The French President told the France 3 broadcaster: “I think we must do everything to avoid the situation getting out of hand. I wouldn't use these kinds of words because I'm still in talks with President Putin. If we want to do that, we can’t escalate either in words or actions".
Mr Macron added that he saw his task as “achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of [Russian] troops by diplomatic means".
It comes after Mr Biden labelled Putin a "butcher" and later appeared to call for the Russian President's removal from office.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Mr Biden's comment that Putin "cannot remain in power" did not mean Washington wanted “regime change” in Russia.
Follow the latest updates below.
03:03 PM
French minister warns of 'collective guilt' if help not given to Mariupol
The French foreign minister warned on Sunday that there would be "collective guilt" if help was not given to civilians in Mariupol, the besieged port city that has been left decimated by Russian forces.
“Mariupol is a striking example of a military siege, and military sieges are horrible wars because civil populations are massacred, annihilated. The suffering is terrible,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Doha Forum international conference.
“This is why there needs to be at least one moment when the civilian population can breathe."
03:01 PM
Pictured: Kharkiv regional headquarters destroyed
Ukrainian servicemen walk inside the destroyed regional headquarters of Kharkiv on March 27, 2022. - Aris Messinis/AFP A Ukrainian serviceman walks between rubble of the destroyed regional headquarters of kharkiv on March 27, 2022. - Aris Messinis/AFP Emergency service members walk outside the destroyed regional headquarters of Kharkiv on March 27, 2022. - Aris Messinis/AFP
02:47 PM
Biden speech on Putin was 'pitch perfect', says US Nato ambassador
Ambassador Julianne Smith, the US's envoy to Nato, said on Sunday that Joe Biden's comments about Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine were "pitch perfect" considering recent events.
She was asked on CNN whether the US President's comments about his Russian President - including that he is a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power" - were a "mistake".
She said: In the moment, I think that was a principled human reaction to the stories that he had heard that day.
"But no, as you’ve heard from secretary Blinken and others, the US does not have a policy of regime change in Russia. Full stop.
"This week has been remarkable. It’s been historic. I thought the speech was completely pitch-perfect.
"And I think this will set us on a good course for continuing to support the allies, support Ukrainians, and apply pressure on Russia to get them to stop this war.
"We are not pursuing a policy of regime change, but I think the full administration, the President included, believes that we cannot empower Putin right now to wage war in Ukraine or pursue these acts of aggression."
02:32 PM
Invasion will backfire and cause ‘de-Russification’ of Ukraine, warns Zelensky
02:18 PM
UN: 1,119 civilians killed so far in Ukraine
The UN human rights office said on Sunday that 1,119 civilians had been killed so far during the war in Ukraine, while 1,790 have been wounded.
Some 15 girls and 32 boys were among the dead, in addition to 52 children whose gender is currently unknown.
The true casualty tolls are expected to be significantly higher, the group said, as reports have been delayed in certain areas because of particularly intense bombardment, such as in Mariupol.
The majority of civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems and missile and air strikes, the UN added.
01:56 PM
Zelensky urges West to display courage shown by Mariupol defenders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Western nations for their hesitation in supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons, labelling discussions over who should supply them as "ping-pong" talks.
In his latest address to the nation, he also urged the West to display even "one per cent" of the courage shown by people fighting to defend the besieged port city of Mariupol.
He said: "I've talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. I'm in constant contact with them. Their determination, heroism and firmness are astonishing. If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1 per cent of their courage."
This handout picture released by the Ukrainian presidential press-service in Kyiv on March 25, 2022 shows President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking online at a meeting of the European Council. - AFP
01:50 PM
Russian aim to split Ukraine in two is unviable, warns military chief
Ukraine's military intelligence chief has warned that Russia is trying to impose a "Korean scenario" to the country where it would be split into two - namely, to pro-Russian and anti-Russian sections.
Kyrylo Budanov said Vladimir Putin's priorities are now the east and the south of Ukraine, after his offensive in Kyiv largely stalled.
