MOSCOW - The next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks will take place on the Belarusian-Polish border in the coming days, according to Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at the talks held in Belarus, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday.

"Most importantly, we agreed to continue the negotiation process, the next meeting will be held in the coming days on the Polish-Belarusian border," Medinsky said after the consultations.

Medinsky also pointed out that each one of the delegations would now head back to their capitals to further discuss all negotiation positions and would meet for the next round of negotiations.

"We have found some issues on which we can predict there would be common positions," said the official.

During the talks, all negotiation positions were discussed in detail, he added.

BRUSSELS - As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates and intensifies, Ukrainians are fleeing in increasing numbers to neighboring countries.

Governments across Europe are opening up humanitarian channels to facilitate an orderly evacuation of refugees and their settlement.

REFUGEES FLOOD ACROSS BORDERS

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Monday that more than half a million people have already fled Ukraine to Poland, Romania, Hungary and other neighboring countries.

Poland currently appears to be the destination of choice for most of them. The Polish Border Guard reported over 115,000 arrivals since Feb 24.

Romanian government spokesman Dan Carbunaru said on Sunday that since last Thursday, more than 47,000 Ukrainian citizens had entered Romania. Of them, 22,785 left for Schengen countries shortly after entry. There were also 102 applications for refugee status.

The Romanian government department has said that Ukrainian citizens entering Romania would be exempted from COVID-19 quarantine.

By Saturday midnight, more than 62,000 Ukrainian refugees had entered Hungary, the country's police said. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that his country will play a role in mitigating the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine.

NEW POLICIES FOR HELP

Poland has set up a hotline and eight reception centers along its border with Ukraine. "A hot meal, a drink, basic medical assistance and a place to rest" are provided there, according to the government.

Raed Arafat, head of the Department of Emergency Situations of Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on Sunday that his country can accept 400,000 refugees, but the number of asylum seekers remains low for now.

Hungary will also open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian and third-country citizens. "We are going to let them enter without a visa and take them to the nearest international airport," Szijjarto said.

Last Thursday, Hungary's government adopted a decree according to which refugees from Ukraine would receive temporary protection.

Slovakia will support people who shelter refugees from Ukraine with financial aid to help accommodate the thousands fleeing their country, Finance Minister Igor Matovic said on Saturday.

Slovak households and institutions will receive 200 euros ($225) a month for an adult and 100 euros ($112) a month for a child they accommodate.

He also said that the country will provide temporary refugee status with a work permit, health insurance and entitlement to benefits in material need.

Croatia will receive as many Ukrainian refugees as needed, said Damir Trut, director of the Civil Protection Directorate at the country's Interior Ministry, on Sunday.

He said that to date 63 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Croatia, adding that his country had already prepared about 2,000 beds for them, but more will be added if needed.

Austria, which has traditionally been reluctant to accept refugees, said that Ukrainian citizens will now be allowed to stay in Austria for 180 days without a visa.

REGIONAL AND GLOBAL COORDINATION

The member states of the European Union (EU) are already hosting over 300,000 Ukrainian refugees, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said on Sunday, adding that the 27-member bloc should "prepare for millions."

The United Nations said that more than 160,000 people have reportedly been internally displaced in Ukraine.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Amin Awad of Sudan as assistant secretary general to serve as UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine.

Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, said on Friday that his organization planned to raise more than one billion US dollars in the next three months for humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

In the US, the administration of President Joe Biden is also facing calls to take in Ukrainian refugees.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the president was "certainly prepared" to do so, but Washington believes that many refugees would want to go to European countries.

She did not answer when asked by reporters whether the US administration would offer Ukrainian students, workers and others currently staying in the US temporary residency protection to ensure that they would not be deported when their visas expire.

China started to evacuate its nationals from Ukraine on Monday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine.

More content to follow. Please refresh the page later.

MOSCOW - All Moscow's security concerns must be taken into account for settlement in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday during a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Putin reiterated that a settlement would only be possible if Russia's security concerns were taken into account, including "Russia's sovereignty over Crimea," as well as the country's commitment to solving the tasks of Ukraine's demilitarization and denazification, and the issue of Ukraine's neutral status, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin said Russia is open to negotiations with Ukraine and expressed hope they would lead to the desired result.

