The United Nations General Assembly will meet in an emergency special session on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

The 15-member Security Council voted in favor on the emergency session on Sunday. It will be the 11th council emergency session since 1956.

The vote by the council was procedural, so Russia could not veto it. The resolution convening the session was adopted with 11 yes votes. Russia voted no. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, reiterated China's position on the Ukraine crisis and cautioned that any action taken by the UN should help calm the situation and facilitate diplomatic solutions.

"At present, we are witnessing dramatic changes in the Ukraine situation. China has on many occasions made clear its position on the Ukraine issue, and that position remains unchanged," Zhang said after the voting.

"We believe the top priority now is for all parties to exercise the necessary restraint to prevent the situation in Ukraine from getting worse. China supports and encourages all diplomatic efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and welcomes the earliest possible direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine," he said.

At the same time, said Zhang, "China also supports the European side and Russia in conducting equal-footed dialogue on European security issues and upholding the principle of indivisible security, so as to eventually form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism."

Zhang stressed that China believes that the Security Council should "give priority to regional peace and stability and the universal security of all countries and play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine issue".

"Actions taken by the UN should help cool the situation and facilitate diplomatic solutions and restrain from aggravating tensions," he said.

Monday's special session is set to give all 193 members of the global body the opportunity to express their views on the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

The last emergency session was in 1997, when Israel built a housing settlement in East Jerusalem.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is hitting US citizens at the gasoline pump and could drive inflation higher and intensify chain supplies, economists, and energy experts say.

Russia is the world's second-largest oil producer behind the US, putting out about 10 million barrels a day, the equivalent of 10 percent of global demand, the US Energy Information Administration says. Any loss of that could cause already surging prices to go higher. The US is a net importer, meaning it imports more oil than it exports.

On Thursday, the national average gas price in the US was $3.54 a gallon, 88 cents more than a year ago, the American Automobile Association, or AAA, said.

US oil prices were above $100 a barrel for the first time in about eight years in midday trading before closing up just $1.10, or 1 percent, at $93.20. One barrel usually contains about 19-20 gallons of motor gasoline.

"I know this is hard, and Americans are already hurting," President Joe Biden said last week. "I will do everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump."

Biden said he was coordinating with oil producers to secure stability in global energy supplies.

"This will blunt gas prices. I want to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump. This is critical to me."

But Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said there is little Biden can do about rising oil prices. "We have to get rid of this notion (that) the president has some sort of magic wand."

De Haan said that the $100 a barrel price suggested that a $3.75-a-gallon national average retail price may be coming soon.

The rising price of oil will push inflation higher and intensify supply chain snarls, USA Today quoted Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, as saying.

The conflict in Ukraine is also pushing up prices of other commodities such as wheat and aluminum that are exported from the region. Higher energy prices will affect food prices because the cost of fuel affects transportation.

Higher oil and commodity prices are likely to stoke US inflation, which was 7.5 percent in January, the highest in 40 years. The effects could add as much as a percentage point to consumer price rises, Daco said.

Key interest rate

And that, he said, could prompt the US Federal Reserve, which has been expected to raise its key interest rate at least three times this year, to make sharper rises, raising borrowing costs for households and businesses.

Lynda Lambert, a spokeswoman for the AAA East Central region, said that with the rising prices of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, which she said accounts for more than half of the cost of gasoline, gas prices have consistently been rising this year.

The country's refineries are starting the multi-month transition to summer gasoline, further adding to the rise at the pump, energy experts say. In addition, cold weather in Texas recently caused some power outages at major refineries, further weighing on markets, said De Haan.

Mark Kelly, a Democratic senator from Arizona, and other lawmakers have suggested suspending the federal fuel tax for the rest of this year to help consumers. But some groups oppose this, saying the loss of government revenue would affect spending on federal highways.

"The federal government would be out $20 billion this year alone, and much more if the (tax) holiday were extended," said Maya Mac-Guineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The expulsion of Russia from a major global financial system will cast a shadow over the world economy, which has already been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts said.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union said in a joint statement on Saturday that "selected Russian banks" will be removed from the SWIFT messaging system, which stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

These affected Russian banks, about which additional details were not disclosed, will be "disconnected from the international financial system", according to the statement.

