Summary
Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
Switzerland is set to hold a Ukraine peace conference “by the summer”. Addressing the UN general assembly on Friday, the Swiss foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, said: “At Ukraine’s request, we intend to organize by the summer a high-level conference on peace in Ukraine,” Reuters reports.
Canada has announced additional sanctions against 10 individuals and 153 entities over Russia’s “illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine”. In a statement released on Friday, the Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said that the sanctions target individuals and entities who support the Russian military through finance, logistics and sanctions evasion.
The US has sanctioned three Russian officials over last week’s death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Agence France-Presse reports. The individuals sanctioned include Valery Boyarinev, the deputy director of the Russia’s federal penitentiary service, which oversaw Polar Wolf, the penal colony where Navalny suddenly died last week. The other two sanctioned individuals are officials administering the penal colony.
Alexei Navalny’s mother has been given an ultimatum, “agree to secret funeral or he is buried in prison”, by Russian authorities holding her son. Lyudmila Navalnaya accused Russian investigators of “blackmailing” her on Thursday over the logistics of the funeral for her son, a Russian opposition leader who died in an Arctic prison last Friday.
The US has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, which target Russian firms and individuals connected to Navalny’s death. The US Treasury, state department and commerce department announced on Friday that they will impose roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its “war machine” in the largest single tranche of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The White House has accused the House speaker of aiding Iran in latest Ukraine aid push. “President Biden is standing up to Iran. But where is House Speaker [Mike] Johnson’s supposed commitment not to ‘appease Iran’ in all this? Nowhere. Instead, his inaction is benefiting Putin and the Ayatollah,” the deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser, Andrew Bates, said in a memo.
Protesting farmers have spilt Ukrainian rapeseed on Polish railway, the second incident this week amid protests by angry farmers. Farmers in Poland are protesting against what they call “uncontrolled” imports from its war-torn neighbour, souring otherwise friendly ties between Warsaw and Kyiv. Across Europe, angry farmers have been protesting over rising costs, high fuel prices, bureaucracy and EU environmental rules.
The Council of Europe confirms “unwavering support” for Ukraine. “We mark an anniversary that no one of wanted to see,” said Marija Pejcinovic Buric, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, adding, “Our thoughts today are with the Ukrainian people.”
The prominent Russian businessman Boris Mints can take his bid to pause an $850m fraud lawsuit brought by two Russian banks to the UK’s supreme court, his lawyers said in court filings on Friday.
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Switzerland is set to hold a Ukraine peace conference “by the summer”.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Friday, the Swiss foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, said: “At Ukraine’s request, we intend to organize by the summer a high-level conference on peace in Ukraine,” Reuters reports.
He added: “I would therefore like to take this opportunity to invite all nations … to work together towards our common goal.”
Cassis’s address comes as the UN general assembly gathered to meet on the eve of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Also speaking at the UN general assembly was the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who stressed the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace plan.
“Russia cannot ignore the voice of the world majority if we all take a principled stance and act together. The peace formula ... represents exactly such an opportunity,” Kuleba said.
Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan includes restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops, food security, radiation and nuclear safety, and preventing conflict escalation.
Updated
The US Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has joined the Joe Biden administration in its condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
On Friday, Schumer, who is in Ukraine visiting its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to reassure the provision of US aid, tweeted:
Today on the eve of the second anniversary of Putin’s immoral, illegal war, we laid flowers at a cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine to remember those who have died.
The United States stands strongly with the people of Ukraine.
Today on the eve of the second anniversary of Putin's immoral, illegal war, we laid flowers at a cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine to remember those who have died.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 23, 2024
The United States stands strongly with the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/zzyIFyTzL7
Updated
Canada announces additional sanctions on Russia in coordination with UK and US
Canada has announced additional sanctions against 10 individuals and 153 entities over Russia’s “illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine”.
In a statement released on Friday, the Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said that the sanctions target individuals and entities who support the Russian military through finance, logistics and sanctions evasion.
