In English-language plea, Zelensky urges protests around the world against Russia

Russia to expel more American diplomats

The US Embassy with its national flag, seen behind a monument to the Workers of 1905 Revolution in Moscow, Russia, December 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

WASHINGTON — The US State Department says Russia has begun the process of expelling several more diplomats from the US embassy in Moscow.

The department says it received a list of diplomats on Wednesday who have been declared “persona non grata” by the Russian foreign ministry. It didn’t say how many diplomats were affected by the order, which generally results in the expulsion of those targeted within 72 hours.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned U. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan on Monday to protest President Joe Biden’s description of Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal” over the invasion of Ukraine. After that meeting, Russia warned that it was close to severing diplomatic relations with the United States, which would be an unprecedented move.

The State Department called Wednesday’s move “Russia’s latest unhelpful and unproductive step” in relations between the countries. It urged Russia “to end its unjustified expulsions of US diplomats and staff.”

Russia limits access to Google News

In this November 5, 2018 file photo, a woman walks past the logo for Google at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Russia’s media regulator is restricting access to the Google News service, accusing it of providing access to “false” information about Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, Russian news agencies report.

The decision is taken at the request of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office, according to a statement by the country’s media regulator Roskomnadzor cited by the agencies.

The online news service “provided access to numerous publications and materials that contain false information… about the course of the special military operation on Ukrainian territory,” the statement says.

Google “confirmed that some people are having difficulty accessing the Google News app and website in Russia and that this is not due to any technical issues on our end,” a company spokesperson says.

“We’ve worked hard to keep information services like News accessible to people in Russia for as long as possible,” the Google spokesperson adds.

Since the start of the Russian intervention in Ukraine on February 24, the Russian government has considerably tightened its control over information on the internet, one of the last resources for free expression in the country.

Zelenskyy calls for ‘unrestricted’ NATO military aid

Ukrainian air force Su-27 fighter jet is in the sky outside Slovyansk, 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the Russian border, in eastern Ukraine, on, April 15, 2014. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a “desperate” plea to the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia's invasion. (AP Photo/Alexander Ermochenko, File)

LVIV, Ukraine — Speaking on the eve of the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy callson the alliance to provide “effective and unrestricted” support to Ukraine, including any weapons the country needs to fend off the Russian invasion.

“We ask that the alliance declare that it will fully assist Ukraine to win this war, clear our territory of the invaders and restore peace in Ukraine,” he says during his nightly video address to the nation.

Zelenskyy will speak to the NATO summit by video, the president’s office says.

He appeals to Western countries to stay united in the face what he says are Russia’s efforts to “lobby its interests” with “some partners” to bring them over to its side.

“We will see who is a friend, who is a partner and who has sold out and betrayed us,” he says in an emotional speech. “Together we should not allow Russia to break anyone in NATO, the EU or G-7, to break them and drag them to the side of war.”

Zelenskyy notes that Ukrainian skies are still not closed to Russian aircraft and missiles and that Ukraine hasn’t received the fighter jets or modern air-defense systems it requested. He says Ukraine also needs tanks and anti-ship systems.

“It has been a month of defending ourselves from attempts to destroy us, wipe us off the face of the earth,” he said. “We have lasted six times longer than the enemy had planned … but the Russian troops are destroying our cities, killing civilians indiscriminately, raping women, kidnapping children, shooting refugees, capturing aid columns and looting.”

Switching to Russian, Zelenskyy appealed to Russians “to leave Russia so as not to give your tax money to the war.” Tens of thousands of Russians already have fled Russia since the war began, fearing the intensifying crackdown at home.

In English-language video, Zelensky urges global protests against Russia’s war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on people around the world to come out and protest against Russia in an Enlish-Language video on March 24, 2022 (Screencapture/Twitter)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges citizens around the world to take to the streets to stop Russia’s invasion of his country.

“Come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life,” Zelensky says in a video address in English. “Come to your squares, to your streets, make yourselves visible and heard.”

In a passionate speech on the eve of a one-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Zelensky urged people around the globe “to stand against the war starting from March 24… and after then” and speak up against Russia’s bloody war.

Every evening Ukraine's President #Zelenskyy addresses his nation. Tonight for the first time, he did it in English. Calling on people everywhere to show their solidarity "Come out of your offices and homes, show your support to the Ukrainian people" #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/iJaRQlvWnF

— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) March 23, 2022

“Show your standing, come from your offices, your homes, your schools and your universities, come in the name of peace,” Zelensky says.

“The world must stop the war.”

Hundreds of civilians have been killed, hundreds more injured and over three million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24 with the goal of thwarting its pro-Western course.

Britain giving Ukraine thousands more missiles

Ukrainian soldiers take part in an exercise for the use of British-donated NLAW anti-tank missiles on the Yavoriv military training ground, close to Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Pavlo Palamarchuk)

Britain will send thousands more missiles to Ukraine’s government as Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges Western allies to boost the supply of military aid to Ukraine.

Johnson is traveling to Brussels on Thursday for talks with NATO and leaders of the Group of Seven. He is expected to provide further details of the new British aid during the visit, including the donation of 6,000 more missiles comprising anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry.

“The United Kingdom will work with our allies to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defenses as they turn the tide in this fight,” Johnson says.

Britain has already sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

The UK government also says it is providing some 4 million pounds ($5.3 million) in emergency funding to the BBC World Service to counter disinformation in Russia and Ukraine.

Under sweeping sanctions, Iran hawks its weapons in Qatar

Iran's Pavilion at the DIMDEX exhibition in Doha, Qatar, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Lujain Jo)

DOHA, Qatar — Iran, under sweeping economic sanctions, is hawking weapons at a Qatari defense exhibit, a surprising sight at the major conference also showcasing American companies and fighter jets.

Tucked away in the far left corner of the carpeted convention center, commanders from Iran’s defense ministry market their missiles and air defense weapons systems. The defense ministry manufactures arms for both Iran’s military and its powerful paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a group that plays a singular role in the creation and execution of Iran’s national security and foreign policy.

The DIMDEX exhibition serves to promote Qatar, a major non-NATO ally of the United States that’s home to the largest American military base in the Middle East. The tiny Gulf Arab country, however, also maintains good relations with Iran, with which it shares the world’s largest gas field.

Iranian representatives decline to speak with The Associated Press. They hand out brochures to an AP journalist promoting their homemade jet trainers, helicopters and hovercraft.

Iran’s Pavilion at the DIMDEX exhibition in Doha, Qatar, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Lujain Jo)

Russia setting up defenses outside Kyiv, US official says

Firefighters extinguish a fire near a shopping center after shelling, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A senior US defense official says Russian ground forces appear to be digging in and setting up defensive positions between 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) outside Kyiv, as they continue to make little to no progress moving toward the city center.

The official says it appears the forces are no longer trying to advance into the city and, in some cases east of Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have been able to push Russian soldiers further away. The official says Russian forces had been 20-30 kilometers (12-19 miles) away to the east and northeast, and are now about 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.

The official says that, instead, Russian troops are exerting more energy and effort in the eastern Donbas region, specifically in Luhansk and Donetsk. The official says the US is seeing Russia prioritize the fight there, in what could be an effort to cut off any Ukrainian troops in those areas and prevent them from moving west to defend other cities.

The official speaks on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments.

The official says the US has seen some activity from Russian ships in the Sea of Azov, including what appears to be efforts to send landing ships ashore with supplies, including vehicles.

Weapons and other security assistance from the US continue to move into Ukraine. The official says the final shipments from the $350 million package approved by the US will be arriving in Ukraine in the next day or so, and the first shipments from the latest $800 million package will start arriving soon.

Russia invokes nuclear arsenal as deterrence against Western intervention in Ukraine

This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, on February 19, 2022, shows a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile being launched from an airfield during military drills. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A senior Russian official says the country’s nuclear arsenal should help deter the West from intervening in the war in Ukraine.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the state corporation Roscosmos, notes in televised remarks that the Russian nuclear stockpiles include tactical nuclear weapons along with the nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Rogozin points at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning to other countries not to meddle with the Russian action in Ukraine.

