Putin urges Ukrainian army to 'take power' to negotiate peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin says it will be easier for the Kremlin to negotiate peace with the Ukrainian armed forces if they "take power" in the country.

Putin directly addressed the Ukrainian army at a televised meeting with Russia's Security Council on Friday, saying, "Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement."

The president said that the army would be a better negotiating partner than "a bunch of drug addicts and neo-Nazis" who he said have "entrenched themselves in Kiev."

"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," the president added.

Putin said Ukrainian "nationalists" were preparing to deploy multiple rocket launchers to the residential areas of Ukrainian cities, including Kiev and the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Ukraine's leadership are "acting like terrorists all over the world: they are hiding behind people in the hope of then blaming Russia for casualties," Putin said. "It is known for a fact that this is happening on the recommendation of foreign consultants, primarily American advisers," he added.

Kremlin: Putin ready to send delegation for talks with Ukraine

Russia

Earlier on Friday, both Moscow and Kiev said they were ready to engage in peace talks. The Kremlin said it suggested the Belarusian capital of Minsk as the site for peace talks but Kiev had instead proposed Poland's capital, Warsaw.

Ukraine, however, declined Moscow's proposal, saying the site of the negotiations should be Warsaw.

Kiev has gone silent on talks: Kremlin

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, however, said later in the day that Kiev had suddenly cut communications altogether. He said Ukraine had taken quite a long time-out. During that pause, Peskov said, the Ukrainians ordered military units to take positions in the densely-populated areas of the Ukrainian capital.

Putin on Thursday ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine.

In response, the European Union (EU) announced what it called "the harshest package of sanctions" on Moscow, targeting 70 percent of the Russian banking sector and key state-owned companies.

EU adds Putin, Lavrov to sanctions list

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc's foreign ministers had added Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the EU's sanctions list.

"President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov are in the list of sanctioned people together with the remaining members of the Duma who are supporting this aggression," Borrell said on Friday.

Council of Europe suspends Russia

Earlier in the day, the Council of Europe said it was suspending all representatives of Russia from participation in the pan-European rights body.

The council said in a statement that the permanent representatives of its 47 member states had "agreed to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Council of Europe." The decision takes effect immediately.

"Suspension is not a final measure but a temporary one, leaving channels of communication open," the statement added.

Ukraine warns of high levels of radiation at Chernobyl

Ukrainian officials claimed that higher than usual radiation levels had been detected in the area near the old Chernobyl nuclear plant after Russia took control of the site.

The Ukrainian parliament said earlier that data from the automated radiation monitoring system in the Chernobyl exclusion zone indicated gamma radiation levels "have been exceeded at a significant number of observation points."

Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, however, said the levels were "not critical."

Ukraine rues being 'left alone' by West, offers neutrality; Russia calls for surrender

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued for second day, with explosions reported in Kiev as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rued being "left alone" by the West and announced readiness to declare neutrality.

Ukrainian authorities said that they had informed the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that radiation levels had increased in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

The IAEA also said that the radiation level currently "posed no danger."

The IAEA statement said that Ukraine's regulatory authority had said the higher radiation levels "may have been caused by heavy military vehicles stirring up soil still contaminated from the 1986 accident."

In Russia, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also said that levels of radioactivity at the plant were "normal."

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, one of the most radioactive locations on earth, saw an explosion in its fourth reactor in April 1986.

Ukraine's Zelensky says he is in Kiev

In another development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a self-shot video from central Kiev, claiming that he was still in the country, after initial reports suggested he had left the capital.

"We're all here. Our military is here. Citizens in society are here. We're all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way," Zelensky said standing outside the presidency building on Friday.

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