Ukraine war – live: ‘Difficult’ battle for Bakhmut could be won with faster military aid, says Zelensky
The battle for the city of Bakhmut and other hotspots along the Ukrainian frontline will change with more and swifter military aid and not just as a result of the military’s heroism, Volodymyr Zelensky said during a visit to Warsaw.
“...The more and faster weapons and ammunition will arrive in Ukraine, the faster the armed forces will change the situation not only in Bakhmut, but also in other areas of the front on the territory of our country,” the war-time president said during a meeting with reporters after talks with Polish president Andrzej Duda.
Mr Zelensky has also said that Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Kyiv.
It comes as Ukraine signalled for the first time its willingness to enter talks with Russia over the fate of occupied Crimea – but only if Kyiv’s counteroffensive succeeds if first forcing Russian troops out of the rest of its territory, Mr Zelensky’s top adviser said.
And Vladimir Putin has accused Western intelligence agencies of helping Ukraine carry out acts of “terror and sabotage” – but fell short of providing any evidence for his bold claim.
Key Points
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Bakhmut situation can change with more military aid, says Zelensky
04:15 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the situation in the city of Bakhmut and other frontline cities depends on the speed and volume of military aid received from international partners, and not just the heroism on display by the Ukrainian military.
“The most difficult situation on the territory of our state is in Bakhmut. The greatest use of various weapons and artillery is there. There is a very, very difficult story,” he said during a meeting with reporters after talks with Polish president Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
He added: “And there is a shortage every day: sometimes there is artillery and enough shells on our side, sometimes there are less of them. This happens every day. Sometimes there is success in some parts of Bakhmut, we go forward, then there is no success, and we retreat to our positions again. But we are in Bakhmut, and the enemy does not control the city. This is the situation as of today.”
“...The more and faster weapons and ammunition will arrive in Ukraine, the faster the armed forces will change the situation not only in Bakhmut, but also in other areas of the front on the territory of our country,” the war-time president said.
Latest images from the frontline in Ukraine
04:00 , Emily Atkinson
Ukraine will speak to Russia on Crimea if counteroffensive succeeds – official
03:55 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine is willing to speak with Russia about the future of Crimea if the forces sent by Kyiv reach the border of the Russia-held peninsula, a top official to Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“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, the deputy head of Mr Zelensky’s office, told FT.
“It doesn’t mean that we exclude the way of liberation [of Crimea] by our army,” the top adviser said.
After Crimea’s annexation in 2014 and since taking office in 2019, Mr Zelensky has ruled out peace talks on the disputed peninsula with the Russian forces along with all separatist territories, seeking that the soldiers deployed by Moscow leave all of Ukraine.
UN nuclear chief discusses Ukraine nuclear plant in Russia
03:00 , Emily Atkinson
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,” Grossi said on Twitter. “I continue my efforts to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he said, emphasizing that this was “in everyone’s interest.”
Read our full report here:
UN nuclear chief discusses Ukraine nuclear plant in Russia
Watch: Zelensky and wife welcomed with military honours to Poland
02:00 , Emily Atkinson
Ukraine and Poland ‘find solution to ease farmer anger’
01:00 , Emily Atkinson
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday he expected decisions to be announced in the coming days and weeks to alleviate anger among Polish farmers linked to Ukrainian grain imports.
He told reporters at a briefing standing alongside Poland’s prime minister that he had discussed the matter of Ukrainian and Polish farmers at talks in Warsaw on Wednesday and found a solution.
“We have found a way out, I believe that in the coming days and weeks we will finally resolve all issues as there cannot be any questions, any complications between such close partners and real friends as Poland and Ukraine,” he said.
Polish agriculture minister Henryk Kowalczyk resigned earlier on Wednesday amid rising anger among farmers over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on prices.
Putin: West helped Ukraine mount acts of sabotage
Thursday 6 April 2023 00:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russian President Vladimir Putin charged Wednesday that Western intelligence agencies have helped Ukraine carry out acts of sabotage, as he urged his officials to mount a stronger response.
Putin spoke during a call with members of his Security Council that focused on efforts to shore up control of the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claimed as part of its territory in September — a move that was rejected by most of the world as an illegal annexation.
“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,” Putin said, without elaboration and without providing any evidence.
More from the Associated Press here:
Putin: West helped Ukraine mount acts of sabotage
Kyiv: Situation at front is completely under control
Wednesday 5 April 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson
The situation at the front is “completely under control” despite repeated Russian attempts to take Bakhmut and other cities in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar has stated.
Malyar wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian soldiers were repelling dozens of attacks a day around Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka and Marinka.
Russian media mocks Trump over arrest days after he defended Putin
Wednesday 5 April 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson
Donald Trump’s indictment in New York City has been met with ridicule by state TV in Russia, where hosts have enjoyed themselves by showcasing artwork depicting the former president wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and speculating about future jail time.
Mr Trump appeared at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to plead not guilty to 34 felony charges relating to the falsification of business records to conceal a series of hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman on his behalf in exchange for their silence about his alleged extramarital affairs.
More on this from my colleague Joe Sommerlad here:
Russian media mocks Trump over arrest days after he defended Putin
Poland will help form coalition to supply warplanes to Ukraine - Zelensky
Wednesday 5 April 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said during his trip to Warsaw today that Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Ukraine, as it did with battle tanks.
The Ukrainian leader, in a speech on a square in Warsaw, said that Russia would not defeat Europe while Ukraine and Poland are standing “shoulder to shoulder”.
Putin claims West helped Kyiv mount acts of ‘terror and sabotage’
Wednesday 5 April 2023 20:06 , Emily Atkinson
Vladimir Putin has accused Western intelligence agencies of helping Ukraine carry out acts of “terror and sabotage” – but fell short of providing any evidence for his bold claim.
He made the remarks during a call with members of his Security Council that focused on efforts to shore up control of the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claimed as part of its territory in September — a move that most of the world rejected as an illegal annexation.
“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,” Putin said, without elaborating.
He said the four provinces have experienced Ukrainian shelling and acts of sabotage aimed at scaring the local population, and that Russian authorities must act “harshly and effectively to ensure control over the situation.”
Putin opens talks with Belarus leader
Wednesday 5 April 2023 19:30 , Emily Atkinson
Russian president Vladimir Putin welcomed Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks, but in their opening public remarks both men steered clear of the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Last month Putin said Russia 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,” Putin told 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. Lukashenko allowed Putin to use the territory of Belarus as a launch pad for 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. Russia’s pre-war population was around 140 million compared to just 9 million for Belarus.
Russia has committed war crimes, says Polish president
Wednesday 5 April 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine which must be punished, the Polish president said on Wednesday during a visit to Warsaw by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“(Ukraine) could not be intimidated even though the targets of attacks are civilian facilities, hospitals, kindergartens.. these are war crimes that must be brought to justice and the criminals must be punished,” Andrzej Duda said.
