Wang Yi calls for show of support for talks between Kyiv and Moscow

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has renewed a call for the international community to step forward and encourage Russia and Ukraine to stick with negotiations despite the difficulties encountered in three rounds of talks.

Wang made clear China's position in virtual meetings on Thursday with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. The discussions with his European peers mark the latest stage in China's intensive diplomatic efforts to push forward a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Wang, when he met with Di Maio via video link, said dialogue between the parties is the only viable means to achieve a lasting cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

Wang also described talks on Thursday between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Turkey as a positive step toward peace. He said the international community should encourage the two sides to strive for peace.

He vowed that China would continue to make efforts to defuse the situation and promote peace.

During his talks with Le Drian, Wang said China hopes the international community will create the necessary environment and conditions for the talks between Russia and Ukraine to make progress.

Wang also noted that China has proposed a six-point initiative to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

China would push the United Nations Security Council to form a consensus on avoiding a humanitarian crisis through consultations with all sides, he added.

Given that countries around the world have become a shared community that is indivisible, Wang said unlimited sanctions would damage the stability of the international supply chains, intensify food and energy crises and harm the livelihoods of people amid a sluggish global economic recovery.

With the conflict now in its third week, attention has been focused on the plight of civilians at risk.

At least 35,000 civilians were evacuated from besieged Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

In a video address late on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader said three humanitarian corridors had allowed residents to leave the cities of Sumy, Enerhodar and areas around the capital Kyiv.

The evacuations came after Moscow and Kyiv agreed on Wednesday to open more corridors, offering a glimmer of hope for terrified civilians trapped in bombarded cities.

More than 5,000 people were evacuated a day earlier from Sumy, a city near the Russian border and that has been the scene of heavy fighting.

The International Organization for Migration, the United Nations' migration agency, said more than 2.3 million people had fled Ukraine by Thursday.

In another consequence of the conflict, Ukraine's nuclear regulator Ukrenergo said on Wednesday that power had been cut to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, but the International Atomic Energy Agency claimed there was "no critical impact on safety".

The news from the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster came as the IAEA said data transmission was also lost at the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant, Europe's largest.

Agencies contributed to this story.

MOSCOW - The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine worked on establishing a mechanism "for the covert transmission of deadly pathogens".

Experts of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops found evidence that bio-materials taken in Ukraine were transferred to foreign countries, as instructed by the United States, the ministry said.

A US project, which was carried out in Ukraine, studied the transfer of pathogens "by wild birds migrating between Ukraine and Russia and other neighboring countries", the ministry said.

"According to the documents, the US side planned to organize work on pathogens of birds, bats and reptiles in Ukraine in 2022," the ministry said, adding that America was studying how they could further transfer the African swine fever and anthrax.

Experiments with samples of coronaviruses found in bats were also carried out in biological laboratories that were created and funded in Ukraine, it added.

The ministry said it will show another set of documents received from Ukrainian employees of the biological laboratories and present the results of assessment in the near future.

On Tuesday, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ukraine, admitting "Ukraine has biological research facilities".

"We are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach," she said.

Russia and Ukraine failed to make a breakthrough on a ceasefire agreement on Thursday at the first high-level talks since Moscow launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine two weeks ago.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya and were joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The talks lasted more than one-and-a-half hours, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Images of the meeting showed the Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian delegations sitting at a table, with each minister accompanied by only two other officials.

Kuleba said after the meeting that he discussed a 24-hour ceasefire with Lavrov, but no progress was made. He described the meeting as "difficult".

"I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender," said Kuleba, noting that the Russian side insisted a cease-fire could only be achieved after the surrender of Ukrainian forces.

Lavrov, meanwhile, said Russia wants to continue negotiations with Ukraine, and added that President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss "specific" issues.

He accused the West of creating a danger in the region that would persist for many years and said those who had supplied weapons to Ukrainian forces and mercenaries should understand the dangers of what they were doing.

"We will come out of this crisis with refreshed views of the world－with no illusions about the West. We will try to never again be dependent on the West," Lavrov said.

The talks in Turkey were one of a number of planned diplomatic initiatives.

Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin will hold a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on Friday.

Turkey is a traditional ally of Ukraine and has supplied the country with Bayraktar drones, which Kyiv has deployed in the conflict.

