Ukraine news – live: Putin survived assassination attempt, Kyiv claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently survived an assassination attempt at the start of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, Kyrylo Budanov, the Head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claimed.

“There was an attempt to assassinate Putin… He was even attacked, it is said, by representatives of the Caucasus, not so long ago. This is non-public information. [It was an] Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened… It was about 2 months ago,” he revealed in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia’s ongoing invasion will determine whether “brute force will rule the world.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Zelensky addressed world leaders pleading for economic support in the war and also warning of the global dangers of Russia’s aggression.

“This is the moment when it is decided whether brute force will rule the world,” Mr Zelensky said before calling on nations to enforce further and stronger sanctions on Russia including an embargo on Russian oil, no trade with the Kremlin and a banning of Moscow’s banks from global systems.

The Ukrainian president added in his address that “if aggressors lose everything, countries would lose motivation to start wars.”

Key Points

• Putin survived assassination attempt, Ukraine intelligence chief claims

• Russian diplomat in Switzerland says he resigns over Ukraine invasion

• The first Russian soldier is given a life sentence for war crimes

• We can’t allow brute force to rule the world, Zelensky says

• Zelensky says '50 to 100' dying every day in country’s east

• Ukraine rejects ceasefire, territorial concessions to Russia

Ukraine calls for help to secure safe passage for food exports

14:34 , Thomas Kingsley

The international community should help secure safe passage for food export vessels in a corridor out of the port city of Odesa to help Ukraine and avoid world hunger, First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Monday.

"It would take us 5, 6, 7 years to export all these agricultural yields by. So right now it’s extremely important for us to unblock the seaports," Ms Svyrydenko told the BBC in an interview at the World Economic Forum.

"We need a guarantee from partners, of course it’s a defence guarantee, a security guarantee."

Vladimir Putin jokes about being blamed for all the world’s problems

14:17 , Thomas Kingsley

Russian president Vladimir Putin quipped on Monday that he would have a serious talk to the West about its assertions that he was to blame for all the economic chaos sown by the conflict in Ukraine and the West's crippling sanctions.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced 14 million people, while the West's attempt to isolate Russia as punishment and Moscow's blockade of grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, have sent the price of oil, natural gas, grains, cooking oil and fertilisers soaring.

At a televised meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Mr Putin told Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko that Russia's economy was doing well, despite the Western sanctions.

Mr Lukashenko said the sanctions had given both countries the impetus to focus on self-development, and that the elites of the West were deluded about the causes of their economic woes.

"On the economy, thanks are really due to them (in the West) as they have given us such a push to our own development," Mr Lukashenko told Mr Putin, who smiled and nodded.

"What is happening over there is that they really underestimated it by reading their own media. They got inflation yet the truth is 'Putin is to blame', 'Putin is to blame for everything'," Mr Lukashenko said.

Putin pursed his lips and nodded.

NEW: Russian diplomat to UN in Geneva resigns over ‘aggressive war’ in Ukraine, says he’s ‘ashamed of my country’

13:58 , Thomas Kingsley

A veteran Russian diplomat to the UN Office at Geneva says he handed in his resignation before sending out a scathing letter to foreign colleagues against the “aggressive war unleashed” by president Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

Boris Bondarev, 41, confirmed his resignation in a letter delivered Monday morning at the Russian diplomatic mission after a diplomatic official passed on his English-language statement to The Associated Press.

“For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on Feb. 24 of this year,” he wrote, alluding to the date of Russia’s invasion.

'Golden Arches' come down near Moscow as McDonald's Russia rebrand begins

13:50 , Thomas Kingsley

Workers removed the trademark "Golden Arches" sign from a McDonald's restaurant just north of Moscow on Monday, as the first stage of the rebranding of the fast food company's outlets started in Russia, days after it announced plans to exit.

The world's largest burger chain is selling its restaurants in Russia to one of its local licensees, who will rebrand them under a new name that has yet to be announced, ending more than three decades in the country. McDonald's has said it will retain its trademarks.

The yellow arches stood on the ground outside the restaurant in Khimki, a town near Moscow. It was not clear if work to remove the logo from other branches across the country was already underway.

McDonald's had in March decided to close its restaurants in the country, including the Pushkin Square location in central Moscow that had been a symbol of flourishing American capitalism in the dying embers of the Soviet Union.

Lukashenko accuses West of attempting to dismember Ukraine

13:35 , Thomas Kingsley

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday that he was concerned about what he called moves by the West to "dismember" Ukraine, and accused Poland of seeking to seize the western part of the country.

