Ukraine war: UK, US & European nations sign joint statement to bolster Kyiv's air defence

In a significant development concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine, the UK, the US and several key European nations signed a joint statement extending their support to the former soviet state ravaged by the Russian aggression. The development comes as the Russia-Ukraine war entered the 26th day on Monday with intense shelling and bombarding reported in key cities of Ukraine. Earlier in the day, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk took to Twitter and announced that the joint statement comes in a bid to bolster Ukraine's air defence.

Taking to Twitter, Stefanchuk wrote, "Today, Chechia, Estonia, Poland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S. have signed a joint statement “On the urgent necessity to upgrade Ukraine air-defence”. Genuinely grateful for support in this challenging time."

Lavrov asserts Russia is ready to survive the West's sanctions

Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has affirmed that Moscow has the capability to survive the sanctions imposed by the West and other countries. He stated that Russia will rely on itself and its allies who are still supporting Moscow after their initiation of a special military operation against Ukraine. 

Lavrov said, "Russia will survive the sanctions. The main conclusion for us in the context of geopolitics is that there is no more illusion of relying on the West. We can rely only on ourselves and on our allies who would stay with us."

Meanwhile, China's ambassador to Washington has said that the Xi Jinping-led government "will do everything" possible to de-escalate the tensions between Kremlin and Kyiv. According to FT, He added that the condemnation of Russia's attack on its neighbouring country "doesn't solve the problem." Besides, the Asian country has also pledged to deploy an additional 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

Moreover, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated that there will be no ceasefire during the negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. The fifth round of virtual talks is likely to take place on Monday, as per the Ukrayinska Pravda media outlet. This comes at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling upon Russian President Vladimir Putin for "peace talks."