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Ukraine war latest: Russia’s ‘alarming’ nuclear rhetoric ‘breaks agreement with China’
Russia’s nuclear rhetoric breaks its new agreement with China, writes Diana Magnay – as Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to Poland for talks on the war at a time when Ukrainian grain imports led a Polish minister to resign.
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Zelenskyy must address ‘tricky issue’ on Poland visit | Siobhan Robbins View post
Nine people missing after cargo ship sinks en route to Ukraine View post
Kremlin to ‘coerce’ Belarus as Putin pursues ‘nuclear blackmail’ against Ukrainian counteroffensive View post
Russia’s alarming nuclear rhetoric breaks agreement with China | Diana Magnay View post
Putin’s ‘Machiavellian’ talks to turn Belarus into ‘puppet regime’ | Sean Bell View post
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1h ago
17:26
President Zelenskyy has stolen Polish hearts
By Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent, in Warsaw
From the start, President Zelenskyy’s first official visit to Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine was a meeting of friends.
It was a display of warmth and solidarity, as well as several public hugs.
The Ukrainian leader was treated to a hero’s welcome as he visited his closest neighbour.
His counterpart, Andrzej Duda, gave him the full red-carpet treatment.
The Polish troops greeted him as a respected leader.
Meanwhile, in the street some of the million Ukrainian refugees given shelter by Poland were among fans queuing to get a glimpse of him.
“I’m very excited. My heart is beating right now. I want to see him. I want to see him even from the distance,” said refugee, Marusia, who had her country’s flag wrapped around her shoulder.
“I think he’s a superhero, he’s an amazing man,” teacher, Johanna, told us.
The Polish President clearly shared their sentiment and today presented Mr Zelenskyy with Poland’s highest award for outstanding individuals.
Then the Ukrainian leader took his opportunity to express his gratitude in return.
“I want to thank you for the fact that you, our powerful neighbours, did not and do not allow us to break, for the fact that you help us. If Ukraine falls, we know that Russia will not stop there and will go further,” said Mr Zelenskyy.
And there is a lot to be grateful for.
A few hours away in the Polish countryside, Ukrainian troops were being trained to use Leopard 2 tanks.
Poland has been instrumental in helping to secure weapons and aid for Ukraine.
It’s a small price for the sacrifices being made across the border according to President Duda
“No-one expected Ukraine would stand for so long. That defenders of Ukraine would be so heroic. The defenders are heroic because the President turned out to be heroic,” he said.
Today’s meeting wasn’t just about reaffirming friendship, it was also about building credit for the future.
The longer the war goes on, the more it will affect people living in neighbouring countries and Ukraine knows it must keep the public on its side to ensure ongoing military and financial support.
For now, that isn’t a problem in Poland.
It’s clear President Zelenskyy has stolen the hearts of many in this nation.
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1h ago
16:56
Warsaw and Kyiv agree munitions production deal
Poland and Ukraine have signed a joint memorandum on the reconstruction of war-damaged areas of the country and the production of 125mm tank rounds, according to Polish television channel TVN24.
The document was signed during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Warsaw, where he met with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“During the meeting the possibilities of further support for Ukraine in the fight for Europe’s freedom and security as well as the issues of rebuilding war damage and the involvement of Polish companies in this area were discussed,” read a Twitter post from Mr Morawiecki’s office.
A new package of Polish military aid was also announced during the visit, including 100 Rosomak armoured personnel carriers, self-propelled mortars, and air defence systems, in addition to the 8 Mig-29 fighter jets already on their way to Ukraine.
“This visit to Warsaw, all our negotiations today can really be called victorious,” wrote Mr Zelenskyy on Telegram.
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2h ago
16:35
Zelenskyy waves to cheering crowds in Warsaw
The Ukrainian president posted a video to his Twitter account of himself greeting the public in the Polish capital.
He yelled “Slava Ukraini” as the crowd cheered before speaking briefly in Ukrainian.
In his post, he described Poland and Ukraine as “side by side in everything”.
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2h ago
16:15
Ukraine ‘ready to talk to Russia if counter offensive succeeds’
Kyiv is reportedly willing to discuss the future of Crimea with Moscow if its forces reach the peninsula.
“If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open [a] diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” Andriy Sybiha, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told the Financial Times.
