Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – March 3, 2022

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkiye and around the world.

The foreign ministers of Turkiye and Jordan said Wednesday that they will be working together to devise a plan for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country.

Russia’s ambassador to Turkiye said Wednesday that his country appreciated Ankara’s attitude to complying with the Montreux Straits Convention.

Turkiye's exports totaled $20 billion last month, hitting an all-time high for the month of February, the trade minister announced Wednesday.

As the coronavirus seems to be receding, Turkiye has lifted its requirement to wear a mask outdoors, a longtime requirement to stem the spread of COVID-19, the country's health minister said Wednesday.

- Other developments worldwide

Romania’s Defense Ministry announced early Thursday that the wreckage of an IAR-330 Puma helicopter that had been searching for a crashed Romanian MiG-21 fighter jet has been discovered.

The US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution Wednesday expressing support for Ukraine and calling for a cease-fire amid Russia's war.

The goal of Moscow’s special military operation is to demilitarize Ukraine, Russia’s foreign minister said Wednesday.

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it postponed the test of a Minuteman III ballistic missile launch amid tensions with Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin put nuclear forces on alert.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sharply repudiated Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for his repeated nuclear saber-rattling, calling it the "height of irresponsibility."

A large explosion was heard in Kyiv on Wednesday evening, shortly after warning sirens rang out in Ukraine’s capital.

The Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea will come to an end following Russia’s war against Ukraine, the billionaire said Wednesday.

The US is ramping up economic sanctions on Russia and Belarus on Wednesday in retaliation for Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine.

The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held Thursday morning, a Russian official announced late Wednesday.

Russia said Wednesday that 498 of its soldiers have been killed in Ukraine and 1,597 others wounded.

Georgia will officially apply for EU membership on Thursday, officials said Wednesday.

The UN General Assembly sharply denounced Russia on Wednesday in a resolution for its ongoing war in Ukraine, calling on Moscow to "immediately, completely and unconditionally" withdraw from its eastern European neighbor.

Over 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in seven days since Russia launched its war, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said Wednesday.

US private payrolls rose by 475,000 in February to recover strongly from a sharp decline in the previous month, according to a report released Wednesday.

The European Union on Wednesday officially adopted sanctions against Russia, including the exclusion of seven Russian banks from the SWIFT international money transfer system and a ban on state-owned broadcasters Russia Today and Sputnik.

At least 21 civilians have been killed and 112 others wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine's northeastern governorate of Kharkiv, its governor said Wednesday.

Russia's largest lender said Wednesday that it is withdrawing from the European market as its subsidiaries there are facing large cash outflows amid Western sanctions.