Belgium-based SWIFT, founded in 1973, is a secure messaging system used to facilitate cross-border money transfers, instead of taking part in payments directly. It connects more than 11,000 banks and financial institutions in more than 200 countries. It processed 42 million financial messages each day in 2021, up 11.4 percent year-on-year.

A comment piece in May last year from the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank described expulsion from SWIFT as a "nuclear option" that would hit Russia particularly hard, primarily because of the country's reliance on energy exports denominated in US dollars.

"The cutoff would terminate all international transactions, trigger currency volatility, and cause massive capital outflows," according to the article's author, Maria Shagina.

Yang Xiyu, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said that excluding Russia from SWIFT will bring harm to all related parties, including in the US and Europe. Such a stalemate, if it lasts longer, would seriously impair the world economy, Yang said.

Tan Yaling, head of the China Forex Investment Research Institute, also agreed that the US and Europe will undergo much pressure by cutting off Russia from SWIFT, as Russia is a major food and energy exporter in the world. The expulsion might be short-term, as trade suspension would result in two-way negative impact in the globalized market.

The EU is the world's largest natural gas importer, with 41 percent of the annual imported volume coming from Russia, according to the energy department of the European Commission.

The stress on "selected banks", instead of the entire Russian banking system, leaves room for the EU so that it can continue US dollar-denominated natural gas imports from Russia, said Dong Ximiao, chief researcher at Merchants Union Consumer Finance.

More than 95 percent of the world's cross-border US dollar-denominated transactions are processed by combining the services from SWIFT and the New York-based Clearing House Interbank Payment System, according to experts at Guotai Jun'an Securities.

Hong Hao, managing director of BOCOM International, said that Russia and most of the European economies will have to avoid US dollar payments if they wish to continue natural gas trade after such an expulsion takes effect, which eventually would rattle the US dollar's dominating position in the world.

SWIFT cut its connection with Iran in 2012 and 2018, and a similar step was taken against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 2017.

Tan from the China Forex Investment Research Institute emphasized that the steps taken against Iran and the DPRK were completely different from the expulsion of Russia, given the latter's economic size and global influence. In addition, the world economy was different in the earlier cases, since the measures were taken before the impact of the pandemic, Tan said.

Zhou Lanxu in Beijing contributed to this story.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China disapproves of using sanctions as a means to solve problems and rejects unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law.

Experience has shown that sanctions do not solve problems, but create new ones. They not only result in "lose-lose" or "all-lose" economic situations but also interfere with the process of a political settlement, Wang said on Saturday in a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Wang also explained why China prevented the invoking of references to Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter－which authorizes the use of force and sanctions－in a draft resolution on Ukraine, and vowed China would continue to play a constructive role in seeking and realizing peace.

China abstained from a vote on a draft resolution on Ukraine, proposed by the United States and other countries at the UN Security Council on Friday.

If the Security Council takes action, it should contribute to a political settlement of the current crisis rather than incite new confrontations, Wang said, adding that China supports all efforts that are conducive to de-escalation and a political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

He said China, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has always fulfilled its responsibilities of safeguarding international peace and security.

On the issue of European security, the legitimate concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, Wang said, adding that following five consecutive rounds of NATO's eastward expansion, Russia's legitimate security concerns should be solved in a proper way.

Given that the Cold War has been over for a long time, Wang said it is necessary for NATO to reconsider its position and responsibilities. China believes the Cold War mentality based on bloc confrontation should be completely abandoned.

China supports NATO, the European Union and Russia resuming dialogue and seeking to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism so as to achieve lasting peace and stability on the continent, he said.

The phone call over the weekend is China's latest move in a series of intensive diplomatic interactions to facilitate peace talks in its own way, and help defuse the Ukraine situation.

On Friday, President Xi Jinping spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone. Wang also held phone talks on the same day with senior diplomats from the United Kingdom, the EU and France, expounding China's basic position on the Ukraine issue.

