Putin denies martial law is coming, warns against no-fly zone; Zelenskyy talks with Biden

President Vladimir Putin was "forced to deny reports" that his government will impose martial law in order to stamp out Russian dissent against the war in Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defence Ministry.

Putin made the denial at an event in Moscow on Saturday local time. Rumors of impending martial law have swirled in Russia for days as the Kremlin tries to control opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Putin on Friday approved changes to Russian law that impose prison sentences of up to 15 years for "fake" news about the war in Ukraine.

"These steps likely reveal the extent of Russia's concern over how the conflict in Ukraine has unfolded and its desire to hide this from the Russian population," the U.K. ministry said in a Saturday intelligence update.

Demonstrators have protested the war in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia despite the threat of arrest or worse.

British newspaper the Guardian reported late last week that a bill was introduced in Russia's legislature, the State Duma, that would forcibly conscript opposition protesters to fight in eastern Ukraine.

—Ted Kemp

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday evening Washington time, the White House said.

On Twitter, Zelenskyy referred to the conversation as part of a "constant dialogue."

"The agenda included the issues of security, financial support for Ukraine and the continuation of sanctions against Russia," the Ukrainian president said.

Biden initiated the call, the White House said.

Also on Saturday local time, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, briefly met at the Ukraine-Poland border to discuss Western efforts to support Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the country.

The pair of top diplomats discussed supplying additional weapons to Ukraine and efforts to impose sanctions on Russia to further isolate the country and damage its economy.

—Ted Kemp and Annie Palmer

Visa and Mastercard on Saturday said they will suspend all operations in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine. The move came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an impassioned plea during a Zoom call with American lawmakers to restrict the companies' credit card access in Russia.

Visa said effective immediately it will work to cease all Visa transactions within Russia in the coming days. Afterward, the company said, all transactions initiated with Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside the country and any Visa cards issued by financial institutions outside of Russia won't work within the Russian Federation.

"We are compelled to act following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed," Al Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer of Visa, said in a statement. "This war and the ongoing threat to peace and stability demand we respond in line with our values."

Mastercard said it would suspend its network services in Russia. Cards issued by Russian banks won't be supported by the Mastercard network, and Mastercard cards issued outside of the country will not work at Russian merchants or ATMs, the company said in a statement.

"As we take this step, we join with so many others in hoping for and committing to a more positive, productive and peaceful future for us all," the company said.

Russia's largest lender, Sberbank Rossii PAO, said the moves announced by Visa and Mastercard would not affect users of the cards it issues in Russia, Reuters reported, citing the Tass news agency.

"These decisions will not affect Sberbank's Visa and Mastercards inside the country," the Russian news agency quoted the bank as saying, Reuters said.

  — Terri Cullen

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged citizens of his country to "go on the offensive" against invading Russian troops.

"Every meter of our Ukrainian land won by protest and humiliation of the invaders is a step forward, a step towards victory for our entire state," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram. "This is a chance to live."

"Ukrainians! In all our cities where the enemy entered. Feel it. Go on the offensive," he added.

Zelenskyy praised the heroism of residents in Kherson, a port city in southern Ukraine that was taken by Russian forces this week. On Saturday, residents gathered to protest the Russian occupation as gunfire rang out, according to one video posted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Zelenskyy also addressed people in the rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, located in southeastern Ukraine. He urged them to fight for Ukraine and reject Russian propaganda.

"Look what Russia has done," Zelenskyy said. "It did it right in front of your eyes. Protect yourself! Otherwise, it will take your life, too."

— Annie Palmer

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, briefly met at the Ukraine-Poland border to discuss Western efforts to support Ukraine amid Russian attacks.

Blinken and Kuleba met at the Korczowa border crossing in Poland, against a backdrop where numerous Ukrainian refugees were being escorted by Polish authorities. The two walked together across the boundary into Ukraine. Kuleba thanked Blinken for "coming here to Ukraine, literally."

The pair discussed supplying additional weapons to Ukraine and efforts to impose sanctions on Russia to further isolate the country and severely damage its economy.

Kuleba asked for the U.S. to supply fighter jets and air defense systems to his country, adding that Stinger anti-aircraft missiles have helped. He also urged Blinken to help establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine — a move NATO has so far rejected.

"Ukraine will win this war anyway, because this is the people's war for their land, and we defend the right cause," Kuleba said. "The question is the price, the price of our victory. And if our partners continue to take bold, systemic decisions to step up economic and political pressure on Ukraine, if they continue to provide us with necessary weapons, the price will be lower."

Blinken reiterated American support for Ukraine. When asked if the U.S. plans to supply Ukraine with additional aircraft, he said the U.S. is "talking about and working on everything."

"And as to the pressure on Russia, not only is it unprecedented, not only is it producing very, very concrete results in Russia, but that pressure too will not only continue – it will grow until this war, this war of choice, is brought to an end," Blinken said.

— Annie Palmer

Shell defended its decision this week to purchase a cargo of Russian oil, saying it was in "intense talks with governments" and would "commit profits" from the oil to a dedicated fund.

"We will continue to choose alternatives to Russian oil wherever possible, but this cannot happen overnight because of how significant Russia is to global supply," the company said in a statement. "We have been in intense talks with governments and continue to follow their guidance around this issue of security of supply, and are acutely aware we have to navigate this dilemma with the utmost care."

The company didn't specify the administrations with which it was speaking.

