UN gives $20m to scale up aid to Kyiv

UNITED NATIONS－The United Nations announced on Thursday it is immediately allocating $20 million to scale up UN humanitarian operations in Ukraine.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said the $20 million from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund will support emergency operations along the contact line in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk and in other areas of the country, and will "help with healthcare, shelter, food, and water and sanitation to the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict".

David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, expressed deep concern at the potential impact of the conflict on access to food for civilians in conflict areas.

Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital as Russian forces pressed their advance into Kyiv on Friday.

China has called for restraint and is encouraging every effort to find political and diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine crisis.

On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would continue to promote the political settlement of the crisis.

Noting the door of peaceful settlement of the conflict has not been completely shut, Wang said China hopes all parties stay calm and rational, act on the principles of the UN Charter and solve relevant problems through peaceful negotiations.

The spokesman said what Beijing did constitute a sharp contrast to Washington's behavior of creating a crisis and gaining interests from the crisis, adding that history would draw a fair conclusion in which move was more conducive to European long-term stability and security.

China's embassy in Ukraine has announced the organization of charter flights to evacuate Chinese nationals in Ukraine.

The embassy on Friday launched a process on its website to collect information of those wanting to leave, saying that the registration window would close on Sunday.

"The flight time will be confirmed according to the safety situation of the flights, and will be notified in advance," the embassy said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after a summit of EU leaders on Friday that it was useful to keep alive the chance of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Macron said that "while condemning, while sanctioning" it remained useful "to leave this path open so that the day when the conditions can be fulfilled, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities".

Zhao Jia in Beijing contributed to this story.

Agencies Via Xinhua