Russia placed its nuclear arsenal — but also other heavy weapons, such as Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles — on "special" alert, the highest form of combat readiness for these units. President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ministry of Defense to issue the alert on Sunday, citing sanctions and "aggressive statements" from NATO member states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will buy and deliver weapons and equipment to Ukraine in what she said was "a watershed moment" on Sunday evening. More sanctions on top of the ones announced by the bloc on Saturday include "a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft" as well as an EU-wide ban of "the Kremlin's media machine", including RT and Sputnik. Additional sanctions were doled out against the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who von der Leyen said was "complicit with the vicious attack". Meanwhile, the office of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that he agreed to send in a team of negotiators to meet with their Russian counterparts near the border with Belarus after assurances from Minsk. More than 200 civilians were reported dead in the war in Ukraine, a defense official said, as heavy fighting was reported in the country's second-largest city Kharkiv. A regional governor later claimed that the city was back under Ukrainian control. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday that his country would not "capitulate" to Moscow, denouncing the alerting of Russian nuclear deterrents as an attempt at "pressure". "We will not surrender, we will not capitulate, we will not give up a single centimeter of our territory," Kuleba said at a video press conference. "What is happening in Ukraine now is real people's war... We are determined to fight back as long as it is needed to defend our land and our people," the foreign minister added on Twitter. The Kremlin has put its nuclear arsenal on alert, with President Putin citing sanctions as the reason behind the decision as Zelenskyy agreed to have a Ukrainian delegation hold talks with their Russian counterparts at the country's Belarus border. In EU's first, the bloc decided to purchase and deliver weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, while also introducing further sanctions banning the likes of RT and Sputnik in Europe. Also the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Thursday hit 368,000, said UNHCR as air raid sirens are reported to be heard in Kiev, but the capital remains under Ukrainian control. Meanwhile, protests against Russian invasion continue across Europe. Thousands took to the streets on Sunday in countries from Belarus to France to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Belarus, the protests came despite the authoritarian Belarusian government having sided with Moscow. The anti-war rallies spanned at least 12 Belarusian cities, and human rights advocates reported that more than 170 people have been arrested. In the capital Minsk, demonstrators marched in different parts of the city carrying Ukrainian flags. A large pile of flowers kept growing at the building of Ukraine's Embassy. In France, hundreds of people protested in Paris and Nice against the invasion, with Ukrainian flags and those of other eastern European nations hoisted high. Russians opposed to the war joined the crowd in Paris. It was the second day of protests directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin around France, among a string of weekend rallies across Europe. On the famed Promenade des Anglais in Nice — a hub for Ukrainians — hundreds of people chanted slogans against the war Putin is waging and urged NATO nations to protect them from Russian bombs. Protesters carried Ukrainian, Moldovan, Georgian and Chechen flags and banners denouncing Putin. Also, some 66,000 refugees have entered Hungary from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on Thursday, with more than 23,000 entering on Saturday alone, according to the Hungarian police and Hungary's foreign minister. Hungary's government has said it will allow all citizens and legal residents of Ukraine to enter Hungary as refugees, emphasizing that none will be turned away if they can prove legal status in Ukraine. Refugees arriving from Ukraine to the border town of Zahony will be able to continue their journey with a free "solidarity ticket" to any destination in Hungary, Hungarian state railway company MAV wrote in a statement Sunday. Speaking from a border station between Zahony and Chop in Ukraine on Sunday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that his government would send 100,000 liters of gasoline and diesel to Ukrainian authorities for use by paramedics, medical institutions and disaster management. "Hungary has a role to play in humanitarian disaster response and relief," Szijjarto said. Some 28 tons of food aid has also been sent into Ukraine so far, Szijjarto said, adding that Hungary would provide €1 million in aid to Ukraine on Monday. In another development, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the 'needless and bloody war'. The war in Ukraine is a tragedy for both countries, Johnson said in his message to the people of Ukraine and Russia on Sunday. Saying that he is in close contact with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Johnson praised the "fierce bravery and patriotism" of the country and its people. He added that although Russia has shaped Europe's history and culture, the actions of President Putin are "leading to [its] complete isolation [being] shunned by the rest of the international community, hit by immense economic sanctions." Johnson also had a message for Russians and Ukrainians in their native languages, saying in Russian that "I do not believe this war is in your name, it does not have to be this way. This crisis, this tragedy can and must come to an end." "The world needs a free and sovereign Ukraine," he said in Ukrainian. Spain, yet another European country, has announced that it will close its airspace to Russian airlines, following the lead of European countries that have taken similar action in retaliation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Spain will proceed to close the airspace to Russian airlines," the Spanish Ministry of Transport said on Twitter, adding that "following the cooperation guidelines set by the European Union, this measure will affect on flights operated by Russian airlines that use Spanish airspace." Britain's foreign secretary has said she would "absolutely" support the citizens who choose to go to Ukraine to help fight the Russian invasion. "Absolutely, if people want to support that struggle I would support them in doing that," Liz Truss said on Sunday when asked by the BBC whether she would back British people who want to answer the president's call for international volunteers to help defend his country. "The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe," she added. Greece too is sending ammunition, assault rifles and missile launchers to Ukraine in response to a request by Ukraine's government. The military aid was decided at a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and senior defense officials, authorities said on Sunday. A C-130 plane with the equipment has arrived in Poland, and a second one will arrive later, a Defense Ministry official said. Two more planes carrying humanitarian aid such as blankets and food have also left Athens International Airport for Poland, the spokesman said. — Euronews