Russian soldiers are seen on a tank in Volnovakha district in the pro-Russian separatists-controlled Donetsk, in Ukraine on March 26, 2022. - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu
01:07 PM
Poll: Half of Ukrainians ready to take up arms
Almost half of Ukrainians aged between 18 and 55 are ready to take up arms for their country against Russia, according to a poll conducted by European academics.
Around 70 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women said they were willing to take up arms, according to the survey carried out by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo and Info Sapiens.
The survey included more than 1,000 respondents, with an equal gender split.
When presented with the statement, "If the war continues, I will help the resistance by joining direct military combat in open battles against the Russian or pro-Russian forces", 49 per cent responded yes.
Around 47 per cent said they would be willing to "help the resistance by joining direct military combat in fortified defence positions of the Ukrainian forces".
Meanwhile, 80 per cent of respondents said they were prepared to "help the resistance by providing non-military support to the Ukrainian forces (e.g., deliver food, information, or ammunition)".
12:43 PM
Israeli peace effort in Ukraine is 'closely coordinated' with US, says Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Israel’s efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine are “closely coordinated” with Washington.
Blinken is currently in Jerusalem meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Good to be in Israel and meet with Foreign Minister @yairlapid today to discuss important global issues such as President Putin’s brutal attack on Ukraine and its people and challenges posed by Iran. The U.S. commitment to Israel is ironclad. pic.twitter.com/XGRVMVQ7Ks
Ukraine says proposed Russian referendum would have no legal basis
Ukraine said on Sunday that Russia holding a referendum in occupied Ukrainian territory would have no legal basis and would spark opposition from the global community.
The Russian-controlled Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine could hold a referendum soon on joining Russia, its local leader was quoted as saying.
"All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement to Reuters.
"Instead, Russia will facе an even stronger response from the international community, further deepening its global isolation."
12:09 PM
Separatist region may hold referendum on joining Russia
The head of Ukraine's Lugansk separatist region said on Sunday that it may hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia.
"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will... express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation," Russian news agencies quoted Leonid Pasechnik as saying.
"I am sure this will be the case," he said.
12:08 PM
Pictured: Worshippers flock to church following weekend of shelling
People pray during Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church, a day after Russian rockets hit an oil facility and factory in an industrial area, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Sunday, March 27, 2022. - Nariman El-Mofty/AP A woman kneels during Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church, a day after Russian rockets hit an oil facility and factory in an industrial area, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Sunday, March 27, 2022. - Nariman El-Mofty/AP People pray during Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church, a day after Russian rockets hit an oil facility and factory in an industrial area, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Sunday, March 27, 2022. - Nariman El-Mofty/AP
11:58 AM
The Russian people will decide Putin's 'fate', says Education Secretary
The future of Vladimir Putin’s presidency is “up to the Russian people”, the Education Secretary has said, after US officials insisted that the White House was not pushing for a regime change in Russia.
Nadhim Zahawi said on Sky News on Sunday: "The Russian people, I think, are pretty fed up with what is happening in Ukraine, this illegal invasion, the destruction of their own livelihoods, their economy is collapsing around them and I think the Russian people will decide the fate of Putin and his cronies."
11:52 AM
Pope Francis pleads for end of 'cruel and senseless war' in Ukraine
Pope Francis has pleaded for the end of the "cruel and senseless war" in Ukraine that has displaced millions of children, torn apart families and destroyed cities.
The Pontiff addressed the crowds in St. Peter's Square on Sunday to say that "the powerful decide and the poor die" in war, although he did not name Russia as the aggressor.
Referring to estimates that almost half of Ukrainian children have been displaced by the war, His Holiness said that "war doesn't just devastate the present but also the future of society".
Pope Francis celebrates Sunday Angelus Prayer from the window of his office overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, 27 March 2022. - Fabio Frustaci/Shutterstock
11:25 AM
Ukrainian MP says Kyiv residents have resorted to drinking sewage water
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko said people are starving and being forced to drink sewage water in Kyiv as the humanitarian situation across the country worsens.
Speaking to Times Radio, Ms Vasylenko said people in Kyiv are being "made to stay in basements and metro stations" to shelter from Russian shelling.
She added that: "People are actually starving without food, and drinking sewage water.
"In Mariupol, thousands of people are getting forcefully deported across the border to Russia apparently to safety but then they are sent off in an unknown direction and nobody hears from them again.