"The French side expressed its well-known views on Russia's special military operation... and expressed hope for a quick settlement of the conflict through dialogue," the Kremlin said.

Putin said that Russia's armed forces are not striking civilian objects, and do not pose a threat to civilians.

"Ukrainian nationalists, who have been using their civilian population 'as a human shield,' are a threat," Putin said.

Putin and Macron agreed to hold further contacts.

Talks between Ukraine and Russia began on Monday noon local time and were still ongoing as of press time in the Gomel region of Belarus near the border with Ukraine.

All Moscow's security concerns must be taken into account to achieve a settlement in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Putin said that Russia's security concerns included "Russia's sovereignty over Crimea", as well as the country's commitment to solving the tasks of Ukraine's demilitarization and de-Nazification, and the issue of Ukraine's neutrality, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office had said it would seek an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine at the talks.

At the start of the talks, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei assured the delegation members that they would "feel completely secure" during the talks.

The Russian delegation included officials from the foreign and defense ministries and Putin's office, while the Ukrainian side has sent six senior officials, including the Ukrainian defense minister.

Earlier, Zelensky said he was skeptical about the talks.

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency and the Federal Tourism Agency revealed late on Sunday that they were working with the Russian Foreign Ministry to evacuate Russian citizens from European nations as they continue to impose sanctions on Russia, cutting off Russian aircraft from their airspaces.

Satellite images released on Sunday evening showed a large convoy of Russian ground forces in Ivankiv, which is about 64 kilometers from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

The convoy extends for over 5 km and was moving in the direction of Kyiv. There are hundreds of military vehicles in the convoy, including tanks and self-propelled artillery.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday that Russian forces had established "total air superiority" over Ukraine.

He said they had destroyed eight Buk M-1 air defense system vehicles, an S-300 missile system, three radars and five aircraft in the past 24 hours.

"Since the beginning of the operation, Russian forces have hit 1,114 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities, ... destroyed 314 tanks and other armored vehicles, 57 multiple rocket launch systems, 121 field artillery pieces and mortars," he said.

Ukraine's military estimated some 5,300 Russian personnel losses, without saying how many of them were killed or captured.

Satellite images also reveal damage at Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine, which is about 4.4 km from Kyiv.

Black smoke was still billowing into the sky when the images were captured. The damage was caused by recent airstrikes and heavy fighting in and near the airport.

Ukrainian forces said on Sunday they had defeated a Russian incursion into Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, 500 km from east of Kyiv.

Oleg Sinegubov, a regional official, said Kharkiv had been brought under Ukrainian control.

Moscow has made better progress in the south, however, and said it was besieging the cities of Kherson and Berdyansk.

In Kyiv, many residents spent another night in shelters or cellars as Ukrainian forces said they were fighting off Russian "sabotage groups".

But Sunday was relatively calm compared to the first days of fighting and the city was under a blanket curfew until Monday morning.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.

MOSCOW - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the country's nuclear deterrence forces have begun combat duty with reinforced staff.

Shoigu informed Putin that "the duty shifts of control units of the strategic rocket forces, the Northern and Pacific fleets, and the long-range aviation command have started to carry out the combat duty with increased capacity," Russia's RIA Novosti news agency cited the ministry as reporting.

Putin ordered the country's deterrence forces to be placed on "a special mode of combat duty" in a Sunday meeting with top defense officials.

MOSCOW - Russia has banned airlines from 36 countries from using the country's airspace, local media citing aviation authorities reported Monday.

As a response to the ban of European states on Russian air carriers, a restriction has been introduced on the operation of flights by air carriers from 36 countries, according to aviation authorities.

These restrictions will affect airlines from Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada and Portugal, among others.

WASHINGTON - The US Department of State said in a statement Monday that it has suspended operations at the US Embassy in Belarus and authorized the voluntary departure of "non-emergency" employees and family members at the US Embassy in Russia.

The statement said Washington took these steps due to the ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine.

The Washington Post, citing an administration official, first reported Sunday that the United States believes Belarus will send its troops into Ukraine to fight alongside Russian forces as soon as Monday.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border for talks on Monday.

GENEVA - The Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's top administrative body, on Monday decided to adopt the packages of sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against Russia, including freezing the assets of a number of Russian individuals and companies.

The council said in a statement issued Monday afternoon that the financial sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are also to be implemented with immediate effect.