Ukraine agreed to have talks with Russia on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday via social media, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The office said that the talks would be held without preconditions and are the result of a phone call between Zelensky and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier on Sunday.

The announcement came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert in response to what he called "aggressive statements" by leading NATO powers.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday that Russian troops fired cruise missiles at Ukrainian military targets.

There are reports of fighting in the streets of Kharkiv, as Russian troops moved into the city in the morning, local officials said.

Social media footage appears to show some Russian units in Kharkiv. There are photos appearing to show at least two Russian "Tiger"-small, all-terrain, infantry-mobility-vehicles on fire.

On Sunday morning, Kharkiv officials warned locals to stay in shelters and off the streets.

In the west of the center of Kyiv, the capital, a blast was heard in the morning after an air raid siren went off.

Video from a local television channel aired footage of heavy fighting that had broken out in northwestern Kyiv. A Ukrainian soldier with handheld, light antitank NLAW missiles walked between burning armored vehicles and met with a fellow soldier, the video showed.

According to the Ukrainian National Nuclear Energy Supervision Bureau, a nuclear waste burial site in Kyiv was hit by Russian shells, leaving the automated nuclear radiation monitoring system damaged. The nature and severity of damage can only be determined when the gunfire ceases, the bureau said.

Russian forces from Crimea have been making large advances on cities in the south, including Mykolaiv, which is located between Odesa and Kherson. Mykolaiv Mayor Alexander Senkevich announced on Sunday morning that the city remains under Ukraine's control.

However, there had been fighting overnight. One video being shared on the Ukraine Telegram social media network showed damaged buildings and streets in Mykolaiv's center.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region, said Chechen fighters have been deployed in Ukraine, and he urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.

In a video posted online on Saturday, Kadyrov said Chechen units had so far suffered no losses and Russian forces could easily take large Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, but their task was to avoid loss of life.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said they had found plans of Russian forces and were able to dominate them in the past 72 hours. The ministry didn't give details about Russia's plans, but confirmed the destruction of a convoy of Chechen special forces in Kyiv and the killing of a Chechen commander.

The Russian Defense Ministry hasn't responded to that statement, but did say that the 302 Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the Ukrainian forces voluntarily surrendered their weapons and 471 Ukrainian servicemen have been detained.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir 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.

Senior officials of leading NATO members issued "aggressive statements" against Russia, Putin said at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.

Putin said Western countries are imposing "illegitimate sanctions" against Russia's economy.

The decision to put the deterrence forces on combat duty was made as Russia has been conducting "a special military operation" in Ukraine since early Thursday.

Russian forces had destroyed 975 Ukrainian military infrastructure objects, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday morning.

Russia has blockaded several cities in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The time-tested truths of history have taught generation and generation of Chinese to maintain a proper sense of right and wrong, and stand on the right side of history.

As the United States, the European Union, as well as allies and partners elsewhere, escalate sanctions against Russia, pledging to cripple the Russian economy, China has remained an impartial third party and has appealed for dialogue.

On Friday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi elaborated on China's position in his respective telephone talks with United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, and French Diplomatic Advisor to the President Emmanuel Bonne, in which he exchanged views on the situation with them.

He boiled China's stance down to five clear points: that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, Russia's concerns about NATO's expansion should be heeded, all parties should practice restraint, a negotiated solution should be pursued and the UN Security Council should play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine issue.

This makes China's views on the situation very clear. It adheres to a policy of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties. The US, which still views the world through the prism of the Cold War, thinks only in terms of friends or enemies and forms exclusive alliances and "small circles". China is not interested in such a practice and seeks communication and coordination with all countries.

Since both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have expressed willingness to negotiate, China hopes that they will make it happen as soon as possible since dialogue is the formula for ending the conflict as quickly as hoped.

The longer the war lasts, the greater the suffering the Ukrainian people face. Zelensky needs to negotiate to prevent avoidable harm to his country and people and Putin needs to do it to limit far broader consequences for his country's future.

The US and its allies may be overconfident about the expected impacts of their sanctions. Russia may have a tougher skin today than they think. But escalated confrontation over Ukraine would still be costly and debilitating.

