Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not commit troops to fight in Ukraine if America were to engage in the conflict.

America and the Philippines have a mutual defence treaty which commits both nations to support each other if either country were attacked by an external party.

"I won't commit. If the Americans engage in a war and they're here, why will I send my soldiers? It's not our battle to fight,” said Duterte in a speech on Thursday.

"If the violence spills over and the war somehow gets here, that will be very difficult. For as long as I'm President, I won't send a single soldier of mine to go to war," he added.

After taking office in mid-2016, Duterte has taken steps to strengthen relations with Moscow, while criticising U.S. security policies.

Duterte has met Russian President Vladimir Putin twice in Moscow. In Thursday’s speech he described Mr Putin as a “personal friend" and has in the past reportedly described the Russian leader as his “idol”.

Image source, Getty Images

However, he also made a comparison with the Ukraine conflict with his ‘War on Drugs’, which has seen thousands of drug suspects killed during police operations since starting in 2016.

"Putin is killing civilians there,” said Duterte, "I only killed criminals because of drugs.”

Image source, Getty Images

Australia and Japan have just turned up the sanctions dial on Moscow.

Canberra added Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and 11 banks and government entities to its sanctions list.

"With our recent inclusion of the Central Bank of Russia, Australia has now targeted all Russian Government entities responsible for issuing and managing Russia’s sovereign debt," foreign minister Marise Payne said in a statement., external

Meanwhile, Tokyo has sanctioned, external 15 more Russians and nine organisations, including state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

A Chinese foreign ministry official met with Russia's ambassador to China on Thursday to exchange views on bilateral relations, said news outlet Reuters quoting China's foreign ministry.

Cheng Guoping, Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Affairs at China's foreign ministry, met with Andrey Denisov of Russia and exchanged views on bilateral counter-terrorism and security cooperation, said the report.

The meeting comes amidst fears that Beijing would be receptive to overtures from Russia to provide military aid in its invasion of Ukraine.

The US has warned it would "not hesitate to impose costs” on China if it assists Russia directly with military equipment.

Image source, Getty Images

As we enter the 23rd day of the Russian invasion, here is a quick recap of key developments over the past day:

• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky invoked the fall of the Berlin Wall as he called on German MPs to "tear down" a new type of wall dividing Europe between freedom and oppression
• His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin laid out his demands for a peace deal with Ukraine in a phone call with the Turkish leader
• Russia said it would not put forward a humanitarian resolution for a UN vote on Friday as it had planned, accusing the US of pressuring nations not to support it
• Defence officials in the US and UK say Russian forces have made no recent territorial advances, and may be struggling with morale and logistical problems
• Shells rained down on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, but local forces held their ground
• Local authorities say the south-eastern city of Mariupol remains under heavy assault by Russian forces, but around 30,000 people have managed to flee

• US President Joe Biden is expected to warn his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a call later on Friday that China will face "costs" if they rescue Russia from Western sanctions

With that, this is Jude Sheerin in Washington DC signing off and handing over to my colleagues Yvette Tan, Zubaidah Abduljalil and Frances Mao in Singapore.

Thursday's live coverage was also brought to you by Jessica Murphy, Nathan Williams, Max Matza, Bernd Debusmann and Sam Cabral at BBC locations around the world.

Bernd Debusmann
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

The Javelin is a shoulder-held anti-tank weapon that shoots heat-seeking rockets at targets up to 4km (2.5 miles) away.

It can be controlled by a portable unit that doesn't look much different from a video game console - but can send a metre-long projectile straight through the side or top of an armoured tank.

The very presence of these American-made weapons "causes panic" among Russian troops, the Ukrainian military claims - and it is about to get 2,000 more of them.

Javelin missiles are among the items promised to Ukraine by the US in a new $800m (£608m) military assistance package announced by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Other armaments include drones that can be turned into flying bombs and anti-aircraft weapons that can shoot helicopters from the sky.

Can these weapons help Ukraine turn the tide? Read more.

There's a few interesting tidbits in the latest daily assessment from the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank.

It says, external the southern port city of Mariupol is likely to fall in coming weeks amid a sustained Russian assault.

ISW analysis finds that Russian forces made no major territorial progress on Thursday, concurring with US and UK intelligence assessments.

But ISW concludes the "total destruction" of Mariupol and increased targeting of its residential areas may lead to its capitulation or eventual capture.

The think tank also says Ukrainian forces on Thursday appear to have inflicted heavy damage on Russian forces around Kyiv, and repelled Russian operations in the Kharkiv region.

It notes, too, that Ukraine's air defence continues to be effective, having shot down 10 Russian aircraft on Wednesday alone.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia may have expended nearly its entire store of precision cruise missiles in the first 20 days of its invasion.

Meanwhile, low morale is being reported among Syrian recruits, including several cases of self-mutilation to avoid fighting.

Many mercenaries see deployment to the region as a chance to desert and migrate to the EU, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent

Mariupol is now a symbol of suffering, a city where people are starving and freezing, where there’s not enough calm to bury all the dead.

