Russia-Ukraine crisis Highlights: ‘Together with allies, we will protect every inch of NATO,' Biden tells Putin

President Volodymyr Zelenskyyon Tuesday demanded an immediate halt to the Nord Stream 2 project, according to a report by news agency AFP. 

Zelenskyy added that Moscow should be punished for its recognition of Ukraine's two separatist-held regions with "immediate sanctions" that included a complete halt of the project. 

Hitting out at the Russian government, Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kremlin is trying to revive the USS

The Ukrainian government said on Tuesday that it is time for tough sanctions against Russia. 

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that the UK will sanction Russia since the "invasion has begun."

"You can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun," Javid said, referring to Putin's order to send troops to eastern Ukraine.

"We've always preferred dialogue and still continue to do so but it's clear from President Putin's actions that he has chosen confrontation over dialogue," Javid told BBC TV.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that Beijing is concerned about the "worsening" situation in Ukraine as Russia ordered its troops to enter breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. Wang called for all parties to show restraint and resolve differences through dialogue, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Russian foreign ministry said that Moscow needs to first ratify treaties with the breakaway Ukrainian regions before discussing nuances like their exact borders, reported Reuters.

Euro touched a one-week low in Asia trade as Russia decided to recognise two rebel territories of eastern Ukraine as independent regions and ordered troops into breakaway parts. The euro dipped about 0.1% to $1.1297 while the Swiss franc, another safe haven, hit a one-month high.

A special flight of Air India left for Ukraine on Tuesday morning to take back Indian nationals who had registered for safe return. Air India has announced a total of three flights from Ukraine to India for the safe return of Indian nations amid fears of war. Read more…

Sensex plunged by over 1,000 points in the opening session and the blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index fell 1.56% as investors dumped equities across the board due to an escalation in Russia-Ukraine tensions. The S&P BSE Sensex was down 1.62% at 56,750.87, after falling 2% at the open. Read more…

Ukrainian Ambassador to UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said Kyiv wants peace and is committed to a political and diplomatic settlement. Speaking at the emergency UNSC meeting, Kyslytsya said that the entire membership of the UN is under attack by the country that occupied the membership of the Security Council in 1991 bypassing the UN charter.

"We demand Russia to return to the table for negotiations. We condemn the order to deploy additional Russian occupation troops in the territories of Ukraine. We demand the immediate and complete verifiable withdrawal of occupation troops," the ambassador said.

Russia said that it is open to a diplomatic solution on Ukraine but it doesn't intend on allowing a “bloodbath in Donbas”.

“We are forced to note the negative role played by our western colleagues led by the US,” Russia said at the UNSC meeting.

India's Permanent Representative to United Nations, TS Tirumurti, said that the well-being of nationals is of top priority as more than 20,000 Indian students and nationals live in different parts of Ukraine. India called for restraint on all sides, stressing that the issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.

"We need to give space to recent initiatives undertaken by parties which seek to diffuse tensions," Tirumurti said.

The US representative to the UN said that Putin's decision to recognise the rebel territories is clearly the basis of Russia's attempt to create a pretext for the further invasion of Ukraine. 

“Russia's clear attack on Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty is unprovoked. It is an attack on Ukraine's status as a UN member state. It violates basic principles of international law,” the representative said at the UNSC meeting on Ukraine crisis.

The United States has sent its remaining diplomats in Ukraine to Poland 'for security reasons', state secretary Antony Blinken said. As the Ukraine crisis deepens, Blinken said that the department of state personnel, who had been moved from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, will spend the night in Poland.

The UN Security Council emergency meeting called over the Ukraine crisis will now be an 'open' meeting. India will also make a statement, reported news agency ANI.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said “we are not afraid of anyone” after Russia recognised the independence of separatist regions. Zelenskiy accused Moscow of wrecking peace talks and ruled out making any territorial concessions.

Japan will likely join US-led sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin orders an invasion of Ukraine, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. The sanction may include a ban on chip and other key technology exports by the world's No. 3 economy.

UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday night at the request of Kyiv, US, 5 European nations, Mexico, reported Associated Press.