Ukraine war – latest: Russia ‘will react’ if UK sends depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, Putin says after Xi talks
Vladimir Putin has said Russia will be forced to act if the UK sends ammunition to Ukraine that contains depleted ammunition – a threat that prompted the UK to accuse him of “trying to disinform”.
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Key points
Russia will respond if UK sends depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, Putin warns View post
UK hits back, saying Russian leader is ‘trying to disinform’ View post
But what is depleted uranium? View post
Russia-China relations at ‘highest point in history’ after Xi talks View post
Summit has helped seal Russia’s fate as vassal state of China | Dominic Waghorn View post
NATO believes Russia has asked China for lethal aid View post
Live reporting by Katie Williams
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9h ago
18:24
Will Putin consider the summit a success?
By Diana Magnay, Moscow correspondent
For Vladimir Putin, the way things look matters.
And this summit looked magnificent, with all the pomp and circumstance Russia could muster, every ceremonial sword and glistening limousine door handle lovingly filmed as they are for the president’s inauguration – to give the impression on state TV and beyond that Russia is a great power with important allies, no matter the sanctions, the recriminations, the international arrest warrants.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
No doubt the vast majority of those watching in Russia and beyond will remember the spectacle, with the substance barely grasped beyond the general talk of close friendship and blossoming economic ties.
But beneath it all, Putin is locking Russia into a dependence on China with not all that much in return.
It is unlikely, if China wants to maintain its peacemaker image, that it will start supplying the military support Russia is most likely asking for, certainly not in any overt fashion.
Yes, the microchips, the consumer products, the goods Russia can’t get elsewhere, they’re buying from China now. But that’s from necessity, not choice. And energy, agriculture, civil nuclear technology, that all seems to be flowing one way now and that’s East – at discounted prices.
Russia needs fresh thinking to restructure the economy to cope with its new reality as sanctions pressures make themselves felt.
That may not happen anyway under the current leadership but being in hock to China won’t help.
As the Chinese President stopped to say goodbye, he told Vladimir Putin that they were both driving changes that had not been seen for 100 years.
That is as may be. But the outcomes from the war in Ukraine and the geopolitical shifts it unleashes will look radically different for each country.
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9h ago
17:55
Zelenskyy says troops need more ammo from West
Ukrainian troops need more ammo an are expecting an increase in supply from Western partners, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian president said he held talks with his staff today, where they discussed Ukraine’s strength on the frontline.
“One of the issues that always receives maximum attention is the supply of ammunition and support form our partners,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is expecting “an increase in supplies of exactly what we need right now”.
Kyiv has long been calling for more arms to bolster its defence against Russia.
Watch Mr Zelenskyy’s full address here…
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10h ago
17:14
IMF reaches agreement on $15.6bn support programme for Ukraine
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine for a four-year funding arrangement worth roughly $15.6bn (£12.8bn).
The agreement, which is yet to be approved by the IMF’s board, follows months of talks between IMF staff and Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine chief for the IMF, Gavin Gray, said the support package is “expected to help mobilise large-scale concessional financing from Ukraine’s international donors and partners”.
He said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a “devastating impact” on the Ukrainian economy, which contracted by 30% last year.
“A large share of the capital stock has been destroyed, and poverty levels have climbed,” Mr Gray said.
Ukraine is expected to see a “gradual economic recovery” in the coming months as it recovers from widespread damage to critical infastructure.
But “headwinds persist”, Mr Gray added, “including the risk of further escalation in the conflict”.
He said IMF staff expect the change in Ukraine’s real gross domestic for 2023 to range from -3% to +1%.
IMF board members are set to consider the agreement in the next few weeks.
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10h ago
16:50
Escaping from outskirts of Bakhmut frontline
The rumble of heavy artillery fire near Kalynivka village is a reminder to residents of the dangers of staying put.
The village and neighbouring town Chasiv Yar lie a short distance west of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where a fierce and bloody battle has been raging for months.
Many in the area now face a choice of whether to stay or go as Russian forces inch westward.
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11h ago
16:18
‘We don’t want a ceasefire in Ukraine right now’, White House says
The White House’s national security spokesperson John Kirby has been speaking at a news conference in the last hour – and the focus is on China-Russia relations following the Moscow summit.
Xi Jinping has been touting China as a peace broker for the Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has welcomed Beijing’s proposals for a “settlement” of the conflict – referring to its 12-point peace plan, which calls for an immediate ceasefire on both sides.
But Mr Kirby warns: “A ceasefire right now, freezing the lines where they are, basically gives [Mr Putin] the time and space he needs to try to re-equip, to re-man, to make up for that resource expenditure.”