"So the atrocities, they're just the same all over the place."
11:03 AM
Ukrainian ambassador to Germany shuns Russian-dominated concert
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany has declined an invitation to a solidarity concert organised by the German president which was to feature performances only from Russian musicians.
Ambassador Andriy Melnyk tweeted early on Sunday that he would not attend the concert, as it featured “only Russian soloists, no Ukrainians".
He added: “In the midst of Russia’s war against Ukrainian civilians [this is] an affront. Sorry I'm staying away!”
According to the Office of the Federal President, musicians from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Germany, among others, will play pieces by Ukrainian, Russian and Polish composers together.
However, the schedule shows that only Russian soloists are set to perform, alongside multiple performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra itself.
In a statement, the office said the concert was organised to “condemn the attack on Ukraine and send a signal of solidarity and the shared belief in the value of freedom and self determination".
10:28 AM
Ukrainian MP says world should 'not be silent' about sexual violence against women during the Russian invasion
Ukrainian MP Maria Mezentseva said the country will "not be silent" about the "horror" of sexual violence being committed against women during the Russian invasion.
Mezentseva told Sky's Sophie Ridge on Sunday programme that one shocking case involved a woman being "raped several times in front of her underage child" after her civilian husband was shot dead in their home near Kyiv.
While that case has been publicly spoken about, she said there are "many more victims" who will require support in the future.
She added that details of sexual violence must be recorded as they happen because "justice has to prevail".
10:19 AM
Sanctions could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine, says Liz Truss
Britain could lift sanctions crippling Russia if Vladimir Putin withdraws from Ukraine and commits to "no further aggression", Liz Truss has said.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary set out a blueprint for the so-called "off ramp" that the Russian president could be offered to halt his assault on Ukraine.
Ms Truss - who revealed that she has established a "negotiations unit" in the Foreign Office to aid future peace talks - said sanctions on Russian banks, firms and oligarchs could be lifted in the event of "a full ceasefire and withdrawal".
Putin would also have to agree to refrain from future military aggression, with the threat of "snapback sanctions" which could instantly be slapped back onto Russia.
Ms Truss' intervention is the first official confirmation that Britain could lift its sweeping sanctions as part of a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
It marks a shift from earlier remarks in which the Foreign Secretary said she could not see a situation in which Roman Abramovich, the most prominent of the sanctioned oligarchs, would be allowed to come to the UK again.
The governor of the Lviv region said a man was detained on suspicion of espionage at the site of one of the two rocket attacks that rattled the city on Saturday.
Russia has started destroying Ukrainian fuel and food storage depots, meaning the Government will have to disperse the stocks of both in the near future, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said on Sunday.
Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia continues to besiege a number of major Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.
Britain has seized two jet aircraft belonging to Russian billionaire Eugene Shvidler as Western governments seeking to end the war in Ukraine put pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin by targeting the luxury lifestyles of his closest supporters.
Finland's president says his country would likely be targeted by Russian cyber warfare and could face border violations if it decides to apply for membership of Nato.
Zelensky warns Putin that war is sowing deep anti-Russian hatred
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky angrily warned Moscow that it is sowing a deep hatred for Russia among his people, as constant artillery barrages and aerial bombings are reducing cities to rubble, killing civilians and driving others into shelters, leaving them to scrounge for food and water to survive.
"You are doing everything so that our people themselves leave the Russian language, because the Russian language will now be associated only with you, with your explosions and murders, your crimes," Mr Zelensky said in an impassioned video address late on Saturday.
09:43 AM
Russia wants to split Ukraine in two, says intelligence chief
Russia is trying to split Ukraine in two to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the entire country, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday.
"In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine," Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement, adding that Ukraine would soon launch guerrilla warfare in Russian-occupied territory.
09:21 AM
30,000 Ukrainian refugees reach France
Some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in France, with half of them travelling through the country to get to other nations such as Spain, French housing minister Emmanuelle Wargon said on Sunday.
Wargon told the Franceinfo radio station that the government was preparing to welcome 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
France has been granting temporary EU residency permits to Ukrainian refugees, which allows them to have access to schooling and to work in the country.
A woman places pillows on beds in a public gymnasium being prepared for Ukrainian refugees in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on March 25, 2022. - Philippe Lopez/AFP
09:18 AM
US has no strategy of regime change in Russia, says Blinken
The US has no strategy of regime change in Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
The comments come after President Joe Biden said during a speech in Poland on Saturday evening that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power".
"I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else," Blinken said during a visit to Jerusalem.
"As you know, and as you have heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia - or anywhere else, for that matter."
09:00 AM
Eastern Europe was 'suspicious' of Russian threat before Ukraine invasion
Dame Margaret Beckett has suggested that people in eastern European countries "who had experience of being under Russian rule" in the Soviet Union were "suspicious" of Russia even before the invasion of Ukraine.
The Labour MP, who announced her retirement yesterday after a long career that saw her become Britain's first female Foreign Secretary under Tony Blair, said on Sky News on Sunday: "People hoped that Russia more and more might come into the mainstream... But I'm very mindful that any time this past 10, 20 years, if you talk to people in eastern Europe or rather perhaps if you listened to people in eastern Europe who had experience of being under Russian rule, they never had this sanguine approach.
"They were always worried, suspicious, looking over their shoulder. There will be people in the Baltic states who would not be remotely surprised by what is going on in Ukraine".
Dame Margaret added that conversations about Nato countries increasing military aid for Ukraine are difficult because of the risk of escalating the conflict.
"I think it’s a very difficult balance to strike," she said. "It’s horrendous the situation in Ukraine and we have to do everything we can to help, but to be drawn into a pan-European war, I don’t think anyone would thank us."
08:47 AM
Residents of Odesa brace for attack
Odesa is mining its beaches and rushing to defend its historic cultural heritage from potential Russian attacks that are feared could make the port city the next Mariupol.
Valerii Novak, a local businessman, said: "The only thing we're really afraid of is that the other side has no principles whatsoever."
He added that he never used to consider himself a patriot, but following the Russian invasion, something "just clicked" in him - he has since refused to leave Odesa and is undertaking training in how to use a gun.
Hanna Shelest, a security analyst based in the city, asked: "Is our city the next one or not?"
She said that Russia would need Odesa to surrender, rather than fight, to avoid the "blow to sentiment" that would be caused by any destruction of historic cultural buildings, such as its famed opera house and Potemkin Steps, which are beloved by Ukrainian and Russian people alike.
Local residents carry bags filled with sand as they build a barricade for a check-point in Odesa on March 25, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP
08:19 AM
Animal shelter takes in 1,500 pets as owners flee war in Ukraine
The 'Home for Rescued Animals' in the Ukrainian city of Lviv has taken in an estimated 1,500 animals since the war with Russia began, as owners have fled the country in their millions.
24-year-old shelter manager Orest Zalypskyy said the home was once a "haven" reserved for exotic animals that has now branched out to take in pets that have been left en masse due to people fleeing Ukraine for the safety of neighbouring countries.
"Migrants who come from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and go abroad via Lviv leave animals en masse," he said.
"There's been no system. We just have many volunteers who head out and fetch them."
A large number of the animals are set for adoption in Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, while around 200 pets have been adopted by the locals of Lviv.
A family visit the 'Home for Rescued Animals' shelter to walk with dogs in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26, 2022. - Aleksey Filippov/AFP
Dogs are seen in an aviary at the 'Home for Rescued Animals' in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26, 2022. - Aleksey Filippov/AFP
08:01 AM
Ukraine confirms two humanitarian corridors, including from Mariupol
Ukraine and Russia have agreed two 'humanitarian corridors' to evacuate civilians from frontline areas on Sunday, including from the besieged port city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
People will be allowed to leave by private car from the city, which has come under constant bombardment since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February.
07:54 AM
Russia hits Lviv with cruise missiles, says Kremlin defence ministry
Russia has hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv with high-precision cruise missiles, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.
Kremlin forces hit a fuel depot being used by Ukrainian troops near Lviv with long-range missiles and used cruise missiles to strike a plant in the city that was being used to repair anti-aircraft systems, radar stations and sights for tanks, the ministry added.
