French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss how to “ensure Russia’s defeat” in Ukraine as well as future “mechanisms” to uphold peace in Europe at the Munich security conference on Friday, the Élysée Palace revealed Wednesday. The announcement came as Ukraine appealed to the UN and Turkey to press Russia to stop hindering Ukrainian grain shipments under the Black Sea grain deal. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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10:15pm: China's top diplomat discusses Ukraine war on Paris visit
French President Emmanuel Macron and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi have agreed to contribute "towards peace" in Ukraine, Macron's office has said following talks between the two men.
Macron has made no secret of his hope that Beijing will pressure Russia to return to the negotiating table. He and Wang discussed the war in Ukraine and its "consequences on the most vulnerable countries, particularly in terms of food security and financing capacity," according to the French presidency.
Both Macron and Yi "expressed the same objective of contributing to peace in accordance with international law," the Élysee Palace said, without specifying what each country's contributions might be.
After his visit to France, Wang will continue his tour with a stop at the Munich Security Conference, scheduled for Friday to Sunday. He will also travel to Moscow.
7:50pm: US lawmakers want terrorist designation for Russia's Wagner group
A group of Democratic and Republican senators have said they will try again to pass legislation requiring the State Department to designate Russian mercenary company Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).
Led by Democrat Ben Cardin and Republican Roger Wicker, the senators said they had reintroduced the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries (HARM) act – which was introduced but not passed before the end of the previous Congress – seeking to hold Wagner accountable for human rights violations by adding it to the FTO blacklist.
Cardin and Wicker are co-chairs of the US Helsinki Commission, a government agency that promotes human rights.
Washington has been targeting Wagner for some time. The Treasury Department last month designated Wagner as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses.
6:55pm: Ukraine launches joint artillery shell production with NATO country
Ukraine's state arms producer says it has launched joint production of artillery shells with a central European country in NATO, and that it plans to develop and produce other arms and military hardware with allies.
Ukroboronprom, which did not identify the NATO member state, said it had started producing 120-mm mortar rounds – ammunition that is in high demand in Ukraine.
"The emergence of this shell is the first product of our joint cooperation with a country from the (NATO) alliance. It will not end with shells, we will soon show you other products produced with partner countries," Ukroboronprom spokeswoman Natalia Sad told a news briefing. "This is the onward movement and integration into cooperative chains with the North Atlantic alliance," she added.
She said she would not identify the NATO country Ukroboronprom was working for security reasons, though she confirmed it was in central Europe.
5:05pm: Ukraine says it has shot down Russian balloons over Kyiv
Six Russian balloons were spotted over Kyiv and most were shot down after being engaged by air defences, the Ukrainian capital's military administration has said.
It said the balloons may have been carrying corner reflectors and reconnaissance equipment but did not specify when they flew over the capital, although air alerts were issued in Kyiv earlier today.
"According to information that is now being clarified, these were balloons that move in the air under the propulsion of wind," the military administration wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "The purpose of launching the balloons was possibly to detect and exhaust our air defences."
Shortly before the announcement, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Russia could be using balloons in a new drive to preserve its stocks of reconnaissance drones.
3:55pm: Ukraine has 'real good chance' of taking battlefield initiative, Pentagon says
Ukraine has a "real good chance" of taking the initiative on the battlefield, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has told reporters after a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
"I think they'll have a real good chance of making a pretty significant difference on the battlefield and establishing the initiative. And being able to exploit that initiative going forward", Austin said.
He also said that for every system that NATO will provide, it will train troops on that system. "We're laser-focused on making sure that we provide a capability and not just the platform", the defence secretary added.
Earlier, NATO said its members were ramping up production of artillery munitions as Ukraine is burning through shells much faster than the West can make them. The alliance also pledged to deliver at least 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
2:50pm: Ukraine’s defence minister says Zelensky asked him to stay on
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, whose political future has been the subject of intense speculation, has told Reuters that President Volodymyr Zelensky asked him to remain in his current post.