ICYMI: Zelensky visit tightens bonds with Poland amid Russian war
Wednesday 5 April 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky won new pledges of deeper cooperation on a state visit to Poland on Wednesday as the neighbours sought to forge a tighter relationship in defiance of Russia’s full-scale war against Kyiv that has reshaped international alliances.
Polish president Andrzej Duda said his country has provided four Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine to help it beat back the Kremlin’s assault. Four more are in the process of being handed over and another six are being prepared, he said.
Zelensky said at a news conference with Duda that his government would “extend a hearty welcome” to Polish businesses seeking to help Ukraine’s postwar rebuilding, which the World Bank has estimated could cost $411 billion. He met later with prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and said he would sign agreements on developing Ukrainian infrastructure.
Poland heaped military honours and praise on Zelenskyy as it welcomed him and his wife on a joint visit, during which they thanked the country for its crucial military support as well as being a haven for Ukrainian refugees. The former Soviet satellite that is now a member of the European Union and NATO feels especially threatened by Russia and has been a leading advocate for aid to Kyiv.
Russian president Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, said Moscow’s relations with Washington are “in deep crisis” as the U.S. has led its allies in supplying aid and weapons to Ukraine.
Speaking at a ceremony where he accepted diplomatic credentials from ambassadors of 17 nations, including the U.S., Putin alleged that Washington’s support for the 2014 protests in Kyiv that ousted a pro-Kremlin president led to Russia’s sending troops into Ukraine.
Zelensky and Duda said they wanted to leave behind any World War II-era grievances that linger in Ukraine and Poland.
“There are no taboo topics between us,” Duda said. “There are still open wounds in the memory of many people.”
The visit to Warsaw was a rare wartime foray out of Ukraine for Zelenskyy. While he also travelled to the United States, Britain, France and Belgium, the trip to Poland stood out because it was announced in advance and undertaken without the secrecy of past foreign trips. It also was the first time Zelensky and first lady Olena Zelenska travelled abroad together since the war began in February 2022, said Marcin Przydacz, head of Duda’s foreign policy office.
Duda awarded Zelensky Poland’s oldest and highest civilian distinction, The Order of the White Eagle.“We have no doubt that your attitude, together with the bravery of the nation, has saved Ukraine,” the Polish president told Zelensky.
At a ceremony in the courtyard of the presidential palace, Duda and the two countries’ first ladies were dressed in formal attire, while Zelensky wore the military-style sweatshirt and khaki trousers that have become his uniform since the invasion.
His trips to London, Paris and Brussels in February were part of his push for warplanes and for his country admission to the EU and NATO, and his visit to Washington in December was intended to shore up U.S. support.
Zelenskyy travelled through Poland on his previous foreign trips, but until now had not made it his sole destination. The purpose of the journey to Warsaw was primarily to thank a country that has been an international cheerleader for Ukraine, as well as a safe haven for Ukrainian refugees and a transit hub for Ukraine-bound humanitarian aid and weapons.
The visit highlighted the central European nation’s rising role in a new international security order that has emerged from the war. Poland is seeking to modernize its military by purchasing tanks and other equipment from U.S. and South Korean producers. The United States has also bolstered its military presence in Poland.
Zelensky also was meeting with Ukrainians who have fled to Poland. More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have registered with the Polish government since the war began.
His visit comes at a delicate time, with Polish farmers increasingly angry because Ukrainian grain that has entered the country has created a glut, causing prices to fall.
The grain is only meant to be stored temporarily before being sent to markets in North Africa and the Middle East. But farmers say the grain is taking up space in silos and entering Polish markets, causing local prices to fall. Romanian and Bulgarian farmers say they face the same problem.
That anger is emerging as a headache for Morawiecki’s government ahead of fall elections, particularly since his conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, gets much of its support in rural areas. Agriculture minister Henryk Kowalczyk, the focus of the farmers’ anger, resigned Wednesday.
In Ukraine, the military authorities said Russian forces in the previous 24 hours had launched 47 airstrikes, three missile strikes and 42 attacks from multiple rocket launchers. At least four civilians were killed and 16 others wounded in that period, Zelensky’s office reported.
UN nuclear chief discusses Ukraine nuclear plant in Russia
Wednesday 5 April 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy
The head of the U.N.’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,” Grossi said on Twitter. “I continue my efforts to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he said, emphasizing that this was “in everyone’s interest.”
UN nuclear chief discusses Ukraine nuclear plant in Russia
Blinken says WSJ reporter 'wrongfully detained' by Russia
Wednesday 5 April 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday he has “no doubt” that Russia has wrongfully detained an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was arrested last week on spying allegations.
However, Blinken said a formal determination of Evan Gershkovich’s wrongful detention has not yet been made, something that would elevate the priority of his case within the U.S. government. Blinken said the legal process for such a determination would be completed soon.
“In Evan’s case we are working through the determination on wrongful detention. There is a process to do that,” he said. “I’ll let that process play out.
“In my mind, there is no doubt that he is being wrongfully detained by Russia,” Blinken told reporters.
Matthew Lee reports:
Blinken says WSJ reporter 'wrongfully detained' by Russia
As Finland joins its ranks NATO ponders Ukraine's prospects
Wednesday 5 April 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy
As Finland joined NATO this week, casting aside a history of military nonalignment, a small but noisy group of Ukraine supporters outside the security fence at the alliance’s headquarters used a loudspeaker system to chant “Ukraine needs NATO,” “Ukraine in NATO,” and “Ukraine needs fighter jets.”
Russia’s war on Ukraine has driven Finland into NATO’s ranks to benefit from its security guarantee that an attack on any one of the now-31 member countries will be met with a response from them all. Sweden, Bosnia, Georgia and — most urgently — Ukraine, want in, too.
At their summit in Lithuania on July 11-12, U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts want to offer Ukraine something more, something stronger, in line with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s expectations more than a year into a war that has killed tens of thousands and driven millions from their homes. The question, NATO diplomats say, is: What, exactly?
Read the full story:
As Finland joins its ranks NATO ponders Ukraine's prospects
Russia's Lavrov to discuss Ukraine, grain and energy in visit to Turkey
Wednesday 5 April 2023 16:56 , Martha Mchardy
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu will discuss the conflict in Ukraine, energy cooperation and the Black Sea grain deal during a two-day visit by a Russian delegation this week.
Turkey has positioned itself as a potential intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow in the 13-month conflict, brokering the only significant diplomatic breakthrough so far in the shape of a deal that facilitates exports of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports despite a Russian blockade.
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Mr Lavrov and Mr Cavusoglu would use the visit on Thursday and Friday to touch base on the “situation in Ukraine” as well as consult on a wide range of regional and international issues.
“The ministers will exchange views on the current state of the Ukraine crisis, discuss the principles and means of a peaceful settlement of the conflict - which is only possible if Kyiv takes into account Russian interests and concerns,” the ministry said.
Moscow has said it is open to negotiations, but that Kyiv, must recognise the “new realities” of the conflict - namely Russia’s unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions last year and Crimea in 2014.