"The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue offensive actions as part of the special military operation," spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Officials in Lviv, which is just 40 miles from the border with Poland, said people had been wounded in the missile attacks.
07:50 AM
Pictured: War rages on across Ukraine
An injured woman evacuated from Irpin lies on a stretcher in an ambulance on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 26, 2022. - Vadim Ghirda/AP A part of a rocket sits wedged on the ground following a Russian bombing earlier this week, at a cemetery in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 26, 2022. - Petros Giannakouris/AP This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service on March 27, 2022 shows the firefighters putting out a fire after Russian missiles strikes to infrastructure including a fuel storage facility on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26, 2022. - AFP / Ukrainian State Emergency Service/AFP / Ukrainian State Emergency Service
07:45 AM
Why Putin will be happy with Biden's latest gaffe
It is hard to know exactly what Joe Biden was thinking when he gave his address in Poland on Saturday.
The US president spent 27 minutes delivering what was arguably the most powerful - and consequential - speech of his presidency.
President Joe Biden delivers a speech about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Royal Castle, Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Warsaw. - Evan Vucci/AP
In front of the Royal Castle, one of Warsaw's notable landmarks damaged during the Second World War, he invoked the horrors of Europe’s not-so-distant past and vowed the continent would not return to its darkest days despite war raging in Ukraine.
But for his parting thought he decided to ad-lib. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” he said, speaking of the architect of Ukraine's misery - Russian president Vladimir Putin. His message was met with applause from the Poles and Ukrainians in the audience, but back at home in Washington mouths dropped.
Within minutes, the White House put out a corrective - no, the US wasn’t seeking regime change in Moscow. Mr Biden had somehow been mistaken.
Western intelligence officials say Russian forces now rely on indiscriminate bombardments rather than risking large-scale ground operations, a tactic that could limit Russian military casualties but would harm more civilians.
90-year-old Olha Moliboha escaped from the northern city of Chernihiv just before Russia destroyed a bridge linking it to Kyiv, preventing further evacuations or humanitarian supplies.
"They attacked and bombed us. They destroyed everything in our city," Ms Moliboha, now in Poland, said tearfully from a wheelchair, with her dog on her knees.
"So many children have died, so many women.
"All our houses are destroyed, they are not there anymore. There is nowhere to live."
07:29 AM
France plans Mariupol evacuation
French forces could be dispatched to Ukraine as Emmanuel Macron plans an evacuation mission to save up to 100,000 Ukrainians from the besieged port city of Mariupol.
The French president is expected to talk to Vladimir Putin to convince the Kremlin to allow the evacuation to take place.
The news came as the mayor of Mariupol said that Russian troops had abducted at least 15,000 people and forcibly moved them to Kremlin-controlled territory.
The United Arab Emirates – of which Dubai is one of seven principalities – abstained on a UN Security Council vote deploring the Kremlin’s invasion, and while it supported a later non-binding UN General Assembly vote calling on Russia to withdraw its forces, the country steadfastly refuses to pick a side. Predictably, Russians have since flocked to the desert kingdom
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
It’s key to note that we’re not saying the “best team” or “best roster.” Instead, we’re talking about the best confluence of factors that can outline a path for survival and then success.
Teams have made their big splashes in free agency and made their draft picks, it's time for you to do the same. It's fantasy football mock draft time. Some call this time of year best ball season, others know it's an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition for when you have to draft in August. The staff at Yahoo Fantasy did their first mock draft of the 2024 season to help you with the latter. Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens are here to break it all down by each round and crush some staff members in the process.
With free agency and the draft behind us, what 32 teams look like today will likely be what they look like Week 1 and beyond for the 2024 season. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski reveal the post-draft fantasy power rankings. The duo break down the rankings in six tiers: Elite offensive ecosystems, teams on the cusp of being complete mixed bag ecosystems, offensive ecosystems with something to prove, offenses that could go either way, and offenses that are best to stay away from in fantasy.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged back toward 7% this week but remains elevated, prompting housing experts to revise their forecasts for the rest of 2024.
Budgeting apps can help you keep track of your finances, stick to a spending plan and reach your money goals. These are the best budget-tracking apps available right now.