At a televised meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, he said Kyiv would eventually have to ask for help in preventing the seizure of western Ukraine.

He offered no evidence for his assertions.

Putin survived assassination attempt, Ukraine intelligence chief claims

13:16 , Eleanor Sly

The head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claimed that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin survived an attempt on he life after the start of the war against Ukraine.

The incident apparently took place around two months ago and involved “representatives” of the Caucasus - an area comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia.

In an interview with Ukrainska Pravdam, Kyrylo Budanov said: “There was an attempt to assassinate Putin… He was even attacked, it is said, by representatives of the Caucasus, not so long ago.

“This is non-public information. [It was an] Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened… It was about two months ago. I repeat, this attempt was unsuccessful.

“There was no publicity about this event, but it took place.”

Putin survived assassination attempt, Ukraine intelligence chief claims

13:16 , Eleanor Sly

The head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claimed that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin survived an attempt on he life after the start of the war against Ukraine.

The incident apparently took place around two months ago and involved “representatives” of the Caucasus - an area comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia.

In an interview with Ukrainska Pravdam, Kyrylo Budanov said: “There was an attempt to assassinate Putin… He was even attacked, it is said, by representatives of the Caucasus, not so long ago.

“This is non-public information. [It was an] Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened… It was about two months ago. I repeat, this attempt was unsuccessful.

“There was no publicity about this event, but it took place.”

Death lingers in Ukraine village liberated from Russian forces

13:13 , Eleanor Sly

As fighting erupted, Lubov Novikova panicked and began to rush home. She almost made it to her front door when the Russian tank opened fire. The first shell landed ahead on the road, flinging her to the ground; the second killed her instantly.

The 78-year-old, born in the Russian city of Kursk, was left lying on the on the road for six hours, the intensity of the bombing making it impossible to retrieve the body. Eventually her son, Gennady, and his two friends, Evgeny Sholomiy and Slava Ivanov, carried her to one of the few houses still standing in their street.

The three men also took her to the village cemetery the next morning. A missile struck the graveyard while the hasty burial was taking place. Evgeny was killed. Slava was taken home, bleeding heavily from shrapnel wounds; he died that evening.

Kim Sengupta has more:

Watch: Zelensky says the future of Ukraine ‘will be bad but without’ Russia

13:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Hungary demands energy investment before backing EU ban on Russian oil

12:54 , Eleanor Sly

Hungary said on Monday that it would stick to its demands for energy investment before it agrees to a Russian oil embargo, clashing with EU states pushing for swift approval of more European Union sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine.

Early this month, the EU commission proposed the new package of sanctions against the Kremlin but the measures have not yet been adopted, with Hungary being among the most vocal critics of the plan.

“Solutions first, sanctions afterwards,” Hungary’s Justice Minister Judit Varga told journalists.

This came ahead of ministerial talks in Brussels on Monday.

‘We’ve more than half a trillion dollars of losses’: Zelensky calls for help to rebuild Ukraine

12:34 , Eleanor Sly

Kremlin says West triggered global food crisis with sanctions

12:15 , Thomas Kingsley

The Kremlin said on Monday that the west had triggered a global food crisis by imposing the severest sanctions in modern history on Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The war - and the West's attempt to isolate Russia as punishment - have sent the price of grain, cooking oil, fertiliser and energy soaring.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he was in intense contact with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States and the European Union in an effort to restore grain exports from Ukraine as a global food crisis worsens.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said, agreed with the United Nations assessment that the world faced a food crisis that could cause famine.

"Russia has always been a rather reliable grain exporter," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. "We are not the source of the problem. The source of the problem that leads to world hunger are those who imposed sanctions against us, and the sanctions themselves."

Watch: Biden says Russia has to ‘pay long-term price’ for invasion of Ukraine

12:00 , Thomas Kingsley

NEW :Ukraine says 87 were killed in Russian air strike last week

11:43 , Thomas Kingsley

Eighty seven people were killed in a Russian air strike on the village of Desna last Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday during a speech to global business leaders at Davos.

Ukrainian authorities last week had said that eight people were killed in the strike on Desna, located in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv.

Watch: President Zelensky and wife share adorable moment during rare interview

11:15 , Thomas Kingsley

NEW: Ukrainian court sentences Russian soldier to life in prison for killing civilian

11:04 , Thomas Kingsley

A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's 24 February invasion.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing the 62-year-old man in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on 28 February after being ordered to shoot at him from a car.