Shell on Friday purchased a cargo of Urals crude oil from Trafigura at a record discount, according to several reports. But the company faced harsh criticism. Ukraine's minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, called on multinational companies to cut all business ties with Russia.

"One question to Shell: doesn't Russian oil smell Ukrainian blood for you?" Kuleba said in a tweet.

In its response, Shell said the company understands "the strength of feeling" regarding the purchase.

"We welcome any direction or insights from governments and policymakers as we try to keep Europe moving and in business," the company said.

Shell earlier in the week said it would end its "equity partnership" with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company. The company said it's selling a 27.5% stake in Sakhalin-II, an integrated oil and gas project located on Sakhalin island in Russia, as well as a 50% interest in Salym Petroleum Development NV.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold a third round of talks on Monday, according to the Ukrainian negotiator engaged in the talks.

David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian politician, made the announcement in a Facebook post on Saturday. Arakhamia did not provide further details. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed such a meeting.

 — Amanda Macias

Airbnb has accepted nearly $2 million in bookings in Ukraine from customers who have no plans to stay at the locations but who want to raise funds for hosts in need.

CEO Brian Chesky announced Friday afternoon on Twitter that 61,406 nights were booked in Ukraine from March 2 to March 3. The company said in a blog post that more than 34,000 of those bookings were made by U.S. guests. The company removed listings in the Donbas region.

Airbnb also said it's waiving service fees on bookings in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian bookings are a grassroots movement. It comes after Airbnb announced a handful of measures it's taking to support Ukrainians after Russian troops began an invasion of the country.

The company earlier this week said it would suspend operations in Russia and Belarus. It's also providing free short-term housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

The International Monetary Fund said it expects to bring Ukraine's $1.4 billion emergency financing request to its board for approval as early as next week.

The organization said in a press release that the war in Ukraine has already driven up wheat and grain prices, pushed more than 1 million refugees to flee, and triggered sanctions on Russia that "will also have a substantial impact on the global economy and financial markets."

In addition to the human toll in Ukraine, the IMF called the economic damage "substantial." Seaports and airports are closed and damaged, while roads and bridges have been harmed or destroyed.

"While it is very difficult to assess financing needs precisely at this stage, it is already clear that Ukraine will face significant recovery and reconstruction costs," the agency said.

—Jessica Bursztynsky

Volunteers and team members carry humanitarian aid packages that arrived from Lviv, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

— Adam Jeffery

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it has spoken with Ukrainian leadership, and has been told that the country's regulators are in contact with staff at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Two out of six reactors at the plant are now operating, the United Nations' IAEA said. Technical safety systems are intact and radiation levels remain normal at the Zaporizhzhia plant, the agency added.

Russian military forces on Friday took control of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, after a night of intense shelling that set a building on fire at the complex. The attack prompted widespread criticism, including from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, which called the assault a war crime.

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency previously confirmed there had been no release of radioactive material at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after the attack.

— Annie Palmer

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy asked U.S. lawmakers in a Zoom call to impose a no-fly zone in his nation, ban Russian oil imports, and impose sanctions that would cut Russia off from using Visa and Mastercard, according to NBC News.

Zelenskyy's plea for action, described by multiple sources on the call to NBC News, came during a bipartisan Zoom meeting with more than 300 lawmakers and staff.

If establishing a no-fly zone wasn't possible, Zelenskyy asked for at least a ban on Russian-made aircraft.

Ukrainian officials and citizens have been calling on global leaders to take tougher steps against Russia following its invasion of the country.

Zelenskyy has been pressuring NATO to implement a no-fly zone, which would likely mark a major escalation in the war. The organization denied the request.

Earlier Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would consider any third-party declaration of Ukraine as a no-fly zone as the "participation of that country in the military action."

—Jessica Bursztynsky

Remains of the Russian fighter aircraft are seen in a residential area, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Ukraine.

— Adam Jeffery

Russian officials have detained WNBA All-Star and Olympic champion Brittney Griner at an airport after they allegedly found hashish oil among her possessions, according to The New York Times.

The Russian Federal Customs Service took Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, into custody at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow, the Times reported, citing a statement from the customs service.

"We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA," Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement. "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern."

A State Department spokesperson said the agency is aware of reports of a U.S. citizen arrested in Moscow. The U.S. provides consular services to any American arrested overseas, the spokesperson said.

USA Basketball said in a tweet that it is monitoring the situation.

"Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and wellbeing are our primary concerns," the organization said.

The Women's National Basketball Players Association said in a tweet that it was aware of the situation.

— Annie Palmer

The State Department urged all U.S. citizens in Russia to leave immediately citing potential harassment of Americans by Russian security officials as tensions soar over the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

The State Department said in a level four travel advisory, the highest security alert in the U.S. travel system, that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has limited ability to assist American citizens in Russia.

"U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately.  Limited commercial flight options are still available. Overland routes by car and bus are also still open. If you wish to depart Russia, you should make arrangements on your own as soon as possible," the travel advisory read.

The State Department also warned that Americans in Russia should be aware that some credit and debit cards may be declined as a result of sanctions imposed on Russian banks. 

"Also, there are some reports of cash shortages within Russia. U.S. citizens should make an alternative plan for access to money and finances if remaining in Russia," the advisory added.

 — Amanda Macias

Regional police said six people died, including a child, and four were wounded in a Russian airstrike on this village southwest of Kyiv. Russia is continuing its assault on Ukraine's major cities a week after launching a large-scale invasion of the country.