The council has also decided to impose entry bans against a number of individuals "who have a connection to Switzerland and are close to the Russian president."

In addition, the statement said, in line with airspace closures in other European countries, Swiss airspace will be closed to all flights from Russia and to all movements of aircraft with Russian markings from 3 pm on Monday with the exception of flights for humanitarian, medical or diplomatic purposes.

The council reaffirmed in the statement Switzerland's willingness to actively contribute to a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

?

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia could fuel instability in the Middle East in the long run, experts said, as the conflict-ridden region has already been feeling the pressure of inflation prior to the tensions in Europe.

Yesar Al-Maleki, an energy expert and adviser at the think tank Iraq Energy Institute, or IEI, told China Daily that prior to the Ukraine crisis, rising commodity prices and inflation were already causing some pressures on food prices in the Middle East.

"The current tensions are adding a risk premium to prices. This may eventually be reflected in retail prices, household spending and outright lead to a possible increase in poverty," said Al-Maleki.

Moamen Gouda, associate professor of Middle East Economics at the Graduate School of International and Area Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, said when there is a crisis, usually the short-term effects are being discussed, but the long-term effect might be more significant.

And though the European tensions may create opportunities for the Middle East, it would also be "creating a lot of problems".

He cited Lebanon as an example as it imports more than 50 percent of its wheat from Ukraine. Lebanon's Economy Minister Amin Salam said his country has one month's worth of wheat reserves and was seeking import agreements from various countries amid supply concerns in the market owing to the Ukraine crisis, Reuters reported.

"When we have a case of inflation, when we have a case of shock to commodities, we have a rise in instability, in problems, in crime, in terrorism and so on," Gouda told China Daily.

According to the 2021 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition report, which came out in November, hunger in the Arab region witnessed a 91 percent increase since 2000, affecting 141 million people.

It attributed the increase to protracted crises, social unrest, and exposure to multiple shocks and stresses like conflicts, poverty, inequality, climate change, scarce natural resources and the economic repercussions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gouda also said countries that depend on oil suffer major problems because "oil prices are always varying across time". 

Oil prices hovered to almost $100 a barrel on Feb 24. Ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, including allies led by Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, are set to meet on March 2 to decide whether to increase output by 400,000 barrels per day in April.

During a United Nations General Assembly plenary session to discuss the latest on the crisis along the eastern borders of Ukraine last week, Abdulaziz Alateek, Saudi Arabia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said civilians "do not have to pay the price for military escalation" and urged all participants to work to resolve the crisis, the Riyadh-based Arab News reported.

Mahjoob Zweiri, director of Gulf Studies at Qatar University, said the statement by the Saudi representative of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries focused on respecting the life of civilians and making sure that peaceful solutions should be a priority. 

Mehmet Rakipoglu, a Gulf and Middle East expert and researcher at Sakarya University's Middle East Institute, believes the bloc "has been feeling some doubts" over the US' commitment to the Middle East region as relations have improved with Russia and China in the past years.

The GCC countries comprise the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Other Middle Eastern countries had also called for restraint. 

Iraq's influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted that wars were never a solution to problems but rather an increase in the number of problems and crises. Turkey and Israel urged Russia to halt its military operation in Ukraine. Iran said resorting to war was not a solution to the tension between Russia and Ukraine and blamed NATO for escalating the situation.

The UAE stressed that the serious developments in Ukraine undermine regional and international peace and security and called for immediate de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities.

The United States, alongside European countries and Canada, announced it would limit Russian banks' access to the Society of Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT, a globally recognized payment system, after Russia attacked Ukraine on Feb 24. The sanctions excluded Russia's oil and natural gas sector.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were a response to fundamental threats by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a security alliance founded by mostly European and North American countries.

IEI's Al-Maleki said if restrictions were to cover Russian oil trade, Middle Eastern countries may need to "fill the gap". But he said OPEC – which is made up of 13 countries – is finding it harder to produce more oil as "they have almost maxed their oil production capacities". 

The exceptions, Al-Maleki notes, are Saudi Arabia and the UAE which have been growing their spare capacity.

"Years of lacking investment in the oil and gas sector since the 2014 to 2016 oil price plunge and during the pandemic mean they were not able to maintain some wellhead production or expand upstream activities," said Al-Maleki.

