ready to Negotiate With Putin

MOSCOW(Sputnik) - Japan on Wednesday temporarily closed its embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev due to the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine, media reported.

Japanese news agency Kyodo News cited Japan's Foreign Ministry as saying that the embassy was temporarily closed and will be transferred to a temporary liaison office set up in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The ministry added that the liaison office will continue providing support to Japanese nationals in Ukraine, especially those trying to flee the country.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The aerospace company Boeing said it is suspending its parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines.

"We have suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kyiv," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. "We are also suspending parts, maintenance and technical support for services for Russian airlines. As the conflict continues, our teams are focused on ensuring the safety of our teammates in the region."

The development came as Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also chose to refer the Ukraine crisis to the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian authorities were considering banning Russian vessels from entering its territorial waters and seaports, and banning Ukrainian vessels from docking at Russian ports, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said on Wednesday.

"An administrative document is being prepared regarding the prohibition of navigation in the territorial waters of Ukraine, as well as calls at seaports of Ukraine: vessels flying the flag of Russia; vessels whose owners, participants (shareholders, members) or ultimate beneficiaries are citizens of Russia, legal entities that are registered in Russia, as well as individuals and legal entities against which sanctions are imposed (under the law of Ukraine 'On Sanctions')," the statement, published on the website, read.

Ukraine also urged other countries to prohibit maritime traffic with Russia and the service of Russian vessels in foreign ports.

"Ukraine has sent almost 50 appeals to the leading maritime powers and the world associations with information about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the facts of gross violation of international maritime law by Russia. We demand to stop maritime traffic with Russian ports, as well as servicing of Russian vessels in foreign ports," the statement read.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Energy company Exxon Mobil will discontinue operations at its Sakhalin-1 project in Russia and end investments in Russian developments in response to the country’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, the company said in a press release.

"ExxonMobil operates the Sakhalin-1 project on behalf of an international consortium of Japanese, Indian and Russian companies. In response to recent events, we are beginning the process to discontinue operations and developing steps to exit the Sakhalin-1 venture," the company said on Tuesday.

The company will also not invest in any new developments in Russia given the current situation, the press release added.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The monitoring team of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) on Wednesday has been withdrawn from the Ukrainian city of Kharkhov to Dnipro and awaits further evacuation from Ukraine.

"On 1 March, the Monitoring Teams from Donetsk and Lugansk Patrol Hubs in non-government controlled areas were evacuated, while the Kharkhov Monitoring Team was withdrawn to Dnipro, pending onward movement out of the country," the statement read.

The OSCE added that the OSCE SMM monitoring team in Kherson remains in a shelter due to "multiple explosions and heavy machine-gun fire in and around the cities of Donetsk, Kharkhov, and Kherson."

The organization added that "the Chief Monitor and senior management will remain in Ukraine until the evacuation process is complete."

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Russian Ambassador in Caracas Sergei Melik-Bagdasarov has told Sputnik that Moscow's cooperation with Venezuela and other Latin American countries was not opportunistic and that Russia will continue to deepen cooperation despite Western sanctions.

"Contacts with the Venezuelan leadership are maintained regularly," Melik-Bagdasarov said.

"Our cooperation with Venezuela and other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean is developing on a systematic basis and is not opportunistic. We will continue to step up cooperation even in the face of unlawful unilateral coercive measures of the United States and European countries," the ambassador added.

On February 24, Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Since then, hostilities have been taking place in Ukraine, and the West has been increasing sanctions pressure on Moscow.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration is expected to ban Russian aircraft from US airspace, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The order is expected to be issued within the next 24 hours and will apply to all Russian-owned-and-operated aircraft, the reports said on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The World Bank is preparing a $3 billion support package for Ukraine in the coming months and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is soon considering requests for emergency financing, World Bank Group President David Malpass and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on a statement.

"Our institutions are working together to support Ukraine on the financing and policy fronts and are urgently increasing that support. We have been in daily contact with the authorities on crisis measures… At the World Bank Group, we are preparing a $3 billion package of support in the coming months, starting with a fast-disbursing budget support operation for at least $350 million that will be submitted to the Board for approval this week, followed by $200 million in fast-disbursing support for health and education," the statement said on Tuesday.

The IMF Board could consider Ukraine’s request for emergency financing through the Rapid Financing Instrument as early as next week, the statement also said. The IMF is also continuing to work on Ukraine’s Stand-By Arrangement program, under which an additional $2.2 billion is available between now and the ended of June, the statement added.

"The time is right to remove nuclear weapons from Western and Eastern Europe and everywhere else," Gatilov told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

The envoy added that US military bases pose a threat to Russia's security, and Moscow has long demanded that Washington remove these weapons from Russia's borders.

In addition, the Russian diplomat pointed out that the United States will not be able to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council or the UN Security Council. He also indicated that Moscow is not convinced that the looming dialogue will bring the desired results between Ukrainian and Russian officials.

"Contacts have begun between the Ukrainian delegation and Russia, and we hope that these contacts will continue in the nearest future and will serve as the beginning of a political solution," Gatilov told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

"We support diplomatic means, but this diplomacy must respect the positions of all countries and should be carried out on the basis of equality, which unfortunately we do not see... We do not see the desire of the Ukrainian regime to try to find a legitimate and balanced solution to this problem," Gatilov added.

Freeland further admitted that additional sanctions expected to be placed on Russia in the coming days could see Ottawa and its allies suffer from some collateral damages.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Apple said on Tuesday that it is pausing all product sales in Russia and has limited Apple Pay and other services in the country due to the military operation in Ukraine.

"We have paused all product sales in Russia," Apple said in a statement. "Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia."

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor said it had restricted access to the media resources of the Ekho Moskvy radio station and the Dozhd TV channel (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia).

"Based on the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Roskomnadzor restricted access to the media resources of Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd TV Channel for the purposeful regular placement of information materials containing false information regarding the essence of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, its form, methods of conducting hostilities, quantitative human losses of the Russian Armed Forces, shelling and casualties among the civilian population, as well as calling for the organization of mass (public) events on the territory of Russia," the watchdog said.

Roskomnadzor clarified that the current Russian legislation provides for liability for the placement of such illegal information in accordance with Article 13.15 of the Russian Administrative Code.