“The Russian Federation is capable of physically destroying any aggressor or any aggressor group within minutes at any distance,” Rogozin says.

Putin has warned the West that an attempt to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine will draw it into a conflict with Russia. Rogozin in his comments didn’t elaborate on what specific action by the West would be seen as meddling in the conflict.

Rogozin’s statement comes amid Western fears that Russia could use battlefield nuclear weapons against Ukraine amid the stalled Russian offensive.

US officials have long warned that Russia’s military doctrine envisages an “escalate to deescalate” option of using battlefield nuclear weapons to force the enemy to back down in a situation when Russian forces face an imminent defeat in a conventional conflict.

Moscow has denied having such designs.

Biden arrives in Brussels for crunch summits on Ukraine

BRUSSELS — US President Joe Biden arrives in Brussels for crunch summits with European, G7 and NATO allies, expected to focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pictures on broadcaster CNN show.

Biden, who will be seeking to rally allies to forge a united response to Moscow, will participate in meetings of NATO, the European Union and G7 Thursday before visiting Poland Friday and Saturday.

President Biden arrives in Brussels, Belgium on Air Force One for an emergency NATO summit, G7 meeting, and European Council summit. https://t.co/SzlJsTnrJZ pic.twitter.com/MrcQvwkdkP

— The Hill (@thehill) March 23, 2022

Renault suspends work at Moscow factory

Illustrative image of Renault Megane 2017 models (ESezer, iStock by Getty Images)

PARIS — French car giant Renault says it will immediately suspend operations at its Moscow factory after Kyiv called for a boycott of the company for remaining in Russia.

Renault is also considering “the possible options” for its Russian affiliate AvtoVAZ, the company says in a statement, adding that it had downgraded its 2022 financial outlook.

Arab man shot dead in northern town, two others hurt

Three men in their 20s were shot, one of them fatally, in the northern Arab town of Fureidis, police say.

The man who was killed is identified as 25-year-old Saleh Elika, a resident of the city.

The other two men are taken to Hadera’s Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in moderate conditions.

Police have launched an investigation.

According to the Abraham Initiatives non-profit, Elika’s killing marks the 20th Arab to die in Israel under violent or criminal circumstances this year.

זה הנרצח מפרדיס ליד זכרון יעקב الشاب صالح ابو عليقة (25عاما) ضحية جريمة القتل في بلدة الفرديس قبل قليل. סאלח אבו עליקה נורה למוות . דיווחתי לפני זמן קצר על האירוע שהסתיים גם ב 2 פצועים בינוני וקשה pic.twitter.com/CN5iyCESu4

— ????Saher (@Saher95755738) March 23, 2022

Russian journalist and former opposition activist killed in Kyiv shelling

KYIV — A Russian journalist for the investigative news outlet The Insider was killed when Russian troops shelled a residential neighborhood in the Ukrainian capital, the outlet said Wednesday.

Oksana Baulina, who previously also worked for Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s anti-corruption group, “died under fire in Kyiv” while “filming the destruction” caused by Russian shelling, The Insider says on its website.

Russian journalist and former Navalny activist Oksana Baulina is killed in a Russian air strike in Kyiv along with another civilian. https://t.co/pvE858Zxgm pic.twitter.com/DpbQ4TDwmc

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 23, 2022

Germany to send 2,000 more anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen move US-made FIM-92 Stinger missiles and other military assistance shipped from Lithuania to Boryspil Airport in Kyiv, on February 13, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP)

BERLIN — Germany will send 2,000 additional anti-tank weapons to Ukraine to help it repel the Russian invasion, a parliamentary source tells AFP.

The Ukrainian forces have already received 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger-type surface-to-air missile launchers from the Bundeswehr, the German army.

Germany has also provided around 500 Strela surface-to-air missiles out of 2,700 promised.

The parliamentary source, who wished to remain anonymous, says the 2,000 additional anti-tank weapons will be sent to Ukraine, confirming information circulating in the German media.

Germany had been reluctant to send weapons to Ukraine as Russian troops massed at its border last year. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz changed that policy following the start of the Russian invasion last month.

Germany had previously prohibited itself from exporting lethal weapons to conflict zones because of its history under Nazism.

Former US top diplomat Madeleine Albright dead at 84

Madeleine Albright (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state and one of the most influential stateswomen of her generation, has died of cancer at age 84, her family announces.

In a statement, Albright’s family says she died “surrounded by family and friends,” and paid tribute to “a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend” as well as a “tireless champion of democracy and human rights.”

Below is a statement from the family of @Madeleine: pic.twitter.com/C7Xt0EN5c9

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) March 23, 2022

Albright was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937 and was forced to leave after Nazi Germany gained control of it. She spent much of World War II in England.

Russia expels US diplomats in tit-for-tat move

US and Russian flags hang at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

MOSCOW — Russia says it is expelling US diplomats in retaliation for Washington’s move earlier this month to remove 12 of Moscow’s representatives to the UN, based in the US.

“On March 23, a note with the list of the American diplomats declared ‘persona non grata’ was handed to the head of the American diplomatic mission who was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the ministry says in a statement.

US national security adviser: New sanctions to target Russian ‘political figures, oligarchs’

National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House, in Washington, March 22, 2022. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

A top US official says new sanctions will be announced against Russian “political figures” and the wealthy elite close to President Vladimir Putin known as oligarchs.

“We, the United States, will announce a package of sanctions designations tomorrow that relate both to political figures, oligarchs,… as well as entities,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says aboard Air Force One, which was en route to Brussels for NATO and EU summits on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sullivan says Western partners were also looking to “coordinate on sanctions enforcement so that Russian efforts to evade the sanctions can be dealt with effectively.”

Blinken says ‘numerous credible reports’ of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, in Riga, Latvia, on March 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/Pool via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US has seen “numerous credible reports” of possible war crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the US government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” Blinken says in a statement. “We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities.”

“Since launching his unprovoked and unjust war of choice, Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed unrelenting violence that has caused death and destruction across Ukraine,” he says.

“Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded. Many of the sites Russia’s forces have hit have been clearly identifiable as in-use by civilians,” he adds.

Blinken says the US government will continue to track reports of war crimes and is “committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions.”

Hezbollah praises deadly Beersheba attack, committed by terror convict who backed Islamic State

Mohammad Abu al-Qi’an is seen brandishing a knife shortly after he stabbed several people to death in Beersheba, March 22, 2022. (Screenshot: Twitter)

The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah hails the terror attack in Beersheba that left four Israelis dead yesterday, after a day-long delay.

“This is a true expression of the spirit of jihad and authentic resistance by the Palestinian people,” the group says, according to official Hezbollah media.

The assailant, Mohammad Abu al-Qi’an, was a resident of the southern Bedouin town of Hura. He was jailed in 2016 for his affiliation with the Islamic State.

Fourth Beersheba terror victim, Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, laid to rest

Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky. (Courtesy)

Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, 50, who was killed in the terror attack in Beersheba yesterday is being buried now in the southern city.

Kravitzky, who was rammed by the assailant while riding his bicycle, was an active member of the Beersheba Chabad community and ran a synagogue in the city.

“Rabbi Moshe and his family did not come [to Beersheba] for good conditions and comfort. They gave their lives for the community,” the rabbi of the community says.

טרור בבירת הנגב | בשעה זו מובא למנוחות הרב משה קרביצקי, שנרצח בפיגוע בב"ש. רב הקהילה שבה היה חבר קרביצקי ספד לו: "הרב משה ומשפחתו לא באו לכאן בשביל תנאים טובים ונוחות. הם מסרו את חייהם למען הקהילה"https://t.co/4lv3VHi2JZ@DanaYarkechy pic.twitter.com/qJPZYSTTxe

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 23, 2022

Three other victims were buried earlier in the day.

Bennett holds meeting on crime in Arab communities, day after Beersheba attack

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett leads a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on March 20, 2022. (Marc Israel Sellem/pool/Flash90)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is holding a meeting with members of the ministerial panel for combating crime and violence in Arab society, a day after a Bedouin man murdered four in a terror attack in Beersheba.