"OPEC+ will have to discuss these issues and whether they want to increase the production ceiling of countries with higher spare capacity soon. The meeting on Wednesday will also be a chance to see how the cartel members will react with and gauge Russia's stance on the oil market," he added.  

Liu Xuan and Xinhua contributed to this report.

With the Ukraine crisis continuing into its fifth day on Monday, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops has become fiercer and the humanitarian disaster is worsening. An imminent refugee crisis is also looming as thousands of Ukrainians are trying to flee the country.

The magnitude of the Ukraine crisis would have been unimaginable to most people even just a week ago. Hence, any possibility of negotiations bringing an end to the crisis should have the full support of the international community.

But Western voices cannot be allowed to dominate the voice of the international community. Rather than seeking to mediate the crisis, Western powers, especially the United States and NATO leaderships, have been instigators and fuelers of the crisis.

Fully demonstrating their lack of impartiality, since the conflict began, Western countries, headed by the US, have imposed various sanctions aimed at debilitating Russia and rushed to provide Ukraine with weapons. The US and its European allies are making an unprecedented move to exclude Russia from the SWIFT interbank communication system.

Their efforts to exert extreme pressure on Russia are only aggravating the situation. It raises questions about the morality of these Western countries which are evidently willing to exploit the suffering of the Ukrainian people so long as Russia is mired in trouble, which they no doubt hope will lead to internal turmoil and regime change.

The international community needs to support direct talks in a neutral and fair way so that a longlasting solution to the problems can be found, that means not letting the West try to dictate how the talks play out from behind the scenes.

Even then it will not be easy for talks to yield a positive outcome, as Ukraine and Russia have to bridge the deep mistrust between them. Both will need to demonstrate sincerity and a spirit of compromise and diplomatic flexibility to achieve a solution that does not create grievances that may fester and erupt again at a later date.

China supports all diplomatic efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and has steadfastly encouraged direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said, Ukraine should function as a bridge between the East and the West, not as a frontier in big power confrontation.

Given that the Ukraine crisis has evolved from a complex historical context, China is also urging the European Union and Russia to enter into an equal-footed dialogue on European security issues with the aim of reaching a consensus of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.

With talk of nuclear weapons being bandied about by various parties, the urgency for rational dialogue to restore a sense of perspective is clear.

Not only should the two belligerent parties seize the opportunity of negotiations, the West, too, should cherish the possibility of talks de-escalating tensions. All parties should refrain from stoking more confrontation and conflict through reckless moves or wild talk.

MOSCOW - Russia's Central Bank announced Monday it has decided to increase its key interest rate to 20 percent.

"The Bank of Russia Board of Directors decided to increase the key rate to 20 percent per annum from Feb 28," it said in a statement.

"External conditions for the Russian economy have drastically changed," it said, adding that the increase of the key rate will ensure a rise in deposit rates to levels needed to compensate for the increased depreciation and inflation risks, and this is needed to support financial and price stability and protect the savings of citizens from depreciation.

Further key rate decisions will be made taking into account risks posed by external and domestic conditions and the reaction of financial markets, as well as actual and expected inflation movements relative to the target and economic developments over the forecast period, according to the statement.

KYIV/MOSCOW - The Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border for talks on Monday.

Key issues of the talks would be an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the Ukrainian President's Office said Monday on its Telegram page.

The Ukrainian delegation includes David Arakhamia, head of the Party of Servant of the People; Oleksiy Reznikov, minister of defense and Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office, the office said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that a delegation including representatives of the foreign ministry, the defense ministry and other government agencies has arrived in Belarus.

After a seesaw struggle between the two sides, a ray of hope emerged as Russia and Ukraine agreed to meet for talks.

Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine on Feb 24.

The next 24 hours will be crucial for Ukraine's fight with Russia, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday during a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the National News Agency of Ukraine (Ukrinform) reported.

Johnson said he would do all he could to help ensure defensive aid from Britain and other allies reached Ukraine.

Meanwhile, according to the regional government, the city Berdyansk in southern Ukraine had been seized by Russian troops Monday morning.

The Ukrainian army said on Monday that the situation in Kyiv was still under its control.

According to the latest development, a Ukrainian delegation arrived at the place for talks with the Russian side in the Gomel region in Belarus on Monday, Sputnik reported.

