Ukraine moves International Court against Russia over invasion

Kyiv, Feb 27: Ukraine has moved International Court of Justice over the Russian invasion and urged that Moscow must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression.

"Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week," Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky said that his country is ready for peace talks with Russia but not in Belarus, which was a staging ground for Moscow's 3-day-old invasion.

In a video message, the President named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues. He said other locations are also possible but made clear that Ukraine doesn't accept Russia's selection of Belarus.

His response after the Kremlin said that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats.

"The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians," Peskov said. Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, with troops moving from Moscow's ally Belarus in the north, and also from the east and south.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities say that Russian troops have entered Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv and fighting is underway in the streets.