Closing summary
The time in Kyiv is 11.15pm. Here is a round-up of all the day’s news stories:
Joe Biden has visited Kyiv, defying threats of Russian missile attacks, as Ukraine prepares to mark the sombre anniversary of last year’s full-scale Russian invasion. The US president, closely surrounded by a large security detail, was escorted by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on a walkabout around central Kyiv as air sirens could be heard.
Biden announced a new package of additional US weapons supplies to Ukraine worth $500m (£415m) including artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems, and air surveillance radars. The timing of his visit to Kyiv – before a planned address by Vladimir Putin – was seen as a deliberate rebuke of the Russian president.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he and Biden spoke about “long-range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine, even though it wasn’t supplied before”. But he did not detail any new commitments.
Biden’s visit to Kyiv came as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels. The 27-nation bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said the EU needs to ensure that Ukraine has enough ammunition to continue its fight against the Russian invasion. “It is the most urgent issue. If we fail on that, the result of the war is in danger. The Russian artillery shoots about 50,000 shots a day, and Ukraine needs to be at the same level of capacity. They have cannons but they lack ammunition.”
Fighting continues in the east of Ukraine and Russia regularly carries out missile attacks beyond the frontlines. Russian troops reportedly shelled the Kharkiv region three times on Monday morning: two people were injured, a woman may be under the rubble of a private residential building.
Russia probably lacks the reserves to dramatically increase the scale or intensity of its offensive in Luhansk this winter, the Institute for the Study of War has said in its latest intelligence update. The US thinktank added that Russian forces likely secured small gains in the northern suburbs of Bakhmut and in its eastern outskirts.
Russia will claim that Bakhmut has been captured to align with the anniversary, regardless of the reality on the ground, the UK Ministry of Defence has claimed. Russian forces are likely under increasing political pressure as the anniversary of the invasion draws near, the latest British intelligence report says.
The head of the Russian mercenary Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has acknowledged a “major problem” with ammunition supplies for his fighters, accusing Russian officials of deliberately denying his fighters sufficient ammunition. In an emotional seven-minute-long audio message published on his official Telegram channel, he said he was required to “apologise and obey” to someone “high up” who he has a “difficult relationship with” in order to secure ammunition.
Belarus’s authoritarian president has said the ex-Soviet nation will form a new territorial defence force amid the fighting in neighbouring Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko has cultivated close military ties with Russia, which used Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine nearly a year ago at the start of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation”, the Associated Press reported.
Japan will pledge a new £4.6bn financial aid package for Ukraine, the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has announced. Kishida, speaking at a global forum in Tokyo, also said he would mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by hosting an online Group of Seven (G7) summit with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy has warned that there will be a “world war” if China decides to support Russia in its war on Ukraine. Speaking ahead of a visit by China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to Moscow today, Zelenskiy said Kyiv would like Beijing “to be on our side” in an interview with Die Welt. “If China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that,” he said.
The Kremlin has confirmed a visit by China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to Moscow today. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, has told Washington to keep out of its relationship with Moscow, after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, warned against Beijing providing material support to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has said she told Chinese diplomats that Beijing is “responsible for world peace” and must not ship any weapons to Russia. Baerbock, speaking to journalists in Brussels today, said she had raised the issue during the Munich Security Conference last week.
The Kremlin has described Russia’s relations with Moldova as “very tense” and accused its leaders of pursuing an “anti-Russian” agenda. Moldova’s parliament last week approved the formation of a new pro-western government led by the new prime minister, Dorin Recean, who has vowed to pursue a pro-European path and also called for the demilitarisation of the breakaway region of Transnistria in the east of Moldova. The Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, has accused Moscow of plotting to topple the country’s leadership, stop it joining the EU and use it in the war against Ukraine.
Russia has been trying to gain intelligence to sabotage critical infrastructure in the Dutch part of the North Sea, according to the Dutch intelligence agency MIVD. A Russian ship was detected at an offshore windfarm in the North Sea as it tried to map out energy infrastructure, before being escorted by Dutch marine and coast guard ships before any sabotage effort could become successful, MIVD head, Gen Jan Swillens, said.
Russia poses a clear military threat in Sweden’s immediate area but its forces are largely tied up in the war in Ukraine, the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service (Must) has said. Lena Hallin, head of Must, also said she expected Russia to strengthen its military capability in Sweden’s immediate area when it was possible, in response to Sweden and Finland applying for Nato membership.
The United Kingdom will continue to support a continuing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sporting events, including at next year’s Olympics, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has said. The International Olympic Committee announced last month that it was “exploring a pathway” for athletes from the two nations to compete as neutrals in qualification events for the Paris Games having called on federations to exclude them following the invasion of Ukraine, the first anniversary of which is this week.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the Ukraine live blog for today. Thanks for following along. Goodnight.
The United Kingdom will continue to support a continuing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sporting events, including at next year’s Olympics, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has said.
The International Olympic Committee announced last month that it was “exploring a pathway” for athletes from the two nations to compete as neutrals in qualification events for the Paris Games having called on federations to exclude them following the invasion of Ukraine, the first anniversary of which is this week.
But more than 30 nations, including the UK, the United States, France and Germany, have pledged their support for the ban to stay in place while the war continues.
Frazer, who chaired a meeting earlier this month of ministers from countries united in wanting the ban to remain, believes the IOC’s plans are “not credible” and has urged the governing body to reconsider its position.
“We agree that [Russia’s president, Vladimir] Putin cannot use sport to legitimise his actions on the world stage,” Frazer said in a statement. “This coalition of nations has supported Ukraine on multiple fronts and we will continue to do so.
Today we are setting out our serious concerns with the International Olympic Committee’s plans which could see a route back into elite athletics for Russia and Belarus. Any plans to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in Paris are not credible.
“With the prospect of tanks from the United Kingdom, United States and European partners arriving in Ukraine over the coming weeks, and President [Volodymyr] Zelensky [of Ukraine] expressing serious concerns that a spring offensive by Russia is imminent, we urge the IOC to reconsider its position.”