But it is seeking to maintain good relations with Russia, on which Turkey depends heavily for gas imports and tourism revenues.

Turkey has for weeks pushed to play a mediation role in the conflict, but analysts had said there was only a slim chance of a breakthrough at the meeting.

Many observers do not believe that talks between Moscow and Kyiv is useful, said Ukrainian political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko.

He added that Ukraine needs these talks in order to agree to a cease-fire and then buy time to regroup and gear up for another military operation.

Agencies contributed to this story.

ANTALYA, Turkey - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb 24.

READY TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Kuleba said that he is ready to meet with Lavrov again in the same format with Turkey as a mediator, whereas Lavrov said that Russia wants to continue talks with Ukraine within the current format in Belarus.

"We had come here not to replace track of negotiations taking place in Belarus. We will not create a parallel track. If there is added value, we are ready to discuss it in different formats," Lavrov told reporters.

"Everyone is well aware that President (Vladimir) Putin never refuses contacts. We only want these contacts to be organized not for their own sake, but in order to fix some specific agreements," Lavrov said.

The Russian top diplomat said that the discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart were mostly focused on the "efforts of our friends in Turkey regarding issues related to the humanitarian field," referring to Ankara's mediation efforts.

He also warned that the West was behaving dangerously in reaction to the situation in Ukraine, adding that Russia's military operation there was going on in accordance with the plan.

At a separate press conference, Cavusoglu said that Turkey is ready to continue its "efforts for diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine" and has played a role of "facilitator" during the meeting, adding that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides are not opposed to further meetings in principle.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.

NO DEAL ON CEASEFIRE

Kuleba noted the failure to make progress in declaring a ceasefire.

Turkey stressed that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine should be kept open without any obstacles, Cavusoglu said after the meeting.

On Thursday, Ukraine continued evacuating civilians from conflict-torn cities and towns through seven humanitarian corridors in northern, north-central, eastern, and southern Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

On Wednesday, more than 40,000 civilians were evacuated from Ukraine in one day.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's state-run energy company Ukrenergo on Thursday also called for a ceasefire to allow repair teams to enter and restore power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

"We have everything ready to immediately repair the lines and resume power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that has been disconnected from power for more than one day. Just stop shelling and give a pass to our repair teams," Ukrenergo said in a statement on Facebook.

Earlier on Thursday, the Belarusian news outlet BelTA said on Telegram that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed specialists to ensure power supply to the Chernobyl plant, though Ukrenergo later reported that Ukraine needs no assistance from Belarus in repairing the plant.

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law to allow the confiscation of Russia-owned property in Ukraine, the press service of Ukraine's parliament said Thursday.

The law stipulates that the property owned by Russia or Russian citizens could be confiscated by the Ukrainian authorities without any compensation.

The legislation was approved by the Ukrainian parliament on March 3.

Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine on Feb 24.

Delegations of the two sides have held three rounds of talks in Belarus and the two countries' foreign ministers have met in Turkey to seek a solution to the crisis, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.

MOSCOW - Russia will no longer participate in the Council of Europe, the country's foreign ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said in a statement that the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries "are using their absolute majority in the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to continue the destruction of the Council of Europe and the common humanitarian and legal space" on the continent.

The ministry stressed that Russia will not tolerate actions by the West to impose its own "rules-based order" and trample on international law.

The country will not participate in efforts to turn the organization "into another platform for preaching about Western superiority and for grandstanding," it added.

"Let them enjoy each other's company without Russia," the statement read.

The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organization with 47 member states. Twenty-seven members are from the EU. Russia joined the council in February 1996 as its 39th member.

ANTALYA, Turkey - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are meeting in a small resort town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, local media reported on Thursday.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb 24.

The three ministers are scheduled to hold separate press conferences following the talks in Belek, a resort town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting is "an important continuation of the negotiation process."

While Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, the negotiations ended without any substantial progress on ending the conflict.

KYIV/MOSCOW - The Ukrainian state-run energy company Ukrenergo said Wednesday that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine has been disconnected from the power grid.

"The nuclear power plant in Chernobyl was fully disconnected from the power grid. The nuclear station has no power supply," Ukrenergo said in a statement on Telegram.