President Zelensky has said he will not discuss a ceasefire until Russian troops have left every inch of Ukrainian territory.
Moscow said Mr Lavrov and Mr Cavusoglu would also discuss the state of the grain deal - which Russia said last month it would extend for 60 days despite the United Nations, Ukraine and Turkey pushing for a repeat 120-day rollover.
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said a week ago that Russian president Vladimir Putin could visit in April for the inauguration of the Russian-built Akkuyu nuclear power plant, but the Kremlin has said there are no plans for a visit
Macron says China could play ‘major role’ in Ukraine peace as he arrives in Beijing
Wednesday 5 April 2023 16:30 , Martha Mchardy
Emmanuel Macron said China can “play a major role” towards establishing “peace” amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, in his first remarks while on a visit to the country.
The French president reached Beijing on Wednesday with a delegation of 50 people, including business executives, filmmakers, artists and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, for a three-day visit.
This is Mr Macron’s first trip to China since 2019 and has been widely billed as an attempt to engage with Chinese president Xi Jinping on hastening the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine by wielding his influence with Vladimir Putin.
Shweta Sharma reports:
Macron says China could play ‘major role’ in Ukraine peace as he arrives in Beijing
Poland scraps fencing event because of Russian participation
Wednesday 5 April 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy
A fencing World Cup event in Poland has been cancelled because the sport’s governing body decided last month to let Russians and Belarusians compete.
The Polish Fencing Association said Wednesday it will not host the Olympic qualifying event for women’s foil from April 21-23 in Poznan.
Last month, the International Fencing Federation voted to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to resume competing after an exclusion of more than a year.
Read the full story:
Poland scraps fencing event because of Russian participation
Russia says it will ignore media lobbying for release of arrested US reporter
Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:47 , Martha Mchardy
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists on Wednesday that Moscow would ignore a letter from media organisations urging the release of a U.S. reporter accused of espionage, saying it was hypocritical.
Blinken says U.S. working on "wrongful detention" label for WSJ reporter
Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:33 , Martha Mchardy
The United States is working through the process to determine if Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention by Russia is “wrongful”, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, adding that it would soon be completed.
“It’s something that we’re working through very deliberately, but expeditiously as well. And I’ll let that process play out. In my own mind, there’s no doubt that he’s being wrongfully detained by Russia,” Mr Blinken said at a press conference in Brussels.
Russia complains that West has not expressed concern over blogger killing
Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:30 , Martha Mchardy
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova complained on Wednesday that Western countries had not expressed concern over the killing of a military blogger with a bomb in St Petersburg on Sunday, which Russia has called an act of terrorism.
Zelensky visits Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Poland state visit
Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:20 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a state visit in Poland on Wednesday.
Mr Zelensky attended wreath laying ceremony at the Pilsudski Square in Warsaw and lay a wreath in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on the tomb, before signing a commemorative book.
Future NATO membership has to be based on independent, democratic Ukraine - Stoltenberg
Wednesday 5 April 2023 15:00 , Martha Mchardy
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday Ukraine’s future membership of the alliance had to be based on the country being independent and democratic, which is now challenged by Russia’s invasion.
Stoltenberg told a media briefing after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that Ukrainian forces should have the highest possible level of interoperability with the alliance when the war ended.
US envoy demands journalist's release in call with Russian counterpart
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:59 , Martha Mchardy
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Wednesday she had spoken with her Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia to demand the immediate release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Mr Gershkovich was arrested and charged with espionage in Russia last week. Thomas-Greenfield said she spoke with Mr Nebenzia on Tuesday.
Russia's Belarus nuclear threat shows "empty promises" of China statement: Stoltenberg
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:50 , Martha Mchardy
Russia’s announcement that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus shows that a Russia-China joint statement days earlier amounted to “empty promises”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement came just days after Russia and China jointly declared countries should not deploy nuclear weapons outside their borders, Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
He said this showed such statements are “empty promises and what we need to watch closely is what Russia is doing.”
Mr Stoltenberg said NATO had not seen any signs so far that Russia was following through on Putin’s announcement.
Putin tells US its support for 2014 revolution led to today's Ukraine situation
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:45 , Martha Mchardy
Russian president Vladimir Putin told new U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy in a Kremlin ceremony on Tuesday that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict.
He said relations with Washington were in a deep crisis.
Mr Putin also told the European Union’s ambassador at a Kremlin ceremony on Wednesday that relations between Russia and the bloc had “seriously degraded”, and that the EU had initiated a “geopolitical confrontation” with Russia.
To counter China, US trade rep seeks closer ties to allies
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:30 , Martha Mchardy
The Biden administration is pressing its case for a new approach to global trade, arguing that America’s traditional reliance on promoting free trade pacts failed to anticipate China’s brass-knuckled brand of capitalism and the possibility a major power like Russia would go to war against one of its trading partners.
In a speech Wednesday at American University, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is calling for a strategy of what’s known as “friend-shoring’’ — building up supply chains among allied countries and reducing dependence on geopolitical rivals such as China. Rising tension with Beijing and supply-chain bottlenecks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the risks of relying too heavily on Chinese suppliers.
To counter China, US trade rep seeks closer ties to allies
Russia's Lavrov to visit Turkey for talks April 6-7
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:29 , Martha Mchardy
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Turkey on April 6-7 for talks with his Turkish counterpart, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
Poland to give Ukraine 14 MiG-29 fighter jets, says Polish president
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:24 , Martha Mchardy
Poland will send 14 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Polish president said on Wednesday during an official visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Warsaw.
“Four MiG-29s that remained in storage have been handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent months. Four MiGs are now being given, so eight in total,” Andrzej Duda told a news conference. “We are ready... to give six more that are currently being prepared. We assume they could be transferred soon.”
Ukraine will take 'corresponding' decisions if troops risk encirclement in Bakhmut - Zelenskiy
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:24 , Martha Mchardy
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday the situation in the Ukrainian eastern city of Bakhmut was really difficult and that the “corresponding decisions” would be taken if Kyiv’s troops there risk being encircled by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian leader told a news conference in Poland that most important to him was to protect the lives of soldiers.
Lawyers meet with jailed American reporter in Moscow prison
Wednesday 5 April 2023 14:00 , Martha Mchardy
In case you missed it...
Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said “his health is good,” according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.
Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.
“Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release,” the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.
Lawyers meet with jailed American reporter in Moscow prison
Russian tycoon Deripaska cleared of contempt of court in London
Wednesday 5 April 2023 13:30 , Martha Mchardy
Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska was cleared of contempt of court by London’s High Court on Wednesday in a long-running legal battle with his former business partner.
The founder of aluminium giant Rusal was alleged to have breached an undertaking to the court in a lawsuit brought by former Russian finance minister Vladimir Chernukhin over a joint venture to develop real estate in Moscow.
Chernukhin said Deripaska was in contempt by allowing EN+ Group, which owns a 57% stake in Rusal, to relocate from Jersey to Russia in response to U.S. sanctions.