Local officials say 90% of this southern port city is now smashed – including its elegant white theatre destroyed last night.

Rescuers are pulling survivors from the wreckage. The theatre’s solid underground bunker protected the hundreds, mainly women and children, who sheltered there.

Today brought respite for some, who have managed to flee the city, including Svitlana.

She says - with no gas, water or electricity - she has been cooking outside and sleeping in several layers of clothes, but whole blocks of flats have helped each other.

"And take into account that at night we were being constantly shelled it meant we had to sleep on the floor in the corridor," she adds.

Some 30,000 people have managed to flee. But some 350,000 are said to still be stuck in a city firmly in Moscow’s sights.

Mariupol matters because it sits in a coastal corridor between two regions of Ukraine already under Russia’s sway. A Ukrainian defence adviser I spoke to said he fears the worst is to come.

Image source, Facebook/ Zelensky

Germany is "looking for a new path" away from Russia, President Volodymr Zelensky has said in his latest nightly Facebook address.

He said his speech to German lawmakers on Thursday was delivered "not just as President, but as a Ukrainian citizen. As a European.

"As someone who has felt for many years that the German state seems to have fenced itself off us with a wall. Invisible yet solid wall."

In that speech, he called on Germans to do more to tear down a new type of Berlin Wall that he said now divided freedom from oppression.

The speech was uncomfortable listening for many MPs as Zelensky criticised German energy policy and business interests for contributing to that wall of division.

In Thursday night's address to Ukrainians, he said: "We have seen Germany fight for the economy for decades.

"For new Russian gas pipelines and old European dreams. Dreams of some kind of co-operation that Russia has not taken seriously for a long time."

"We see that the views of the Germans are changing," he continued. "And this is very important. We see Germany looking for a new path."

Since the end of the Cold War, Germany has tried to use trade, business and energy links to integrate a peaceful Russia into the West.

But the invasion has ended those hopes, and triggered Germany to urgently look for trade opportunities in other regions.

Emma Vardy
Ireland Correspondent

Image source, Andy Shaw

A man from Northern Ireland says he's travelled to help defend Ukraine after the bombing of a children's hospital.

Andy Shaw, from Portstewart, says he was one of 10 people he knew of from the country who has travelled to fight in the conflict.

He registered with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, but says he was prepared to do "whatever is required", helping with first aid and transport.

"I just had to go and do something," the former Royal Air Force (RAF) man tells the BBC from near the Ukrainian border.

"There's a lot of people headed this way, some of my friends are already here.

"Some of those from Northern Ireland I worked with before in the air force, there's former medics, soldiers who've been on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Same as me, they felt they couldn't just sit there and do nothing," he adds.

The veterans' presence in Ukraine comes despite the government issuing stark warnings against going to fight there.

Read more about the UK volunteers fighting in Ukraine here.

Sarah Smith
North America Editor

Image source, Getty Images

Biden says that he believes the war in Ukraine represents a genuine struggle between autocracy and democracy, and that Xi does not believe democracies can be sustained in the 21st Century.

That illustrates the ideological gulf between the two men who will discuss China's stance on Russia's invasion in a phone call on Friday.

So far, the US has said that China has a responsibility to "use its influence on President Putin to defend international rules and principles".

American officials think Xi is one of the few world leaders who might carry some influence with Vladimir Putin.

But he has so far refused to condemn Russia's aggression and America is very concerned that China might help Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.

Biden will threaten to impose heavy costs on China if it does assist Russia either financially or militarily - though the White House will not detail publicly what those penalties might be.

Image source, Getty Images

Russian forces are struggling to maintain their offensive in Ukraine, according to the latest intelligence assessment from the UK Ministry of Defence.

"Logistical problems continue to beset Russia's faltering invasion of Ukraine," the report says.

Soldiers have not been able to effectively resupply their forward troops with "basic essentials such as food and fuel," due to their limited mobility and lack of air superiority.

"Incessant Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russia to divert large numbers of troops to defend their own supply lines. This is severely limiting Russia's offensive potential."

The report echoes the US assessment earlier on Thursday, which said that Russia's troop are "frozen around the country".

John Simpson
World Affairs Editor

Image source, Reuters

Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.

On Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin rang the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and told him what Russia's precise demands were for a peace deal with Ukraine.

Within half an hour of the ending of the phone call, I interviewed Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Kalin was part of the small group of officials who had listened in on the call.

The Russian demands fall into two categories.

Read more from Simpson's interview here

Ukraine's ambassador to the US says countries that have not spoken out against the Russian invasion or have stayed neutral "should do everything possible to end this war".

Speaking to the BBC, Oksana Markarova lauded the "heroic defence" of Ukraine, adding: "The rockets are still falling on our heads."

Irish rocker Bono marked St Patrick's Day with a poem for Ukraine, inspired by the famous legend of Saint Patrick, who drove the "snakes" out of Ireland.

The lines of verse were read out loud on Thursday by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Friends of Ireland congressional lunch.

"Whether we're in Ireland or wherever, Bono has been a very Irish part of our lives," Pelosi explained.