Military actions in the area are in progress so there is no possibility to restore the power lines, it said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter called on the international community to press an urgent demand that Russia cease fire and allow repair units to restore the power supply to the nuclear power plant.

"Reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chernobyl NPP (Nuclear Power Plant). After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent," Kuleba tweeted.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said Wednesday that Ukraine's "nationalists" committed "an extremely dangerous provocation" by attacking the substation and power lines that feed the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Russian specialists have taken prompt measures to switch to backup diesel generators, he said at a briefing.

On Tuesday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that remote data transmission from the safeguards control systems installed at the Chernobyl plant has been lost.

However, the United Nations nuclear watchdog denied any critical safety risk after receiving the Ukrainian report about the loss of power at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on Wednesday.

"Heat load of spent fuel storage pool and volume of cooling water at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sufficient for effective heat removal without need for electrical supply," the IAEA said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The Chernobyl nuclear plant, some 110 km north of Kyiv, suffered one of the worst nuclear accidents in human history on April 26, 1986.

On Feb 24, Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, said Russian forces have seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are expected to meet in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on Thursday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The meeting is set to be held in a tripartite format, as part of Turkey's "intense effort" to bring both sides together.

Before the planned meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a phone conversation on Wednesday to explore political and diplomatic efforts toward a possible settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Putin and Scholz discussed the results of the third round of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The leaders also paid special attention to humanitarian issues arising from the current situation, it said, adding that Putin briefed Scholz about measures taken to organize humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians.

Also on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on Washington to explain to the international community the purpose of the US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine.

"We remember for how many years and with what bloody results the United States searched for various types of chemical, biological, bacteriological weapons and so on all over the world, actually occupying lands and killing people," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

She said that Kiev has recently begun erasing traces of these biological programs.

"We received documentation from Ukrainian employees at the biological laboratories on the urgent destruction of especially dangerous pathogens, plague, anthrax, cholera and other deadly diseases on Feb 24," she said.

The conflict in Ukraine has had an impact not only on global energy and oil prices but also on what Canadians pay for consumer goods.

As the US on Tuesday announced a ban on the importing of Russian oil and gas, Canada's oil industry lobby groups and pro-oil politicians looked to fill the void, calling for the federal government to make a "clear commitment" to support Canadian oil and gas development and exports.

Canada's energy leaders said they could immediately replace about one-third to one-half of the volume and move the oil south of the border by pipeline and rail. And it's a "possibility" for the US to look for a steady supply of more oil to reduce prices and replace Russian barrels, according to CBC News.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney touted his province's oil and gas industry, criticizing US President Joe Biden for canceling the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day in office. The $8 billion project would have carried roughly 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta to the US Gulf Coast.

Restarting Keystone is "not the answer", and the US needs to reduce its reliance not only on foreign oil, but on "oil in general", said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Feb 27.

Canadian environmentalists, rights advocates and other experts have denounced attempts to expand fossil fuel projects amid the Ukraine conflict, saying the situation should instead hasten a global energy transition to respond to climate concerns, according to Al Jazeera.

"We're seeing once again the fossil fuel lobby seizing upon a crisis with horrific human consequences to promote its destructive agenda and double down on fossil production expansion," Caroline Brouillette, national policy manager at the Climate Action Network Canada, told the media. "It's been absolutely distressing to see some politicians echo this grotesque spin."

Greenpeace Canada's Keith Stewart also told reporters that oil industry boosters are "overplaying their hand" when it comes to the Ukraine situation. He said it is going to accelerate the end of the age of oil, and a faster energy transition will be good not just for the climate but for global security.

"For the last 80 years, energy security has meant maintaining access to cheap oil by any means necessary, including war," Stewart told Global News. "But no country can block another country's access to the wind and the sun."

The cost of fuel across Canada has been skyrocketing as the Ukraine conflict is putting greater pressure on an already-surging oil price environment, also disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including lower production capacities and rising demand from consumers.

Gas prices have reached record levels in recent weeks, rising to $1.849 per liter at filling stations in the Greater Toronto area over the last week.

Experts warned that the spike in fuel costs could be part of a larger inflationary trend that ripples throughout the economy, according to the National Post.