The individuals include an aide to the Russian president, Vladmir Putin, in addition to senior officials of private and state-owned companies registered in Russia and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the 153 entities sanctioned provide goods and services such as components for Kalibr missiles and drones, insurance and retail services to Russian soldiers and the country’s defense ministry.
The sanctions also include entities that provide oil transportation and logistics services to the Russian government, the Canadian foreign ministry said.
Today, we’re sending a clear message to Russian officials and the organizations they run: We stand by the people of Ukraine as they are bravely defending their rights in the face of Putin’s unjustifiable and aggressive actions.
We will continue to use disruptive measures against the Russian government, targeting its ability to wage its illegal war until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored,” Joly said in a statement.
Updated
US sanctions three Russian officials over Alexei Navalny's death
The US has sanctioned three Russian officials over last week’s death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Agence France-Presse reports.
The individuals sanctioned include Valery Boyarinev, the deputy director of the Russia’s federal penitentiary service, which oversaw Polar Wolf, the penal colony where Navalny suddenly died last week.
“Following Navalny’s death, Boyarinev was promoted to ‘colonel general’ by decree of Vladimir Putin,” the state department said, AFP reports.
The other two sanctioned individuals are officials administering the penal colony.
The sanctions come as part of Joe Biden’s broader sanctions against Russia which he announced on Friday to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Faced with an ultimatum, Navalny’s mother demands that authorities comply with the law and hand over her son’s body, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, wrote on X on Friday:
“She is demanding compliance with the law, according to which investigators are obliged to hand over the body within two days of establishing the cause of death. According to the medical documents she signed, these two days expire tomorrow.”
An investigator called Alexey’s mother an hour ago and gave her an ultimatum. Either she agrees to a secret funeral without a public farewell within 3 hours, or Alexey will be buried in the colony. She refused to negotiate with the IC, as they are not authorised to decide how and…
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 23, 2024
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Here are some of the major targets of the recent wave of US sanctions against Russia:
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Russia’s financial infrastructure: More than a dozen Russian banks, investment firms, venture capital funds, and fintech companies, including SPB bank owned by SPB exchange, Russia’s second-largest stock exchange, have been targeted.
The US treasury department said it was also imposing sanctions on state-owned National Payment Card System, the operator of the Mir payment system. Mir payment cards have become more important since its US rivals suspended operations in Russia after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. “The Government of Russia’s proliferation of Mir has permitted Russia to build out a financial infrastructure that enables Russian efforts to evade sanctions and reconstitute severed connections to the international financial system,” the Treasury’s statement said.
Russia’s nuclear sector: The US targeted the Alexandrov Research Institute of Technology, a subsidiary of Rosatom, the state nuclear company, which the state department has said is involved in designing, testing and supporting nuclear power and naval propulsion reactors, including for Russian submarines.
Russia’s military industrial base: Nearly 60 entities and individuals involved in the manufacture of weapons, ammunition, and associated material have been targeted.
Trade restrictions: New trade restrictions have been imposed on 93 entities from Russia, China, Turkey, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea for supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, according to a federal government notice posted online on Friday. The action means companies will be placed on the commerce department’s “Entity List,” essentially banning US shipments to them. Of the new entities listed, 63 were from Russia, 16 from Turkey, eight from China and four from the UAE.
Russia’s metals and mining: The US have targeted gold producer Uzhuralzoloto, Russia’s largest pipe producer, Pipe Metallurgical Company, and aluminum products producer Samara Metallurgical Plant. Major Russian steelmaker Mechel was added to the list, with the treasury saying that its subsidiary provided steel used in Russia’s KA-52 attack helicopter.
Russia’s energy production: The US have taken further aim at the Arctic LNG 2 project in Siberia. In November, Washington imposed sanctions on a major entity involved in the development, operation and ownership of the massive project. It has now also targeted several other companies with ties to the project.
Sanctions evasions: The US have imposed sanctions on entities based in China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan over the evasion of western sanctions on Russia and backfilling, including for sending items Moscow relies on for its weapons systems.
