HNewsWire-Jake Sullivan told CNN that the US has been "communicating directly, privately to Beijing that there will undoubtedly be repercussions for large-scale sanctions evasion activities or assistance to Russia to back-fill them" ahead of his Monday meeting with senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome.

In the aftermath of the meeting, a senior Biden administration official was quoted in various stories as citing Washington's "serious concerns" voiced directly during the protracted 7-hour discussion:

"It was a rigorous seven-hour session reflecting the seriousness of the situation as well as our commitment to keeping open channels of communication," the source said, calling the discussion "candid" and "straight."

The person refused to comment on whether the US has knowledge that China is giving or is willing to provide Moscow with financial and military aid, but Sullivan did express worries about the "possible ramifications and repercussions of certain acts."

Update(1340ET): A new FT article Monday adds to the Sunday "discovery" - or, at the at least, Biden administration "official leaks" - saying that Russia has publicly sought military aid from China in the midst of the Ukraine invasion. According to unidentified US officials, Moscow has sought military equipment and weaponry, including drones, in addition to economic support. The Chinese embassy in the United States swiftly denied any knowledge of such a request.

According to the latest FT article, confidential "cables" delivered by the US State Department to allies in Europe and Asia did not mention whether China had signaled that it might aid Russia in the future or whether it had already begun giving military support. They also did not specify when in the war Beijing looked willing to lend assistance."

Despite what seem to be imprecise allegations and few proof, a US military source cautioned China of major "consequences" if it offers help to Russia in the latest FT piece:

"If China chooses to materially back Russia in this battle, there will very certainly be repercussions for China," the military source said.

Beijing has released a fresh statement in response to the new, somewhat more thorough reporting on the charges, and as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan talks with his Chinese colleague, Yang Jiechi, in Rome on Monday.

According to China's foreign ministry, it has the "right" to "protect" its legitimate interests.

Furthermore, the State Department has corroborated what are now public claims of the Russian proposal to Beijing:

SULLIVAN HAS RAISED DIRECTLY AND VERY CLEARLY OUR CONCERNS ABOUT CHINA'S SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA IN THE FACE OF THE INVASION, SAYS THE US STATE DEPARTMENT.
THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT SAYS THE UNITED STATES HAS COMMUNICATED VERY CLEARLY TO BEIJING THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT STAND BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION. OFFICIAL SAYS THE US HAS "DEEP CONCERNS" ABOUT CHINA'S ALIGNMENT WITH RUSSIA AT THIS TIME THE US WILL NOT COMMENT ON WHETHER CHINA IS ASSISTING RUSSIA. THE UNITED STATES IS CONCERNED ABOUT NORTH KOREA'S ESCALATORY ACTIONS

Update (10:45 ET): Following largely positive weekend evaluations of how Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks are progressing, the fourth session of discussions has been called to a "halt" after more than five hours of deliberations.

Ukraine's lead negotiator dubbed it a "technical break" until the scheduled restart on Tuesday, but said "negotiations continue." During Monday's discussions, President Zelensky indicated separately that he intends to deliver a virtual speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, beginning in the morning (US time). It will be his second joint speech to both the House and Senate since the conflict began on February 24.

Zelensky is anticipated to continue his requests for a no-fly zone enforced by the West, as well as a plea for additional weaponry and planes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to House and Senate members:

"The people of Ukraine have shown amazing bravery, tenacity, and determination in the face of Russia's unjustified, cruel, and unlawful attack," the Congress, our country, and the rest of the world said.

According to Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, the message will be something along the lines of "Help Ukraine push Putin into failure, and you will prevent a broader conflict."

This is because Western leaders and, without a doubt, a large portion of the population are growing concerned about a WW3 scenario. The Biden administration has declared unequivocally that a no-fly zone would result in "US aircraft firing at Russian airplanes." It would instantly plunge the United States and Russia into a state of war. "To people overseas who are afraid of being "dragged into WWIII." Ukraine effectively fights back. We need your assistance in fighting. Please provide us with all of the required weaponry. Apply further sanctions on Russia and completely isolate it. You may prevent a greater conflict by assisting Ukraine in forcing Putin to fail "Monday, Kuleba tweeted.