But Judge Mark Pelling ruled on Wednesday that Chernukhin had not proved his case against Deripaska.
Chernukhin alleged Deripaska breached an undertaking to preserve 45.5 million EN+ shares in Jersey to meet a $95 million debt to Chernukhin, which has since been paid in full.
His lawyer Jonathan Crow argued at a hearing last month that the shares were rendered “worthless” because of the difficulty in enforcing debts against Deripaska in Russia.
But Deripaska, giving evidence by videolink from Moscow, said the shares would have been worthless if EN+ was not redomiciled as the company would have been bankrupted.
In his written ruling, Pelling said the “central premise” of Chernukhin’s case was that the EN+ shares were effectively cancelled when the company was relocated to Russia, which he said was “simply wrong”.
Takeaways from AP's report on elite Russian defector
Wednesday 5 April 2023 13:00 , Martha Mchardy
In October, an officer in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s elite personal security service defected while on a business trip in Kazakhstan.
Now a wanted man in Russia, Gleb Karakulov spoke out for the first time in a series of interviews with the Dossier Center, an investigative group in London funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The AP took steps to review and verify the material.
“Our president has become a war criminal,” said the 35-year-old engineer. “It is time to end this war and stop being silent.”
Karakulov is one of few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putin’s life. Karakulov was a captain in Russia’s secretive Federal Protective Service. or FSO, tasked with setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister.
Read the full story:
Takeaways from AP's report on elite Russian defector
Macron in China urges 'shared responsibility for peace'
Wednesday 5 April 2023 12:53 , Martha Mchardy
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he wants to “engage China toward a shared responsibility for peace” in Ukraine when he meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.French officials said earlier Macron planned to urge Xi in talks Thursday to use Beijing’s influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin but didn’t expect a big shift in the Chinese position.
Emmanuel Macron arrives in China for talks with Xi Jinping over Russia’s war in Ukraine
Wednesday 5 April 2023 12:30 , Martha Mchardy
Emmanuel Macron arrived at Beijing airport on Wednesday 5 April to begin his state visit to China.
The French president touched down ahead of meetings with Chinese president Xi Jinping, where discussions about Russia’s war in Ukraine are expected to be high on the agenda.
“China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other,” an official from Mr Macron’s office said ahead of the visit.
Beijing claims to hold a neutral stance on the war, but has previously stressed its “no-limits friendship” with Russia.
Turkish foreign minister will discuss Ukraine war with Russia's Lavrov
Wednesday 5 April 2023 12:28 , Martha Mchardy
Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that he will discuss developments in the Ukraine war with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during his visit to Turkey this week.
Speaking to reporters, Cavusoglu said Ankara is working with the United Nations to solve issues regarding grain and fertiliser exports via the Black Sea.
Cavusoglu also said he was concerned about the warring parties’ preparations for further attacks.
Putin installs ‘perfect replicas of Kremlin office to avoid assassination attempts’
Wednesday 5 April 2023 12:02 , Martha Mchardy
Vladimir Putin installs ‘perfect replicas of his Kremlin office to avoid assassination attempts,’ a former bodyguard of the Russian president has said.
Mr Putin has installed the replicas in order to confuse foreign intelligence so there are no assassination attempts, said former bodyguard Gleb Karakulov.
Mr Karakulov 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The identical offices also mean the Russian president can work from home in secret, Mr Karakulov claimed.
“He has offices in St Petersburg, in Sochi, in Novo-Ogaryovo. They are identical.
“This is, firstly, an attempt to confuse foreign intelligence, so that there are no assassination attempts,” he told Russian opposition media group Dossier Centre.
Novo-Ogaryovo is Mr Putin’s official residence on the outskirts of Moscow.
Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years, labelling the Russian president a ‘paranoid war criminal’.
Mr Karakulov has claimed that president Putin is obsessed with his safety, and he opts to stay “in his bunker” rather than make trips because he is so paranoid about an assassination attempt.
Voices: Proof that Putin’s Ukraine invasion has spectacularly backfired
Wednesday 5 April 2023 12:00 , Martha Mchardy
Finland’s membership of Nato will benefit both the alliance and Helsinki, writes Jamie Shea.
Proof that Putin’s Ukraine invasion has spectacularly backfired
More pictures from Zelensky’s state visit to Poland
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:34 , Martha Mchardy
Putin officer defects and says ‘paranoid’ president lives in a bunker and is terrified of Covid
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:30 , Martha Mchardy
A protection officer for Vladimir Putin has defected and labelled the Russian president a “paranoid war criminal”.
Gleb Karakulov, 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years. It is unclear where the 35-year-old is now.
Martha McHardy reports:
Putin officer says ‘paranoid’ president lives in bunker and is terrified of Covid
Ukraine's Zelenskiy visits Poland as allies step up military aid
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:28 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Poland on Wednesday, buoyed by the latest announcement of U.S. military aid, as Russian troops pressed on with their long and costly battle to seize the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Zelenskiy planned to thank his Polish allies, who have provided vital weaponry to his government since Russia’s invasion and have taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees.
French president Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, was visiting China after he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed they would try to engage Beijing to hasten the end of the Russian assault on Ukraine, now in its second year.
The West has stepped up aid as Ukrainian forces prepare to mount a counteroffensive in the east against Russian forces, although when exactly it might kick off has not been disclosed.
Spain said six Leopard 2A4 tanks it has promised to send to Ukraine would leave the country in the second half of April, later than initially planned. Spain has also trained 40 tank crew members and 15 mechanics at a military base in the northeastern city of Zaragoza.
Other NATO countries, including Germany, Poland and Portugal, have promised to send a total of 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The battlefield focus remained on Bakhmut, a mining city and transport hub on the edge of a chunk of Donetsk province largely under Russian control. Both sides have suffered huge casualties and much of the city has been reduced to ruins after months of street fighting and bombardments.
Near the town of Niu-York, 50 km (30 miles) south of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers in muddy dugouts described repelling Russian attacks on a daily basis.
Ukrainian military commanders have stressed the importance of holding Bakhmut and other towns and inflicting losses prior to the anticipated counteroffensive.
Mercenaries from the Wagner group - who have spearheaded the assault on Bakhmut - said at the weekend they had captured the city centre, a claim dismissed by Kyiv.
In pictures: President Zelensky and wife visit Poalnd on state visit
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:17 , Martha Mchardy
Watch: Finland joins Nato as war in Ukraine continues
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:00 , Martha Mchardy
Zelensky to meet president and PM and Ukrainian refugees on Poland state visit
Wednesday 5 April 2023 11:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian presdient Volodymyr Zelensky will meet president Andrzej Duda and prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Ukrainian refugees on a rare state visit to Poland with his wife.
Mr Zelensky is to meet Mr Duda and Mr Morawiecki, attend an economic forum focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine and meet some of the Ukrainians who have found refuge in Poland.
Poland has been a key destination for Ukrainian refugees, particularly those who want to remain close because they plan to return or want to be able to visit loved ones.