"Before the war, we were already seeing very rapidly escalating prices of all sorts of goods," Ellen Goddard, an agricultural economist at the University of Alberta told the media. "As oil prices go up and getting products from point A to point B is just going to get more expensive … some of that's going to get passed on to consumers."

Goddard said food prices could increase because Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's largest wheat exporters. Crop yields also are affected by fertilizer prices, which are linked to crude oil prices, which could eventually show up as price fluctuations.

Philip Cross, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, called it a risky situation, as modelling shows that doubling oil and gas prices will affect prices on items like clothing and food and lead to increased costs for industries such as manufacturing and mining.

Werner Antweiler, a professor at the University of British Columbia, warned of a knock-on effect of surging gas and diesel prices amid the "double whammy" of higher inflation and interest rates.

"It's getting more expensive for trains, planes (and) ships, and these costs are being passed on to consumers. Food items that are transported over long distances; all these imported goods tend to be more expensive," Antweiler told CTV News.

He suggested that Canadian consumers reconsider certain lifestyle choices and how they spend their money.

"That means driving more fuel-efficient cars and cutting back on our discretionary driving," he said.

MOSCOW - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Washington must explain to the international community the purpose of US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine.

"We remember for how many years and with what bloody results the United States searched for various types of chemical, biological, bacteriological weapons and so on all over the world, actually occupying lands and killing people," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

She said that Kiev has recently begun erasing traces of these biological programs.

"We received documentation from Ukrainian employees at the biological laboratories on the urgent destruction of especially dangerous pathogens, plague, anthrax, cholera and other deadly diseases on Feb 24," she said.

Also on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this issue is of great importance and the whole world would like to know the purpose of these labs.

Pause in fighting agreed by Russia, Ukraine points to more durable exits

An agreement by Russia and Ukraine for another temporary cease-fire in their two-week-old conflict is building hopes that a fresh effort to secure humanitarian corridors will hold up.

Russia said on Wednesday that it is ready to provide the evacuation channels for people fleeing the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and four other cities.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed later on Wednesday that the two countries had agreed to the daylong cease-fire to apply around the evacuation corridors.

The momentum for safe passage for civilians comes as the number of refugees created by the conflict surpassed 2 million. Similar cease-fires accompanying the designation of humanitarian corridors had been announced in recent days, with varying degrees of success.

Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia's National Defense Control Centre, was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency that Russian forces would "observe a regime of silence "from 10 am Moscow time to ensure civilians can safely leave Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Vereshchuk said that Moscow vowed to respect the truce－scheduled to end at 9 pm－around six areas that have been the scenes of heavy fighting, including regions near Kyiv, in Zaporizhzhia in the south, and some parts of Ukraine's northeast.

Civilians in private cars started leaving Sumy in the northeast on Wednesday after a corridor out of the city was established for a second successive day, Sumy Mayor Oleksandr Lysenko said in televised comments.

The number of people fleeing Ukraine had probably reached as many as 2.2 million, the head of the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told a news conference on a visit to Stockholm that "the time is now to try to help at the border", rather than discussions on the division of refugees between countries.

Also causing alarm was a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had lost contact with Chernobyl's nuclear data systems. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data to the UN's atomic watchdog, the agency said on Tuesday.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi "indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl had been lost".

"The agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon," he said.

"I'm deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety."

High-level talks in sight

On the diplomatic front, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia was making preparations for talks between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba.

It would be the first high-level direct talks between the neighboring countries since Russia started its "special military operation" on Feb 24.

Kuleba confirmed on Wednesday that he will talk with Lavrov at the upcoming meeting in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

The conflict and ensuing sanctions against Russia have played havoc with global supply chains, sending prices soaring not only for food and energy but also key raw materials like alumina and nickel.

The London Metal Exchange was forced to halt trading in nickel, crucial for making stainless steel and electric vehicle batteries, on Tuesday as prices doubled to more than $100,000 a metric ton due to worries about Russian supply.

New measures from Russia are being introduced in addition to those outlined in an earlier decree from Putin. Russia has imposed the measures in response to unfriendly actions of the United States and other nations and international organizations, as well as temporary economic measures aimed at ensuring Russia's financial stability.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that the vast majority of Chinese citizens in Ukraine have been evacuated, including more than 100 students from Sumy, a Ukrainian border city with heavy fighting.

"Once again, I want to remind the few Chinese citizens that remain in Ukraine to stay safe, strengthen security precautions and preparations, and stay in touch with the Chinese embassy and Consulate General there," said Zhao, adding that the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions will continue to provide consular protection and assistance.

He also announced at a regular news briefing that at the request of Ukraine, the Red Cross Society of China will send humanitarian aid worth 5 million yuan ($791,815) to the country, including food and daily necessities.

The first batch of aid, which has 1,000 relief packages that include blankets, tableware and torches, has been sent from Beijing through a flight on Wednesday and will be used by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society to help displaced people.

When asked about the ban on Russian oil and gas imports announced by the United States and the United Kingdom as well as the European Union's decision on cutting back on its imports from Russia, Zhao said China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions without a basis in international law.

Instead of peace and security, welding the big stick of sanctions will only cause severe difficulties for the economy and livelihood of relevant countries. "Everyone will lose from this scenario, and sanctions will only intensify division and confrontation," he said.

Sound cooperation

Zhao said China and Russia have been maintaining their sound energy cooperation, and the two sides will continue to conduct normal trade cooperation, including in oil and gas, in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Zhao also expressed firm opposition to any form of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction carried out by the US after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US "clearly has means to take steps "if China does not abide by the sanctions that have been put in place on Russia.

He warned the US that it should seriously consider China's concerns when dealing with the Ukraine issue and US-Russia relations, and must refrain from undermining the Chinese rights and interests in any way.

"China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals," Zhao said.

BEIJING - China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law, and will continue to conduct normal trade cooperation with Russia, including trade in oil and gas, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing following the US ban on Russian oil and other energy imports announced on Tuesday.

According to media reports, Britain on the same day said it will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, and the European Union has devised a proposal to free itself of its dependency on Russian fossil fuels before 2030.

In response, Zhao said that sanctions will not bring peace or security, but will only cause severe difficulties for the economies and people's livelihoods of relevant countries.

They will result in a situation where multiple players lose, and will enhance division and confrontation, he said.

China and Russia maintain good cooperation in the energy sector, and will continue to conduct normal trade cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, the spokesperson said.

When asked to comment on White House press secretary Jen Psaki's remarks that the United States has the means to "take steps" if China does not abide by the sanctions on Russia, Zhao said that China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend the legitimate interests of Chinese companies and individuals.

Sanctions are never a fundamental and effective way to solve problems, and China firmly opposes any form of unilateral sanctions or long-arm jurisdiction from the US side, he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict with Russia, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Wednesday.

"The war must end. We must sit down at the negotiating table," Zelensky was quoted as saying.

The talks should be "honest, objective, in the interests of the people", he said in a video message on Tuesday night.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.

On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is set to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Turkey.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed upon six humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Vereshchuk said the conflicting sides will cease hostilities to evacuate civilians from Energodar town in southern Ukraine; Sumy city in the northeastern part of the country; Mariupol, Izum and Volnovakha cities in eastern Ukraine; and seven cities and towns around Kiev.

The ceasefire will last from 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT) to 9:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) Wednesday, Vereshchuk said.

WASHINGTON - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries are using the Ukraine crisis to pursue longer-term militaristic projects, according to a US media outlet report.

"After the end of the United States' 20-year occupation of Afghanistan, and after two decades of the 'war on terror', this is precisely the time to critically evaluate the impacts of US militarism and push for demilitarization," said an article published on the website of Yes! Magazine on Monday.

"Instead, Washington is doing the opposite, with (US President Joe) Biden reportedly considering a record 770-billion dollar military budget for 2023," said the article authored by Khury Petersen-Smith, the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

The article called on people in the West to demand their governments open doors to Ukrainians who have left their country, and "to all refugees, actually, many of whom are displaced by US violence and that of its allies."

"What we cannot do is allow Washington and the leaders of NATO countries to use the current nightmare unfolding in Ukraine to justify more militarization and plans for future wars," said the article.

"Unfortunately, the path they are pursuing is precisely that," it said.

The author believed that the economic sanctions the United States and its allies are currently leveling against Russia must be rejected, saying: "Sanctions, which officials often hold up as an alternative to war, are better understood as an act of war."