China, on its part, supports all efforts that are conducive to de-escalating the situation and achieving a political settlement, as Wang Yi said in a telephone talk with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Saturday.

If the UN Security Council is to take action, it should facilitate a political settlement of the current crisis rather than instigate new rivalries and confrontations.

To this end, it should support NATO, the EU and Russia engaging in dialogue to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism so as to achieve lasting peace and stability on the European continent.

MOSCOW - Russia has closed its airspace for planes from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia, including transit flights, the country's Federal Agency for Air Transport announced Sunday.

"Due to the unfriendly decisions of the aviation authorities of Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Estonia, restrictions are being introduced on air carriers of these states and/or those registered there to operate flights to destinations on the territory of Russia, including transit flights through the airspace of Russia," it said.

The four countries earlier introduced restrictions on Russian air carriers. Russia says its response is in line with international law, the agency said in a statement.

Some European countries, including Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Poland, have also decided to close their airspace to Russia.

KYIV - Kyiv is still under the control of Ukrainian forces as of Sunday morning, the Kyiv City State Administration said in a statement.

"The situation in Kyiv is calm, the capital is completely controlled by the Ukrainian army and defense. There were several clashes with sabotage groups at night," said Mykola Povoroznyk, first deputy head of the administration.

According to Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency, a curfew is implemented here until 8 am (0600 GMT) Monday, and the movement of private vehicles without special passes is prohibited during the period.

KYIV/MOSCOW - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russia's offer to hold negotiations in Belarus, suggesting alternative cities including Budapest and Warsaw for talks.

Zelensky made the remarks in a video address posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday shortly after the Kremlin announced that a Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus and will be ready to negotiate with Ukraine in the city of Gomel.

The president said Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia, but Belarus is not an option because Russia has been carrying out some of its attacks from Belarus. "We're saying no to Minsk. Other cities can be a place to meet," he said.

"We want peace, we want to meet, we want the end of the war ... Any other city would suit us, any country, from whose territory missiles are not launched at us," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine has proposed meeting in other countries such as Poland, Hungary, Turkey and Azerbaijan, but Russia has so far refused.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a delegation including representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and other government agencies has arrived in Belarus.

Peskov said Russia warned Ukraine that it would not suspend military operations during any potential talks.

MOSCOW - The Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 975 Ukrainian military infrastructure objects since the start of operations, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Sunday.

Russia continued its strike against Ukraine's military infrastructure on Saturday using air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, Konashenkov told a regular briefing, reiterating that the Russian military takes all measures to ensure the safety of civilians.

The Russian armed forces have completely blockaded the cities of Kherson and Berdyansk in southern Ukraine, he said.

He added that a total of 471 Ukrainian service members have been detained and will be sent to their families after paperwork.

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QUITO -- Ecuador will carry out on Monday its first humanitarian flight from Poland for citizens who have fled Ukraine amid escalating tensions with Russia, Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguin said on Saturday.

The diplomat said the flight will be operated by either Spanish or Polish airlines with a capacity for 350 people, a quota that is expected to be filled.

He said that more than 150 Ecuadorans have crossed the Ukrainian border.

According to Holguin, hundreds of Ecuadorans reside in Ukraine, most of whom are students. There are also a number of undocumented Ecuadorans living in the country, and the ministry has issued many of them emergency passports.

"We estimate that with two flights, we will be able to bring all the Ecuadorans. The Air Force has helped us coordinate the operation," Holguin said.

MOSCOW/KYIV -- Russian forces have been instructed to resume their advance into Ukraine "in all directions" after Kyiv refused to hold negotiations, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

All units were ordered to mount an offensive in accordance with the operation plan, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said during a briefing Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered a halt to military operations in light of expected negotiations with the Ukranian leadership, local media reported citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Ukrainian side said that Kyiv refused to negotiate with Russia because the conditions proposed were "unacceptable," and were "an attempt to force the country to surrender."

Troops from Lugansk have advanced up to 46 km and captured the settlements of Schastia and Muratovo, while troops from Donetsk have advanced another 10 km from the frontline, according to the ministry.