More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have registered with the Polish government since the war began, joining large numbers of Ukrainians who had already arrived in recent years for work.
The exact number of Ukrainians present in the country at any given moment is impossible to measure, especially with many going back and forth.
Mr Zelensky has travelled through Poland on his other trips but until now has not made Poland the focus of one his trips.
Zelensky and wife welcomed to Poland on rare state visit
Wednesday 5 April 2023 10:51 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife have been welcomed with military honours in Poland at the start of a state visit.
The trip is a rare foray for Mr Zelensky out of Ukraine since Russia unleased the war in February 2022 and is meant as a gesture of thanks to Poland for supporting Ukraine’s defence.
While it follows visits to the United States, Britain, France and Belgium, it stands out from the others because it was announced in advance without the secrecy of past visits.
It is also unusual that the president is joined by the first lady, Olena Zelenska.
Marcin Przydacz, the head of Polish president Andrzej Duda’s foreign policy office, described it as Mr Zelensky’s first visit of this kind since the war began.
The visit shines a light on Poland’s rising international role in a new security order that is emerging after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Poland, a member of Nato and the European Union, is modernising its military with orders of tanks and other equipment from US and South Korean producers, while the United States has beefed up its military presence in Poland.
Warsaw has been a key ally for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year, also becoming a hub for humanitarian aid and weapons to move into Ukraine.
ICYMI: Suspect in Russia cafe bombing that killed pro-Putin blogger charged with terror offences
Wednesday 5 April 2023 10:30 , Martha Mchardy
A 26-year-old woman has been charged with terrorism offences in Russia over a bombing that killed a pro-war military blogger.
Footage released by the Russian interior ministry on Monday appeared to show Darya Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the restaurant in St Petersburg, which blew up, also allegedly injuring 42 others.
She did not say that she knew there would be an explosion or who had given her the object.
While it is unclear whether her account was given under duress, Ms Trepova’s husband told Russian website SVTV News that – despite being against the war in Ukraine – his wife “would never kill” and “was framed”.
Russia charges St Petersburg cafe bombing suspect with terror offences
EU lashes out at China for support of Russia in Ukraine war
Wednesday 5 April 2023 10:00 , Martha Mchardy
The European Union’s foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at China for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine and called it “a blatant violation” of Beijing‘s United Nations commitments.
“There cannot be siding with the aggressor,” Josep Borrell said. “There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.”
Standing alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was forceful in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being a partner to being a rival on the global stage.
Raf Casert reports:
EU lashes out at China for support of Russia in Ukraine war
Polish agriculture minister resigns amid anger over Ukrainian grain imports
Wednesday 5 April 2023 09:30 , Martha Mchardy
Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk will resign from his post, he said on Wednesday, amid rising anger among farmers over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on prices.
In pictures: In Ukraine, the grief-stricken bear the pain of war
Wednesday 5 April 2023 09:00 , Martha Mchardy
Spanish Leopard tanks to leave to Ukraine in second half of April - Defence Minister
Wednesday 5 April 2023 08:49 , Martha Mchardy
The six Leopard 2A4 tanks Spain committed to send to Ukraine will leave the country in the second half of April, defence minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday in an interview on 24H TV station.
She added the country’s army services are working on four additional tanks to make them ready for combat and possibly send them to Ukraine too.
Putin will be angry Finland has joined Nato – but he only has himself to blame
Wednesday 5 April 2023 08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not be happy with Finland becoming the 31st member of Nato. The date is significant – 4 April – which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Nato treaty 74 years ago, writes Jamie Shea.
Yet Putin has only himself to blame for this most significant enlargement of the Western alliance in some time.
Before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, barely 30 per cent of Finns wanted their country to join Nato.
Finland was largely comfortable with the dense network of security partnerships that it had devised since the end of the Cold War: close cooperation with Nato, participation in the EU’s common security and defence policy and military integration with its neighbour, Sweden, and the other Nordic partners.
Analysis: Putin will be angry Finland has joined Nato – but he can only blame himself
Zelensky arrives in Poland to deepen ties with key Western ally
Wednesday 5 April 2023 08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in neighbouring Poland on Wednesday, a Polish presidential aide said, as he begins an official visit to a close ally that has galvanised Western military and political support for Kyiv.
The visit, which was announced this week by Poland but has not been officially confirmed by Kyiv, comes with Ukraine planning to conduct a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to recapture occupied land in its east and south.
“I can say that President Zelensky has crossed the Polish border,” Marcin Przydacz told private broadcaster TVN24 on Wednesday.
In televised comments on Tuesday ahead of the visit, Przydacz had said the visit “should be taken as a sign of trust and of thanking Poland and Poles”.
Poland has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of war. The NATO member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine.
Military deliveries have been vital for Ukraine to fend off and fight back Russian forces that poured over the Ukrainian border in February 2022. Swathes of Ukraine remain occupied in the south and the east.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kyiv was grateful to Poland for clearing the way for deliveries of MiG fighter jets. Przydacz said earlier this week the first MiGs had already been delivered to Ukraine.
“MiGs from Poland will significantly strengthen our defence, allow us to make our skies safer, save the lives of our citizens and also reduce the destruction caused by Russian attacks,” Reznikov wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky will meet President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on the trip, and speak to Ukrainian refugees and Polish members of the public, Przydacz said.
“It will not be a surprise to anyone that the Ukrainian side will ask Poland and other foreign partners for more support... but we must be aware that we as Poland have already really done a lot,” he said.
Poland has said talks will focus on developments on Ukrainian front lines, international support and economic cooperation, he said.
Ukraine‘s presidential office has not said anything in advance about the trip or what it will focus on.
Ukrainian drone crashes near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Wednesday 5 April 2023 07:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Ukrainian drone has crashed near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Russia‘s RIA news agency cited a Russian officer as saying on Wednesday, as the chief of the global nuclear watchdog was expected in Russia for talks on the plant’s security.
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi was due to travel to Russia‘s Kaliningrad region on Wednesday, a week after visiting the Zaporizhzhia facility in southern Ukraine, which is controlled by Russian forces.
According to the Russian military officer cited by RIA, a Polish-made drone weighing more than 2 kg (4.4 pounds) had crashed near the plant. The news agency did not say when.
Grossi has been pushing for a demilitarised zone around Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which has come under repeated shelling, with Russia and Ukraine have blamed on each other.
Russian foreign ministry claims Finland has ‘lost its special voice in international affairs'
Wednesday 5 April 2023 07:00 , Andy Gregory
Russia's foreign ministry has claimed that, in dropping non-alignment, Finland was committing a dangerous historical mistake that would fray relations with Moscow and undo its status as a confidence-building presence in the Baltic Sea and Europe at large.
“This is now a thing of the past. Finland has become one of the small members of [Nato] that doesn’t decide anything, losing its special voice in international affairs. We are sure that history will judge this hasty step,” a ministry statement said.