ICYMI: Ukraine rules out any ceasefire deal that would see land given to Russia

11:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Ukraine’s lead negotiator has ruled out any ceasefire deal in which Kyiv would cede territory to Russia or allow Russian troops to remain on its land.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is leading talks with Moscow said such concessions would backfire as Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting.

“The war will not stop. It will just be put on pause for some time,” Mr Podolyak said in an interview with Reuters in the presidential office in Kyiv.

“They’ll start a new offensive, even more bloody and large-scale.”

Read the full story below:

Ukraine rules out any ceasefire deal that would see land given to Russia

Azovstal fighters to face trial in breakaway region - Russian state agency says

10:45 , Thomas Kingsley

The leader of Ukraine's breakaway Donetsk People's Republic on Monday said the fighters who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol will a face trial in the separatist region, Interfax news agency reported.

"The prisoners from Azovstal are being held on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic," Interfax quoted Denis Pushilin as saying. "Organising an international tribunal on the republic's territory is also planned."

The report did not specify what charges the fighters would face.

NEW: The outcome of the war in Ukraine will decide ‘whether brute force will rule world’ - President Zelensky

10:37 , Thomas Kingsley

Speaking at the World Economic Forum via videolink President Voloymyr Zelensky of Ukraine says the outcome of war in Ukraine will decide "whether brute force will rule the world."

Speaking earlier at the event, to a panel on economic warfare, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko called on countries to continue imposing sanctions against Russia.

“Armies win battles but the economy wins wars," she said. “Now is not the time for a cost-benefit analysis. We have to cut Russia off from the global economy completely.”

Hungary must work with EU on Russian oil embargo - German economy minister

10:30 , Thomas Kingsley

German economy minister Robert Habeck has warned Hungary against blocking efforts to impose an European Union-wide embargo on Russian oil imports in response to the war in Ukraine.

"There are different solutions for different countries," Mr Habeck said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday. "I expect everyone, including Hungary to work on a solution," he added.

Earlier on Monday, the minister told German radio that he was disappointed the EU had not yet found agreement on the planned oil embargo, which has been in the works for weeks now, and that Germany would be willing to forego Hungary's participation to speed up the process.

"If the Commission president says we're doing this as 26 without Hungary, then that is a path that I would always support," Habeck told the Deutschlandfunk broadcaster. "But I have not yet heard this from the EU," he added.

Vladimir Putin 'will be sent to sanatorium to avoid coup', claims ex-MI6 chief

10:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Russian president Vladimir Putin could be sent to a sanatorium, a top former MI6 chief predicts.

The warmonger could be placed in an establishment for the medical treatment of people with chronic illness by next year, Sir Richard Dearlove claims.

Speaking on the One Decision podcast, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service's former boss says Putin would soon exit office to receive medical treatment. "I think he'll be gone by 2023 - but probably into the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as the leader of Russia," he said on the show.

"I'm not saying he won't emerge from the sanatorium, but he won't emerge as the leader of Russia any longer.

"That's a way to sort of move things on without a coup."

Russia must pay ‘long-term price’ for Ukraine invasion , president Biden declares

10:00 , Thomas Kingsley

US president Joe Biden, who is on a visit to Japan, said Russia has to “pay a long-term price” for its “barbarism in Ukraine” in terms of sanctions imposed by the US and its allies.

When asked if the US would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China, the president said it would.

“That's the commitment we made," Mr Biden said. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a renegade province which has to be unified with the mainland.

“We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it... but the idea that [Taiwan] can be taken by force is just not appropriate.

“It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.”

Biden: US would intervene with military to defend Taiwan

09:45 , Thomas Kingsley

President Joe Biden said Monday that the US would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is "even stronger' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was one of the most forceful presidential statements in support of self-governing in decades.

Mr Biden, at a news conference in Tokyo, said “yes” when asked if he was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if China invaded. “That’s the commitment we made,” he added.

The US traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan, with which it no longer has a mutual defense treaty. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed US relations with the island, does not require the US to step in militarily to defend Taiwan if China invades, but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status in Taiwan by Beijing.

Read the full story below:

Biden: US would intervene with military to defend Taiwan

Latest update on Russian war losses - Ukraine armed forces

09:30 , Thomas Kingsley

According to Ukraine’s armed forces, as of 23 May Russia has lost 29,200 troops, 204 planes and 1,293 tanks.

Throughout the war, Ukraine has called on Nato nations to provide weapons support in their defence against the stronger and larger Russian army which has paid off in considerable losses for Vladimir Putin’s troops.