He says Mr Xi should urge Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine if it wants to play any constructive role in the conflict.
Following the UN charter means Russia should withdraw from all of Ukraine, he said.
“We haven’t seen anything Xi and Putin have said to lead us to believe the Ukraine war will end soon”, Mr Kirby added.
Though he would not call Russia and China’s relationship an alliance, he said it’s clear both countries “would like to see the world play by their rules”.
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11h ago
15:55
Russia raids offices of Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights group
Russian authorities have raided the homes and offices of human rights advocates and historians involved with the rights group Memorial which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The wave of searches, after which police took Memorial activists in for questioning, is part of a sweeping crackdown against dissent, which has intensified since Moscow invaded Ukraine.
The group said the raids and the interrogations are connected to a criminal case launched by Russia’s Investigative Committee against the activists earlier this month.
The investigation was opened on the charge of “rehabilitating Nazism”, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Memorial runs a database of victims of political repressions, which includes three people who were convicted in Soviet times over collaboration with Nazi Germany.
The group said authorities are using those names on the list in their case against Memorial.
Oleg Orlov, the group’s co-chairman whose apartment was among those searched, told reporters the allegations were “idiotic”, before being hauled into a police station by a masked officer in a bulletproof vest.
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11h ago
15:35
Explainer: What is depleted uranium?
Vladimir Putin has said if the UK sends ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine Russia will be forced to act.
He suggested the UK doing so would amount to an escalation because “the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component”.
But can depleted uranium be considered a nuclear weapon?
First, what is it?
Depleted uranium (DU) is the material left behind after most of the highly radioactive form of uranium – known as U-235 – is removed from natural uranium ore.
U-235 provides the fuel used to produce nuclear power and the powerful explosions used in nuclear weapons.
DU is less radioactive, mainly emitting alpha particles, which don’t have enough energy to go through skin, so exposure to the outside of the body is not considered a serious hazard.
It can be a serious health hazard, however, if it is swallowed or inhaled.
But is it a nuclear weapon?
According to the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, depleted uranium ammunition cannot be considered as nuclear weapons.
It says depleted uranium does not meet the legal definitions of nuclear, radiological, toxin, chemical, poison or incendiary weapons.
DU is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties.
The British Army has used the material in its shells “for decades”, the defence ministry has said in respond to the Russian leader’s comments.
“It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities,” the MoD says.
“Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform.”
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12h ago
15:15
‘My friend asked ChatGPT to create a peace plan – and it didn’t look much different to China’s’
An ex-diplomat joked that an AI-created peace plan proposal for the war in Ukraine looked very similar to the 12-point formula released by Beijing.
Former diplomat Charles Parton told Sky News that his friend asked the chatbot ChatGPT to provide 12 clauses for a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia.
“He then circulated that with the real one and said, ‘Can you tell the difference?’ I have to say it was quite difficult,” Mr Parton said.
It’s a reference to the vague and ambiguous wording of China’s proposed plan, which has been branded an “attempt at public relations” by Beijing.
On the subject of Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, the ex-diplomat said “it’s probably been a good three days” for the Chinese leader.
Mr Parton says China gains many advantages from its strong relations with Russia, including support in its attempts to change global governance, and food and energy security.
But it also has a good “propaganda advantage”, he says, as China is poising itself as promoting peace while the West supplies weapons to Ukraine.
He said China adopting Russia’s position on the war “looks quite good to certain countries, not necessarily to us here in Europe or in the free world, but elsewhere”.
“All in all… it’s been probably quite a good three days for Xi Jinping.”
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12h ago
14:55
Kyiv asks Beijing to join Ukrainian peace plan
Kyiv is still waiting for a response from Beijing after suggesting that it join a Ukrainian peace plan to end the war, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
In a joint news briefing with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the Ukrainian leader said the suggestion had been made to China – but there has been no answer yet.
The meeting between the two leaders comes at the same time as a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin 500 miles away in Moscow.
Beijing has proposed a 12-point peace plan which would see an immediate ceasefire on both sides, but would mean territorial losses for Ukraine.
Kyiv says Russian troops must withdraw from the country completely, and has been promoting its own plan in recent months.
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12h ago
14:33
Russia ‘deliberately trying to disinform’ over depleted uranium rounds – MoD
The UK defence ministry says Vladimir Putin is “deliberately trying to disinform” by publicly criticising its decision to send ammo containing depleted uranium to Ukraine.
