Ukraine prez calls for immediate ceasefire, Macron dials Putin

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern part of the country, where clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces intensified in recent days.He also said Ukraine supports peace talks within the Trilateral Contact Group, where Ukraine participates along with Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE).

“Ukraine wants peace. Europe wants peace. The world says it doesn't want to fight, and Russia says it doesn't want to attack. Someone is lying. This is not an axiom, but it is no longer a hypothesis.”

Full Speech by @ZelenskyyUa at #MSC2022 https://t.co/VJ8zRxPHL8

— Olga Dibrova (@OlgaDibrova1) February 20, 2022

Meanwhile,US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said everything that's happening on the ground in Ukraine, including the announcement of an extension of military exercises by Russia and Belarus, suggest the world is on the brink of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Blinken, however, added that the United States was committed until the last minute to using every opportunity to see if diplomacy can dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from going ahead with an invasion.

Last-ditch diplomatic efforts were underway on Sunday to prevent what Western powers warn could be the imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine and a catastrophic European war. French President Emmanuel Macron was to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as ceasefire monitors and Ukrainian commanders reported intense shelling in eastern Ukraine. Sunday's call, Macron's office said, represented "the last possible and necessary effort to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine".

Amid continued high levels of tensions and uncertainties in Ukraine, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Sunday issued an advisory to all Indian nationals, asking them to leave Ukraine temporarily. "Indian students are advised to get in touch with respective student contractors for updates on charter flights, and also continue to follow Embassy Facebook, website and Twitter for any updates," it added.