MOSCOW - A Ukrainian delegation has arrived at the place for talks with the Russian side in the Gomel region in Belarus, Sputnik reported.

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to start at 0900 GMT (5 pm Beijing time) on Monday, head of Russian delegation was quoted by Sputnik as saying.

KYIV - The Ukrainian army said on Monday that the situation in Kyiv was still under its control.

As the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian army posted on Facebook, Ukrainian forces still had Kyiv in control as it defeated the repeated attempts by Russian troops to storm into the outskirts of Kyiv at night.

Meanwhile, the Russian troops had failed to control any big regional cities and Ukrainian forces had repelled the Russians on all fronts last night, the local National News Agency of Ukraine cited Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, as saying.

Although Russian troops have launched air raids on several cities including Kharkiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv, Ukrainian air defense systems withstood the attacks, said the report.

The news above has yet to be confirmed from the Russian side.

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Sunday, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 975 Ukrainian military infrastructure objects since the start of operations.

MOSCOW - The Ukrainian delegation for talks with Russia is now in Belarus, Sputnik reported on Monday.

The talks are expected to start on Monday morning, it added.

Ukraine agreed to hold talks with Russia at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border near the Pripyat River, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday via social media.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is capable of taking measures to mitigate economic damage to his country amid the latest rounds of sanctions announced by the United States and Europe and Western countries stepped up military help to Ukraine.

In addition to the sanctions on Russia's financial sector, agreed on by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom on Saturday, Britain's foreign minister, Liz Truss, said on Sunday that she would press for further measures against Russia, particularly by cutting off its oil and gas supplies, at a meeting with her counterparts in the G7 group of rich nations.

"Immediate measures are certainly being taken in order to mitigate the damage from sanctions and ensure the unhindered operation of all economic sectors and systems," TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying.

Russia "has every possibility and potential to do that", he said.

"It was created in advance for such situations. Analysis will be required to determine the retaliatory measures that would best serve our interests."

The Kremlin response came as some Western countries stepped up military help to Ukraine.

On Friday US President Joe Biden instructed the State Department to release up to an additional $350 million worth of arms from US stockpiles to Ukraine.

He directed that $350 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine's defense, according to his memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

On Saturday Blinken described the third authorization for weapons shipments to Ukraine as unprecedented.

"This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne and other threats it is now facing."

On Saturday the German government reversed a policy in place since World War II of not sending arms to conflict zones.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine. Germany also lifted its ban on other countries to export German-origin weapons, including authorizing the Netherlands to send 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers to Ukraine and allowing Estonia to send old German howitzers to Ukraine.

Before the latest decision, Germany had committed to sending 5,000 helmets and a field hospital to Ukraine.

For weeks Germany had said its "historical responsibility" prevented it from sending arms to conflict zones and had earlier blocked other NATO allies from sending German-origin weapons to Ukraine.

The about-face came weeks after criticism from other NATO and European Union member states.

It was now Germany's duty to help Ukraine, Scholz said. "That's why we're supplying 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine."

A German government representative said the weapons will be delivered "as soon as possible".

The German policy reversal could mean more European military aid to Ukraine because many arms in EU member states are made at least in part in Germany.

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Saturday that his government will support the Ukrainian military with 2,000 machine guns and 3,800 metric tons of fuel.

Belgium will also deploy 300 troops in Romania as part of the NATO efforts to beef up its eastern flank, De Croo said.

"Belgium assumes its responsibility within NATO Rapid Response of which elements were activated yesterday. In the current phase, 3,000 Belgian soldiers will be deployed in Romania."

The Dutch government told the parliament on Saturday that it will supply air defense rockets and antitank systems to Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Saturday that the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states were meeting virtually on Sunday evening to coordinate their assistance to Ukraine.

On Saturday Poland's President Andrzej Duda called for Ukraine to be granted an accelerated path to join the EU, following an appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the morning in which he said it was "a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine's membership".

Replying to Zelensky on his EU membership appeal, European Council President Charles Michel said: "Further concrete support is on its way."

Agencies contributed to this story.

More than 360,000 Ukrainians flee to borders amid escalating situation

MEDYKA, Poland－Dragging suitcases and carrying children, tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to borders on Saturday as tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalate.

At least 368,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighboring countries, said the United Nations' refugee agency on Sunday.