Ukraine continues faces heavy losses in the east where the Kremlin has redirect its efforts in the Battle for Donbas.

WHO verified 248 Russian attacks on health care in Ukraine

09:15 , Thomas Kingsley

The World Health Organisation has verified 30 additional attacks on health care in Ukraine.

According to WHO, 248 attacks on health care have now been verified in Ukraine with these attacks occurring between 24 February and 19 May causing 75 deaths and 59 injuries.

Poland to terminate agreement with Russia regarding Yamal gas pipeline, says minister

09:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Poland has decided to terminate an intergovernmental agreement with Russia regarding the Yamal gas pipeline, Polish climate minister Anna Moskwa said on Twitter on Monday.

“Russia's aggression against Ukraine has confirmed the accuracy of the Polish government's determination to become completely independent from Russian gas. We always knew that Gazprom was not a reliable partner,” Ms Moskwa said.

The Yamal gas pipeline can carry up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas from fields in Russia's Yamal peninsula and western Siberia through Belarus and Poland to Germany.

Poland joins Germany in halting a major gas pipeline project in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

‘Everything on fire’, say Donbas residents

08:39 , Rory Sullivan

Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in the Donbas region have spoken of how “everything is on fire” in their home towns.

Lida Chuhay, 83, was one of hundreds of people evacuated by train from the town of Pokrovsk. She had first fled her home in Lyman in Luhansk province.

“Ashes, ruins. The northern parts, the southern parts, all are ruined,” she said. “Literally everything is on fire: houses, buildings, everything.”

Speaking about the Russians, Olha Medvedeva, another Lyman resident, said: “They ruined everything. The five-story building where we were living, everything flew away — the windows, the doors.”

Ukraine war in pictures

08:15 , Rory Sullivan

Here are some of the latest images from eastern Ukraine:

New Zealand army to help train Ukrainian soldiers

07:56 , Rory Sullivan

New Zealand will send 30 soldiers to the UK to offer training to Ukrainian troops, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said.

The training will focus on how to operate howitzer guns.

“This additional deployment is really another way that New Zealand can support Ukraine...There are very few armed forces that could provide this training right now, which is why New Zealand has been specifically called upon,” Ms Ardern said.

Russia likely to resume offensives on southern axis, says US think tank

07:50 , Rory Sullivan

Russia only made minimal territorial gains on Sunday, the US think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.

Moscow is expected to increase its offensives against southern Ukraine, it added.

Russians focus on Luhansk city in Donbas assault

07:31 , Rory Sullivan

Russian forces are bombarding the east Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk as they try to capture more of the Donbas region.

Serhii Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, the province where Severodonetsk is located, said the Kremlin was “engaging in a scorched-earth approach” to destroy the city. He added that the Russians were indiscriminately shelling it.

The bombardment came as the Polish president Andrzej Duda became the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament.

On a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, he said: “Unfortunately, in Europe there have also been disturbing voices in recent times demanding that Ukraine yield to Putin’s demands.

“I want to say clearly: Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future. Only Ukraine has the right to decide for itself.”

Ukraine first war crime trial: Verdict expected in Vadim Shishimarin case today

07:13 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian authorities are expected to announce a verdict in country’s first war crimes trial involving a captured Russian soldier later today. Vadim Shishimarin is accused of shooting a civilian dead in the first few days of the invasion.

The 21-year-old sergeant has been prosecuted under a section of the Ukrainian criminal code on laws governing war.

He testified in the court in Kyiv on Thursday that he shot a civilian from an open car window on orders from two other Russian officers in the car in order to prevent their location from being disclosed.

Mr Shishimarin has pleaded guilty to the charges against him and could face life imprisonment.

According to his defence attorney, the Russian soldier was unprepared for the “violent military confrontation” and mass casualties that Russian troops encountered when they first invaded Ukraine.

Zelensky says '50 to 100' dying every day in country’s east

06:29 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that between “50 to 100 people” are dying every day in the besieged country’s east, adding that with the increasing rate of attacks from Russia, men of conscription age should not leave Ukraine.

“When today, 50 to 100 people a day can die in the most difficult direction, in the east … They are defending our state and our independence, which is what everyone in the world is talking about,” Mr Zelensky said during a press briefing alongside Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.

He was responding to a question on a petition seeking the possibility of men leaving the country during the war, days after Ukraine extended its martial law.

Mr Zelensky said: “And when I am approached with such a petition so that our men can leave our country during martial law, I believe that this is not exactly a petition for me.