The Russian leader said Moscow would react if the UK were to make the move, which he claims heralds the West switching to supplying Kyiv with weapons containing nuclear components.
The MoD has confirmed it will send depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine, adding that the British Army has used the material in its shells “for decades”.
“It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities,” the MoD said in a statement.
“Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform.”
The rounds are “highly effective” in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles, the ministry said.
It added that scientific research shows any impact to personal health and the environment from use of depleted uranium ammo is “likely to be low”.
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13h ago
14:07
What does the Russia-China joint statement say about Ukraine?
Russia and China have released a joint statement following a summit between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Moscow today.
The Reuters news agency has translated a section of the statement that relates to the Ukraine war.
It says Russia “positively assesses” China’s neutral position on “the Ukrainian question”.
Both sides say they oppose the damaging of “legitimate security interests of other states in order to obtain military, political and other advantages”.
China also looks favourably on Russia’s “willingness” to “make efforts to restart peace talks as soon as possible”.
Meanwhile, Russia has welcomed China’s eagerness to negotiate a “settlement” of the conflict – referring to its proposed 12-point peace plan.
Both countries think it “necessary to respect the legitimate concerns of all countries in the field of security” in order to end the war.
Russia and China are both pushing for a prevention of what they call “bloc confrontation” and “actions that further fuel the conflict”.
“The parties stress that responsible dialogue is the best way for a sustainable resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, and the international community should support constructive efforts in this regard”, the statement says.
Beijing and Moscow say they are calling for an end to “all steps” that escalate tensions and prolong “hostilities”.
No doing so risks “degradation” of the conflict to a point where it becomes “uncontrollable”, they claim.
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13h ago
13:31
Zelenskyy to make appearance at G7 summit
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to make a virtual appearance at the upcoming G7 summit in Japan.
The Ukrainian president said he will join the May summit in Hiroshima via videolink after receiving an invitation from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
He made the comment in a joint news conference with Mr Kishida in Kyiv today.
It’ll mark the second time Mr Zelenskyy has appeared virtually before G7 delegates, after addressing the summit in Germany via videolink last June.
Mr Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine today to show support for the country’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Until today, he had been the only G7 leader not to visit Kyiv.
Mr Zelenskyy called the Japanese leader “a truly powerful defender of the international order and a longtime friend of Ukraine”.
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14h ago
13:20
Russia and China not in ‘military-political alliance’
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping say their countries’ close ties do not amount to a “military-political alliance” – despite pledging more regular joint military drills.
In a joint statement following a summit between the two leaders, they said relations between Moscow and Beijing are not “similar to those set up during the Cold War”.
But they are “superior to this type of interstate cooperation”, the statement added.
The relations, which are not directed at any third nation, are non-confrontational and “do not constitute a bloc”, the presidents said.
It comes after Russian news agency RIA reported President Xi as saying that China takes an “impartial position” on the conflict in Ukraine.
During a news conference earlier, Mr Putin said he and Xi Jinping have signed statements that “fully reflect the nature of Russian and Chinese relations, which are at the highest point in the history of our two countries”.
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14h ago
12:38
Russia warns of potential ‘nuclear collision’ if UK sends Ukraine depleted uranium ammunition
Russia’s defence minister has warned of a possible “nuclear collision” between Moscow and the West, Interfax news agency has reported.
According to the Russian outlet, Sergei Shoigu said there were fewer and fewer steps left before a potential incident could occur.
Mr Shoigu was responding to an announcement by the UK that it would supply Ukraine with ammunition containing depleted uranium.
Speaking in London on Monday, Annabel Goldie, the defence minister, said some of the ammunition for the Challenger 2 battle tanks that Britain is sending to Ukraine includes armour piercing rounds that contain depleted uranium.
Such a move would prompt Russia to respond, Mr Shoigu said.
He echoed comments made earlier by Vladimir Putin after a summit with Xi Jinping at the Kremlin.
If the UK provide the ammunition, “Russia will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component,” Mr Putin said, without elaborating.
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the UK’s plan the “Yugoslavia scenario”, saying the ammunition caused cancer and damage to the environment.
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15h ago
12:29
Analysis: Putin trying to blame the UK for thwarting Xi’s attempts at brokering peace
After the news conference given by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, our Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay has shared her thoughts on what was revealed.
She says the “big sort of statement” came from the Russian president when he said the West was “essentially trying to stymie” the Chinese plan for peace in Ukraine.
“He then pointed at the example of the UK, who he says is now going to supply Challenger 2 tanks and also ammunition, which contain depleted uranium,” Magnay says.