Some walked many kilometers through the night, while others fled by train, car, or bus, forming lines kilometers long at border crossings. They were greeted by waiting relatives and friends, or headed on their own to reception centers organized by neighboring governments.

"The numbers and the situation are changing minute by minute," said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The update from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Sunday more than doubles its estimate a day ago, when it said at least 150,000 have fled Ukraine.

Shabia Mantoo, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the numbers may go up. "It's very fluid and changing by the hour," she said.

The agency expects up to 4 million Ukrainians could flee if the situation deteriorates further.

Those arriving were mostly women, children and the elderly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky banned men aged from 18 to 60 from leaving.

Volunteers even came from elsewhere in Europe to pick up refugees. Among them, a German couple from Hamburg who held up a sign at the Polish border town of Medyka saying they could take three people home with them.

"We felt we needed to do something," said Tanja Schwarz, 51.

Despite the goodwill, the crush of people became a very real ordeal.

Jeremy Myers, who is from England, was on vacation in Ukraine with his Ukrainian girlfriend when the war started.

Real ordeal

"We saw several people get injured. There were no toilets, there was no medical assistance," he said. "You had to stand where you were because if you didn't, you lost your place in line."

One family from Chernivtsi in western Ukraine waited 20 hours before being able to cross the border into Siret in northern Romania. Natalia Murinik, 14, cried as she described saying goodbye to grandparents who could not leave the country. "It really hurt, I want to go home," she said.

A woman from Lviv named Lena described seeing toys and heavy bags along the way that people had abandoned. She was bringing her four children to safety in Poland and planned to return to join her husband.

Among those arriving at that point were a Ukrainian-British family with their dogs. "We can't leave our dogs," said Vlasta Terasova, arriving from Uzhhorod.

The border post in Siret was crowded with Ukrainians on Saturday, and humanitarian groups set up tents a few miles in and offered food and drink to those arriving.

Despite the welcome, Murinik's family did not know where they were going next. "We don't have a clue. We're waiting for our friends, and then we'll think," she said.

On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres promised to provide more humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians.

"The secretary-general conveyed to the president the determination of the United Nations to enhance humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine," according to a readout about the secretary-general's call with Zelensky.

The UN chief informed Zelensky that the world body "would launch on Tuesday an appeal to fund UN's humanitarian operations in Ukraine".

In an email, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, told reporters that because of the escalating situation in Ukraine, Guterres will not travel to Geneva as planned. Instead, "he will send a video message to Monday's meeting of the Human Rights Council", he added.

Agencies - Xinhua

The Chinese embassy in Kyiv will help evacuate Chinese citizens in Ukraine once the situation allows, says China's Ambassador to the country, Fan Xianrong.

"I am in Kyiv together with our people," Fan said, countering suggestions that he had left the capital.

"We will never put our own safety first and leave our compatriots alone, and will embrace the current special and difficult period together with our numerous compatriots," Fan said in a message on the embassy's official WeChat account on Sunday.

He reassured Chinese nationals stranded in the country, and said the embassy would make appropriate arrangements for evacuation whenever it was safe to do so.

"We will do it wherever conditions are available and whichever way is the safest."

China is gearing up to bring back its nationals by chartered flights, and the embassy is preparing charter flights and has asked all Chinese nationals to voluntarily register, according to an embassy statement on Friday.

Fan said China has always cared about the safety of its citizens in Ukraine.

"I thus ask everyone to rest assured that the Chinese embassy will never put your safety at risk."

Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian flights, citing the dangers after Russia's President Vladimir Putin authorized "a special military operation" in the Donbass region on Thursday.

In a televised speech to the nation earlier that day, Putin said: "Our plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. We are not going to impose anything on anyone by force."

Russia's move was in response to "fundamental threats" by NATO, which has expanded to Eastern Europe and brought its military infrastructure closer to Russian borders, he said.

As fighting continues, it is hard to forecast what may happen, Fan said, and Chinese citizens in Ukraine should put their own safety first.

"Over the past few days, like everyone else, we have constantly heard sirens, explosions and gunshots, and have taken refuge in the basement. It's the sort of thing you see in movies."

He urged Chinese citizens to "stay away from all military-related people and facilities" and "strictly abide by local safety reminders and relevant regulations".

Xinhua contributed to this story.