LIVE UPDATES ON THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE: PM Modi Meets with Ukraine's President and Expresses India's Willingness to Help in Peace Efforts

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation in Ukraine. He also asked India to increase its political clout in the UN Security Council. "I had a conversation with Prime Minister @narendramodi. Informed on Ukraine's efforts to repel Russian assault. On our territory, there are over 100,000 invaders. They fire on residential structures invisibly. I pleaded with India to lend us political support in the United Nations Security Council. In a tweet, he wrote, "Let's stop the aggressor together!"

According to Ukraine's health minister, Russian forces attacking the pro-Western country have killed 198 civilians so far, including three children.

"Unfortunately, according to operational data, we have 198 dead, including three children, and 1,115 wounded, including 33 children, at the hands of the invaders," Health Minister Viktor Lyashko posted on Facebook.

The military reported early Saturday that Ukrainian soldiers repelled a Russian offensive in the capital, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would try to take Kyiv before daybreak in the confrontation that is increasingly intensifying by the hour.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, killing dozens of people and forcing more than 50,000 people to evacuate the country in less than 48 hours, raising worries of a new Cold War in Europe.

The latest turn of events in Ukraine has 'seriously upset' India, according to India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He urged that all efforts be made to end violence and hostilities immediately, saying that no solution could ever be reached at the expense of human life.

Tirumurti, speaking at a UNSC meeting on Ukraine, said India was also concerned about the welfare and security of the Indian population in Ukraine, which included a big number of Indian students. "The contemporary global order is based on the United Nations Charter, international law, and state sovereignty and territorial integrity. We agreed to the President of the Russian Federation's suggestion. During these hours, the parties are currently disputing the location and timing of the negotiating process. He stated that "the sooner negotiations begin, the higher the chances of returning to normalcy."

Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that condemned Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine "in the harshest terms" and urged an immediate withdrawal of its forces. The motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania, received 11 of the council's 15 votes in favour. China, India, and the United Arab Emirates were the only countries to vote no.

Because of Moscow's veto authority as a permanent member of the council, the resolution was always bound to fail. However, the debate provided an opportunity for member countries to express their displeasure with President Vladimir Putin's decision to begin a full-scale war against Russia's neighbour.

After the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "Let me make one thing plain." "You can veto this resolution, but you can't veto our voices, you can't veto the truth, you can't veto our beliefs, and you can't veto the people of Ukraine."

In the hours leading up to the vote, the wording of the draught document presented to the Security Council was toned down to seek more support. A reference to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which enables members to take armed action to restore peace, was removed, and the phrase "condemns" was substituted with "deplores."

The resolution supported Ukraine's sovereignty and urged Russia to "immediately stop using force against Ukraine." The resolution was eventually co-sponsored by more than 70 countries.

"Make no mistake: Russia is cut off from the rest of the world. "It has no support for the invasion of Ukraine," said Barbara Woodward, Britain's UN ambassador. Prior to the vote, Thomas-Greenfield called Russia's offensive "so audacious, so blatant" that it "threatens our international order as we know it."

"It is our solemn duty not to look aside... "At the very least, we have a responsibility to object," she stated. "If you feel Russia should be held accountable for its conduct, vote yes." If you do not support the charter and connect yourself with Russia's aggressive and unjustified acts, vote no or abstain."

Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow's UN envoy, called the resolution "anti-Russian and anti-Ukrainian." "Competing with the US in terms of the number of invasions carried out is difficult for us." "You have no right to preach," he said.\

Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya of Ukraine conducted a minute of silence in the council chamber, encouraging members to "pray for peace." Nebenzia was also advised to "ask for salvation." "Russia is bent on continuing its Nazi-style course of action," Kyslytsya declared, to rousing applause from the audience.

He had previously posed with a Ukrainian flag and European diplomats in front of Picasso's Guernica tapestry, which hangs outside the council chamber's entrance. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun cited NATO expansion as the reason for his country's abstention, saying, "Russia's legitimate security objectives should be given attention and addressed correctly."

"Soldiers must return to their barracks," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated after the vote.

He called with leaders to "turn to the road of dialogue and peace."

Russia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, would almost certainly face another vote on a similar resolution before the UN General Assembly, which includes all 193 member countries.

Moscow does not have a veto in this case, and the resolution might pass with a large margin, even though it is non-binding.

In 2014, the General Assembly passed a resolution criticising Russia's seizure of Crimea, which received 100 votes in favour.

Moscow had already vetoed a resolution denouncing its activities in Crimea at the UN Security Council. It was endorsed by thirteen countries, with China abstaining.