This is the biggest indicator Ukraine could come to the negotiating table since peace talks with the Kremlin boke up around a year ago.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, in a move that drew widespread international condemnation.
President Zelenskyy has previously said that Kyiv needs to retake the peninsula for the war to end.
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3h ago
15:41
Russian commissioner for children’s rights claims Ukrainian children ‘can go home’
Maria Lvova-Belova, who is being sought for war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine, told a UN meeting they were taken for their safety and Moscow is coordinating with international organisations to return them to their families.
Ambassadors from Western countries boycotted the informal UN Security Council meeting, sending low-level diplomats instead.
And diplomats from the US, UK, Albania and Malta walked out when Maria Lvova-Belova began addressing the meeting by video link.
The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for her and Vladimir Putin, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.
Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, called today’s meeting to counter what it claims is disinformation about the Ukrainian children.
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters before the meeting that Washington strongly opposed the briefing and joined the UK in blocking the UN from broadcasting the meeting externally.
Ms Lvova-Belova should not be allowed “to have an international podium to spread disinformation and to try to defend her horrible actions that are taking place in Ukraine,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.
Kyiv claims that nearly 8,000 children have been deported to Russia, but the exact number has proved difficult to determine.
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3h ago
15:13
No Russian ammunition shortage, Ukraine claims
Russian troops have not experienced ammunition deficits in Ukraine’s east despite the Wagner Group’s statements about the lack of projectiles, Colonel Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command, said today.
“We have repeatedly said that there was no shell deficit where the enemy is concentrating its efforts… these are the Bakhmut, Kupiansk, and Lyman areas,” Colonel Cherevatyi said on national television.
“Unfortunately, the enemy still has considerable power to hit our positions.”
The Lyman area in the Donetsk region is “the leader” in terms of damage by Russian artillery, he added.
According to Colonel Cherevatyi, Russia has shelled Bakhmut 245 times over the past 24 hours.
A total of 21 clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces reportedly occurred in the area, killing 88 Russian soldiers and injuring 124.
Three Russian drones, one electronic warfare station, and three ammunition warehouses were also reportedly destroyed.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported on 14 March that the Russian artillery ammunition deficit had led to “extremely” tight ammunition restrictions in many areas of Ukraine’s front line.
In February, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary force, criticised Russia’s defence ministry for not providing his troops with enough ammunition.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly claimed a shortage of ammunition has limited the country’s progress on the battlefield.
On average, Ukraine is firing 110,000 155 mm shells a month, a quarter of the amount used by Russia, according to Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
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4h ago
14:27
Putin and Lukashenko don’t mention the war in opening remarks in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow today to begin two days of talks, but in their opening remarks both men avoided mentioning Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Mr Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire.
Last month Russia said it would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“I must say that we have done a lot as a result of our joint work in all areas,” Mr Putin told Mr Lukashenko in comments broadcast by state television.
“We will discuss all of this tomorrow – this applies to our cooperation in the international arena and jointly solving questions of ensuring the security of our states.”
Moscow is Minsk’s closest political and financial backer.
Mr Lukashenko allowed Russia to use the territory of Belarus to launch part of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics.
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4h ago
14:00
Volodymyr Zelenskyy wishes Jews a happy passover
The Ukrainian president, who is himself Jewish, wished those celebrating around the world a “bright holiday”.
He added that he hoped “peace would reign in our lands” before signing off with a traditional Hebrew phrase.
The Jewish holiday began today at sunset and comes to a close at nightfall in eight days’ time.
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4h ago
13:56
Russian defence ministry on fire
Footage posted on Twitter seems to show smoke billowing out of the Russian defence ministry in Moscow.
The building is located on Znamenka street, near the Kremlin.
The fire reportedly started in a cabinet on the third floor of the 18th century building.
“Around 19:30 (16:30 GMT), in one of the administrative buildings of the defence ministry in Moscow, duty workers detected smoke on the premises.
“The fire department and ministry of emergency situations came to the scene,” Interfax cited the defence ministry as saying in a statement.
The defence ministry said it was currently establishing the cause of the fire, TASS reports.
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5h ago
13:21
Poland ‘stepping up to provide much-needed European leadership’
Sky News military analyst Sean Bell has been reflecting on today’s visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to neighbouring Poland.
The retired air vice marshal looks at the bigger picture – and concerns that Vladimir Putin may not wish to stop at Ukraine as he seeks to recreate a Soviet-era.
“For geographical and historical reasons Poland will be very nervous about what Mr Putin does next,” said Bell.
“If you look on a map, you’ve got Belarus which is largely a Russian puppet regime and you’ve got Poland next which is why 80% of Poles are really keen to arm Ukraine.
“In terms of hardware they’ve given Ukraine – it’s a whole load of tanks, they’ve had drones, even fighter jets.”
Bell says this was part of a European effort to “step up”, adding: “You’ve got the US presidential elections on the horizon and although America will still provide the lion’s share of military and financial support to Ukraine, there’s a yawning need for the Europeans to step up and provide some leadership – that’s what Poland seems to be trying to do.”
Going on to discuss the likely spring offensive Bell said: “What we can surmise from a military standpoint is that Bakhmut continues to be a highly attritional battle.
“Russia will know that there is going to be a spring offensive at some point so what they should be doing is trying to preserve their military power for that.
“If you look down in Crimea they are actually reinforcing their defences down there but up in Bakhmut and in the Donbas its full steam ahead.
“So, what you’d have to conclude from that is that Mr Putin’s objectives are to secure Crimea and keep the Donbas.
“If Ukraine is to prevail with a spring counteroffensive and exploit the Western weapons, it’s going to have to produce a really effective punch this springtime and it will need a lot of troops to do that.”
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6h ago
12:50
Putin accuses Western intelligence of helping Ukraine carry out sabotage
During a call with members of his security council, the Russian president said: “There are reasons to believe that the capabilities of third countries, Western special services, have been involved in preparation of acts of sabotage and terror attacks.”
He noted that the four provinces he illegally annexed last year – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia – have faced Ukrainian shelling and acts of sabotage aimed at scaring the local population, adding that the authorities must act “harshly and effectively to ensure control over the situation.”
Several Moscow-appointed officials in the newly incorporated provinces, which are still recognised internationally as Ukrainian, have been killed and wounded in a slew of bombings and other attacks.
Mr Putin urged officials to strengthen efforts to fully integrate the four regions into Russia and protect local residents from Ukrainian attacks.
“They must see and feel that all our great country stands behind them and we will do everything to protect them,” Mr Putin said in televised remarks at the meeting.
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6h ago
12:26
President Zelenskyy thanks Poland for its support
Taking to the lectern in Warsaw now, the Ukrainian president echoes lots of the companionable words we’ve just heard from the Polish president.
His speech is also full of the optimism with which we’ve become accustomed… “I am sure there is a great future ahead of us, a great future once we win.
“And thanks to the support from Poland and Polish citizens there is a great future for us.
“I am so glad to meet you all today for the sake of Poland and Ukraine and therefore for the sake of all free Europe.
“On the way to Warsaw we saw a lot of transports that were going towards Ukraine and it looked very optimistic.
“When business works with Ukraine, when business thrives in Ukraine, this is the best indication that our country has a future.
“I want to thank Poland for that.”
With that, this show of friendship and unity is at an end.
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6h ago
12:18
Polish president hails Ukraine’s bravery
Speaking alongside the visiting Volodymyr Zelenskyy as today’s events draw to a close , President Andrzej Duda said: “We are all aware that Ukraine is bravely defending itself from Russian aggression.
“Honestly, 400 days ago when Russia started their invasion of Ukraine, no one expected that they would be so brave.
“This is also because their president is so brave.
“He stayed in his HQ and said that he would stay till the end to defend the country.
“Thank you to everyone who is defending Ukraine.”
He added: “We deeply believe in the victory of Ukraine. Ukraine is going to win!”
Poland has taken in millions of Ukrainians during the war – and been at the forefront of EU efforts to arm the defending country.
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6h ago
11:57
Putin tells new US ambassador to Moscow that American support for Ukraine in 2014 is to blame for current war
The Russian president made the remarks as he accepted the credentials of Lynne Tracy in a ceremony.
This is what he told her: “Dear Madam Ambassador, I do not want to disturb the gracious atmosphere of the presentation of credentials and I know that you may not agree with me, but I cannot but say that the use of such instruments by the United States in its foreign policy as support for the so-called ‘colour revolutions’, support in this regard by the State Department of the coup in Kyiv in 2014, ultimately have led to the current Ukrainian crisis.”
Back in 2014, more than 70 people died during protests, which were sparked by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to scrap a trade deal with the European Union and instead trade with Moscow.
In the deadliest day of the uprising nearly 50 people died in Kyiv’s Maidan when, according to protesters, government snipers opened fire.
Mr Putin added: “Relations between Russia and the United States, on which global security and stability directly depend, are in a deep crisis, unfortunately.
“It is based on fundamentally different approaches to the formation of the modern world order.”
He also took aim at the EU saying he regrets the deterioration of EU-Moscow relations and claimed Brussels has “initiated a geopolitical confrontation” with his country.
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7h ago
11:20
UN nuclear chief meets Russian officials
The head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog met with Russian officials in Kaliningrad on Wednesday for negotiations on the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently held by Russian forces.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi’s trip to the Russian exclave came a week after he visited the plant, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
“I met high level officials from several Russian agencies in Kaliningrad,” Mr Grossi wrote on Twitter. “I continue my efforts to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP),” he added, emphasising this was “in everyone’s interest”.
The head of Moscow’s Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, was among the officials Mr Grossi met, according to a statement by Russia’s state nuclear corporation.
Mr Likhachev informed Mr Grossi of “the steps that are being taken by the Russian side to ensure the safe operation of the ZNPP”, while expressing that the Russian side is “ready” to work on implementing initiatives put forward by Mr Grossi.
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7h ago
11:00
Russia will ignore media lobbying for release of detained reporter
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry has said that it won’t be taking any interest in a letter calling for the release of an American journalist.
Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested in Ekaterinburg on Thursday.
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists today that the Kremlin would ignore a letter from media organisations urging his release, labelling the request “hypocritical”.
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8h ago
10:40
UEFA says ban on Russia ‘difficult to lift’ until war ends
Re-elected UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has said today it will be “very difficult” to lift Russia’s suspension from European competitions until the war in Ukraine ended.
The ban was put in place in February last year.
“My personal opinion is that until the war stops it will be very difficult for us to change anything,” Ceferin told a news conference during UEFA’s Ordinary Congress in Lisbon.
The ban has so far resulted in the expulsion of all Russian club teams from UEFA competitions, the exclusion of Russia from Euro 2024, and the relocation of last year’s Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris.
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8h ago
10:18
In the Bakhmut trenches
These images captured by Reuters show Ukrainian soldiers exchanging machine gun and grenade fire with the Russia side on the frontline around Bakhmut.
The city has for months been at the centre of the fiercest fighting on the eastern front.
Both sides have suffered heavy casualties as Russia eked out marginal gains.
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8h ago
10:08
Zelenskyy promises ‘no borders’ between Poland and Ukraine in future
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has tweeted that Ukraine and Poland “need to walk side by side a little more” to “gain victory” against Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian president was in Poland today, with his wife Olena, meeting the country’s president, Andrzej Duda.
Mr Zelenskyy added that in the future there would be “no borders between our peoples” in a message posted to Twitter.
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9h ago
09:48
Putin’s ‘Machiavellian’ talks to turn Belarus into ‘puppet regime’
While Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been meeting with his key ally in Poland, Vladimir Putin has initiated parallel talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
His aims are “Machiavellian”, according to military analyst Sean Bell, who said Mr Putin seeks to turn Belarus into a “puppet regime”.
The former air vice marshall told Sky News Mr Putin is using “all the political tools at his disposal to increase control over Belarus”.
The Russian leader has said he will station nuclear weapons in the country, and has put pressure on its integration with Russia as a Union State.
Mr Bell said: “The aim is to create a borderless alliance between Russia and Belarus, and President Putin has certainly put a lot more urgency around that probably because the war is not going well in Ukraine and he wants to secure Belarus.”
This is part of the Russian leader’s designs for a revived Soviet Union, which have been thwarted in Ukraine, said the analyst.
Mr Putin’s Soviet-style plans are the same factors driving Poland’s staunch support for Ukraine.
Mr Bell said: “Poland will be really concerned about Putin’s long-term ambitions outside of Ukraine itself.”
He added that Mr Zelenskyy’s talks with the president and prime minister of Poland were “not routine”, but rather a visit that will have “strategic consequences”.
