[LIVE] War in Ukraine: follow the latest information

Residential buildings damaged by shelling in the port city of Mariupol in Ukraine.

March 18, 2022. REUTERS - PAVEL KLIMOV

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

On the 24th day of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Saturday March 19, follow the latest information available live.

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► RFI's Russian editorial site broadcasts Ukrainian public radio (in the Ukrainian language) from 

the homepage

.

Article updated regularly, click on this link to refresh.

The main points:

► Russian troops are still trying 

to surround Kiev

.

The area around

Lviv airport

in western Ukraine was hit by Russian "missiles" on Friday morning, according to the city's mayor.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, the Russian army is currently

in the center of Mariupol

.

► During an interview between US President 

Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

, devoted in particular to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese head of state declared that "

 a conflict does not

is in no one's interest 

.

► President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Vladimir Putin.

He expressed 

his "

 extreme concern

 " for Mariupol 

and Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of "

 war crimes 

", particularly in the east of the country.

► 

About 3.27 million

people have already fled Ukraine since the invasion of the Russian army on February 24, according to the UN.

 Nearly 700 civilians have been killed

 since the start of the war, and more than 1,110 others injured, according to the UN.

These figures being very difficult to verify, the UN insists on the fact that its daily balance sheets are probably much lower than the reality.

Times are given in Universal Time (UT)

12:15 a.m.: Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have a long talk on the war in Ukraine

A long-awaited exchange which hardly moved the lines: Joe Biden warned Xi Jinping on Friday of the " 

consequences

 " for China of aid to Russia, while the Chinese president cultivated ambiguity, merely believing that military conflicts were " 

in no one's interest

 ".

Where the United States urges China to distance itself from Russia, official statements from Beijing during and after the exchange between heads of state maintain a certain ambiguity.

To read: War in Ukraine: Joe Biden warns China, Xi Jinping cultivates ambiguity

USA-CHINA/XI REUTERS - HANDOUT

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