Russia-Iran military cooperation: Washington has imposed sanctions on Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) for the first time under a Russia authority, though it was already under US sanctions.
'Agree to secret funeral or he is buried in prison,' Navalny's mother told
Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has been given an ultimatum by investigators, a spokesperson for the family has said on Friday. Either she agrees within 3 hours to a secret funeral without a public farewell, or her son will be buried in the penal colony.
Navalnaya accused Russian investigators of “blackmailing” her on Thursday over the logistics of the funeral for her son, a Russian opposition leader who died in an Artic prison last Friday.
“Just give Lyudmila her son … without any conditions,” Dmitry Muratov, journalist and winner of the Nobel Peace prize said in a video published on social media on Friday. More than 25 film-makers, artists, ballet stars, Nobel prize winners and opponents of president Vladimir Putin have so far called for his body to be released.
Navalnaya is said to have refused the ultimatum. She demands the Russian authorities comply with the law.
Updated
The Netherlands will sign a 10-year security pact with Ukraine
The Netherlands said on Friday it will sign a 10-year security deal with Ukraine for continued military support, help in reconstruction and the improvement of its cyber defences.
The agreement will be signed soon, helping Ukraine in its continued fight against Russia’s invasion, Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said.
“Without western support, Ukraine as we know it will cease to exist,” Bruins Slot said. “The Russian threat will move closer, putting pressure on the stability and safety of our continent.”
Germany signed a similar agreement with Ukraine last week.
White House accuses House speaker of aiding Iran in latest Ukraine aid push
The White House escalated its criticism of Republican US House speaker Mike Johnson on Friday, accusing him of benefiting Iran and Russia by not putting a national security bill that gives aid to Ukraine up for a vote, Reuters reports.
Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters this week, deepening the military cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries. Iran is “actively enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine and its attacks against Ukrainian cities,” deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser Andrew Bates said in a memo viewed by Reuters that will be distributed publicly Friday.
“President Biden is standing up to Iran. But where is Speaker Johnson’s supposed commitment not to ‘appease Iran’ in all this? Nowhere. Instead, his inaction is benefiting Putin and the Ayatollah,” the memo says.
Updated
Ukraine probing over 122,000 suspected war crimes, prosecutor tells Reuters
Ukraine has launched investigations into more than 122,000 suspected cases of war crimes since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly two years ago, Ukrainian Prosecutor Gen Andriy Kostin said on Friday.
“We have identified already 511 perpetrators. And we have already 80 convictions in Ukrainian courts,” mostly in absentia, Kostin told Reuters during a conference on international criminal law in Berlin.
While Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces have committed atrocities or attacked civilians, Ukrainian and western authorities say there is evidence of murders and executions, shelling of civilian infrastructure and forced deportations, among other crimes. The number of suspected war crimes is expected to continue rising, Kostin said.
US imposes sweeping sanctions on Russia, targets Russian firms and individuals connected to Navalny’s death
The US Treasury, state department and commerce department plan Friday to impose roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its “war machine” in the largest single tranche of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
“The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine,” president Joe Biden said in a statement announcing the sanctions. “If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going. And the costs to the United States, along with our Nato allies and partners in Europe and around the world, will rise.”
Many of the new US sanctions target Russian firms that contribute to the Kremlin’s war effort, including drone and industrial chemical manufacturers and machine tool importers, as well as financial institutions. In response to Navalny’s death, the US state department is designating three Russian officials the US says are connected to his death. It also will impose visa restrictions on Russian authorities it says are involved in the kidnapping and confinement of Ukrainian children.
In addition, 26 third-country people and firms from across China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein are listed for sanctions, for assisting Russia in evading existing financial penalties.
Russian businessman Mints can take sanctions appeal to UK supreme court, his lawyers say
Prominent Russian businessman Boris Mints can take his bid to pause an $850m fraud lawsuit, brought by two Russian banks to the UK’s supreme court, his lawyers said in court filings on Friday.