On Monday, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators ended their third round of peace talks in Belarus, with a negotiator saying the fourth round will take place in "the very near future".

Meanwhile, the Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in four Ukrainian cities starting 10 am Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Monday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

It later declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 am Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday banned the import of Russian crude oil in retaliation for Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, a move that is expected to further increase surging oil prices in the US and add to inflation already at its fastest pace in 40 years.

News of the ban sent US gasoline prices to their highest level ever recorded, with a gallon of regular selling for an average of $4.17 Tuesday, up from $3.62 a month ago and $2.77 a year ago.

A month ago, oil was selling for about $90 a barrel. Now prices are surging around $130 a barrel.

Wall Street's main benchmarks attempted a comeback into Tuesday's close but turned lower.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted to Biden's announcement with a decree instructing his cabinet to produce a list of items to stop importing and exporting until the end of 2022. Russia also this week threatened to cut the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe in response to the West's financial penalties, Bloomberg reported.

A poll by The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday showed Americans overwhelmingly support a ban, with 79 percent favoring it and 13 percent opposed. The ban had support from 77 percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats.

The Journal poll surveyed 529 registered voters from March 4-7 about their opinion on halting Russian energy imports.

Shortly after Biden's announcement, the UK, which imports 8 percent of its oil from Russia, announced it will phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year. That will allow enough time for companies to adjust and consumers to be protected as alternative supplies are found, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

The European Commission — the executive arm of the European Union, which is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas — announced Tuesday a plan to cut gas imports from Russia by two-thirds this year.

The White House said the ban on new purchases was effective immediately, but the administration was allowing a 45-day "wind down" for delivery under existing contracts.

Russia produces about 11 percent of the world's oil, or roughly 10.5 million barrels a day.

A ban by Russia on oil and natural gas would hurt Europe. Russia provides about 40 percent of Europe's natural gas for home heating, electricity and industry uses and about a quarter of Europe's oil.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said last week that the consequences of Russia's military operation in Ukraine could ultimately amount to a "game changer''.

"The risk of a policy error, and therefore a US recession, is rising quickly," Joseph LaVorgna, chief economist for the Americas at Natixis, said in a note to clients, The Wall Street Journal reported.

But David Bahnsen, chief investment officer of the Bahnsen Group, said in a note: "Surging oil prices can't singularly trigger a recession and it would take more than sky-high energy prices for the consumer impact to become recessionary."

"The United States economy can fully handle any of the challenges associated with higher oil prices," Jason Furman, a Harvard professor and former top economic adviser to President Barack Obama told NBC News. "But it will bring some challenges. We're going to have higher prices at the pump, and there's no way around that.''

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made it clear that Republican lawmakers would continue to criticize Biden for rising gasoline prices.

"I expect our Democratic friends will now try to blame the entire increase in prices on our efforts to punish Russia. But don't be fooled," McConnell of Kentucky said. "This was more than a year in the making."

Speaking from the White House, Biden warned energy companies against "price gouging" and told them not to "exploit this situation or American consumers".

He vowed to use his authority to minimize the impact on Americans and assailed companies that are trying to exploit consumers with price gouging.

If Russia were eventually shut off from the global market, countries such as Iran and Venezuela might be "welcomed back" as sources of oil, said Claudio Galimberti, senior vice-president of analysis at Rystad Energy. Such additional sources could, in turn, potentially stabilize prices, he told NBC News.

A team of Biden administration officials were in Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy and other issues, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Both Republican and Democratic senators warned the Biden administration from seeking any oil import deal from the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela.

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the imposition of an energy embargo on Russia, banning US imports of oil, liquified natural gas and coal from Russia over its ongoing military operations in Ukraine.

"This means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable to US ports," the president said in remarks he delivered from the White House. He claimed the move will deal a "powerful blow" to Russia's ability to sustain funding for its military operations, while also admitting that it will backfire on Americans at home by causing continued price hike at gas stations.

The gas price at the pump, Biden said, "went up 75 cents" since Russia launched the military operations. "With this action, it's going to go up further," he added.

The average price for US gasoline hit a record high of 4.173 dollars per gallon on Tuesday, according to the American Automobile Association, whose data showed the price was 15 percent higher than a week earlier and 21 percent higher than a month earlier.

