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As the Russian military operation in Ukraine entered the tenth day today, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said any country trying to impose a no-fly zone over Kyiv would be a party to the military conflict. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the bipartisan group of US senators.
"We will immediately consider them as participants in a military conflict, and it doesn't matter members of which organizations they are," Putin said in a meeting with flight crewmembers of Russian national airlines, CNN reported. "It is impossible to do it, on the very territory of Ukraine, it's possible only from the territory of some neighbouring states. But any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict," he added. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to provoke a conflict between Russia and NATO. "I have a question. If he (Zelenskyy) is so upset that NATO did not step up for him as he hoped, it means that he did hope for the conflict's resolution through the involvement of NATO in this whole affair, rather than by negotiating," Lavrov told a briefing. Following it, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot halted all international flights from March 8, reported The Moscow Times on Saturday citing news agencies. Russia's Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire today to allow civilians in the port city of Mariupol and the town of Volnovakha for facilitating the evacuation of civilians. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the European countries to close all their ports for the Russian ships amid the heightened tensions in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington extended an invitation to Democratic and Republican US senators to attend a Zoom meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. The meeting which includes the bipartisan group of US senators and Zelenskyy is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to one of the sources, reported CNN News. Moreover, Zelenskyy spoke with the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and discussed the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the threat to Ukrainian nuclear facilities. He thanked Morrison for defence and humanitarian support. Earliar today Russia declared a ceasefire in Ukraine for opening up humanitarian corridors for civilians to be evacuated. "Today, March 5, from 10 am Moscow time, the Russian side declares a regime of silence and opens humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha," Sputnik news agency reported citing the Russian defence ministry. According to the ministry, the opening up of the corridors would enable residents of the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, including the strategic port town of Mariupol, to evacuate. "Russia Declares Ceasefire in Ukraine From 06:00 GMT to Open Humanitarian Corridors for Civilians," tweeted Sputnik. Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entitiesMeanwhile, Ukraine plans to hold the third round of talks with Russian officials to try to end the fighting triggered by Moscow's invasion this weekend, said one of Kyiv's negotiators. (ANI)
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