“We gather tonight, a day after the horrific murder attack in Beersheba. I want to praise here, again, the two citizens who acted resourcefully and courageously and simply saved lives,” Bennett says of two passersby who shot Mohammad Abu al-Qi’an to death during the attack.

“They need to be given an award, no less, for their resourcefulness, for engaging. This is how every Israeli should act in face of a terrorist attack,” he says.

“Security forces are working to reach anyone who had direct or indirect contact with the terrorist. Anyone who aided, inspired, incited, cooperated — we will reach them,” Bennett says.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the victims — the Yehezkel family, the Yitzhak family, the Yahbas family and the Kravitzky family. May their memories be a blessing,” he adds.

Attending the meeting are Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Welfare Minister Meir Cohen, Deputy Public Security Minister Yoav Segalovitz, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Cabinet Secretary Shalom Shlomo, as well as the deputy head of the Shin Bet security agency, deputy national security adviser and other officials.

UN Human Rights Council report accuses Israel of apartheid

Illustrative: Delegates arrive on the assembly hall of the Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Keystone/Salvatore Di Nolfi)

United Nations Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk accuses Israel of apartheid in a report submitted Tuesday to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“With the eyes of the international community wide open, Israel has imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world,” writes Lynk, whose full title is “Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.”

Lynk is slated to formally release his report on Thursday ahead of the debate on Agenda Item 7, the permanent HRC item reserved for Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians and other Arabs.

“The political system of entrenched rule in the occupied Palestinian territory which endows one racial-national-ethnic group with substantial rights, benefits and privileges while intentionally subjecting another group to live behind walls, checkpoints and under a permanent military rule… satisfies the prevailing evidentiary standard for the existence of apartheid,” writes Lynk.

The issuing of thousands of work permits to Palestinian laborers in the West Bank and Gaza to work in Israel amounts to the “exploitation of labour of a racial group,” according to the report.

The report, the main body of which does not mention terrorist groups Hamas or Islamic Jihad, says Israel “must cooperate in good faith with the Palestinian leadership to completely end the occupation and realize a genuine two-state solution.”

Israel and Jewish organizations blast Lynk as hostile to Israel and the report as baseless.

“The author of this report is well known for his blatant and disturbing anti-Israel views,” writes Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva in a statement. “This report is no different.”

The statement added that no report on Israel can be taken seriously “if the security challenges and threats faced daily by all Israelis — including the 20% non-Jewish minority — is not considered.”

“This report recycles baseless and outrageous libels previously published by NGOs that share the same goal as the author of this report: to delegitimize and criminalize the State of Israel for what it is: the nation-state of the Jewish People, with equal rights for all its citizens, irrespective of religion, race or sex,” says Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva.

Palestinian teen arrested with knife at entrance to Temple Mount

A knife, brass knuckles, mask, Palestinian flag and other items are found in the bag of a Palestinian teen who attempted to enter the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, March 22, 2022. (Israel Police)

A 15-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank town of Kafr ‘Aqab was detained yesterday morning at the entrance of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City with a knife, police say.

Along with the knife, the teen was also carrying brass knuckles, a mask and a Palestinian flag in his bag.

He was brought to a court hearing earlier today, and his remand is extended until Sunday.

Police did not say if the suspect admitted to planning an attack.

NATO estimates Russia has suffered 30,000-40,000 casualties in Ukraine invasion

Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as a convoy of vehicles evacuating civilians leaves Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 9, 2022. (Vadim GhirdaAP)

WASHINGTON — A senior NATO military officer says the alliance estimates that Russia has suffered between 30,000 and 40,000 battlefield casualties in Ukraine through the first month of the war, including between 7,000 and 15,000 killed.

It is NATO’s first public estimate of Russian casualties since the war started on February 24.

The military officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by NATO, says the estimate of the number killed is based on a combination of information from the Ukrainian government, indications from Russia and open-source information.

The US government has largely declined to provide public estimates of Russian or Ukrainian casualties, saying available information is of questionable reliability.

The NATO military officer, in a briefing from the alliance’s military headquarters in Belgium, says the estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 Russian casualties is derived from what he called a standard calculation that in war an army suffers three wounded soldiers for every soldier killed.

The casualties include killed in action and wounded in action, as well as those taken prisoner or missing in action, the officer said.

Barlev says he ‘got confused’ after he called to jail dead terrorist

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev attends the funeral of 49-year-old Doris Yahbas, who was killed in a terror attack in Beersheba, at a cemetery in Moshav Gilat, March 23, 2022. (Flash90)

After Public Security Minister Omer Barlev caused outrage at the funeral of terror victim Doris Yahbas by saying the attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, would be brought to justice and sent to prison, the minister says he “got confused.”

Speaking to Channel 12 news, Barlev says he was not supposed to speak at the funeral but a microphone was thrust in front of him so he improvised on the spot, leading to the controversial remarks.

The minister explained that what he meant to say is “we will not rest until all the accomplices of this terrorist are caught and prosecuted and jailed.”

Other ministers, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, have made similar vows in the wake of the attack.

‘We will never forget you’: husband of Beersheba terror victim Doris Yahbas eulogizes

Mourners attend the funeral of 49-year-old Doris Yahbas, who was killed in a terror attack in Beersheba, at a cemetery in Moshav Gilat, March 23, 2022. (Flash90)

The husband of Doris Yahbas, who was killed in yesterday’s terror attack in Beersheba, fulfills a Jewish tradition of asking for forgiveness from a person as they are buried.

“Doris, my dear wife, mother of my children, who raised them with me, we ask you for forgiveness, we will never forget you all of our lives,” Yahbas’s husband says during the funeral in the town of Gilat.

“You were the mainstay and the central link of the whole family,” he says.

The terrorist, he says, “cut you away from us. You will always be with us, in our heart and soul. I promise to look after the children as you looked after them.”

“I love you and the children love you,” he says. “I am sorry, Doris.”

“How will we survive without you, my dear sister” laments Yahbas’s sibling, Dina Ozen. “I promise to look after the children.”

Doris Yahbas (Courtesy the Yahbas family)

‘Mom, I can’t take it in that you are not here’: terror victim Laura Yitzhak laid to rest

Laura Yitzhak (Courtesy)

Laura Yitzhak, 43, one of the four victims killed in yesterday’s terror attack in Beersheba is laid to rest in the southern city.

One of Yitzhak’s three daughters eulogies her saying: “Mom, I can’t take it in that you are not here, I thank you for how you taught me. I will not forget you, I promise to look after the children. You are a hero.”

“I am writing you a letter with tears. I will not forget this day that you went to the World to Come. Never forget me,” another of her daughters says.

Tal, her husband, says: “I fell in love with you at first sight when we served together in the army.”

The attacker, he says, “decided to kill in cold blood for no reason, because she was Jewish.”

“What will I do now,” Tal asks. “You are the one who takes care of me, the girls, the home.”

נועה יצחק בת ה-12 מספידה בדמעות את אמה לורה ז"ל שנרצחה אמש בפיגוע: "לא משנה מה, אני אוהבת אותך" pic.twitter.com/RtsXbZ5NUq

— שחר גליק (@glick_sh) March 23, 2022

During the funeral, a man shouts at Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai as he addresses the crowds.

“Look at the father, we are fed up. You are dispelling the security,” the man reportedly shouts, a criticism of government policies towards law enforcement in the south of the country.

Other mourners attempted to silence the man, reports say.

17 Palestinians arrested for alleged rioting near Jerusalem last month

Border Police officers operate in the West Bank town of Abu Dis, March 23, 2022. (Israel Police)

Border Police officers arrested 17 Palestinian suspects overnight in the West Bank town of Abu Dis for allegedly hurling stones, improvised explosives and firebombs at troops last month.

Police say they used “advanced technological means” to identify the suspects who attacked a military post near the town on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

The suspects have been taken to the Shin Bet security agency for further questioning, police say.

