Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the expulsions of Russian diplomats by European countries will prompt a response from Moscow.
The comments came as Russia faced increasing pressure over evidence of mass killings of civilians in Ukraine, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the UN to act.
Catch up on Wednesday's events in our live blog.
Key events
- Kremlin warns dismissal of Russian diplomats by European countries will 'lead to reciprocal steps'
- Russia's Defence Ministry blames 'Ukrainian nationalists' for what it calls the 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Mariupol
- White House press secretary says Russia will likely remain a permanent member of the UN Security Council
- What happened in Bucha? Inside Ukrainian city of horrors caught up in Russia's battle for Kyiv
- Zelenskyy calls on United Nations to act immediately against Russian war crimes
Live updates
By Alexis Moran
That's it for today
We are closing the blog here, thanks for your company.
You can stay up-to-date with the war in Ukraine online or on the ABC News app.
Bye for now!
By Alexis Moran
By Alexis Moran
Overnight in Lviv, a vigil was lit in the shape of Ukraine to honour civilians killed
By Alexis Moran
China calls for de-escalating and ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible, an envoy says
China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun spoke during the UN Security Council's briefing on Ukraine.
He said de-escalation and putting an end to the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible is the earnest expectation of the international community and the strong desire of China.
Mr Zhang said that the Russian Federation and Ukraine have had rounds of negotiations, and China hopes the two sides will stick to the general direction of peace negotiations, overcome difficulties and differences, and continue to build conditions for a comprehensive settlement of the crisis.
The international community should create favorable conditions and environment for negotiations between the two sides, open up space for political settlement, and should not set up obstacles for peace, let alone add fuel to the fire in aggravation of confrontations, said Mr Zhang, adding that every effort should be made to prevent the escalation of the local conflict.
Mr Zhang also said that China attaches great importance to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
"According to international humanitarian law, civilians should be spared of any forms of violence in armed conflicts. Attacks against civilians are unacceptable and should not occur."
"The reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are deeply disturbing.
"The relevant circumstances and specific causes of the incident should be verified and established.
"Any accusations should be based on facts. Before the full picture is clear, all sides should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations."
Reuters
By Alexis Moran
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Emmanuel Macron will provide support for an investigation into Russian war crimes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to provide technical and expert support for an investigation into crimes committed by Russian troops in Bucha and elsewhere.
Mr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he also asked Mr Macron to help the people trapped in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.
In an interview with Turkey’s Haberturk television in Kyiv, Mr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to hide its actions in Mariupol and didn’t want humanitarian aid to enter the city “until they clean it all up.”
Mr Zelenskyy spoke following the discovery of bodies of civilians in towns around Kyiv that were recaptured from Russian forces.
Zelenskyy said he also expects European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to visit Kyiv soon.
AP
By Alexis Moran
Can Russia be removed from UN Security Council and how would that work?
The United Nations has been called upon to reform its system of governance because Russia is being accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of horrific attacks on civilians in a video address to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
As it stands, the UN Security Council gives veto powers to five permanent members, including Russia.
By Alexis Moran
Intel becomes latest Western tech firm to suspend business in Russia
US chipmaker Intel Corp says it has suspended business operations in Russia, joining a slew of companies to exit the country following its invasion of Ukraine.
The company, which had last month suspended shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus, said it has implemented business continuity measures to minimise disruption to its global operations.
"Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia's war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace," the company said.
International Business Machines Corp too had suspended shipments as Ukraine urged US cloud-computing and software companies to cut off business with Russia.
Servers from IBM, Dell Technologies Inc and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co top the market in Russia, where companies and government agencies have relied on technology developed by the West as the basis for their owned-and-operated IT systems.
Reuters
By Alexis Moran
Russia attacking more than 20 schools a day in Ukraine, Save the Children says
By Jason Dasey
The education of 5.5 million children has been turned upside down by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with an average of 22 schools a day coming under attack, according to Save the Children.
The international NGO is using official government figures from the Ukraine Ministry of Education and Science to chronicle the war's impact on children.
At least 869 education facilities — or about 6 per cent of schools in the country — have been damaged, the statistics reveal, with 83 completely destroyed.
"Education is under attack in Ukraine," Pete Walsh, Ukraine country director for Save the Children said.
"It is unbearable to see schools and nurseries attacked indiscriminately."
By Alexis Moran
'Music is a kind of weapon': Ukrainian musician performs on the streets to uplift spirits
Reporting by Jenny Cai
Eugene Peltek, 28, is a street musician from Odesa who is currently living with his friends in Uzhhorod, a western Ukrainian city near the border that is now packed with refugees who fled their homes.
Apart from volunteering to provide goods to refugees and help people to travel across the border, Mr Peltek sings on the street to “lift up the spirit” as many are in distress from seeing the destruction of their homes.
“I started singing more in Ukrainian … lots of people in Ukraine now started to love our culture and our language more,” he said.
“It is ridiculous to say, but I think Putin united us with a war, Ukraine has never been so united before.”
Mr Peltek said he stopped playing music for nearly one month due to the shock of the war. He is worried that the world’s attention toward Ukraine is fading as the war drags on.
“You live with this and you saw these pictures of people killed and their bodies thrown on the streets … not military, just citizens,” he said.
“I didn't know that people need something like singing … I was expecting that people will come to me and say, ‘You shouldn’t play because people are dying'."
However, he regained the courage to sing as he saw others going out into the streets and performing in front of ruins.
“When I sing, I saw some tears on people, especially when I sing Ukrainian songs.”
“I guess music is also kind of a weapon against Russia and against the war."
By Alexis Moran
WHO to supply thousands of antiretroviral drugs to Ukraine
The World Health Organization said it will supply thousands of doses of life-saving antiretroviral drugs to Ukraine to cover the needs of HIV patients in the country for the next 12 months.
