Live updates: Agreement in Congress on Russian trade status

The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war: Washington, Mar 8 (AP): Top officials in the US Congress have reached agreement on legislation that would ban Russian oil imports to the US and end Russia's permanent normal trade relation status in response to the intensifying war in Ukrain.

Live updates: Agreement in Congress on Russian trade status

The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war: Washington, Mar 8 (AP): Top officials in the US Congress have reached agreement on legislation that would ban Russian oil imports to the US and end Russia's permanent normal trade relation status in response to the intensifying war in Ukraine.

That's according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private deliberations in Congress on Monday.

Voting could come swiftly but no schedule has been set.

____ UNITED NATIONS — Calling what's happening to the 7.5 million children of Ukraine “a moral outrage,” the head of the UN children's agency urged the UN Security Council to remind all parties of their legal obligation to protect youngsters and spare them from attack.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told a council meeting Monday that at least 27 children have been killed and 42 injured since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to the UN human rights office, and “countless more have been severely traumatized.” ____ UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations is unable to meet the needs of millions of civilians caught in conflict in Ukraine today and is urging safe passage for people to go “in the direction they choose” and for humanitarian supplies to get to areas of hostilities, according to the UN humanitarian chief.

Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths told a UN Security Council meeting Monday that his office has sent a team to Moscow to coordinate with the Russian military to try to scale-up the delivery of humanitarian aid to the level needed.

He said this followed a phone call Friday between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

____ BERLIN — The UN nuclear watchdog says Ukraine has informed it that a new research facility producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial uses has been damaged by shelling in Kharkiv.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the Ukrainian regulator told it that Sunday's incident didn't cause any increase in radiation levels at the site. It said the nuclear material at the facility is “always subcritical” and there is a very low stock of it, so the IAEA's assessment is that the reported damage would have no “radiological consequence.” However, it adds to a string of concerns the Vienna-based IAEA has over nuclear facilities and material in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian regulator said eight of the country's 15 reactors were operating, including two at Zaporizhzhia.

____ NEW YORK — Stoli Group is renaming its Stolichnaya vodka brand as part of a broader effort to distance itself from Russia.

In a news release, Luxembourg-based Stoli Group said the vodka will now be sold and marketed as Stoli.

Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, founded Stoli Group in 1997 but was exiled from Russia four years later and moved production to Latvia.

“More than anything, I wish for Stoli to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine,” Shefler said in a statement.

___ PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he does not expect a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine for weeks.

He said that he has told the Russian leader that a cease-fire must come before any real dialogue, but that President Vladimir Putin has refused, making their regular talks “difficult.” “I don't think that in the days and weeks to come there will be a true negotiated solution,” Macron said at a forum in Poissy, a southwest suburb of Paris, while campaigning for the first time to renew his mandate in April presidential elections.

He said that Putin is making a “historic fault” with his war pitted against Ukrainians, “brothers.” ____ TIRANA, Albania - Albania on Monday strongly denounced the shelling of its consulate in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and called on Russia to stop aggression against Ukraine.

The Albanian Foreign Ministry tweeted photos of the building in Kharkiv where its consulate is seen destroyed after being shelled.

“Albania strongly condemns the #Russian aggression which led to the destruction of the Honorary Consulate of Albania in Kharkiv,” it tweeted, adding that, “Perpetrators must be held accountable! #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine?.” ____ LVIV, Ukraine - Both Russia and Ukraine say they've made a little progress during a third round of talks and Russia's top negotiator says the corridors are expected to start functioning Tuesday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said without elaboration Monday that “there were some small positive shifts regarding logistics of humanitarian corridors” to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities. He said that consultations will continue on ways to negotiate an end to hostilities.

Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, said he expects that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine will finally start functioning Tuesday. He said no progress has been made on a political settlement, but voiced hope that the next round could be more productive. (AP) VN VN

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)