Asked in an interview whether he expected to continue as defence minister in the months to come, he said: “Yes, it was the decision of my president.”
Reznikov's future was thrown into doubt in recent weeks amid a corruption scandal linked to his ministry. Earlier this month, a senior parliamentarian from Zelensky’s party said the minister would be replaced – but Reznikov remained in post.
In the Reuters interview, Reznikov also discussed a future role leading a legal battle to ensure Russian war crimes are punished once the conflict is over.
2:25pm: Macron to discuss ‘means to ensure Russia’s defeat’ at Munich security conference
French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss how to “ensure Russia’s defeat” in Ukraine as well as future “mechanisms” to uphold peace in Europe at the Munich security conference on Friday, the Élysée Palace has said.
Macron, whose insistence on maintaining an open dialogue with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the first months of the war was criticised by some EU partners, will also detail France’s actions supporting Kyiv over the past year when he addresses the annual gathering in the Bavarian capital, his office said.
“In addition to the means to ensure Russia’s defeat, [Macron will discuss] how to find a way out of this crisis and what future mechanisms will be necessary to guarantee stability in Europe and ensure such a conflict doesn’t repeat itself,” the French presidency added.
1:32pm: NATO countries increasing 155 mm artillery round production
NATO countries are increasing the production of 155 mm artillery rounds and needed to ramp up that production even further to help Ukraine against Russia, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
"Artillery shells 155 are increasing," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.
"So yes, things are happening but we need to continue, we need to step up even more. This is now becoming a grinding war of attrition and a war of attrition is a war of logistics," he added.
11:30am: Ukraine grain deal in 'difficult territory,' UN warns
The UN has warned that agreements to enable grain shipments from war-torn Ukraine, desperately needed to ward off hunger in poor countries, were in "difficult territory."
The hard-won Black Sea Grain Initiative was brokered by the UN and Turkey last July. It was renewed a first time in November and is up for renewal again on March 18.
"I think we're in slightly more difficult territory at the moment," UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told reporters. He insisted though that the arguments for continuing were "conclusive and persuasive," stressing that "the Global South ... needs that operation to continue."
Ukraine is one of the world's top cereal producers. After Russia launched its invasion nearly a year ago, 20 million tonnes of grain were blocked in its ports until a safe passage deal was agreed.
11:25am Ukraine urges UN, Turkey to stop Russia from obstructing grain deal
Ukraine has called on the UN and Turkey to press Russia to immediately stop hindering Ukrainian grain shipments that supply millions of people and not to use the food as a weapon.
After an almost six-month blockade caused by the Russian invasion, three Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by the UN and Turkey.
But Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of delaying inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian agricultural goods, leading to reduced shipments and losses for traders. Russia has previously denied the accusations, saying it is meeting all its obligations under the grain export deal.
Two top Ukrainian officials said in a joint statement that "Ukraine is deeply concerned about the destructive actions of Russia", which result in the delay of the work of the grain corridor and "obstructing the Black Sea Grain Initiative in general".
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Russia intentionally slowed down the inspections, demanded unregulated documentation and looked for groundless reasons to stop the inspection.
11:20am: German tank delivery for Ukraine came 'a bit too late', Berlin says
The delivery of German-made Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine came "a bit too late", Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said, since time was running short ahead of an expected Russian offensive.
"With the decision to send the tanks we are doing what we can," he told newspaper Die Zeit in comments published on Wednesday. "A bit too late, but it's done... Everyone is expecting a terrible Russian offensive... Time is pressing."
He added that Germany was not up for a debate on sending warplanes, which Ukraine says it needs in its war against Russian invaders. Germany does not own any of the U.S. F-16 warplanes that are most often mentioned in this context.
10:40am: Russia's new foreign policy to focus on ending Western 'monopoly'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow would focus on ending what he called a Western "monopoly" over global affairs as part of a new foreign policy.