IAI signs accord to collaborate with Morocco’s aviation and space industries

(Right to Left) IAI President and CEO Boaz Levy, Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, and Chairman of the IAI Board of Directors Amir Peretz, during a meeting in Morocco, March 23, 2022. (Israel Aerospace Industries)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the nation’s largest aerospace and defense company, says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade to promote cooperation in the fields of investment and technology.

“The MOU we are signing today is an additional step in creating a new partnership between IAI and the aviation and space industries in Morocco. I am familiar with the incredible potential that exists in Morocco, and this is just the beginning,” says Amir Peretz, chairman of the IAI board of directors.

“Together, we will build joint teams that will turn our vision into reality. Today, I am filled with pride that my country, Israel, is coming together with the country I was born in, Morocco,” Peretz adds.

IAI’s president and CEO, Boaz Levy, says the MOU is “another expression of the deep partnership between the two countries and will help promote joint and commercial projects in the aviation industry.”

Putin speaks to Bennett on Ukraine war, sends condolences over Beersheba terror attack — Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speak during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on October 22, 2021. (Evgeny Biyatov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/ File)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin says.

Putin gives Bennett his assessments on the ongoing negotiations and “progress of the special military operation,” the Kremlin says in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Putin also expresses condolences on yesterday’s deadly terror attack in Beersheba, the statement says.

The two leaders last spoke on March 14.

There is no immediate comment from the Prime Minister’s Office on the latest call.

Addressing French parliament, Zelensky calls for more military aid

In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with Pope Francis on a phone call from Kyiv, Ukraine, March 22, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

PARIS — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky thanks French President Emmanuel Macron for his “true leadership” over the war during a virtual address from Kyiv to the French parliament.

Zelensky uses the address to French MPs via video link to rally further European support for his war-torn country’s efforts to stave off Russian aggression.

He calls on France for assistance with arms, equipment, and more planes “so that liberty does not slip away,” according to a French translation of the 20-minute speech.

Using often-emotive language, the Ukrainian leader tells French lawmakers “you know who the guilty one is” that “buries his head in the sand.”

The speech comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron talked with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the terms of a potential ceasefire.

Though they reached “no agreement,” according to the French presidency, Macron “remains convinced of the need to continue his efforts” and he “stands alongside Ukraine.”

Zelensky has been a regular fixture in recent weeks in international lawmaking chambers, having spoken Japan’s parliament earlier Wednesday, and previously to the US Congress and the German Parliament, to harness international help.

Kyiv mayor says 264 civilians killed in capital

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko next to a five-story residential building that partially collapsed after a shelling in Kyiv on March 18, 2022 (Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)

KYIV, Ukraine — The mayor of Kyiv says Russian forces have killed 264 civilians, including four children, in the Ukraine capital since the war started last month.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko says battles are being waged in the area of Liutizh, a village 30 kilometers (about 20 miles) north of Kyiv and that Ukrainian forces have wrested back control of areas to the northwest and the northeast of the city, including most of Irpin.

He says the western town of Makariv has also been taken back by Ukrainian troops.

Klitschko speaks to reporters in the capital Kyiv in a central park overlooking the city. Explosions and gunfire are heard in the background as he speaks.

Barlev causes uproar at victim’s funeral after vowing to jail dead terrorist

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev causes an uproar at the funeral of Doris Yahbas, who was killed in yesterday’s terror attack in Beersheba.

“We will not keep quiet until this criminal and terrorist is taken to prison and will be tried according to the law. We will not keep quiet until we eradicate terrorism,” Barlev says.

The terrorist who killed Yahbas and three others was shot dead by passerby at the scene.

Participants at the funeral shout at the minister in response. “What is he talking about?” some can be heard saying.

צעקות בהלווייתה של דוריס יחבס, שנרצחה אמש בפיגוע בבאר שבע, במהלך דבריו של השר לביטחון הפנים בר לב שאמר על המחבל שחוסל: ״לא נשקוט עד שיגיע לכלא"
(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/iw9BTjIgGW

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 23, 2022

Two victims killed in Beersheba terror attack laid to rest

Doris Yahbas (Courtesy the Yahbas family)

Two of the four victims killed in the terror attack in Beersheba yesterday are being laid to rest.

Doris Yahbas, 49, is being buried in her hometown, Gilat. She was stabbed at the entrance to a clothes store. Medics, including her nephew, were forced to declare her dead. She is survived by her husband and three children.

דורית יחבס, שנרצחה אתמול בפיגוע בבאר שבע, מובאת בשעה זו למנוחות בבית העלמין במושב גילת @ShaniRami pic.twitter.com/sS88R3dEPS

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) March 23, 2022

Menahem Yehezkel’s funeral is taking place in the southern city. The 67-year-old resident of Beersheba left behind four siblings.

Menahem Yehezkel. (Courtesy)

מנחם יחזקאל, שנרצח בפיגוע אתמול, מובא למנוחות בבאר שבע@glick_sh pic.twitter.com/F43h6W4VLS

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) March 23, 2022

Russian officer says war a ‘madhouse’ in call allegedly intercepted by Ukraine

A Russian soldier points a gun from a Russian military truck as it drives through an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A Russian officer tells his superiors the war in Ukraine is a “madhouse” according to a call allegedly intercepted by Ukraine.

According to a translation posted online, the officer says the war is going worse than Russia’s war in Chechnya in the 1990s. The officer continues to say that around half the troops have frostbite, they are unable to evacuate the hundreds of dead, and don’t have enough tents and body armor.

He says the operation is a “madhouse” after higher-ups thought it would go relatively easy, according to the translation.

“Our task was to get to Mykolaiv. And we are sitting here,” the officer says.

Fascinating claimed intercepted call from Russian officer near Mykolaiv to superiors in Russia. He says:
– This is worse than Chechnya
– 50% of troops have frostbite
– They can’t evacuate the dead
– Don’t have enough tents
– RU plane dropped a bomb on their own position ???? pic.twitter.com/3KjGrqD5jZ

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) March 23, 2022

The translation and authenticity of the call could not be independently verified.

Beersheba terrorist’s brothers suspected of providing him the knife

Mohammad Abu al-Qi’an is seen brandishing a knife shortly after he stabbed several people to death in Beersheba, March 22, 2022. (Screenshot: Twitter)

Mohammad Abu al-Qi’an’s two brothers, who were arrested overnight, are suspected of aiding him by providing “the means” to commit the deadly terror attack in Beersheba yesterday, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

The pair are also suspected of being members of a terror organization, the reports say. Abu al-Qi’an himself was jailed in 2016 over his affiliation with the Islamic State.

The two are set to be brought before a court later today to extend their remand.

Police said earlier they were suspected of failing to prevent the attack.

Abu al-Qi’an was killed by passersby after murdering four people and injuring two in the southern city yesterday.

NATO set to deploy more troops in Eastern Europe, step up support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a press conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on March 23, 2022. (Thomas COEX / AFP)

BRUSSELS, Belgium — NATO leaders are set to agree at a summit on significant new troop deployments for eastern allies and extra support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s war, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg says.

“I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains with major increases of forces in the eastern part of the alliance, on land, in the air and at sea. The first step is the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia,” Stoltenberg tells journalists ahead of an urgent summit happening tomorrow.

“Tomorrow, I expect allies will agree to provide additional support, including cybersecurity assistance as well as equipment, to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats,” he adds.

Biden warns of a ‘real threat’ of Russian chemical attack on Ukraine

President Joe Biden walks towards Marine One prior to a departure from the White House on March 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)

US President Joe Biden warns of a “real threat” Russia may use chemical weapons in Ukraine, as he heads to Europe for a series of summits on the conflict.

“I think it’s a real threat,” Biden tells reporters as he leaves the White House bound for Brussels, when asked about the risk of chemical warfare in Ukraine.

Drone footage said to be of Mariupol shows horrific devastation

Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022, as people cannot bury their dead because of heavy shelling by Russian forces. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

Video circulating on social media said to be drone footage of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol shows horrific devastation in the southern port city.

