Russia under growing international pressure, fighting in northeastern Ukraine

ICC investigation, exclusion from the FIFA World Cup, new financial sanctions: pressure increased on Monday on Russia, which laid down its conditions to end the war in Ukraine, while its forces bombarded Kharkiv , the second largest city in the country. "I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine" since 2014, said International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, wishing to initiate "as soon as possible" investigations on this subject.

Moscow is also on the dock at the UN General Assembly meeting in "emergency extraordinary session". Recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, demilitarization and "denazification" of Ukraine: Vladimir Putin for his part laid down his conditions on Monday for stopping the invasion during an exchange with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron , the current President of the European Union. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which met for the first time in Belarus since the start of the invasion on Thursday, for their part returned for "consultations in their respective capitals", after agreeing to want a "second round" of talks. The Ukrainian presidency had stressed, before their opening, that it would demand "an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of (Russian) troops from Ukrainian territory".

Excluded from the World Cup, Russia banned from sport

Russia has been excluded from the World Cup, a global competition it hosted four years ago. The various selections like the Russian clubs are deprived "until further notice" of any international competition, a joint decision of the International Federation (Fifa) and UEFA, the European Confederation. The latter has also confirmed the termination of its sponsorship contract with the Russian gas giant Gazprom, estimated at 40 million euros annually. Russian clubs engaged in Euroleague (C1) and Eurocup (C2) basketball have for their part been suspended from these two competitions, announced the company which manages these European events.

IN SHORT

The transition period before a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, where a coup d'etat on January 24, was set at three years on Tuesday by national meetings which brought together the "living forces" of the country.

The United States on Monday put the risk of a nuclear confrontation with Russia into perspective, claiming to have seen no "concrete" movement the day after Vladimir Putin's decision to put Moscow's deterrent forces on alert.

The United States decided, in the midst of an open crisis with Russia over Ukraine, to expel twelve members of the Russian diplomatic mission to the UN for "espionage", an action denounced shortly after by Moscow as a "hostile approach".

Several professional footballers playing in Ukraine, including Brazilians, have managed to leave the country, collected in Romania after asking their government for help in the face of the Russian invasion in recent days, announced the Shakhtar Donetsk club.