Image source, Getty Images

Beijing's representative to the United Nations has said the use of sanctions against Russia during a sluggish global economic recovery is a mistake.

"Facts have proven that wanting use of sanctions will not solve any problem but will instead create new problems," Zhang Jun told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Zhang warned the measures - which many Western countries continue to escalate - will exacerbate food and energy crises and damage livelihoods, particularly in developing countries.

He also reiterated to other UN member countries that China shares the international community's goal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

"We also hope that all parties will do more to facilitate peace talks and not to add fuel to the fire," Zhang said.

US officials say Russia has asked China for military and financial assistance and Beijing has expressed openness.

Image source, Getty Images

The US House of Representatives has voted to remove Russia and Belarus from the so-called "most favoured nation" trade agreement, which offers countries privileges such as lower tariffs on imported goods.

Stripping Russia of the status would clear the way for higher tariffs on key products it sells, including mineral fuels, fertilisers and metals.

The Democratic-controlled House - the lower chamber of Congress - voted 424 to 8 in favour of revoking the trade privileges of both countries in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Senate - the upper chamber - is expected to quickly approve the legislation.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said: "To date, both parties, Democrat and Republican, remain united in sending Putin a clear message: his inhumane violence against the Ukrainian people will come at a crippling price, and today's step by the House is another way we are making that come true."

Felin Gakwaya
BBC News, Burundi

Image source, A Nimpagaritse

A subsistence farmer in Burundi, who used to be a refugee, is donating 100kg (220lb) of his maize crop to those fleeing violence in Ukraine.

“As a former refugee myself, I thought of offering some help. I am a peasant farmer, I don’t have much to give but I have a loving heart,” Adrien Nimpagaritse told the BBC.

“Looking at the pictures, I saw women and children dying. I don’t have a voice to contribute in bringing solution to the conflict, but I can donate some of what I have cultivated as a token of love.”

Nimpagaritse, 30, was a four-year-old orphan when he fled to Tanzania during a wave of ethnic violence in 1996.

He grew up in the Mutenderi refugee camp, where he attended school, only returning home to Burundi 11 years later in 2007, aged about 15.

“I saw what being a refugee is like - we could hardly find anything to eat,” he said.

“If somebody, a neighbour, offered you just a cassava leaf and water you’d greatly appreciate it.”

Image source, A Nimpagaritse

A Ukrainian mother who fled to the UK with her five-year-old daughter has described how part of her "dies in agony" every day as she watches horrors unfolding in her home country.

Anastaysia Manina sought refuge with her Ukrainian-born mother, who lives in Hull, north-east England, following the Russian invasion.

On Thursday she received a standing ovation as she made an emotional speech at a Hull City Council meeting.

She told councillors: "My heart is breaking every day."

Manina and her daughter left Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine on 24 February after waking up to the sounds of shelling as Russia launched its offensive.

She said: "Ukrainian people are extremely brave. They are well-educated, they fight furiously for their independence and they will proceed in fighting whatever it takes."

Read more here.

Nada Tawfik
BBC News, New York

Image source, Getty Images

Humanitarian briefings are always sobering but an important reminder of the magnitude of suffering in Ukraine.

According to UN officials, there have been 1,900 civilian casualties over the last three weeks of this war, with 726 people killed, 52 of them children. The WHO has verified 43 attacks on healthcare facilities as fighting escalates.

This latest meeting comes as Western nations and Russia have proposed competing humanitarian resolutions. Moscow's draft, among other things, calls for the protection of women and children and condemns indiscriminate shelling in Ukraine.

The move was denounced during the council meeting by western leaders, including the UK Ambassador to the UN Dame Barbara Woodward who called it "cynical game playing" by Russia, the aggressor, in "the face of human suffering". She pointed to their actions in Mariupol, targeting a theatre where more than 1,000 civilians were sheltering despite the word children written on the ground in Russian.

The US representative Linda Thomas Greenfield said Russia would be held accountable for its atrocities, telling President Putin, "stop the killings".

Western nations have used these briefings from top UN officials to authoritatively refute Russia’s disinformation. Once again, Moscow’s Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia repeated numerous unsupported claims during the meeting, including that Ukraine was using its citizens as human shields.

The ambassador also accused the United States of pressuring nations not to support its draft, and announced Russia would no longer ask for a vote on its resolution. Diplomats do not believe Moscow would have received the nine votes necessary for passage.

France and Mexico have proposed their own humanitarian draft, which they plan to take right to the 193-member UN General Assembly for a vote.

An American citizen has been killed in Ukraine following reports of a “heavy artillery attack” from Russian forces in Chernihiv, the State Department said.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine on March 17,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”

The man has been named as James Whitney Hill, who was killed by heavy artillery attacks on unarmed civilians in the city, the New York Times reports.

Hill travelled to Ukraine in December with his Ukrainian partner so she could be treated at a local hospital for multiple sclerosis.

In recent weeks Hill had been writing about the deteriorating situation.

"Each day people are killed trying to escape. But bombs falling here at night. Risk either way," he wrote on Facebook.

"I only have wifi a few hours a day. We have enough food for a few days."