Azov drone footage of devastated Mariupol https://t.co/rIBOQz81LF

— Aris Roussinos (@arisroussinos) March 23, 2022

Little is known about the current fate of the city, which has been cut off from electricity, water and communications for days. Several thousand are feared dead, but the true death toll is far from verified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says earlier today that almost 100,000 people are still trapped in the ruins of Mariupol, after more than 7,000 escaped yesterday.

Human Rights Watch describes the southern city as a “freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings.”

AFP contributed to this report.

Switzerland says it’s collecting evidence of possible Ukraine sanction violations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a giant screen after delivering a live message during a demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in front of the Swiss House of Parliament in Bern, on March 19, 2022. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

The Swiss attorney general’s office says it is collecting evidence from Ukraine refugees on possible international crimes or embargo violations stemming from Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The attorney general’s office says in a statement sent to The Associated Press that it’s in contact with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, which monitors possible sanctions violations, to see if any violations of embargo law have been committed and merit investigation.

The Swiss government has joined the European Union in imposing sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Switzerland is not part of the EU.

The Swiss Bankers’ Association has estimated the assets of Russian clients deposited in Swiss banks total 150-200 billion Swiss francs (about $160-$215 billion).

No criminal proceedings in Switzerland have yet been launched in connection with the war.

Following Beersheba attack, local Jewish, Arab leaders meet with police officials

A meeting of the Ramat Negev Regional Council on March 23, 2022. (Courtesy)

A day after the deadly terror attack in Beersheba, Jewish and Arab community leaders in southern Israel meet with security officials in order to prepare for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover and the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The meeting with Southern District police officials at the Ramat Negev Regional Council outside the town of Shizaf is attended by the head of the local authority, Eran Doron; Dimona Mayor Benny Biton; Lakiya’s Ahmad al-Assad; Kuseife’s Abd al-Aziz Nassara; and Ar’ara Banegev’s Naif Abu Arar.

Police southern region commander Peretz Amar says the meeting comes ahead of the Jewish and Muslim holidays, which are “ a sensitive period that has broad implications.”

“During the meeting, all the heads of authorities expressed their willingness to work together to act against extremist elements, and to allow the security forces to act against criminal and security elements,” Amar says according to a statement.

“It is in the interest of all of us to work together for the development and prosperity of the entire region and to maintain the peace and security of our residents,” Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, says.

Yesterday’s attack was committed by a former terror convict from the predominantly Bedouin town of Hura.

State’s witness Filber at Netanyahu trial: This case has ruined 6 years of my life

Shlomo Filber at a court hearing in the trial against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the District Court in Jerusalem on March 23, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In his testimony at the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, Shlomo Filber criticizes the police and the judiciary for how they handled the case.

“I tried to explain the complexity [of the situation] to the police investigators, but they did not want to hear,” Filber says in court in his first day of testimony. “They did not want to get the full picture from me – just ‘yes or no.'”

Filber says that “I wanted to do good for the State of Israel, I ruined six years of my life on this investigation.” He calls the police detectives who investigated him “two Rottweilers.”

“They brought this case to me, they’re ruining people’s lives.”

Filber, the former director general of the Communications Ministry and once a close Netanyahu confidant, is testifying in Case 4000, which alleges that Netanyahu used his office to improperly aid Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch in regulatory matters in exchange for favorable coverage in Elovitch’s Walla news site.

Moscow says it has held two prisoner swaps with Ukraine

A couple of Ukrainian soldiers hold hands as they walk in the street in Kyiv, on March 18, 2022. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Russia’s foreign ministry says that two prisoner exchanges have taken place since its military action in Ukraine began last month.

“Russia’s defense ministry organizes daily humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of civilians from residential areas,” the foreign ministry says on its website.

“In addition, two prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine have taken place,” it adds, without providing details on the dates or number of prisoners exchanged.

On Monday, Russia’s human rights ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova said nine Russian prisoners were exchanged for the mayor of Melitopol, a city in southeastern Ukraine captured by the Russian army.

Herzog praises man who shot terrorist: ‘You acted with heroism’

A suspected assailant being shot in Beersheba on March 22, 2022. (Screenshot: Twitter)

President Isaac Herzog speaks to one of the men who shot at the terrorist who killed four people in an attack in Beersheba yesterday, praising him for his efforts.

“You acted with heroism and composure,” Herzog tells Arthur Chaimov, an immigrant from Uzbekistan and a bus driver. “I want to salute you and say thank you. I watched you on TV yesterday and I was very proud… A great disaster happened to us yesterday, but your actions prevented the loss of more lives.”

Ukraine says negotiations with Russia have ‘significant difficulties’

Ukraine's negotiation team (left) meets with the Russian delegation for talks in Belarus, close to the Polish-Belarusian border, March 7, 2022. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)

Kyiv says that talks with Russia to end nearly one month of fighting are were encountering “significant difficulties” after Moscow accused the United States of hindering peace efforts.

“The negotiations are continuing online. They are proceeding with significant difficulties because the Ukrainian side has clear and principled positions,” Ukraine’s lead negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak tells reporters in written comments.

Red Cross chief in Moscow for talks on humanitarian issues

Displaced Ukrainians on a Poland-bound train bid farewell in Lviv, western Ukraine, March 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has arrived in Moscow for talks at the Russian foreign and defense ministries on humanitarian issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Peter Maurer, the ICRC president, is expected to take up issues such as prisoners of war, the conduct of hostilities and the delivery of aid.

“The devastation caused by the conflict in recent weeks, as well as eight years of conflict in Donbas, has been vast,” Maurer says in a statement, referring to the region of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists.

“There are practical steps guided by international humanitarian law that the parties must take to limit the suffering,” Maurer says.

Maurer traveled to Ukraine last week. While in Moscow, he is also expected to meet with the head of the Russian Red Cross, which has been helping people who have fled eastern Ukraine into Russia.

In address to Japan, Zelensky says UN is ‘not functioning’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to members of Japan's lower house of parliament via a video link at the House of Representatives office building in Tokyo on March 23, 2022. (BEHROUZ MEHRI / POOL / AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells Japan’s parliament that the United Nations has failed over the conflict in his country and reforms are needed, calling for more pressure on Russia.

The international body has been hamstrung because Russia, as a permanent member of its Security Council, has effectively blocked condemnation or action over its invasion of Ukraine.

“Neither the United Nations nor the UN Security Council have functioned. Reforms are needed,” the Ukrainian leader tells lawmakers via videolink.

“We need a tool to preemptively ensure global security. Existing international organizations are not functioning for this purpose, so we need to develop a new, preemptive tool that can actually stop invasions,” Zelensky adds.

UK says war in northern Ukraine ‘static,’ Russian troops reorganizing

Ukrainian servicemen stand guard at a military check point in Kyiv on March 21, 2022 (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Britain’s defense ministry says the war in northern Ukraine is largely “static,” with Russian forces trying to reorganize before resuming a large-scale assault.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, UK defense officials say, “Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.”

In an update posted on social media, Britain’s defense ministry says Russian troops in the south are trying to circumvent the city of Mykolaiv as they push west towards Odesa, a key Black Sea port that has so far been spared major attack.

Dutch publishing house pulls bombshell Anne Frank book from shelves, apologizes

Rosemary Sullivan's The Betrayal of Anne Frank (Courtesy)

A Dutch publishing house pulls a recently published book alleging that a Jewish notary tipped off the Nazis to Anne Frank’s hiding place, following criticism about the investigation on which it was based.

Publisher Ambo Anthos says it is pulling the Dutch edition of “The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case investigation” by Canadian author Rosemary Sullivan with immediate effect.

According to the book — based on an investigation led by retired FBI detective Vince Pankoke — notary Arnold van den Bergh may have revealed the Franks’ hiding place in Amsterdam to the Nazis in a bid to save his own family.

Experts have complained that the investigation was based solely on hypotheses and an erroneous interpretation of the sources.

“A number of prominent experts presented a very critical report on the investigation that is described in the book,” Ambo Anthos says in a statement. “Based on the conclusions of this report, we have decided that effective immediately, the book will no longer be available.”

“We will call upon bookstores to return their stock,” the publisher adds. “We would once again like to offer our sincere apologies to everyone who has been offended by the contents of this book.”