The ministry also said Saturday that Russian Airborne Forces were protecting the Chernobyl nuclear power plant jointly with Ukraine's National Guard, according to local media.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that the current sanctions against Russia could be a reason to review relations with all states that have imposed them.

Medvedev said this was a reason to end all dialogue with the West on strategic stability, and vowed that the sanctions wouldn't change Moscow's decision to conduct the ongoing military operation and protect Donbass.

He also noted that Russia may respond symmetrically to measures taken against Russian citizens and companies abroad, namely by seizing funds of foreigners and foreign companies in Russia.

Additionally, Russian aviation authorities said there would be a "mirror response" to the measures currently carried out by countries choosing to ban flights for Russian aircraft. Moscow vowed to close its airspace in retaliation.

During a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is ready for negotiations with "all constructive forces" to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

However, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Saturday on Facebook that the siege of Kyiv is the primary purpose of Russia's offensive against Ukraine.

The department said that Russia plans to encircle and block Kyiv to "demilitarize" Ukraine and force the Ukrainian leadership to change its political course on Russian terms.

UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres promised on Saturday to provide more humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"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.

WASHINGTON - The United States, Britain, EU and Canada on Saturday moved to block Russia's access to the SWIFT international payment system as part of another round of sanctions against Moscow as it continues its military operation against Ukraine.

The measures, which will also include restriction on the Russian central bank's international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a joint statement.

Reuters

MOSCOW -- Moscow is preparing for negotiations with "all constructive forces" on a settlement in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Russia emphasized its readiness for a quick settlement in Ukraine for the sake of peace and stability, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov informed Cavusoglu about Russia's current military operation in Ukraine, reiterating the aim of ensuring "the security of the civilian population and demilitarizing Ukraine," said the statement.

MOSCOW -- The Kremlin said Saturday that Kyiv has refused to hold talks with Moscow, causing Russian forces to resume operations in Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian side has refused to negotiate. This afternoon Russian forces have resumed their advance in accordance with the plan of the operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered a halt to military operations in light of the expected negotiations that were previously planned with Ukraine, local media reported citing Peskov.

Putin on Thursday authorized "a special military operation" in Donbass, and Ukraine confirmed that military targets across the country were under attack.

Also on Saturday, Oleksiy Arestovich, advisor to the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Kyiv refused to negotiate with Russia because the conditions Russia proposed are "unacceptable" for the country, calling those conditions as "an attempt to force us to surrender."

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine has successfully beat off "enemy attacks," but battles are ongoing across the country.

"We have withstood and are successfully repelling enemy attacks," Zelensky said in a video message.

Battles are still ongoing in many cities and districts of Ukraine, said the president. "But we know that we are defending the country, the land, the future of children."

MOSCOW -- Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that the current sanctions against Russia could be a reason to review relations with all states that have imposed them.

"Sanctions are a good reason to review all relations with those states that have imposed them, and to interrupt dialogue on strategic stability," Medvedev said in a post on his Vkontakte page.

These restrictions will not change anything, including Moscow's decision to conduct a military operation and to protect Donbass, he wrote, adding that the operation would be carried out in full until the final results are achieved.

Medvedev said that the sanctions were imposed due to the "political impotence" of Western leaders and their "inability to change Russia's course," and were also used as a means to justify "their shameful decisions."

The West is also threatening to seize the money of Russian citizens and Russian companies abroad, Medvedev wrote, noting that this will bring about a symmetrical response, namely seizing funds of foreigners and foreign companies in Russia.

KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday refuted reports that the country's army will disarm and evacuate.

"We will not lay down any weapons, we believe in our army and our country. We will protect it. Glory to Ukraine!" Zelensky said, noting that he did not leave Kyiv, which was under heavy shelling overnight.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that at least 35 Kyiv residents, including two children, were injured in clashes with Russian forces or shelling.

According to Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko, 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed in Russia's operation against Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook that Ukraine shot down a Russian transport plane IL-76 near Vasylkiv town in Kyiv.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a "special military operation" in Ukraine.