Meanwhile, the European Union, which relies on Russia for some 40 percent of its natural gas supplies, announced earlier Tuesday a set of comparatively limited measures, reducing imports of Russia natural gas by two-thirds this year and aiming to be free from dependence before 2030. The United States is far less dependent on Russian energy than European countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said at a meeting with women flight crews of Russian airlines that the wave of Western sanctions is akin to a "declaration of war".

It was "a difficult decision" to launch a special military operation in Ukraine, but there are "absolutely real threats" to Russia, Putin said, adding that if Ukraine joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the whole military bloc is obliged to support Kiev militarily.

Russia said on Monday that moves by some Western nations to ban Russian oil imports would have "catastrophic" consequences, with the warning from a senior official deepening concerns about the economic fallout from actions taken against Moscow as more talks with Ukraine brought no results.

In the United States, which has been at the forefront of sanctions against Russia following its military operation in Ukraine, lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate on Monday agreed on legislation to ban energy imports from the country. Last month Germany halted certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an $11-billion project built to double the supply of Russian gas to Europe's biggest economy.

"A ban on Russian oil will lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. "The surge in prices will be unpredictable-more than $300 per barrel, if not more."

Novak said that it would be "impossible" to quickly replace Russian oil on the European market.

"European politicians should then honestly warn their citizens, consumers what awaits them and that prices at gas stations, for electricity, for heating will skyrocket," he said.

He said that in retaliation for the suspension of the gas pipeline, Russia could stop supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. "So far we have not made this decision," he added.

No breakthrough

The threat of more measures against Russia came as the third round of talks with Ukraine, held in Belarus on Monday evening, failed to yield results.

The chief of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, and his counterpart, Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mikhail Podolyak, acknowledged that nothing arose from the meeting that might improve the security situation.

Both sides agreed to press on with negotiations, but no dates or venues have been proposed for a new round of talks.

Russia said on Monday that it would open humanitarian corridors for civilians to flee pummeled Ukrainian cities, but Kyiv accused Moscow of making it impossible for them to escape.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it would open the corridors from Tuesday morning, subject to Ukraine's approval.

The ministry proposed routes from Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy. Ukraine did not initially respond to the offer.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday it had received reports of artillery shells damaging a second nuclear facility in Kharkiv.

Because the research facility's "inventory of radioactive material is very low" and kept at a "subcritical" state, the IAEA said, "the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence".

It is a good sign that the warring parties in Ukraine are trying to end the fighting through diplomatic efforts.

Although the third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia ended in Belarus on Monday with no breakthroughs being made, that the two sides have held three rounds of negotiations — the previous two being on Feb 28 and March 3 — since the conflict started on Feb 24, with both saying they want to continue their dialogue, shows neither of them wants the war to drag on.

Reportedly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba have agreed to meet on Thursday. And importantly, the three rounds of negotiations have not been a waste of time. The negotiators of the Ukrainian side have said that the two sides are engaged in continual intensive consultations on a cease-fire and security guarantees, while Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the talks will continue, and "we hope that we will be able to make a more significant step forward next time".

All wars have an end. They end quicker if negotiations are able to secure a cease-fire that allows calmer heads to resolve differences. At the moment it is crucial that the two sides are trying to pause the fighting so they can talk.

In his telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy on Monday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on other parties to support this goal rather than pouring oil on fire by imposing sanctions and providing weapons, which will "only further complicate and amplify the situation". Noting that he hoped that the international community would support Russia and Ukraine engaging in sincere negotiations, Wang said that China is willing to play a constructive role within its ability to help de-escalate the situation. He called on the EU to also hold talks with Russia on European security issues, with the aim of forming a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.

Regrettably, the US administration is working with the opposite intent. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who traveled to Belgium, Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and France from March 3 to 8, has spent most of his time hyping up Russia as a threat and further aggravating the estrangement between Russia and the EU.

The US is aware of how to help bring peace to Ukraine as soon as possible. But it is still delivering weapons, imposing sanctions and spreading hatred and fear as it seeks to unite the divide at home, divide the unity in Europe and divert attention from its failings ahead of the mid-term elections.

Lamenting the fact that the situation in Ukraine has come to this stage, China is willing to work with the international community to carry out mediation with the aim of solving the problems, not promoting empty talk that simply reinforces the existing animosities.