Poland’s security agency names 45 Russian diplomats as spies

Pro-Ukraine protesters outside the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, February 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Poland’s counter-espionage service ABW has identified 45 Russian diplomats as suspected spies and calls on the foreign ministry to expel them, its spokesman says.

“The internal security agency has drawn up a list of 45 people working in Poland under the cover of diplomatic activities,” ABW spokesman Stanislaw Zaryn tells reporters, accusing the suspects of targeting Poland.

He says the list of suspects has been transferred to the foreign ministry, tweeting that “ABW is requesting that they be expelled from Polish territory.”

Shaked says High Court appeal over Ukrainian refugees ‘pointless’

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked holds a press conference at Ben Gurion International Airport, announcing new criteria for refugee admissions, March 13, 2022. (Roy Alima/Flash90)

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked says that a High Court petition against Israel’s policy on accepting Ukrainian refugees is “pointless.”

“The petition is pointless and rude,” she tells a Knesset committee hearing. “The authority to enter Israel is in the hands of the interior minister… Israel has in total absorbed an even larger number than Britain.”

Israel has said that any Ukrainian refugees with family in Israel will be granted entry, as well as all those who qualify for citizenship under the Law of Return. Outside of that, Shaked has said that 5,000 additional Ukrainian refugees would be allowed into the country in addition to the 20,000 in Israel before the war started.

A petition to the Supreme Court argued that Shaked does not have the authority to limit entry to Ukrainians as per the countries’ visa agreements, and that Israel is party to international treaties that require it to allow in refugees.

As of yesterday, more than 15,000 Ukrainians had arrived in Israel, including close to 4,500 eligible for citizenship.

Shaked is slated to meet today with Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk, who has backed the petition against Israel’s current policy.

Iran’s foreign minister to meet Syrian counterpart in Damascus, discuss Ukraine

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) meets with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Damascus on March 23, 2022. (Louai Beshara / AFP)

The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, two allies of Russia, will discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and other developments during a meeting in Damascus today, Syria’s foreign minister says.

Faisal Mekdad speaks to reporters at Damascus airport shortly after his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, arrives for talks with top Syrian officials.

“We will discuss the huge developments today after Russia’s military operation in Ukraine,” Mekdad says. “We will discuss what is behind that and we will discuss our mutual stances toward these developments.”

During his visit, Amir-Abdollahian is also likely to discuss the latest developments in Iran’s negotiations to restore Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Assad’s visit to the United Arab Emirates last week, which marked his first to an Arab country since the Syria war broke out, and meetings of the constitutional committee in Geneva between the Syrian government and opposition.

China says Russia is ‘important’ G20 member, cannot be expelled

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk to each other during their meeting in Beijing, China on February 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Beijing describes Russia as an “important member” of the G20 after Washington raised the prospect of excluding Moscow from the group following its invasion of Ukraine.

“The G20 is the main forum for international economic cooperation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin tells reporters. “Russia is an important member, and no member has the right to expel another country.”

Black box recovered from crashed China Eastern jet, says official

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, debris is seen at the site of a plane crash in Tengxian County in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 22, 2022. (Zhou Hua/Xinhua via AP)

A black box has been recovered from the crashed Chinese passenger jet carrying 132 people, an aviation official says.

A flight recorder “from China Eastern MU5735 was found on March 23,” Liu Lusong, a spokesman for China’s aviation authority, tells reporters.

Nobody on board the flight is believed to have survived the crash, and recovery efforts have been hampered by heavy rains at the crash site.

Key witness: Netanyahu ‘gestured’ that I should look into price competition

Shlomo Filber, former director general of the Communications Ministry, attends a court hearing in the trial against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the District Court in Jerusalem on March 23, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Shlomo Filber, a former Communications Ministry director general, testifies in the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu that the former prime minister gestured that he should look into concerns by the owner of media giant Bezeq over prices in the industry.

Filber tells the court that he met with Netanyahu shortly after he become head of the ministry, amid a potential merger between media companies Bezeq and Yes.

“He said that [Bezeq owner Shaul] Elovitch came to him since Bezeq is having problems that need looking into,” Filber recalls. “[Netanyahu] told me, ‘don’t prevent competition, but see if you can moderate the prices,’ and gestured with his hand,” Filber testifies.

Filber is a key state’s witness in Case 4000, in which Netanyahu is accused of using his position to help Bezeq and Elovitch in exchange for favorable coverage in Elovitch’s Walla news site.

Russia’s Lavrov accuses US of hindering Ukraine negotiations

A car destroyed by shelling is seen in a street in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 22, 2022. (Andrew Marienko/AP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accuses the United States of wanting to hinder Moscow’s talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the almost month-long conflict.

“The talks are tough, the Ukrainian side constantly changes its position. It’s hard to avoid the impression that our American colleagues are holding their hand,” Lavrov tells students in Moscow, claiming the US “apparently wants to keep us in a state of military action as long as possible.”

Germany’s Scholz says Putin’s offensive in Ukraine ‘stuck’

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz waits for the arrival of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has stalled despite the daily assaults inflicted by his troops, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says, insisting that Kyiv can “count on our help.”

“Putin’s offensive is stuck despite all the destruction that it is bringing day after day,” Scholz says, adding that the Russian leader “must hear the truth” that the war is destroying not only Ukraine, “but also Russia’s future.”

Scholz insists that Germany stands by Kyiv, but says he will not endorse calls for NATO to help erect a no-fly zone over Ukraine or to send in “peacekeeping troops.”

“As difficult as it is, we will not give in on that,” he says, adding that Germany will not risk a direct military conflict between nuclear-armed Russia and NATO.

COVID reproduction R number rises to 1.39 as serious cases continue to drop

A healthcare worker takes a COVID swab sample at a drive-through testing complex in Modi'in, March 21, 2022. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

The R transmission rate of COVID rises to 1.39, according to the latest Health Ministry figures, while serious cases continue to drop.

Just a week ago, the R number — which indicates how many people a COVID patient will infect on average — was below 1.

Yesterday, 13,384 people tested positive for COVID, reports the Health Ministry, a slight drop from the figure one day earlier. There are currently 64,271 active cases in the country, with 849 of them hospitalized and 300 of those in serious condition.

The number of serious cases has continued its drop, from 320 yesterday and 338 a week ago. Health officials have warned, however, that serious cases could reverse course and rise as new infections appear to be climbing upward.

Russian forces shelling districts in Kyiv, say Ukrainian officials

A firefighter looks at the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The Kyiv city administration says Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian capital overnight and early this morning, damaging buildings in two districts.

Kyiv authorities say on Telegram that a shopping mall, some private sector buildings and high-rises are coming under fire in the districts of Sviatoshynskyi and Shevchenkivskyi.

Four people sustain injuries.

Russians destroyed bridge in Chernihiv used for evacuations, says Ukrainian governor

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows burning buildings in a residential area in northeast Chernihiv, Ukraine, on March 16, 2022. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Russian forces bombed and destroyed a bridge in the encircled city of Chernihiv, says the region’s governor, Viacheslav Chaus.

The destroyed bridge had been used for evacuating civilians and delivering humanitarian aid. It crossed the Desna River and connected the city to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

Chernihiv authorities said yesterday that the encircled city has no water or electricity and called the situation there a humanitarian disaster.

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shake Kyiv this morning, and heavy artillery fire can be heard from the northwest, where Russian forces have sought to encircle and take the capital’s suburbs.

Ukraine envoy decries Beersheba attack: ‘Any human… should condemn brutal murder’

Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, gives a statement to the media on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, in Tel Aviv, on March 11, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni‎‏/Flash90)

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk condemns the terrorist attack in Beersheba yesterday that killed four civilians.

“The murder in Beersheba is a vicious and despicable act of pure terrorism,” he writes on Facebook. “I extend my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish a full recovery to those who were injured.”

“Any human being striving for freedom and peace in the world should condemn any brutal murder of innocent civilians,” he adds.

