Chinese Red Cross Society will soon provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.te Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a statement at a press conference at the fifth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), according to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
Wang Yi said that China considers it important to overcome the crisis by strictly adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, adhering to the principles of indivisibility of security, taking into account the reasonable security concerns of all sides involved, and settling disputes by exclusively peaceful means through dialogue and negotiations, to form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism for the sake of lasting peace in the region.
The Chinese minister noted the need for peace and negotiations. China has done some work in this regard and maintains close communication with all sides, he said.
Thus, on the second day after the start of the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that China “would like Russia and Ukraine to agree on peace as soon as possible.”
Wang Yi said that Beijing is ready to continue to play a constructive role in establishing peace and advancing negotiations, the minister also put forward six proposals to prevent a large humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
According to them, firstly, it is necessary to make efforts to ensure that humanitarian operations comply with the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and also to avoid politicization of humanitarian issues. Secondly, it is necessary to pay attention to all the homeless, both in Ukraine and abroad, as well as to organize work on their accommodation at the proper level. Thirdly, it is necessary to ensure the protection of the civilian population and prevent a secondary humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine. Fourth, efforts must be made to ensure the safe and unhindered operation of humanitarian assistance, including the provision of prompt, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. Fifth, it is necessary to ensure the safety of foreign citizens in Ukraine, to enable them to leave the country safely and to help them return to their homeland.
Sixth, it is necessary to support the coordinating role of the UN in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the work of the UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron continues to rely on diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.
“We will continue to exert diplomatic pressure to stop this war,” Macron said on Monday on the LCI television channel.
“We want to end this war without becoming a belligerent,” the president said.
At the same time, he noted that the French have reason to worry about “military operations in Europe.”
Some 1,067,000 people have left Ukraine for Poland since February 24, the Polish Border Service reported.
“Since February 24, some 1,067,000 people have arrived from Ukraine to Poland. Yesterday, March 6, officers registered a record 142,300 people from Ukraine! Traffic on the border of Poland and Ukraine is growing, today by 07:00 some 42,000 people have arrived,” the Polish Border Guard said on Twitter.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the allocation of the first tranche in the amount of EUR 500 million to help refugees from Ukraine, and announced the decision to grant them the right to reside in the EU for at least a year.
“The EU is providing a first tranche of EUR 500 million to help refugees, and we made sure this week that they get residency rights in the EU for at least a year. Refugees from Ukraine deserve our solidarity and support, and so do the countries that welcome them,” von der Leyen said on Twitter on Saturday.
As many as 432 citizens of Kazakhstan have been evacuated home from Ukraine on board three planes, and the organization of a fourth flight is underway, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
“Three Air Astana flights evacuated 432 people to Kazakhstan as of today. The sending of a fourth evacuation aircraft is being arranged now. The flight will be organized as soon as the necessary number of citizens gather in Katowice, Poland,” it said.
Since the start of the evacuation campaign from Ukraine, Kazakh offices abroad have helped 553 citizens to leave the country, the ministry said.
A number of Kazakhstanis who earlier left Ukraine have decided to stay in the European Union territory, the ministry said.
There were 30 Kazakhstanis in Katowice, and a bus with 30 passengers was about to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border on Saturday. Another nine people were waiting at an evacuation point near Kazakhstan’s honorary consulate in Lviv, ten people in Kyiv, and seven in Kharkiv.
The banking system of Ukraine remains stable and liquid, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kyrylo Shevchenko has said.
“The banking system remains stable and liquid even under martial law. From the beginning of the war until February 28, the volume of household funds in the accounts of the largest banks increased, in particular due to the receipt of salaries,” he said in his video message on Thursday.
According to him, the outflow of deposits is hindered by the availability of noncash transactions and the limited work of banks in a number of regions.
“In addition, banks have a reserve of highly liquid assets to ensure all noncash settlements and settlements on deposits of the population, even in the current difficult conditions,” the governor of the National Bank said.
He said that additional support for banks is the conventional collateral, as well as blank refinancing introduced by the NBU for up to one year.
In addition, the NBU supports banks with cash without restrictions, Shevchenko said.
