Europe

BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the EU on Tuesday to "prove that you are with us" in Ukraine's war with Russia, a day after Kyiv officially asked to join the bloc. 

European Union lawmakers, many wearing #standwithUkraine T-shirts bearing the Ukrainian flag, others with blue-and-yellow scarves or ribbons, gave Zelenskiy a standing ovation as he addressed the European Parliament via video link.

KYIV, March 1 (Reuters) - Russia warned Kyiv residents to flee their homes on Tuesday and rained rockets down on Kharkiv, as Russian commanders who have failed to achieve a quick victory shifted their tactics to intensify the bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

MADRID, March 1 (Reuters) - Spain will send 150 additional troops to Latvia as part of a wider NATO buildup in the Baltic region following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Spanish Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Spain, which already has 350 troops in the alliance's enhanced forward presence battlegroup in Latvia, is increasing the number in line with the NATO response plans "to preserve peace and security after the invasion."

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) An Indian student was killed in shelling in Kharkiv city of war-hit Ukraine on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

"With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning," it tweeted.

The ministry said it is in touch with the family of the student.

MOSCOW, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- 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.

GENEVA (AP) — International sports bodies moved to further isolate Russia on Monday for its invasion of Ukraine and pushed Moscow closer to becoming a pariah on the playing field.

The International Olympic Committee urged sports bodies to exclude Russian athletes and officials from international events, including soccer’s World Cup.

The IOC said it was needed to “protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Associated Press journalists around Ukraine and beyond are documenting military activity during Russia’s invasion. With disinformation rife and social media amplifying military claims and counterclaims, determining exactly what is happening is difficult. Here’s a look at what could be confirmed Monday as Russia’s military assault on Ukraine was in its fifth day.

DIRECTLY WITNESSED

— Explosions and gunfire appeared to subside overnight around Kyiv, the capital, before Ukrainian and Russian delegations met Monday on Ukraine’s border with Belarus.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s right-wing nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has for more than a decade nurtured close political and economic ties with Russia, giving him the reputation as the Kremlin’s closest European Union ally.

For weeks, as Russian President Vladimir Putin amassed tens of thousands of troops along the borders of Ukraine, Hungary’s neighbor to the east, Orban avoided condemning the buildup and spoke emphatically against applying sanctions.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday asked stranded Indians in Kyiv to leave the capital city urgently.

In an advisory, it asked the citizens to leave Kyiv by available trains or any other means.

"All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available," the embassy said.

The advisory came amid increasing fighting between Russian forces and Ukrainian troops around Kyiv.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles threatened Ukraine’s capital Tuesday, the sixth day of the war. But even as Russia intensified shelling of the country’s second-largest city, the Kremlin has found itself increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have sent its currency plummeting.