RUSSIA-UKRAINE LIVE: Delegations to meet TODAY after Putin’s ‘threat of nuclear war’
RUSSIA-UKRAINE LIVE: Russia and Ukraine officials meet TODAY after Putin’s ‘threat of nuclear war’ as battle for Kyiv reaches crucial 24 hours
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Fresh measures to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion are likely to be introduced as the UK Government came under pressure to act today.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the move to allow immediate family members to join Ukrainians settled in the UK is only a ‘first step’ as the assault continued.
Mr Wallace dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin putting his nuclear forces on heightened alert as being a part of the Kremlin’s ‘battle of rhetoric’.
The Russian central bank was forced to sharply raise its key interest rate to save the rouble from collapse as the war worsened the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Ahead of an emergency United Nations General Assembly meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the next 24 hours would be a ‘crucial period’.
In the meantime, Russian and Ukrainian forces have again been engaged in heavy fighting ahead of the widely expected assault on the capital.
Ukrainian defenders have put up stiff resistance, but a US official cautioned that far stronger Russian forces inevitably will learn and adapt their tactics.
A Ukrainian delegation is due to meet the Russians today on the Belarus border, but Mr Zelensky has indicated he sees little prospect of any meaningful dialogue.
Here, follow MailOnline’s live blog for all the updates on the crisis in Ukraine today:
