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Ukraine war – latest: ‘Signs’ Russia has asked China for lethal weapons – as Putin and Xi to make statements
Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold official talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with public statements from the pair this afternoon.
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Key points
Official talks and statements from Putin and Xi today View post
NATO believes Russia has asked China for lethal aid View post
Thousands of prisoners who have fought in Ukraine to be freed in Russia ‘with Putin approval’ View post
Crimea explosion: Ukraine says it blew up missiles but Russia claims ‘shrapnel drones’ hit civilian targets View post
China’s message: We’re the only superpower that can bring peace | Helen-Ann Smith View post
Japanese PM in Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy, rivalling Xi View post
Live reporting by Guy Birchall
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4m ago
11:24
UK defence spending as share of GDP drops despite Ukraine war
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor
UK defence spending as a share of national income fell last year compared with 2021 despite Russia’s war in Ukraine, new figures released by NATO have revealed.
In total, only seven countries – including Britain – met the minimum threshold of allocating at least 2% of GDP to their armed forces in 2022, down by one nation from the previous year.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general, said: “The pace we have when it comes to increased defence spending is not high enough.
“So, my message to allies is that I welcome what they’ve done, but they need to speed up, they need to deliver more. In a more dangerous world, we need to invest more in defence.”
He was speaking at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels to mark the release of an annual report, which included the latest defence expenditure numbers.
For the UK, they showed that defence spending in 2022 was estimated to have been 2.16% of GDP compared with an estimated 2.25% the previous year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week said defence spending would hit 2.25% by 2025 as he announced an additional £5billion for the armed forces over the next two years.
He also set an aspiration to increase the level to 2.5% but without committing to a timeframe.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was similarly non-committal in his spring budget, saying it would happen “as soon as fiscal and economic circumstances allow”.
Despite the drop in the GDP share, the UK remains one of a minority of nations within the 30-strong alliance that is meeting the NATO minimum spending pledge.
Mr Stoltenberg said the alliance had hoped for two more allies to cross that 2% threshold but said their failure to do so was because GDP had grown faster than expected.
He did not specify which countries he was referring to.
Allies have increased overall defence spending for the eighth consecutive year but the NATO chief added: “It is obvious that we need to do more and we need to do it faster.”
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25m ago
11:03
Japan’s PM lays wreath at mass grave in Ukraine as Xi meets with Putin
Fumio Kishida has visited a church in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians. He laid flowers at a church there and paid his respects to the victims.
“I’m outraged by the cruelty. I represent the Japanese citizens to express my condolences to those who lost their lives,” he is quoted as saying.
US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel tweeted about the “two very different European-Pacific partnerships” that unfolded on Tuesday.
“Kishida stands with freedom, and Xi stands with a war criminal,” Mr Emanuel added.
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47m ago
10:41
What we know so far about Putin and Xi’s meeting
The presidents are expected to conduct a joint press conference at 3pm but have already been in talks for some time.
Snippets of what the pair have discussed so far have been released – here’s what we know has come up so far:
Mr Putin has discussed the Siberia 2 gas pipeline and how this would provide gas to China
Mr Xi has said China and Russia should promote the “liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment”
The Chinese president has invited his Russian counterpart to the third Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing later this year
Mr Putin said Russia is ready to help Chinese firms replace Western businesses that left the country after the invasion
Mr Xi says the field of cooperation between the two countries is “constantly growing”
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1h ago
10:13
Xi and Putin meet at the Kremlin for the second day of talks
The two leaders met in Moscow, arriving to the sound of drums before trumpets blared out the national anthem of China.
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1h ago
09:51
NATO: ‘Russia has asked China for lethal aid’
NATO believes Moscow has asked Beijing for lethal aid in its war in Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg, its secretary-general, said the alliance warned China against supplying lethal weapons to Russia as Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow for talks.
“We haven’t seen any proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia but we have seen some signs that this has been a request from Russia, and that this is an issue that is considered in Beijing by the Chinese authorities,” Mr Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.
“China should not provide lethal aid to Russia, that would be to support an illegal war.”
The former Norwegian PM made the remarks as he delivered his annual report on NATO’s work.
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1h ago
09:45
Pentagon speeding up delivery of tanks to Ukraine
The Pentagon is accelerating its delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine by refurbishing older models that can be ready sooner.
The US is aiming to send renovated older models of its heavy Abrams tanks to Ukraine in eight to 10 months, US officials told the AP news agency.
Its original plan, confirmed by president Joe Biden in January, was to send Kyiv 31 of the more modern M1A2 Abrams tanks – but they could have taken as long as a year or two to build and ship.
Older versions can be taken from army stocks and will be easier for Ukrainian troops to learn to use, officials said, speaking anonymously as the plans are still being kept under wraps.
It’s thought Pentagon officials will make the announcement soon.
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2h ago
09:24
Xi’s vision for China-Russia relations ‘more reserved than what Putin seeking’ – thinktank
Xi Jinping’s vision for relations between Russia and China is likely more reserved than what Vladimir Putin seeks, a US-based thinktank has said.
Articles published by the two leaders on Sunday ahead of their meeting in Moscow offered similar ideas about the strength of their ties, but differed when it came to the scale of future relations.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says while Mr Putin argued Russia and China are building towards a “multipolar world order” against domination by the West, the Chinese president’s approach was less forceful – indicating that the order would not specifically against a confrontational West.
“Xi instead focused heavily on presenting China as a viable third-party mediator to the war in Ukraine”, said the ISW – a less aggressive rhetoric than Mr Putin was likely looking for.
The thinktank says Mr Xi’s hesitance to explicitly Mr Putin as he rages against the West is a “notable departure” from Beijing’s previously declared “no limits partnership” with Moscow.
“Xi’s rhetoric suggests that he is not inclined to fully give Russia the economic and political support that Russia needs to reverse setbacks in Ukraine,” it added.
The ISW predicts Mr Xi is likely to offer a “more concrete proposal” on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine but it’s “unclear” what it will entail – or how the Kremlin will receive it.
The possibility of China supplying Russia with military support is also unclear, it said.
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2h ago
08:49
Xi arrives at the Kremlin for second day of talks with Putin
Vladimir Putin and Xi Xinping have met for their second day of talks in Moscow.
An official ceremony was shown on Russian state TV as the two leaders met in the Kremlin.
Both presidents entered from opposite ends of a large room in the old Tsarist palace and strode to the centre of the hall where they shook hands flanked by huge versions of the flags of both countries.
Talks expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis and deepening economic cooperation.
Earlier President Xi’s motorcade was pictured winding its way through the Russian capital on its way to the Kremlin.
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3h ago
08:06
Russia ‘scrambles jet after US bombers approach border’
Moscow claims an Su-35 fighter jet was scrambled over the Baltic Sea yesterday after two American strategic bombers flew in the direction of the Russian border, but that it returned to base after they moved away.
“On March 20, radar facilities of the air defence forces of the Western military district on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying in the direction of the Russian Federation’s state border,” the Russian Defence Ministry said on the Telegram.
It said the targets were US Air Force B52H strategic bombers.
The ministry claimed a Su-35 fighter jet took to the air in order to prevent a border violation, adding, “after the foreign military aircraft moved away from the Russian Federation state border, the Russian fighter returned to its base airfield.”
The ministry said the Su-35’s flight was strictly in line with international rules of the use of airspace.
“No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was permitted,” it said.
The incident follows last week’s crash of a US military drone into the Black Sea after it was intercepted by Moscow’s jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the American since the start of the war.
The US has not yet commented on the latest claims from Moscow.
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3h ago
07:38
Ukraine ‘repels Russian advance to centre of Bakhmut’
Kyiv’s forces have repelled Russian attempts to advance into the centre of Bakhmut, a top Ukrainian general has claimed.
The months-long battle for the small eastern city has become one of the bloodiest of Russia’s nearly 13-month-old war in Ukraine.
“Assault groups of the enemy are trying to advance from the outskirts to the centre of the city but our defence forces are working and destroying them 24/7,” Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, wrote on Telegram.
He said there was intense fighting along the eastern front line.
Russia has made the capture of Bakhmut a priority in its strategy to take control of Ukraine’s Donbas industrial region.
If Russian forces capture Bakhmut, it will be Moscow’s first significant territorial gain since last summer.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said no one believed Bakhmut would hold out under such intense attacks for so long.
Naming three generals and two colonels leading Bakhmut’s defence, she thanked them for their leadership and thousands of soldiers for their bravery.
This map outlines the territory controlled by Kyiv and Russia in eastern Ukraine today, with Bakhmut pinched on the frontline.
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4h ago
07:14
Japanese PM arrives in Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy
Fumio Kishida has arrived in the Ukrainian capital for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
His surprise visit comes a day after Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, was warmly welcomed in Moscow by Vladimir Putin for a three-day state visit yesterday.
The Russian president’s war will be in the spotlight at both meetings.
Mr Kishida will convey “his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland,” the Japanese foreign ministry said.
Japan’s national broadcaster NHK showed footage of Mr Kishida talking to officials as he stood next to a train. He had arrived in Kyiv after boarding a train in the Polish border town of Przemysl.
Japan will host a G7 summit in May, and Mr Kishida has previously said the summit should demonstrate a strong will to uphold international order and rule of law in response to the Ukraine war.
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4h ago
06:47
China’s message to the world: We’re the superpower – not the US – that can get things done
By Helen-Ann Smith, Asia correspondent
For the first year of the Ukraine crisis, China very self-consciously hung in the background.
Not only did it avoid either condemning or condoning the war, but it also refrained from inserting itself into broader global discussions around the crisis.
That is all changing now. Beijing, it seems, has decided to take a different tact, and its new approach positions Xi Jinping right at the centre of proceedings as a self-styled great statesman and peacemaker.
China insists it is one of the only countries that has the power and indeed the credibility to broker any such peace.
Unlike America and many European powers, it says, it has not supplied weapons to either side, it has not passed judgement and has the necessary relationships to bring the two sides to the table.
Its earlier non-committal is now coming in handy in allowing it to make such claims.
In this new role, it can point to recent successes.
It was, in fact, just over a week ago that China brokered a surprise relations-restoring deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, an achievement that came out of the blue and for which China has been applauded.
China’s message to the world it is that it is the new reliable superpower on the block.
Unlike America, which has spent years trying to broker deals and reset the world order based largely on its gravitas and military might, China is now using its economic and trading prowess to exert similar influence.
But its claims to be a peacemaker when it comes to Ukraine ring somewhat hollow in the West.
Not only has China spent the last year quietly supplying Russia with finance, technology and crucial diplomatic cover, but many say that even the act of visiting Moscow is enabling and legitimising Putin’s illegal war.
Indeed, many say it is increasingly difficult to take China’s claims to neutrality seriously during three days of overt friendship and warmth with the Russian leader when President Xi hasn’t once spoken to President Zelenskyy since the invasion.
Despite what it says, China has lots of reasons to not want to see Russia disadvantaged.
The two are vital trading partners to each other, peace on their shared border allows it to focus resources elsewhere and, crucially, Russia is a like-minded ally in an increasingly tense power struggle with America.
China also knows that the Ukraine conflict has the potential to reset the world order and it doesn’t want to lose out.
A weak, defeated Russia and a united, victorious West does not serve its interests, particularly if it ever wanted to launch its own invasion of the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Of course, if Putin and Xi do announce some form of breakthrough or ceasefire proposal, it’s unlikely to be acceptable to Ukraine and its Western backers. A ceasefire now may simply allow Putin to consolidate the territory he has already taken.
But in these circumstances, China will be able to claim that it tried and was frustrated by a warmongering West.
It will suit its new narrative: that China is now the world’s best bet when it comes to diplomacy.
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5h ago
06:13
Russia to hold informal meeting with UN over missing Ukrainian children
Moscow is planning to hold informal talks with the UN Security Council early next month to discuss what it describes as the “real situation” regarding Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
Vladimir Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes, including the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told a news conference that Moscow had planned the council meeting long before the arrest warrant was issued on Friday.
Russia will hold the rotating presidency of the council in April.
The warrants for Mr Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights, were welcomed by Ukraine as a first step towards accountability for war crimes since the Russian invasion last February.
They were dismissed by Russia, which is not one of the 123 countries that recognises the ICC, as “legally void” and “outrageous”.
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5h ago
05:35
Wagner chief warns Moscow Ukriane is planning ‘large scale attack’
Yevgeny Prigozhin has warned the Russian defence minister that Kyiv is planning an offensive to cut off Wagner Group forces from the bulk of Moscow’s troops.
The mercenary outfit’s chief claimed that a “large scale attack” was planned for later this month or the start of April in a press conference yesterday.
Taking the unusual step of publishing his correspondence with Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin said: “I ask you to take all necessary measures to prevent the Wagner private military company being cut off from the main forces of the Russian army, which will lead to negative consequences for the special military operation.”
He added that he would provide his own plan of how to counter Ukraine, but didn’t reveal how he came to know about the alleged upcoming offensive.
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6h ago
05:09
New Zealander reportedly killed on frontline in Ukraine
A man from New Zealand fighting in Ukraine has reportedly been killed in action.
Kane Te Tai, known as “Turtle” to his friends, was a veteran of the New Zealand Army having signed up “straight out of school”, according to his parents. He had previously served in Afghanistan.
Mr Te Tai, who has a 12-year-old daughter, was in regular contact with friends on social media while in Ukraine but has recently gone dark, reports the NZ Herald.
His mother described him as a “complex fellow” who has “always been very community spirited”.
Another New Zealander fighting in Ukraine called Mr Te Tai “a warrior through and through, he took the enemy head on and went out swinging… just like our boys at Gallipoli”.
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6h ago
05:03
The relationship between China and Russia explained
As Presidents Putin and Xi meet in Moscow, Sky’s Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith explains why the countries are so close, and what that means for the rest of the world…
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6h ago
04:41
Moscow students ‘refused diplomas unless they sign mobilisation orders’
Students at one of Russia’s top universities are being denied their diplomas unless they sign mobilisation orders, it has been claimed.
Prospective graduates from the Moscow Aviation Institute have said that their certificates are not being signed unless they agree to enlist in the military.
One student told the independent Russian website Vertska: “The diploma is not issued until you sign the summons. Right in the office where the diploma is issued sits as a military commissar.”
Another student said: “Together with the diploma, they demand you sign the agenda immediately.
“This is for those who have been studying as a specialist for 5.5 years.”
This is believed to be part of Russia’s wider mobilisation plan which is seeing thousands of young men called up to the army across the country.
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7h ago
04:13
Xi’s Moscow visit unlikely to result in military backing for invasion – analysts
Washington has said in recent weeks it fears China might arm Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Beijing arming Moscow could lead to World War Three.
Despite these concerns, Beijing has denied it has plans to send arms to the Russians and experts seem to think weaponry being sent is unlikely.
Foreign policy analysts said while Putin would be looking for strong support from Mr Xi over Ukraine, they doubted his Moscow visit this week would result in military backing.
Yu Jie, senior research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Programme, at Chatham House in London, said Mr Xi’s entourage does not include any senior members from the People’s Liberation Army.
This may send a clear message that Beijing is unlikely to offer any direct military support to Moscow despite what some pundits have asserted,” she said.
“China appears to be more interested in acting as a mediator for peace initiatives with regard to Ukraine than increasing support for the Russian invasion,” said Robert Murrett, deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University.
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7h ago
03:53
Ukraine General Staff: Russia launched 21 airstrikes and nine missiles yesterday
Moscow’s forces launched 21 airstrikes and nine missiles over the past 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
In an update shared on Facebook, Kyiv said the strikes targeted Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk oblast.
Infrastructure was damaged in both cities but both no civilian casualties were recorded, the post states.
On top of the airstrikes and missile launches, more than 57 rocket attacks were carried out Russian forces, Kyiv claims.
In response, the Ukrainians reportedly targeted 15 temporary Russian bases using a combination of airstrikes, rocket strikes and artillery fire.
This is the current territorial picture in Ukraine according to Sky News analysis…