Korniychuk has been critical of Israel for refusing to send military aid — including helmets and flak jackets — to Ukrainians fighting against the Russian invasion.

Key state witness testifies in Netanyahu trial: ‘He would call me 3-4 times a day’

Shlomo Filber at a court hearing in the trial against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the District Court in Jerusalem on March 23, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ex-Communications Ministry director general Shlomo Filber, a former close confidant of Benjamin Netanyahu, begins his long-awaited testimony in the former prime minister’s corruption trial in Jerusalem.

“He was an object of my admiration from a very young age, one of the greatest leaders we had; I think so even today,” Filber says of the ex-premier at the start of his testimony. Filber is a key witness in Case 4000, in which Netanyahu is accused of advancing regulatory decisions that immensely benefited Walla owner Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in Bezeq, in exchange for what amounted to editorial control over Elovitch’s Walla news site.

Filber says he has known Netanyahu “for almost 25 years, we have good professional chemistry, but we never developed social ties beyond that.”

Filber says there “was a high level of trust between us; in general Netanyahu delegates authority” to people he trusts and relies on. Filber says that when he was director general of the Communications Ministry, “I could get 3-4 calls a day” from Netanyahu.

The witness also tells prosecutors that he never lied once during any of his police interrogations in the case.

Netanyahu arrives at court ahead of Filber testimony

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the District Court in Jerusalem on March 23, 2022 for a hearing in his ongoing corruption trial. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Jerusalem District Court ahead of the testimony in his ongoing corruption trial of key state’s witness Shlomo Filber, the former director of the Communications Ministry.

Filber, once one of the closest officials to Netanyahu, is believed to be an essential part of the prosecution’s case against him in Case 4000, in which the former prime minister is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His testimony has repeatedly been delayed, most recently amid claims that police improperly hacked into Filber’s phone to spy on him.

Prosecutors and investigators later asserted that police utilized spyware to access Filber’s phone, but that it was done with judicial oversight.

עדות פילבר | עד המדינה כבר באולם, ראש האופוזיציה נתניהו יחד עם בנו אבנר הגיעו לדיוןhttps://t.co/WLWVghhY5s pic.twitter.com/B38qqyfW16

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 23, 2022

Two relatives of Beersheba terrorist arrested

The scene of a deadly terror attack outside the BIG shopping center in Beersheba, southern Israel, on March 22, 2022. (Flash90)

Two family members of the terrorist who killed four people at a shopping mall yesterday before being shot dead have been arrested, police say.

According to a police statement, the two men — related to terrorist Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an — were detained in a joint operation between police and the Shin Bet.

The two men, suspected of not preventing the attack, are slated to appear in the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court this afternoon.

Abu al-Qi’an’s extended family decried the attack yesterday. “We harshly condemn this terrorist act in Beersheba today that took the lives of innocent civilians,” the Abu al-Qi’an clan said. “This criminal action is a lone act, that represents only he who performed it. We are a family that believes in coexistence and obeying the law.”

Ukraine says 121 children killed so far during war

A man walks in his apartment ruined after the Russian shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

In a message on Telegram, the Ukraine prosecutor’s office says that 121 children have been killed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a month ago.

According to the statement, 167 children have been wounded.

The UN estimates that more than 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes since the start of fighting, and around 3.5 million have left the country.

Ukraine accuses Russia of seizing relief workers from Mariupol convoy

Ukrainians escaping from the besieged city of Mariupol along with other passengers from Zaporizhzhia arrive at Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Ukrainian leaders accuse Russia of seizing 15 rescue workers and drivers from a humanitarian convoy trying to get desperately needed food and other supplies into the bloodied port city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimates that 100,000 civilians remain in Mariupol, scene of some of the war’s worst devastation, as Russia presses a nearly month-old offensive by bombarding cities and towns.

Zelensky accuses Russian forces of blocking the aid convoy despite agreeing to the route ahead of time.

“We are trying to organize stable humanitarian corridors for Mariupol residents, but almost all of our attempts, unfortunately, are foiled by the Russian occupiers, by shelling or deliberate terror,” Zelensky says.

The Red Cross confirms a humanitarian aid convoy trying to reach the city had not been able to enter.

The convoy’s attempt to deliver assistance came as Russian navy vessels joined in what have been weeks of Russian air and land strikes into Mariupol, US officials say.

A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to give the Pentagon’s assessment, says Russian ships in the Sea of Azov added to the shelling of Mariupol. The official says there are about seven Russian ships in that area, including a minesweeper and a couple of landing vessels.

Taliban orders closure of Afghan girls’ schools hours after reopening

Girls attend a class after their school reopened in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2022. (Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP)

The Taliban orders secondary girls schools in Afghanistan to shut just hours after they reopened, an official confirms, sparking confusion over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group.

“Yes, it’s true,” Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani tells AFP when asked to confirm reports that girls had been ordered home.

An AFP team was filming at Zarghona High School in the capital Kabul when a teacher entered and ordered everyone to go home.

Crestfallen students, back in class for the first time since the Taliban seized power in August last year, tearfully packed up their belongings and filed out.

Two wounded in Beersheba terrorist attack now in stable condition

The scene of a deadly terror attack outside the BIG shopping center in Beersheba, southern Israel, on March 22, 2022. (Flash90)

The two women who were wounded in a Beersheba terrorist attack yesterday that killed four civilians are hospitalized in stable condition.

Dr. Tzachi Slutsky of the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where the two women are hospitalized, tells Army Radio that they are improving.

“We managed to stabilize the conditions of the wounded, they is currently not danger to their lives, they are conscious and communicating with their surroundings,” Slutsky tells Army Radio. “They are facing a long process of recovery and rehabilitation.”

Guns to be returned this morning to citizens who shot at Beersheba terrorist

Israeli police cordon off the scene of a terror attack outside a shopping center in the southern city of Beersheba on March 22, 2022. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The two men who shot at a terrorist who murdered four people in Beersheba yesterday will have their guns returned to them this morning, police say.

Police say that ballistic tests on the weapons were completed overnight in Jerusalem and the guns will be given back to their owners, following an outcry from some right-wing elements over the weapons’ confiscation. Such checks are standard in an investigation and usually take a few days.

In a statement last night, a police spokesperson said that ballistic tests on the guns are an “inseparable” part of the investigation into the attack.

Search for remains at site of China plane crash suspended amid rain

In this photo taken by mobile phone released by Xinhua News Agency, a piece of wreckage of the China Eastern's flight MU5735 is seen after it crashed on the mountain in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 21, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)

The search for clues into why a Chinese commercial jetliner dove suddenly and crashed into a mountain in southern China is suspended as rain slickens the debris field and fills the red-dirt gash formed by the plane’s fiery impact.

Earlier, searchers had used hand tools, drones and sniffer dogs under rainy conditions to comb the heavily forested slopes for the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, as well as any human remains. Crews also worked to pump water from the pit created when the plane hit the ground, but their efforts are suspended because small landslides are possible on the steep, slick slopes.

Video clips posted by China’s state media showed small pieces of the Boeing 737-800 plane scattered over the area. Mud-stained wallets, bank and identity cards have also been recovered. Each piece of debris has a number next to it, the larger ones marked off by police tape.

China Eastern Flight 5735 was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew from Kunming in Yunnan province to Guangzhou, an industrial center on China’s southeastern coast, when it crashed Monday afternoon outside the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region. All 132 people on board are presumed killed.

UN to consider three rival resolutions on Ukraine crisis today

A car destroyed by shelling is seen in a street in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 22, 2022. (Andrew Marienko/AP)

The United Nations will face three resolutions today on the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine after Russia decided to call for a vote on its Security Council resolution that makes no mention of its attack on its smaller neighbor.

The General Assembly is scheduled to start considering two rival resolutions this morning — one supported by Ukraine and Western nations that makes clear Russia is responsible for the escalating humanitarian crisis and the other sponsored by South Africa that doesn’t mention Russia.

The Security Council will vote on the third resolution, which is sponsored by Russia and widely criticized for not referring to its invasion of Ukraine. Russia had canceled a council vote on the measure last Friday as diplomats predicted it would be overwhelmingly defeated, with many abstentions and very few “yes” votes when at least nine are needed for approval along with no vetoes.