Meanwhile, here are some of the most recent news from the previous hour:

SOURCE: EU TO IMPOSE NEW SANCTIONS ON ROSNEFT, TRANSNEFT, GAZPROM NEFT, BLOCKING INVESTMENTS IN FOSSIL FUELS EU GOVERNMENTS PRESSED TO ADJUST SANCTIONS TO ENSURE THE EU CAN BUY OIL FROM RUSSIAN OIL COMPANIES - SOURCE
RUSSIA THREATENS TO BAN YOUTUBE IF GOOGLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO ITS REQUEST TO LIFT THE BAN ON ITS YOUTUBE MEDIA CHANNELS UKRAINE ARMY DENIES ACCUSATION BY RUSSIA, PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS THAT IT LAUNCHED MISSILE ATTACK ON DONETSK ON MONDAY - ARMY SPOKESMAN
RUSSIAN DELEGATION SUSPENDS PARTICIPATION IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY - RIA CITES RUSSIAN DELEGATE

According to an updated United Nations declaration, nearly 2.8 million refugees have left war-torn Ukraine:

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN organization, more than 2.8 million people have left Ukraine for neighboring countries as of Monday, including 127,000 third-country citizens.

"Every minute, people escape the violence in Ukraine," the IOM tweeted Monday, adding that they need "continuous help."

With the newsflow out of Ukraine having turned into a fire-hose, with market-moving stories shooting every minute, traders might be excused for giving up on following the story. To assist, Newsquawk has compiled a list of all the most recent market-moving news from Ukraine in the previous few hours:

Negotiations/Discussions

Russian and Ukrainian officials delivered their most bullish appraisals of the negotiations' progress so far on Sunday, implying that favorable outcomes may be achieved within days. The Ukrainian negotiator stressed that they would not surrender in principle on any issues and that Russia is now aware of this, while adding that Russia is now starting to negotiate constructively. Furthermore, the Russian representative said that discussions with Ukraine might result in draft agreements shortly, while US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman stated that Russia shown a readiness to engage in real negotiations to resolve the crisis.

According to Ukraine's Presidential Adviser, the next round of talks with Russia would focus on peace, ceasefire, quick army withdrawal, and security assurances. It should be noted that the discussions started about 08:30GMT/04:30EDT.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said that some small towns in Ukraine no longer exist as a result of the conflict and that peace talks must begin with a ceasefire, while adding that the West is not participating enough in peace talks and that he does not see a shared agreement to allow Ukraine into NATO. Furthermore, Zelensky urged software behemoths to discontinue support for their products in Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba stated on Saturday that his country is willing to negotiate but will not surrender, and that more must be done to harm Russia's economy. He also stated that they must remain open to diplomacy and that they are talking, but Russia continues to make demands that Ukraine finds unacceptable.

Updates on Energy/Economy

According to Interfax, a Russian Foreign Ministry official stated that the EU is facing soaring energy prices as a result of sanctions imposed on Moscow, and that the situation on global energy markets will result in the EU paying at least three times more for oil, gas, and electricity. The official also stated that Russia is prepared for a tough confrontation with the EU in the energy sector if necessary.

According to Ukraine's atomic energy ministry, electricity has been restored at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and cooling systems for used nuclear assemblies at the facility will continue to work regularly without the need of backup power.

According to the Financial Times, EU ambassadors gathered in Brussels on Sunday to discuss a potential list of persons targeted in the new wave of penalties, with Roman Abramovich among the 15 names under consideration.

Australia imposed fresh penalties on 33 Russian billionaires and their families.