France boosts military spending amid war in Ukraine
Wednesday 5 April 2023 06:03 , AP news wire
The French government has approved a key budget bill presented as the country’s biggest military spending spree in more than 50 years, underscoring the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The bill foresees €413bn in military spending or the period covering 2024-2030 – up by more than a third relative to the previous timeframe.
Defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said bill’s political, budgetary, military and technological drive is comparable to the huge push in the 1960s that saw France develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world’s major military powers.
Championed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the bill would notably modernise France’s nuclear arsenal, boost intelligence spending by 60 per cent, double the number of military reservists, reinforce cyberdefense and develop more remote-controlled weapons.
It would also boost the arms industry’s production capacity in order to provide assistance to Ukraine and adequately supply the French military.
France boosts military spending amid war in Ukraine
Zelensky heads to Poland to deepen ties with key Western ally
Wednesday 5 April 2023 05:56 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to reach Poland shortly as he looks to thank one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies.
Poland has played a key role in galvanising Western military and political support for Kyiv against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“(The visit) should be taken as a sign of trust and of thanking Poland and Poles,” Polish presidential foreign policy adviser Marcin Przydacz said in televised comments yesterday evening, ahead of Mr Zelensky’s expected arrival.
The visit, which was announced this week by Poland but has not been officially confirmed by Kyiv, comes with Ukraine planning to conduct a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to recapture occupied land in its east and south.
Poland has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of war.
The Nato member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine.
Hopeful Zelensky welcomes Finland’s entry into Nato
Wednesday 5 April 2023 05:36 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed Finland’s entry into Nato, cheering on the strengthening of the alliance.
“Today, by the way, a historic event took place for our region, for all of Europe, for the entire Euro-Atlantic community. Finland becomes the 31st member of Nato. The alliance is getting stronger on the eastern flank,” he said in his nightly address.
Mr Zelensky congratulated all the people of Finland and the country’s president “personally on a reliable security guarantee – a collective guarantee”.
“Russian aggression clearly proves that only collective guarantees, only preventive guarantees can be reliable. That’s what we always talked about. We also talked about speed – the speed of security decisions matters. Now we can see how fast the procedures can be,” he said.
He added: “By the way, this year’s Nato Summit in Vilnius deserves to be quite ambitious. The more ambitious the one who protects freedom, the less opportunities for aggression the one who wants evil has. The day will come when security will be guaranteed for our country as well.”
Putin officer defects and says ‘paranoid’ president lives in a bunker
Wednesday 5 April 2023 05:26 , Arpan Rai
A protection officer for Vladimir Putin has defected and labelled the Russian president a “paranoid war criminal”.
Gleb Karakulov, 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The former FSO officer claims president Putin opts to stay “in his bunker” rather than make trips because he is so paranoid about an assassination attempt. The Russian president also allegedly travels with a 2.5 metre-high box to prevent his secret talks from leaking and Western bugging.
Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years. It is unclear where the 35-year-old is now.
Read the full story here:
Putin officer says ‘paranoid’ president lives in bunker and is terrified of Covid
Watch: Defecting Russian protection officer labels Vladimir Putin 'war criminal'
Wednesday 5 April 2023 05:01 , Andy Gregory
Lawyers meet with jailed WSJ reporter in Russian prison
Wednesday 5 April 2023 04:57 , Arpan Rai
Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison yesterday for the first time since his detention last week and said “his health is good,” according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.
Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested on Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city.
He is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.
“Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release,” the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom on Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.
Read the full story here:
Lawyers meet with jailed American reporter in Moscow prison
Ukrainian fighters describe Bakhmut battle: ‘They creep in, fire’
Wednesday 5 April 2023 04:34 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces placed in the muddy dugouts have described the battlefield situation in Bakhmut where dozens of Russian artillery and missile attacks continue on a daily basis.
Near the town of Niu-York, 50 km south of Bakhmut, a commander of an infantry unit explains: “They creep in, fire and try to exhaust us. Then they evaluate the situation and can move forward for a little more".
"Meanwhile, we try to let them get closer to us so that we can hit them more precisely,” the military commander who gave his nom-de-guerre as "Bodia" told Reuters.
Earlier this week, the chief of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that his forces have “legally” captured the mining city and logistics hub but Ukraine swiftly denied the reports and said that the fighting continues.
Bakhmut epicentre of fight with ‘no let-up’, 20 attacks repelled
Wednesday 5 April 2023 04:13 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian commanders leading the charge in the bitter battle for Bakhmut have said that the relentless attacks from Russia have continued.
“In the Bakhmut sector, there was no let-up in enemy actions aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut. At least 20 enemy attacks were repelled here alone over the past 24 hours,” the Ukrainian general staff said in a report on Facebook.
At least tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on both sides have been killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in February last year.
The battle for Bakhmut has been one of the bloodiest of the conflict, with heavy casualties on both sides and the city largely destroyed.
Mike Pompeo warns of Putin’s ‘broader war in Europe'
Wednesday 5 April 2023 04:00 , Arpan Rai
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has warned against larger threats from Vladimir Putin to Europe if Russia wins the war against Ukraine after he returned from his visit to the war-hit nation yesterday.
“I’ve just left Ukraine. I’ve seen the damage caused by Putin’s invasion. And I’ve been inspired by the bravery of the Ukrainian people. One thing is clear: helping Ukraine end this war is in America’s core interest,” Mr Pompeo said.
He added: “Supporting Ukraine isn’t about abstract ideals like ‘global democracy’: it’s about strengthening OUR national and economic security.”
“If Putin wins, he’ll control critical exports to the US. And he’ll be on the brink of a broader war in Europe. We can’t let that happen,” the former top US official from Donald Trump administration said.
Lauding the Ukrainian people for enduring “indescribable suffering”, Mr Pompeo said that the “resilient” people are “not asking for American troops—just our support”.
We should give it to them, Mr Pompeo said.
Visuals from the former director of the CIA visit showed him dressed in casual attire and interacting with locals and children in Ukraine at a site of the attack as a building hollowed out likely in an artillery attack appeared in the backdrop.
Mr Pompeo said he had travelled to Ukraine with a delegation of US businessmen and representatives of several humanitarian institutions. He visited a military hospital and also met Ukrainian government officials.
Britain blocks UN webcast of Russian meeting on Ukraine
Wednesday 5 April 2023 03:59 , Reuters
Britain has blocked the UN webcast of an informal Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday at which Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights – who the International Criminal Court wants to arrest on war crimes charges – is due to speak, diplomats said.
Russia had told council members that the discussion about Ukraine will focus on “evacuating children from conflict zone” and signalled that commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova would feature.
Such meetings are held at UN headquarters, but not in the Security Council chamber, and briefings can be done virtually. All 15 council members have to agree to allow it to be webcast by the United Nations.
Britain blocked the webcast because Russia would not confirm who would brief, diplomats said on Tuesday. Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy confirmed Britain’s move on Twitter.
“Russia will from now on block UN webcasts of all similar meetings citing ‘UK censorship clause’,” Polyanskiy wrote. Later on Tuesday Russia confirmed that Lvova-Belova would speak at the briefing.