Mints and his sons Dmitry, Alexander and Igor are being sued by National Bank Trust, which is 99% owned by the Central Bank of Russia, on behalf of Otkritie Bank, once Russia’s largest private lender before it collapsed in 2017. Lawyers representing the Mints family, who deny the banks’ fraud allegations, had said the lawsuit should be indefinitely put on hold because, if the banks win at trial, any damages could not be paid as Otkritie Bank is under British sanctions.
Their application was rejected by the High Court in London in January 2023 and an appeal against that decision was dismissed in October.
However, lawyers representing the Mints family said in court filings for a preliminary hearing that the UK supreme court had granted permission to appeal. Permission was granted last month but only became known publicly on Friday.
“The timing of the appeal hearing is presently unknown, but it is expected to be listed for later this year,” they said.
The Mints’ application to put the lawsuit on hold will be the first time the supreme court has considered the UK’s sanctions regime in relation to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Council of Europe confirms “unwavering support” for Ukraine
Europe’s highest rights body on Friday reiterated its “unwavering support” for Ukraine on the eve of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its pro-western neighbour.
“We mark an anniversary that no one of wanted to see,” said Marija Pejcinovic Buric, secretary-general of the Council of Europe. “Our thoughts today are with the Ukrainian people.”
The Council of Europe, which comprises 46 member states, was set up to monitor and uphold human rights in Europe after World War II. Members kicked out Russia after its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The council’s commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatovic, said “serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law” continued to be committed. “Every effort must be made to hold accountable those responsible for all human rights violations and crimes committed in this war,” she said.
Last year the council agreed to create a register of claims for reparations towards damages inflicted in the war. From late April, Ukrainians will be able to register their claims online using an existing government app called Diia, where they can already report Russian soldiers.
Protesting farmers spill Ukrainian rapeseed on Polish railway
Polish police are investigating an incident on Friday in which a load of rapeseed was spilled from train trucks carrying the cargo from Ukraine near the border crossing with Poland, Reuters reports. It is the second incident this week amid protests by angry farmers.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for restoration, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said on X that the “criminals must be punished”.
This morning, unknown persons damaged Ukrainian agricultural products at the Dorohusk (Poland) railway station. Three grain trucks with rapeseed were opened. This is a transit cargo heading to Germany (Hamburg).
— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) February 23, 2024
I will only say that unpunished crimes always return. Whether it… pic.twitter.com/yL5CUHRZRP
In a previous incident this week, police said on Tuesday that protesting farmers had pried open freight cars and spilled grain on the tracks at another Polish border crossing.
Farmers in Poland are protesting against what they call “uncontrolled” imports from its war-torn neighbour, souring otherwise friendly ties between Warsaw and Kyiv. Across Europe, angry farmers have been protesting over rising costs, high fuel prices, bureaucracy and EU environmental rules.
A Ukrainian government working group will on Friday visit the border with Poland, which is blocked by Polish farmers, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Zelenskiy said he was not aware whether Polish representatives would be there.
Updated
Summary so far
Here is an update on the day’s developments:
Biden has announced new sanctions against Russia two years into Ukraine war. US president Joe Biden on Friday announced Washington would issue more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia as the US seeks to increase pressure on Moscow to mark the second anniversary of its war in Ukraine. The measures, Biden has said, seek to hold Russia to account over the war and the death of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Friday’s measures will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defence industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents, he said.
Washington expects to continue to support Ukraine even as it faces shortages of ammunition and US military aid has been delayed for months in Congress. “They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,” Biden said of the recent sanctions.Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has made a surprise trip to Ukraine as US aid hangs in the balance. Schumer’s trip comes at a perilous time for Ukraine, as a package that would provide $60bn to the war-torn country is stalled in the U.S. House. Zelenskiy has said delays in aid from the US and other western countries are creating an opening for Russia to make advances on the battlefield, with Ukrainian forces running dangerously low on ammunition and weaponry.
Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Odesa has killed three people, Kyiv says. The Guardian is unable to independently verify the accounts.
Ukraine’s armed forces said on Friday that Russia had intensified attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, focusing on the town of Marinka. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week described the situation on the front as “extremely difficult” due to delayed western supplies of military aid.
