Closing summary
It is 11pm in Kyiv. This blog will close now and return early tomorrow/Friday, from our London hub. Here’s where things stand:
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wants Russian president Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine. “That Putin must lose this war and must face up to his actions, that is important to me,” she told the TV channel of German news outlet Bild on Thursday.
Pope Francis on Thursday said it was morally legitimate for countries to provide weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russian aggression. “This is a political decision which it can be moral, morally acceptable, if it is done under conditions of morality…Self defence is not only licit but also an expression of love for the homeland. Someone who does not defend oneself, who does not defend something, does not love it. Those who defend (something) loves it,” he said.
Germany will supply Ukraine with additional armoured vehicles and rocket launch systems but will not provide the battle tanks that Kyiv has long asked for, the German defence minister Christine Lambrecht said on Thursday. She added that Soviet-made BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles would also “very quickly” head to Ukraine from Greece, as a deal with Germany to resupply Athens’ stocks with the more modern Marder armoured vehicles was close.
Vladimir Putin thanked the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, on Thursday for his “balanced” approach to the Ukraine crisis and blasted Washington’s “ugly” policies, at a meeting that followed a major setback for Moscow on the battlefield. “We understand your questions and your concerns in this regard, and we certainly will offer a detailed explanation of our stand on this issue during today’s meeting, even though we already talked about it earlier,” Putin told his Chinese counterpart.
Updated
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wants Russian president Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.
“That Putin must lose this war and must face up to his actions, that is important to me,” she told the TV channel of German news outlet Bild on Thursday.
“We support the collection of evidence” with a view to possible proceedings at the International Criminal Court, she said, referring to allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine.
“That is the basis of our international legal system, that we punish these crimes. And ultimately, Putin is responsible,” she said.
Asked whether Putin would one day be brought before the court, she responded: “I believe it is possible.”