WHO, along with the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Ukrainian authorities and other partners, has procured 209,000 packs of generic antiretroviral drug TLD.
Ukraine has an estimated 260,000 people living with HIV, the second-largest number in Europe after Russia, and prior to Moscow's invasion around half of them were on antiretroviral treatment.
Last month, the UN agency for HIV/AIDS warned that Ukraine was left with less than a month's supply of drugs for HIV patients.
"This war has the potential to undermine the hard-earned progress of recent years on a number of health issues, including HIV. We could not let that happen when Ukraine had begun to turn a corner on HIV," WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P Kluge said.
While there is no cure for HIV, antiretroviral medicines can control the virus and prevent onward sexual transmission to other people. Any disruption in treatment can lead to complications including drug resistance.
The first batch of HIV drugs has crossed the Polish border into Ukraine and is about to be transported to HIV service facilities across the country, WHO said.
Reuters
By Alexis Moran
US Defence Secretary says any effort to expand security in Eastern Europe amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a work in progress
The comments follow a suggestion from a top US military official, General Mark Milley, to establish more bases in the region to protect against Russian aggression.
But Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says boosting an international military presence in Eastern Europe will be discussed at a NATO summit in June.
"If NATO deems that it's appropriate to change its footprint, then certainly we'll be a part of that. Our goal is to make sure that we continue to reassure our allies and partners, especially those that are in the eastern flank and those that are in the Baltic area."
By Alexis Moran
NZ opposition leader labels current sanctions against Russia as 'weak'
New Zealand's opposition leader Christopher Luxon says the government must ramp up sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
He's called for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador to New Zealand, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended the ongoing presence of the diplomat in the region.
Mr Luxton has told Radio New Zealand, the government must take further action against Moscow.
"When you look at the US, the UK, Australia, Europe, they've frozen the assets of Russia's major banks, institutions, and individuals you know we should be doing likewise and make sure that we are in lockstep with them. That makes sense to me. You know our sanctions at the moment are relatively weak."
By Alexis Moran
Kremlin warns dismissal of Russian diplomats by European countries will 'lead to reciprocal steps'
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the expulsions of Russian diplomats by European countries will prompt a response from Moscow and will complicate international relations.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain are among the countries which have expelled diplomats since Monday.
Peskov said that “we view negatively, we view with regret this narrowing of possibilities for diplomatic communication, diplomatic work in such difficult conditions, in unprecedent crisis conditions.”
He added that “it is short-sighted and a step which firstly will complicate our communication, which is required in order to seek reconciliation. And secondly it will inevitably lead to reciprocal steps.”
AP
By Alexis Moran
Russia's Defence Ministry blames 'Ukrainian nationalists' for what it calls the 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Mariupol
The ministry said on Tuesday that its forces would "liberate" Mariupol from Ukrainian "nationalists," the RIA news agency reported.
Another agency, Interfax, quoted the ministry as saying that the Russian side had proposed that Ukrainian forces leave the city but they refused to do so.
Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Russian troops have allowed nearly 15,000 civilians to evacuate the besieged city of Mariupol by private vehicle.
But she says they blocked a convoy of evacuation buses — accompanied by Red Cross workers — from entering the town.
Mariupol has been besieged by Russian forces for a month — cut off from food, water, and energy supplies.
ABC/Reuters
By Alexis Moran
By Alexis Moran
White House press secretary says Russia will likely remain a permanent member of the UN Security Council
Jen Psaki says:
"Well, I think he's [Volodymyr Zelenskyy] certainly referring to, obviously he can speak for himself, but his frustration, which we share, that Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. We don't see that changing."
"I'd also note that there are a range of mechanisms as it relates to accountability.
"And, you know, that relates to the President's strong statements about his view and belief that Russia and President Putin are guilty of war crimes and obviously the atrocities that have taken place.
"And they are not necessarily through the UN mechanisms.
"And there are obviously challenges to that, given Russia is a permanent member. But there are ample examples in the past of other international bodies and we will continue to support those efforts as well."
By Alexis Moran
By Alexis Moran
Ukrainian residents striving to live a 'normal life' during war
Reporting by Jenny Cai
Polina Kozlovskaya, 31, is an English teacher who is staying in the southern Ukrainian city Mykolaiv to take care of her parents.
Situated next to the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, Mykolaiv has been resisting constant attacks by Russian forces in the past month.
As Russians shelled hospitals, residential areas, and kindergartens earlier this week, 10 people, including one child, were killed and 46 people were injured, according to Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.
Ms Kozlovskaya said she was most shocked by the attacks on a regional children's hospital.
She said that, despite the danger, residents of Mykolaiv were trying their best to return to "normal life".
"I'm pretty surprised, because a lot of cafes are opening, a lot of shops are opening," she said.
"Between all those air raids, people try to return back to our previous life."
After recovering from the initial shock of war, Ms Kozlovskaya is now adapting and trying to continue her online lessons with students all around Ukraine.
"The first days of war were terrible, I cancelled a lot of lessons. But, after having many air raid alarms, I understand that our armed forces are the bravest and they manage to save us," she said.
"Then I start to relax and, right now, I would say that working is a very wonderful way to relax my brain."
Ms Kozlovskaya said Ukraine needed more military support and "weapons to protect ourselves".
"I suppose our great battle is not even close, but it could be any day," she said.
By Alexis Moran
Australia, UK and US alliance to develop hypersonic missiles and electronic warfare
By foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic
US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a joint statement overnight updating progress on the defence technology pact.
The six-month update is also partly aimed at calming regional anxieties about the government's nuclear-powered submarines plan, with several other nations notified of the joint statement in advance.
In the statement, the three leaders condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reiterated their "unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion."