Tornado kills at least 1 near New Orleans

A debris lined street is seen in the Lower 9th Ward, March 22, 2022, in New Orleans, after strong storms moved through the area. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A large tornado destroys homes and claims at least one life near the US city of New Orleans, according to media reports.

“Large tornado on the ground in New Orleans! Take shelter now!” tweets the National Weather Service’s local office.

“Severe damage to homes” is reported in Arabi, an eastern suburb of New Orleans, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office in St. Bernard Parish. “Rescue efforts are under way for residents trapped in their homes,” it adds.

At least one person is killed in Arabi, the president of the parish — equivalent to a county in Louisiana — tells local TV station WDSU. 

Images circulating on local TV channels and online show homes torn apart, with light poles, power lines and debris strewn across the streets.

Zelensky says Russian pilots ‘will pay’ for killing civilians

Smoke billows after a Russian attack on the Retroville shopping mall abd residential district of Kyiv on March 21, 2022 (ARIS MESSINIS / AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells Russian pilots they will face repercussions for attacking civilian centers.

“I want to repeat once again to all Russian pilots who do not think about the orders they carry out: Killing civilians is a crime, and you will pay,” Zelensky says. “Today or tomorrow is less important. The main thing is that it’s inevitable.”

“Especially, we are talking about a bomber plane over Mariupol, and that will happen to everyone who is killing our civilians, in our peaceful land,” he says.

2 women wounded in Beersheba terror attack in moderate condition

Israeli police cordon off the scene of a terror attack outside a shopping center in the southern city of Beersheba on March 22, 2022. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The two women who were wounded in yesterday’s terror attack in Beersheba are hospitalized and in moderate condition, Army Radio reports.

At least three of the four fatalities are set to be buried today.

The two civilians who killed the terrorist are supposed to get their firearms back this morning. Police temporarily confiscated the pistols as part of routine investigation protocol.

An officer threatened to arrest one of the men when he refused to leave the police station without his gun, prompting national media coverage and intervention by national officials to expedite the process overnight and return the guns in the morning.

Russians destroy Chernobyl radioactive waste laboratory

In this March 23, 2016, photo, a worker checks the radiation level on barrels in a storage of nuclear waste taken from the 4th unit destroyed by explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Chernobyl, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Russian military forces have destroyed a new laboratory at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that among other things works to improve management of radioactive waste, the Ukrainian state agency responsible for the Chernobyl exclusion zone says.

The Russian military seized the decommissioned plant at the beginning of the war. The exclusion zone is the contaminated area around the plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear meltdown in 1986.

The state agency says the laboratory, built at a cost of 6 million euros with support from the European Commission, opened in 2015.

The laboratory contained “highly active samples and samples of radionuclides that are now in the hands of the enemy, which we hope will harm itself and not the civilized world,” the agency says in its statement.

Radionuclides are unstable atoms of chemical elements that release radiation.

In another worrying development, Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory agency said Monday that radiation monitors around the plant had stopped working.

US National Security Council ‘condemns heinous terrorist attack’ in Beersheba

Policemen work at the scene of an attack in Beersheba, Southern Israel, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)

The US National Security council condemns the terror attack yesterday in Beersheba that killed four Israelis.

“We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Israel today that killed four Israelis and injured several others,” the council says in a statement.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims. May their memories be a blessing. We stand together with Israel in the fight against terror,” the statement says.

Beersheba terrorist called ‘ticking bomb’ in previous case, but got light sentence

Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an. (Courtesy)

The terrorist who killed four Israelis in Beersheba yesterday was called by prosecutors a “ticking time bomb” in a previous security case, Channel 12 news reports.

Palestinian media identified the stabber after the attack as 34-year-old Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an, a terror convict from the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev. He served four years in prison for plotting to join the Islamic State and was released in 2019.

The judge in the previous case, Yoel Eden considered his crimes to be severe, but gave him a relatively light sentence because he believed he was no longer a threat, the report says.

During his sentencing in the previous case, the prosecution said, “The State of Israel is a country plagued by terror, and the security damage is made much more severe when it’s caused by Israeli citizens. Criminals like the defendant are a ticking time bomb, and it’s impossible to know when the countdown will begin.”

The prosecution asked that Abu al-Qi’an be sentenced to five years imprisonment, but the judge sentenced him to four years, a sentence considered at the low end for the crimes he committed.

Explaining the decision, the judge said, “The defendant expressed remorse and said he knows he was wrong and he will not repeat what he did. In light of what he said, and in particular due to his lack of a criminal record, the acceptance of responsibility and his sincere remorse, the punishment will be at the lower end of the threshold.”

Four Ukrainian children flown to US for cancer treatment

A hospital worker walks into a basement used as a bomb shelter at the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

The United States announces that four Ukrainian children have been flown to an American hospital after their cancer treatment was disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Children are among the most vulnerable in a crisis,” says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a tweet announcing the evacuation.

He adds that the four patients, from nine months to nine years in age, were “in need of urgent, highly specialized treatment,” and includes some photos of the patients.

Children are among the most vulnerable in a crisis. We are humbled to help airlift 4 Ukrainian pediatric oncology patients in need of urgent, highly specialized treatment to @StJudeResearch. These kids will safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by Russia’s aggression. pic.twitter.com/2d3OTAg7IZ

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 22, 2022

After initially evacuating to Poland, the children, accompanied by relatives, were transported on Monday to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, the State Department says.

“There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin’s aggression,” says State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.

“We are proud to stand with European partners who are also treating children whose life-saving care in Ukraine has been made impossible by Putin’s war,” he adds.

The State Department notes that European pediatric oncology departments are beginning to reach their limits.

“We are constantly in discussion with our European partners [and] with our Ukrainian partners. If we have an additional ability to bring in special cases like this, we’ll continue to do that,” says Price.

Biden heads to Europe to bolster West’s unity, toughen Russia sanctions

President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One, March 18, 2022, in Washington. Biden is spending the weekend at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

US President Joe Biden leaves today for Europe on a mission to bolster Western unity, ramp up unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and attempt to upset the post-Cold War balance of power.

The conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin is redefining Biden’s 14-month old presidency as he pivots from domestic woes to leading the transatlantic alliance in the most serious crisis in Europe for decades.

After four years of Donald Trump, who treated European nations as economic competitors and scorned the traditional US role as senior partner in NATO, Biden is putting the accent on unity. At back-to-back summits in Brussels on Thursday, he’ll be pushing for more.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tells reporters that Biden will seek to “reinforce the incredible unity we built with allies and partners.”

Sullivan also says that economic sanctions, imposed by a global network of Western allies to cripple Russia’s finances, will be deepened.

A further package will be “rolled out in conjunction with our allies on Thursday,” Sullivan says. He gives no details, other than to say the package “will focus not just on adding new sanctions but on ensuring that there is joint effort to crack down on evasion on sanctions.”

On Thursday, Biden will attend summits with NATO, the G7 group and the European Council. He flies Friday to Poland, which neighbors Ukraine and is now the frontline in what some call a new Cold War, and on Saturday he meets Polish President Andrzej Duda.

The intense diplomacy marks a crucial moment in the dangerous standoff with Putin, who seeks to force Ukraine from its pro-Western path. After a month of fighting, Russian forces have laid waste to swaths of the country but have made few significant military gains, while Ukraine continues to resist.

‘They are going forward’: Zelensky reports slow progress in war negotiations

In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says negotiations with Russia are going “step by step, but they are going forward.”

The talks are being held by video between delegations from both sides.

“Its very difficult. Sometimes it’s scandalous,” he says, without giving details.

Zelensky has been having a series of conversations with Western leaders in the days before the leaders of NATO countries gather in Brussels to discuss the response to the war in Ukraine.

He says he spoke yesterday to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “who supports us.”

Zelensky says he expects the Western leaders to approve more sanctions to punish Russia and more help for Ukraine.

“We will work, we will fight, as hard as we can, to the last, bravely and openly,” he said.