Diplomats have said it is rare for a U.N. webcast to be blocked. However, last month China blocked the UN webcast of a US-convened informal Security Council meeting on human rights abuses in North Korea.
Moscow hosts talks aimed at Syria-Turkey rapprochement
Wednesday 5 April 2023 02:51 , AP
Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow on Tuesday, part of the Kremlin’s efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.
The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries issued terse readouts, saying diplomats discussed preparations for a planned meeting of the four countries’ foreign ministers. Moscow described the consultations as “frank and direct,” and Ankara said they were held in a “transparent and clear manner,” while offering no details.
The talks in Moscow were held as UN-mediated negotiations aimed at reaching a political solution to Syria’s conflict have stalled.
Moscow hosts talks aimed at Syria-Turkey rapprochement
Russia’s Lavrov accuses US of trying to ‘torpedo’ Moscow’s upcoming African summit
Wednesday 5 April 2023 01:42 , Andy Gregory
Russia’s foreign minister has accused Washington of trying to wreck Russia’s planned summit with African countries as part of efforts to isolate Moscow.
Moscow is preparing for its second summit with African countries, scheduled for the end of July in St Petersburg, including work on infrastructure, technology and energy projects.
Sergei Lavrov told the news site Argumenty i Fakty that Moscow was different from Western countries in its relations with Africa in that “we never tell our foreign partners how they are supposed to live,” claiming: “We have no secret agenda.”
“It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing everything possible to achieve Russia’s international isolation,” Mr Lavrov told the website. “In particular, they are trying to torpedo the planned second Russia-Africa summit ... to persuade our African friends not to take part.”
He claimed, however, that the chances of damaging the conference were diminishing as “fewer and fewer people are now willing to pull out all the stops for former colonial powers”, saying: “Attempts to interfere in our cooperation with countries for the global South and East will therefore continue, but success is far from guaranteed.”
The US State Department did not address Lavrov’s accusations directly, but said in a statement that Washington was pursuing strong relationships with African countries “to address the shared challenges we face. Our Africa policy is about Africa.”
Full report: Suspect in Russia cafe bombing charged with terror offences
Wednesday 5 April 2023 00:31 , Andy Gregory
A 26-year-old woman has been charged with terrorism offences in Russia over a bombing that killed a military blogger who had been a high-profile cheerleader for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Footage released by the Russian interior ministry on Monday appeared to show Darya Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the restaurant in St Petersburg, which blew up, also allegedly injuring 42 others. She did not say that she knew there would be an explosion or who had given her the object.
While it is unclear whether her account was given under duress, Ms Trepova’s husband told Russian website SVTV News that – despite being against the war in Ukraine – his wife “would never kill” and “was framed”.
But on Tuesday, Russian investigators said they had charged Trepova with committing “a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death” and the “illegal possession of explosive devices by an organised group”.
Russia charges St Petersburg cafe bombing suspect with terror offences
Russia accuses US of ‘increasing civilian casualties’ with new military aid package
Tuesday 4 April 2023 23:27 , Andy Gregory
The Russian embassy in Washington has reacted to the Pentagon’s announcement of $2.6bn of military aid for Ukraine by accusing the United States of wanting to drag out the conflict as long as possible.
“The decision to supply weapons to Kyiv is a step towards escalating the Ukrainian crisis and increasing the number of civilian casualties,” Russian news agency Tass cited an embassy statement as saying.
US can protect its values by helping Ukraine, says Zelensky
Tuesday 4 April 2023 22:33 , Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has told the US National Governors Association that the United States could protect its values by helping Ukraine.
“Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries,” the Ukrainian president said by video link on Tuesday.
“The main thing is not to lose time, not to lose the chance we have. Act now, help now. Ukrainians act so that Americans don’t have to fight – and together we gain new strength for our countries,” he added.
US unveils £2.6bn in military aid for Ukraine, Pentagon says
Tuesday 4 April 2023 21:43 , Andy Gregory
The United States has unveiled $2.6bn of military assistance for Ukraine, as Kyiv prepares for its spring counterattack.
The weapons aid package was comprised of $2.1bn from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry rather than from US weapons stocks.
The USAI package included additional munitions for NASAMS air defenses that the US and allies have given to Kyiv, precision aerial munitions, Soviet-era GRAD rockets, anti-tank rockets, armored bridging systems used in assaults, and 105 fuel trailers, along with funding for training and maintenance.
The remaining $500m came from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows the president to take from current U.S. stocks in an emergency.
That segment of the package included a half a dozen types of munitions, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems, tank munitions, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
US journalist jailed by Russia meet lawyers for first time
Tuesday 4 April 2023 20:56 , Andy Gregory
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has met his lawyers for the first time since being arrested and charged with espionage in Russia last week, editor-in-chief Emma Tucker has said in a message to staff.
“Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world,” Ms Tucker said in the letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.
“Evan’s family ... are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan,” she said, adding she was encouraged by the meeting. Last Thursday a Moscow court remanded Gershkovich in pre-trial detention until May 29 on charges that carry a prison term of up to 20 years.
He has appealed the detention through his lawyers, as Washington said it was pushing hard to secure his release. The Wall Street Journal denies the charges. The Kremlin said last week, without providing evidence, that Gershkovich had been “caught red-handed”.
“We continue to call for his immediate release. The legal avenue is one of several avenues we are working to advocate for Evan’s release,” said Ms Tucker.
First Polish MiG-29 fighter jets arrive in Ukraine
Tuesday 4 April 2023 19:47 , Andy Gregory
The first MiG-29 fighter jets sent from Poland have arrived in Ukraine in a major escalation of military backing for Kyiv, my colleague Mary-Kate Findon reports.
Poland and Slovakia became the first Western countries to announce the shipment of 41 MiG-29s to the war-torn country.
The move is anticipated to start a precedent that could lead to other Nato allies sending fighter jets.
Analysis | Putin will be angry Finland has joined Nato – but he only has himself to blame
Tuesday 4 April 2023 19:14 , Andy Gregory
Jamie Shea writes:
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin will not be happy with Finland becoming the 31st member of Nato. The date is significant – 4 April – which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Nato treaty 74 years ago.
Yet Putin has only himself to blame for this most significant enlargement of the Western alliance in some time.
Before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, barely 30 per cent of Finns wanted their country to join Nato. Finland was largely comfortable with the dense network of security partnerships that it had devised since the end of the Cold War: close cooperation with Nato, participation in the EU’s common security and defence policy and military integration with its neighbour, Sweden, and the other Nordic partners.
Yet overnight public support for joining Nato shot up to around 80 per cent, and has stayed there ever since. Nato membership did not feature as an issue in last weekend’s Finnish elections despite the broad spectrum of parties participating. So, what has changed? Essentially two things.