“That is on the basis of an answer in the House of Lords made yesterday by Baroness Goldie about the UK’s latest supplies of weapons.”
Magnay explains that Mr Putin is trying to blame the West, specifically the UK, for “thwarting any attempts at peace put forward by his great friend President Xi, by continuing to supply weapons”.
“He said, we will have to react. So he’s really throwing the blame on the other side, saying we’re ready to talk peace, but it’s you guys who aren’t,” she continues.
We have also heard from the NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, who believes that Mr Putin used the meeting to ask his Chinese counterpart for lethal aid.
Magnay says: “Given the fact that China is trying to play the role of peace broker here, it is unlikely that it would use the opportunity to also say, now we’re going to support Russia with weapons.
“If it is going to do that, it’s not going to do that in obvious fashion.
“Strategically, it would be economically of huge significance for China if its European and Western trading partners were to find out that it was.”
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15h ago
12:23
Summit has helped seal Russia’s fate as vassal state of China
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
It is meant to look like a meeting of equals. A choreographed bromance between two autocratic leaders who call themselves friends. But don’t be fooled.
The relationship between Vladimir Putin and his guest Xi Jinping is unbalanced and increasingly so.
Beyond the pomp and goose-stepping ceremony, there is one undeniable truth. The Xi-Putin summit has helped seal Russia’s fate as a vassal state of China.
True, the two men have plenty in common. They are both authoritarian leaders united in a determination to stand up to the “collective west” as Putin put it in an article for this morning’s newspapers.
They are both frustrated with America. Putin has felt betrayed by the US for a decade since Nato’s intervention in Libya. Xi is fed up with America’s decades-long dominance of the world order and eager to replace it with something more congenial to China’s interests.
And they both want Russia to prevail in Ukraine. Putin cannot afford to lose. A Nato-backed Ukrainian victory would bode ill for Xi Jinping’s designs on Taiwan.
But the relationship is one-sided. For Vladimir Putin it is essential. For Xi Jinping? Well, not so much. The terms of this partnership are largely in China’s favour.
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15h ago
12:16
‘Nothing new’ comes from Putin’s speech – but there was ‘slight glimmer of hope’
We have learnt nothing new from the joint conference between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, Tim Marshall, foreign affairs writer, has told Sky News.
There was only one time during Mr Putin’s speech that any observers’ ears would have pricked up – and that was when he started talking about President Xi’s much touted 12-point peace plan to end the Ukraine war.
Yet, Marshall says, after the initial mention of the plan, Mr Putin “didn’t go anywhere”.
That the Russian leader said there are a few points in the plan that the Kremlin likes provides a “slight glimmer of hope”, Marshall said, but there was no sense that Mr Putin wanted to move forward with the plan.
The Russian leader just “spent 10 to 12 minutes saying almost nothing”, Marshall says – it was all about how many tractors they were going to make this year and economics.
Marshall says he “didn’t make a single note” – and he is not sure who was more bored, him or the Chinese leader, who looked like he was “losing the will to live at one point”.
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15h ago
12:02
Xi: China is ‘impartial’ in Ukraine conflict
Xi Jinping says that Beijing had an “impartial position” on the conflict in Ukraine and that it supported peace and dialogue, according to the RIA news agency.
Xi, who was speaking through a translator after talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, said talks with the Kremlin leader had been “open and friendly.”
The two leaders signed a series of documents on a “strategic cooperation” after what Putin described as “successful and constructive” talks which showed that China was clearly now Russia’s most important economic partner.
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15h ago
11:50
Putin: ‘Russia will react if UK sends depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine’
Russia’s president claims it’s the West that is continuing the war in Ukraine, as he warns Moscow will react if the UK sends depleted uranium ammunition to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s troops.
The UK recently said it would be sending armour piercing rounds and ammunition for Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The ammunition contains depleted uranium, which is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties.
It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people’s lungs and vital organs.
Vladimir Putin says the move heralds the West switching to supplying Kyiv with weapons containing nuclear components.
He adds that the West is “not yet ready” for peace in Ukraine, saying a 12 point plan put forward by China can be used when it is prepared to settle the conflict.
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15h ago
11:43
Putin: Russia-China relations at ‘highest point in history’
The press conference between the two leaders is under way, with Vladimir Putin saying he and Xi Jinping have signed statements that “fully reflect the nature of Russian and Chinese relations, which are at the highest point in the history of our two countries”.
He adds: “Russia and China are tied together through our good neighbourly relations.”
Mr Putin goes on to say: “Of course our top priority is trade and the economy, and that’s quite natural, taking into account that China is the leading trade partner of our country.”
