LIVE: Russian-Ukrainian Talks to Begin Early on March 14

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has already exceeded 16 days. So far the parties have held several rounds of negotiations without being able to reach a ceasefire. Below are the main events as they happen.

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March 13

Russian-Ukrainian talks to begin early on March 14 - Ukrainian delegation’s member

Another round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will start on Monday morning in an on-line format, David Arakhamiya, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, told Strana news website.

"Tomorrow, March 14, talks will be held via video link-up starting at 10:30," Arakhamiya, who is the head of the country’s ruling parliamentary faction ‘Servant of the People,’ said without clarifying the time zone.

Ukraine has been using controversial Clearview AI's facial recognition during the conflict

Ukraine’s defense ministry has been using Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology, the company’s chief executive told the Reuters news agency, after the U.S. based company offered to uncover Russian combatants.

Critics point out that the use of this technology could lead to false positives and be in violation of the Geneva Convention. The company is currently fighting massive lawsuits in the United States after being accused of violating privacy rights by taking images from the web.

Countries like Italy (which has fined the company 20 million dollars for breaking its laws) and Canada have accused it of "unlawful data collection".

ICRC says ready to promote dialogue on evacuation of civilians from Mariupol

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday it is ready to promote dialogue between the opposing parties on the save evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.

"We call on all parties involved in the fighting to place humanitarian imperatives first," ICRC President Peter Maurer stressed.

The ICRC noted that hundreds of thousands of people in Mariupol are facing dramatic shortages of necessities, including food, water and medicines. ‘To alleviate this misery and prevent further tragedy, a concrete, precise, actionable agreement is needed without delay so that civilians who wish to leave can reach safety, and for life-saving aid to reach those who cannot leave or who wish to stay," it stressed.

"All those participating in the fighting need to agree to the modalities and timing of a ceasefire, the precise locations of the safe passage route, and then ensure that the agreement is respected," the ICRC said. "The parties would also need to clear roads of any obstacle preventing safe passage. The ICRC stands ready to act as a neutral intermediary to facilitate dialogue on such humanitarian issues."

The EU-G7 sanctions against Russia will be approved on Monday. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) will stop granting Russia the status of "Most Favored Nation."

This new sanction and other measures were analyzed and agreed at Versailles on Friday with representatives from the Group of Seven (G7), which comprises Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Russia eliminates 180 mercenaries in attack near Lviv. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that some 180 mercenaries were killed in the attack on the Yavoriv military training center in Lviv, near the Polish border.

"The Kiev regime established training coordination centers for foreign mercenaries before they were deployed to combat areas," he said, adding that the destroyed facilities also housed weapons and military equipment shipped from other Western countries.

Bermuda prohibits Russian planes from flying over or landing on its territory. The Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) suspended the certificates of some 740 aircraft of Russian air operators. Previously, on March 9, the British Government introduced a new sanctions package that strengthens London's authority to detain and expel any Russian aircraft. 

"Once implemented, the UK sanctions are applicable to Bermuda as an overseas territory," the local Prime Minister David Burt said.

Nearly half of Russia's reserves have been frozen so far. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov denounced that roughly US$640 billion of gold and foreign currency reserves has been frozen. Still, the country's capital reserves have made it possible for banks under severe restrictions to function.

"Of course, we have enough money to ensure the production of vital goods. The Central Bank will provide the necessary liquidity to the financial system," he said, stressing that Russia has been greeted with an onslaught of Western economic sanctions since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine last month.

Czech government sent military aid to Ukraine for over $30 million. Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova stated that her country has sent ammunition, machine guns, anti-aircraft defenses and medical supplies to Ukraine for some 29 million euros in recent weeks.

She also said that her government will send more material but did not offer details about the shipment. Earlier, the Czech government announced that it would increase its defense budget from 1.4 to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) until 2025.

Putin-Zelensky meeting depends on the expected results. Although the Kremlin did not rule out a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, it conditioned the high-level encounter to the setting of a concrete agenda.

“We have repeatedly said that no one excludes the possibility of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky. However, we need to understand what the outcome of this meeting should be and what issues will be discussed... For this, work at the level of the delegations is underway... It is still too early to talk about the results,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Over 2.6 million Ukrainians have sought refuge outside the country. In his latest report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stated that 2,698,280 Ukrainian refugees were residing outside their country as a result of the conflict. He also anticipates that over four million people might leave the country in the coming weeks.

Lviv Mayor says Russia attacked a Ukrainian military base. Russian troops caused 35 deaths and 134 wounded during the attack on Yavoriv, ​​a Ukrainian military base where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) usually conducts joint military exercises between Ukrainian forces. So far, however, the Kremlin has not confirmed this operation.

Ukraine continues to bomb Lugansk. The Ukrainian military shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) three times on March 12, according to the LPR office within the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire Regime (CCCC).

The shelling in the city of Irmino destroyed a residential building and damaged three houses, a building, a school, and a medium-pressure gas pipeline, as reported by TASS.