Moscow has banned more EU officials and politicians from Russia in response to new sanctions issued by the bloc. Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday it had significantly expanded a list of EU officials and politicians banned from entering Russia in response to the 13th package of Ukraine-related sanctions announced by the EU.
Putin says 95% of Russia’s nuclear forces have been modernised. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that 95% of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces had been modernised and that the Air Force had just taken delivery of four new supersonic nuclear-capable bombers. He made the comments in a statement released to coincide with Russia’s annual Defender of the Fatherland Day.
Cars will be sent to Ukraine under new Ulez scheme, Sadiq Khan has announced. Transport for London is to amend the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme to allow non-compliant vehicles to be donated to Ukraine, under new plans. The scheme will begin once it has been given formal approval, and after the TfL has updated its rules and processes.
Russian cultural figures have called for a release of Navalny’s body. Several leading Russian cultural figures and activists have called on authorities to release the body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last Friday.
Updated
Moscow bans more EU officials and politicians from Russia in response to new sanctions
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday it had significantly expanded a list of EU officials and politicians banned from entering Russia in response to the latest round of sanctions by the bloc.
EU member states approved a 13th package of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, banning nearly 200 entities and individuals accused of helping Moscow procure weapons or of involvement in kidnapping Ukrainian children, something Moscow denies. On Friday, the EU announced that it would impose sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine.
“The European Union is continuing its fruitless attempts to put pressure on Russia through unilateral restrictive measures,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Updated
Biden announces new sanctions against Russia two years into Ukraine war
US president Joe Biden on Friday announced Washington would issue more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia as the US seeks to increase pressure on Moscow to mark the second anniversary of its war in Ukraine.
The US will also impose new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia’s energy revenues, Biden said in a statement.
Reuters reports that these measures, Biden has said, seek to hold Russia to account over the war and the death of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Washington expects to continue to support Ukraine even as it faces shortages of ammunition and US military aid has been delayed for months in Congress.
“They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,” Biden said of the recent sanctions.
Friday’s measures will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defence industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents, he said.
“Two years into this war, the people of Ukraine continue to fight with tremendous courage. But they are running out of ammunition. Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russia’s relentless attacks, which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea,” Biden added. “That’s why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it’s too late.”
Updated
Russian foreign minister Lavrov discussed Ukraine with Brazil’s Lula, Moscow says
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at a meeting on Thursday, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said, “President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated Brazil’s position in favour of resolving the conflict in Ukraine by addressing the legitimate security concerns of all parties, emphasising the futility of unilateral initiatives and ultimatums.”
Updated
Russian cultural figures urge release of Navalny’s body
Several leading Russian cultural figures and activists have called on authorities to release the body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last Friday.
Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said on Thursday that she has been shown her son’s body. Navalnaya accused Russian investigators of “blackmailing” her over the funeral of her son in a video published on YouTube. She claims they are trying to force her to hold a private burial ceremony without mourners.
More than 25 film-makers, artists, ballet stars, Nobel prize winners and opponents of president Vladimir Putin have so far called for his body to be released.
“Just give Lyudmila her son … without any conditions,” Dmitry Muratov, journalist and winner of the Nobel Peace prize said, in a video published on social media.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Robin Utrecht/REX/Shutterstock (14359739e) Photograph: Robin Utrecht/REX/Shutterstock
US announces more than 500 new sanctions against Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced a fresh wave of more than 500 sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine and the death of Alexei Navalny, the White House said.
More information to come …
Russia focuses attacks on Ukraine ‘hotspot’ Marinka, Kyiv says
Ukraine’s armed forces said on Friday that Russia had intensified attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, focusing on the town of Marinka.
Army spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy said late on Thursday that the area of Marinka had become “another hotspot” after the fall of Avdiivka. He said that in two villages located in the south-western region of Marinka, Russian forces “tried to break through the defences of our troops 31 times.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week described the situation on the front as “extremely difficult” due to delayed western supplies of military aid.