Read the full analysis here:
Analysis: Putin will be angry Finland has joined Nato – but he can only blame himself
Suspect in killing of Russian war blogger charged with terrorism
Tuesday 4 April 2023 18:42 , Andy Gregory
Russian investigators have charged 26-year-old Darya Trepova with terrorist offences over the killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a bomb blast in St Petersburg, and remanded her in pre-trial detention.
Tatarsky, a cheerleader for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was killed on Sunday in a cafe where he was due to talk.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had charged Ms Trepova with committing “a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death”. The charges carry a maximum jail term of 20 years. It claimed she had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine.
Russia’s health ministry said 40 other people had been injured in the blast, and 25 were still in hospital on Tuesday morning.
Ms Trepova was transferred from St Petersburg to Moscow, where the Basmanny district court remanded her in custody on Tuesday until 2 June, Russian news agencies reported.
Subject of ICC arrest warrant denies claims she unlawfully deported children to Russia
Tuesday 4 April 2023 18:06 , Andy Gregory
Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights has rejected International Criminal Court (ICC) allegations that she is responsible for unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and children’s commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of hundreds of children allegedly being taken from orphanages and children’s care homes in areas of Ukraine claimed by Russia. Some children, the ICC said, had been given up for adoption in Russia.
But Ms Lvova-Belova told reporters on Tuesday that her commission had acted on humanitarian grounds to protect children in a militarised area, and had not moved anyone against their will or that of their parents or legal guardians, whose consent was always sought unless they were missing.
Children were not given up for adoption but were placed with temporary legal guardians in foster homes, she insisted.
“As far as the ICC’s accusations are concerned, we don’t understand what we are accused of. Give us the facts and we will look into it. So far, it all looks like a farce without specifics and is incomprehensible,” she said.
The ICC had not submitted any documents to her office, Ms Lvova-Belova said, noting that Russia did not recognise the court’s jurisdiction anyway. Ukraine has not sent any official requests regarding children allegedly separated from their parents, she claimed.
UN council extends Ukraine inquiry into crimes since Russia's invasion
Tuesday 4 April 2023 17:29 , Andy Gregory
The United Nations Human Rights Council has overwhelmingly voted in favour of extending the mandate of an investigative body probing possible war crimes committed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Twenty-eight countries voted in favour of extending the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by a year. Seventeen abstained and two voted against the body, which Ukraine says is essential for keeping Russia accountable for its crimes.
“The scope and brutality of Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine are simply beyond any human comprehension,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, told the Council ahead of the vote.
“We strongly believe that the continued work of the Commission in further investigating, documenting and reporting human rights violations and international crimes committed against the people in Ukraine could save more innocent lives (and) could contribute to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.”
In a report published last month, the commission found that some crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including the use of torture and attacks against the country’s energy infrastructure, could constitute crimes against humanity.
Watch: Finland joins Nato
Tuesday 4 April 2023 17:01 , Andy Gregory
Biden urges Turkey and Hungary to approve Sweden’s Nato bid ‘without delay’
Tuesday 4 April 2023 16:32 , Andy Gregory
Joe Biden has welcomed Finland’s accession to Nato, and urged Turkey and Hungary to conclude their ratification processes for Sweden to join the military alliance “without delay”.
“I look forward to welcoming Sweden as a Nato member as soon as possible,” the US president said in a statement.
Finland joining Nato is ‘direct result of Putin’s aggression’, says UK
Tuesday 4 April 2023 16:05 , Andy Gregory
Finland’s accession to Nato is a “direct result” of Vladimir Putin’s aggression and demonstrates the strength of the alliance, Britain’s foreign secretary has said.
Mr Cleverly, who was at Nato’s headquarters, said: “Today we see, as a direct result of Vladimir Putin’s aggression and his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the day where a new ally joins our defensive alliance.”
He added: “Russia thought its aggression would divide us. Instead, we are bound tighter together, resolute in our defence of the principles of freedom and the rule of law. Let us be clear that our door remains open. We will welcome further allies with open arms and we continue to push for Sweden’s swift accession.”
Calling it “a historic day”, prime minister Rishi Sunak said Finnish membership “made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer”, adding: “All Nato members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace said the tectonic shift should “be a lesson to President Putin”, adding: “Finland chose to join, based on their own free will. The freedom to choose their alliances as a sovereign state is a matter for their citizens and their citizens alone.”
Finland joining Nato is ‘direct result of Putin’s aggression’, says UK
West should not ‘provoke Moscow’ as tactical nuclear weapons to move to Belarus, says Russian official
Tuesday 4 April 2023 15:37 , Andy Gregory
The West should acknowledge realities after Russia’s decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and not “provoke Moscow”, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.
The senior Russian official claimed on Tuesday that Russia had gained new opportunities to guarantee its security after suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty, the TASS news agency reported.
Lukashenko to join Putin in Moscow for two-day talks
Tuesday 4 April 2023 15:11 , Andy Gregory
Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko will travel to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks with Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Moscow was boosting Belarus’s nuclear capabilities in response to Finland joining Nato.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that the two presidents would discuss Mr Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine at an upcoming face-to-face meeting.
In an anouncement on Tuesday, the Kremlin said the pair would discuss “topical bilateral and international issues” on Wednesday, before a meeting on Thursday of the Supreme Council of the Union State.
Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two ex-Soviet countries, though long-standing plans for closer integration of their economies have repeatedly stalled.
Finland’s president hails ‘great day’ for his country as it joins Nato
Tuesday 4 April 2023 14:43 , Andy Gregory
Finland’s president has said that “it is a great day for Finland” and “an important day for Nato” as his country joined the military alliance.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Nato general secretary Jens Stoltenberg, Mr Niinisto said Finland’s most significant contribution to Nato’s common deterrence and defence would be to defend its own territory.
There is still significant work to be done to coordinate this with Nato, he said.
Full report: Finland joins Nato, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Tuesday 4 April 2023 14:04 , Andy Gregory
My colleague Liam James has more details on Finland’s accession to Nato in this breaking report, which you can refresh for updates:
Finland joins Nato, doubling alliance’s border with Russia
Breaking: Finland joins Nato
Tuesday 4 April 2023 13:55 , Andy Gregory
Finland has officially joined Nato, doubling the military alliance’s border with Russia and dealing a significant blow to president Vladimir Putin.
Finland’s membership became official when its foreign minister handed over documents completing its accession process to US secretary of state Antony Blinken.
The US State Department is the repository of Nato texts concerning membership.
Russia has warned that it would be forced to take “retaliatory measures” to address what it called security threats created by Finland’s membership, and that it will bolster forces near Finland if Nato sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.
Watch: Defecting Russian protection officer labels Vladimir Putin 'war criminal'
Tuesday 4 April 2023 13:24 , Andy Gregory
Putin officer defects and says ‘paranoid’ president lives in a bunker and is terrified of Covid
Tuesday 4 April 2023 13:00 , Emily Atkinson
More now from my colleague Martha McHardy on the interview given by a former protection officer of Vladimir Putin...
Putin officer says ‘paranoid’ president lives in bunker and is terrified of Covid