According to Russian Finance Minister Siluanov, Russia would fulfill its national debt commitments and pay in RUB until the country's funds are unfrozen. According to Reuters and Ria, Siluanov said that sanctions have blocked roughly USD 300 billion in Russian gold and FX reserves, and that western governments are urging China to deny Russian access to its Yuan holdings. Furthermore, according to Reuters, Russia is set to pay USD 117 million on two dollar-denominated bonds on Wednesday and has indicated that it may default or pay in RUB.

The Russian central bank has decided not to restart stock market operations on the Moscow Exchange between March 14th and 18th.

Sunak, the UK Chancellor, has indicated that he is asking enterprises to consider carefully about investments in Russia and how they may benefit President Putin's administration, while also emphasizing that there is no reason for additional investment in Russia.

According to authorities, India is evaluating a Russian offer to sell oil and other commodities at a discount in the midst of sanctions.

Defense/Military

According to US sources, Russia sought military weapons from China to help its invasion of Ukraine, which the White House thinks is a symbol of Beijing and Moscow's growing connections. When questioned about the allegation of Russia's request for military support, the Chinese Embassy in the US said that the first goal now is to keep the tense situation from escalating or spiraling out of control, and a representative stated that they "never heard of anything."

According to Russian media quoting Iranian sources through Sky News Arabia, the Chinese Foreign Minister will arrive in Moscow on March 15th.

According to the White House, US President Biden talked with French President Macron on Ukraine, during which they emphasized their resolve to hold Russia accountable for its actions and to assist the Ukrainian government and people.

According to Interfax and Ria, the Russian Defense Ministry bombed Ukraine's International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Yavoriv, near the Polish border, and the Russian Defense Ministry said it attacked the training facility in Yavoriv, western Ukraine, which was being used to store military equipment delivered from foreign nations. Furthermore, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov said that foreign military instructors worked at the complex, although it was unclear if any were there during the attack. NATO later reported that no soldiers were injured in the strike.

Russia's assault on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv was criticized by US Secretary of State Blinken.

According to US National Security Adviser John Sullivan, Russian strikes along the Polish border demonstrate President Putin's expansion of targets and reflect irritation with a lack of progress, while the US and its allies will continue to increase pressure on President Putin. Sullivan also said that the US is talking with partners and engaging directly with Russia to warn against the use of chemical weapons, and that if Russia fires a missile towards NATO territory, Article 5 would be triggered, bringing the whole might of NATO into action. Furthermore,

Sullivan has informed Beijing that the US would not allow any nation to reimburse Russia for sanctions losses, and he will meet with Chinese senior diplomat Yang Jie in Rome on Monday.

The assault on the military center, according to UK Cabinet Minister Gove, is a major escalation, and he wants to investigate the possibility of allowing the use of sanctioned people' houses and property for humanitarian and other reasons.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Zelensky, outlining the UK's continued support for Ukraine and saying that President Putin's actions were putting not only Ukraine, but all of humanity, while adding that the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defense.

According to the UK Ministry of Defense, Russian naval troops have created a remote blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime commerce. Russian naval forces are also conducting missile attacks against sites around Ukraine.

Ukraine claimed its forces were starting counterattacks against Russian soldiers in Ukraine's Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.

According to NEXTA, Ukraine's NSDC Secretary Danilov said that Russia is planning a special operation to disguise Belarusian troops in Russian uniforms and transfer them to Ukraine.

According to the Kyiv Independent, air raid warnings have been issued in at least 19 of Ukraine's 24 regions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian prosecutors have warned corporations who are withdrawing from Russia that their assets and trademarks may be seized, and that corporate executives who criticize the Kremlin may be arrested. According to Sputnik, the Russian Embassy in the United States has denied media reports that western corporations are under danger.

According to a spokesman quoted by journalist Aslani, Iran's Foreign Minister will fly to Russia on Tuesday to meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov; meanwhile, an Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the US must make a decision before a nuclear agreement can be reached.

Iran's top security official says the country would stay in nuclear talks until its "legal and rational" demands are satisfied and a firm agreement is struck.

In the midst of the Ukraine crisis, Turkey and Greece decided to hold discussions to strengthen relations.