Updated
EU targets foreign companies over alleged dual-use exports to Russia
The European Union announced Friday that it is imposing sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine, AP reports.
The 27-nation bloc also said that it was targeting scores of Russian officials including “members of the judiciary, local politicians and people responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children.”
It is the 13th package of measures imposed by EU against people and organisations it suspects of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The package was timed to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.
“Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia’s military and defence sector,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “We remain united in our determination to dent Russia’s war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defence.”
The U.S. Treasury also plans to impose more than 500 new sanctions on Russia on Friday.
Russia marks patriotic holiday, Moscow’s ‘Defender of the Fatherland Day’
On Friday, president Vladimir Putin hailed the “authentic heroes” fighting in Ukraine on the eve of the second anniversary of the offensive.
Here are some images of the wreath laying ceremony Putin attended, held in Moscow:
Richard Lofthouse, who began working on the Car for Ukraine campaign a year ago, responds to mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to donate cars to Ukraine under new Ulez scheme, telling the Guardian:
For the price of one Storm Shadow missile (£2.5m) an army of volunteers can deliver several thousand ambulances and other sorely needed vehicles to Ukraine. We are ready and willing. But it has taken a very long time to reach today’s milestone agreement and a vast amount of work still needs to happen to set up a successful scheme. The final judgement will rest on vehicles delivered rather than agreements signed. I am very hopeful that the first vehicles will be delivered by Easter.
Cars to be sent to Ukraine under Ulez scheme, Sadiq Khan says
Transport for London is to amend the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme to allow non-compliant vehicles to be donated to Ukraine, under plans announced by mayor Sadiq Khan.
Donated vehicles will be permanently transferred to Ukrainian authorities and their partners for humanitarian and medical needs. The scheme will begin once it has been given formal approval, and after the TfL has updated its rules and processes.
Mr Khan had asked the Cabinet minister in December to enable 4x4s and other suitable vehicles that would otherwise be scrapped to be sent to Ukraine, with their owners still receiving a payment. He says these plans, which could be launched in weeks, “will help meet medical and humanitarian needs while also helping to remove old polluting vehicles from London’s roads”.
On Friday, Mr Khan said:
Two years on from Russia’s devastating illegal invasion of Ukraine, I continue to do all I can to help those affected, including supporting Ukrainians seeking help in London and signposting where Londoners can make donations.
Alongside the human toll of the conflict, there has been a significant impact on Ukraine’s infrastructure, and these plans to donate non-compliant vehicles will help meet medical and humanitarian needs while also helping to remove old polluting vehicles from London’s roads.
The scrappage scheme is open to all Londoners with an eligible non-Ulez compliant vehicle and is playing a key part in my mission to clean up our city’s toxic air.
Senate majority leader expected to make surprise trip to Ukraine as US aid hangs in the balance
Chuck Schumer is heading to Ukraine on Friday to try to reassure president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Congress will deliver another round of aid, AP reports.
Schumer’s trip comes at a perilous time for Ukraine. A package that would provide $60bn to the war-torn country is stalled in the U.S. House.
In an interview ahead of his trip, Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press that he plans to tell Ukrainian officials that “we’re going to win this fight, and America is not abandoning them.” Zelenskiy has said delays in aid from the U.S. and other western countries are creating an opening for Russia to make advances on the battlefield, with Ukrainian forces running dangerously low on ammunition and weaponry.
Republican party opponents of aiding Ukraine are a vocal faction in the House, where the GOP have narrow control and former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, holds more sway. Trump has opposed the aid package and urged Republicans to vote against it.
Schumer said opposition to the aid “may be the view of Donald Trump and some of the hard right zealots. But it is not the view of the American people, and I don’t think it’s the view of the majority of people in the House or Senate.”
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Putin says 95% of Russia’s nuclear forces have been modernised
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that 95% of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces had been modernised and that the Air Force had just taken delivery of four new supersonic nuclear-capable bombers.
Putin made the comments in a statement released to coincide with Russia’s annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, which celebrates the army, a day after he flew on a modernised Tu-160M nuclear-capable strategic bomber.
“Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has already reached 95 per cent,” Putin said. He added that the naval component of the ‘nuclear triad’ – Russia’s strategic land, sea and air nuclear capabilities – was “at almost 100 per cent.”
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Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Odesa kills three, Kyiv says
A Russian drone hit a commercial area in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, killing three people, the Ukrainian military and regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Friday.
The military said Russia launched 31 drones at Ukraine overnight, with air defences destroying 23 of them.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app, the military’s Southern Forces said they had intercepted nine drones, but one struck an area near the port, causing a blaze.
Firefighters recovered one body and said people might still be under the rubble as emergency teams fought to control the blaze. Pictures posted by the military show heavy damage to buildings in the area and rescue teams picking their way through debris.
“The bodies of two more people were found under the rubble,” Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram. “In total, three people died as a result of the enemy attack.”
The Guardian was unable to independently verify the accounts.
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Opening summary
Welcome to our live coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US is set to unveil hundreds of sanctions later on Friday mostly targeting Vladimir Putin’s “war machine”, the undersecretary of state, Victoria Nuland, has said, ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’ invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Further sanctions will also be imposed in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after being imprisoned by the Kremlin, and to close gaps in existing sanctions.
Joe Biden said on Thursday he had met Navalny’s wife and daughter, and told reporters afterwards: “We are going to announce sanctions against Putin, who is responsible for his death, tomorrow. We are not letting up.” The White House said the sanctions were in response to “Alexei’s death, Russia’s repression and aggression, and its brutal and illegal war in Ukraine”.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called the west’s reaction to the death of Navalny “hysteria”, and said that western countries had no right to meddle in Russia’s affairs.
In other developments:
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the US Congress to approve additional aid for Kyiv, saying in an interview broadcast on Thursday that a failure to do so would cost Ukrainian lives. Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have stalled the approval of $60bn in new aid for Ukraine, and Zelenskiy made his appeal for action during an interview with Fox News – a favoured channel for US conservatives. “Will Ukraine survive without Congress’ support? Of course. But not all of us,” he said in an interview near a frontline in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader also warned that the price of helping Kyiv now is much lower than the potential cost of confronting Putin later if he succeeds in Ukraine.
The International Monetary Fund and Ukraine’s government has reached a staff-level agreement, paving the way for the release of about $880m once approved by the IMF’s board, the fund said. The agreement came after six days of meetings between Ukrainian officials and IMF staff in Warsaw as part of a third review of Ukraine’s $15.6bn four-year Extended Fund Facility Arrangement. The IMF said Ukraine’s progress on the program was “broadly on track”, and that its economy demonstrated strong growth, declining inflation and strengthening reserves in 2023, though the outlook for 2024 remained highly uncertain.
The UK has added 50 new entities to its Russia sanctions list, with the foreign secretary, David Cameron, saying “our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war”. The government claims the targets of the sanctions are people and businesses supplying munitions such as rocket launch systems, missiles and explosives.
The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced the UK will send 200 more anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. PA Media reports he added that the UK would train more Ukrainian troops alongside other allies, adding: “Together we will train a further 10,000 in the first half of 2024.”
Biden endorsed the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, to be the next Nato head, a US official told Reuters. The official said: “President Biden strongly endorses PM Rutte’s candidacy to be the next secretary general of Nato.” Rutte would be succeeding the current Nato chief, Jens Stoltenberg, a Norwegian national.
Putin has described as “rude” Biden’s comments in which the American president called the Russian leader a “crazy SOB”. On Thursday, after a flight onboard a strategic bomber that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Putin agreed with a reporter’s suggestion that the remark was rude, while Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the remarks were “probably some kind of attempt to look like a Hollywood cowboy”.
Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said she has been shown her son’s body. Navalnaya has accused Russian investigators of “blackmailing” her over the funeral of her son, claiming they are trying to force her to hold a private burial ceremony without mourners. She quoted one of the investigators as saying: “Time is not on your side, corpses decompose.”
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