"Our renewed foreign policy concept will focus on the need to end the monopoly of the West on shaping the framework of international life," Lavrov said.
10:35am: Ukraine says it repelled Russian attacks in Luhansk region
Ukrainian forces have repelled some Russian attacks in the eastern region of Luhansk but the situation there remains difficult, President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said on Wednesday.
Russia said earlier on Wednesday that its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front. The Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian attacks in the Luhansk region.
Zelensky's office made no mention of any retreats but said: "The situation in the region remains difficult."
10:06am: Russia says Ukrainian forces retreated in Luhansk
Russia said on Wednesday its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front in the Luhansk region, although it provided no details and press agencies were not able to independently verify the battlefield report.
"During the offensive...the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km from the previously occupied lines," the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military."
The Kremlin has intensified attacks across a swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive has been widely anticipated. Russia's main effort has been focused on the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk province adjacent to Luhansk.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not mention any significant setbacks in Luhansk in its morning update on Wednesday. It said Ukrainian units had repelled attacks in the areas of more than 20 settlements, including Bakhmut and Vuhledar – a town 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Bakhmut.
10:02am: EU to sanction Iran entities involved in Ukraine war
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday the EU will propose sanctions targeting for the first time Iranian economic operators involved in the Russian war in Ukraine.
"For the first time we are also proposing to sanction Iranian entities including those linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard," Von der Leyen told European lawmakers in Strasbourg.
Von der Leyen said the 10th package of sanctions, worth a total of 11 billion euros ($11.79 billion), would target new trade bans and technology export controls, including drones, helicopters and missiles.
9:20am: UN appeals for $5.6 billion for aid to Ukraine in 2023
The UN said Wednesday that it needed $5.6 billion to provide humanitarian aid in Ukraine and to the millions who have fled the war-ravaged country.
"Almost a year on, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement daily, and on a staggering scale," UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.
Around 21.8 million Ukrainians were now in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UN estimates.
The needs are so great that aid organisations cannot reach everyone, but the UN said the requested $5.6 billion would allow it to reach the 15.3 million people in most dire need this year. A full $1.7 billion of that amount was needed for assistance to the more than four million Ukrainian refugees hosted across eastern Europe, it said.
8:52am: Russia plans to retake settlements surrendered in Kharkiv
Russia plans to seize back all the settlements in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region that it surrendered to Kyiv last year, said an official who led the Russian-installed administration in the region.
8:08am: NATO countries should spend minimum 2% of GDP on defence: Germany
NATO countries should spend a minimum of 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday as NATO defence ministers gathered in Brussels.
"Just spending two percent will not be enough. It must be the basis for everything that follows. The German government is debating that right now and will soon reach an agreement," Pistorius told reporters.
Ukraine urged allies to speed up the pace of military aid as NATO defence ministers prepared to meet for a second day on Wednesday, while Russia said its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front.
7:30am: Kyiv urges speedy military aid amid fears of spring offensive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to push Western allies to supply military aid faster, FRANCE 24’s correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv.
As fighting rages on the eastern front, Russia could be preparing a massive offensive in Bakhmut and other cities.
Bakhmut's capture would provide a stepping stone for Russia to advance on two bigger Donetsk cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and give Moscow momentum after months of battlefield setbacks following its invasion last February.
10:13pm: Russia denies plotting coup in Moldova
Russia on Tuesday slapped down as "completely unfounded" accusations from Moldova that Moscow was plotting to violently overthrow the country's pro-European leadership with the help of saboteurs.
"Such claims are completely unfounded and unsubstantiated," the Russian foreign ministry said after Moldova's President Maia Sandu on Monday accused Russia of plotting her government's overthrow.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Kyiv had "intercepted the plan for the destruction of Moldova by Russian intelligence".
The Russian foreign ministry accused Kyiv of seeking to pit Moldova against Russia and accused Moldovan authorities of Russophobia.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