“I don’t know to whom this petition should be addressed. Maybe to me. Or maybe it should be addressed to parents who lost their sons, who defended this or that region, this or that city at the cost of their lives? And you know that most of them are not the cities where they were born,” he said.

The petition has already received 25,000 signatures.

He added that the administration has a certain period of time to respond to a petition.

Russians may voice dissatisfaction with war in Ukraine amid rising casualties, claims UK

06:09 , Arpan Rai

The Russian public could increasingly voice its dissatisfaction with the war in Ukraine as the number of casualties in the conflict continues to rise, the British defence ministry said.

“In the first three months of its ‘special military operation’, Russia has likely suffered a similar death toll to that experienced by the Soviet Union during its nine-year war in Afghanistan,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that the high number of deaths of Russian soldiers has been caused by a “combination of poor low-level tactics, limited air cover, a lack of flexibility, and a command approach which is prepared to reinforce failure and repeat mistakes”.

“The Russian public has, in the past, proven sensitive to casualties suffered during wars of choice. As casualties suffered in Ukraine continue to rise they will become more apparent, and public dissatisfaction with the war and a willingness to voice it may grow,” the ministry said on Monday.

Russia clears mines from Ukraine’s Azovstal plant, 100 explosives destroyed

06:07 , Arpan Rai

Days after taking control of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Russian soldiers are clearing mines and debris from the mill’s grounds as they scan the area for unexploded ordnance.

A Russian soldier going by the nom de guerre Babai told Reuters that the troops will be busy with the task for the next couple of weeks.

“The task is huge, the enemy planted their own landmines, we had also planted anti-personnel mines while blocking the enemy. So we’ve got some two weeks of work ahead of us,” he said.

The troops walked through the compound laden with debris and checked for explosives with mine detectors, a video showed.

An operation carried out on Sunday saw the detonation of mines in controlled explosions and the clearing of debris using military bulldozers.

“Over the last two days, over 100 explosives have been destroyed. The work continues,” the Russian soldier said.

Russia says the last of the Ukrainian fighters holding out at the steel plant surrendered on Friday, though Ukrainian officials have not officially confirmed this. The battle for the plant lasted for weeks, and its fall means Russia now controls the whole of the strategic port city of Mariupol.

Air sirens sounded across Ukraine amid increased air strikes

05:14 , Arpan Rai

Authorities sounded air raid sirens across Ukraine in the early hours of Monday with more attacks from Russian troops expected in the besieged country’s east and southern parts.

Russian fighters have intensified the attacks in the Donbas and Mykolaiv areas using air strikes and artillery fire in the last week, in its preparedness to capture more territories.

Ukraine has called the increased bombardment from Moscow’s troops a “scorched-earth” strategy to wrest control from the country on the eastern front.

Ukraine rejects ceasefire, territorial concessions to Russia

05:04 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine will not make any territorial or ceasefire concessions to Russia, officials announced on Sunday.

The country’s presidential chief of staff said: “The war must end with the complete restoration of Ukraine‘s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” in a Twitter post on Sunday.

The commitment has been backed by ally Poland, whose president Andrzej Duda said any permanent loss of Ukrainian territory would be a “huge blow” to the entire western bloc.

He warned against trying to appease Vladimir Putin, and called on other nations to push Russia to completely withdraw from Ukraine.

“Worrying voices have appeared, saying that Ukraine should give in to Putin’s demands,” Mr Duda said.

“Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future,” he said.

The Polish leader is the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament in person since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February.

Ukraine bans Russian symbols ‘Z’ and ‘V’

04:46 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian parliament has banned symbols used by the Russian military to promote its war in Ukraine.

These symbols — “Z” and “V” — have been widely spotted on Moscow’s military vehicles and areas occupied by Russian troops in Ukraine during the course of the invasion.

The move passed by parliament on Sunday includes an exception for the use of Z and V for educational or historic purposes, after an intervention by Volodymyr Zelensky.

The wartime president had previously vetoed a preliminary version of the bill and said the two symbols should be allowed in displays in museums, libraries, scientific works, re-enactments, textbooks and similar instances.

Of the 423-member Verkhovna Rada assembly, 313 deputies voted in favour of the move, opposition member Yaroslav Zheleznyak said.

Zelensky to join Davos meet today

04:25 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he will be joining the discussions at the Davos Forum on Monday.

“This is the world’s most influential economic platform where Ukraine has something to say,” Mr Zelensky said.

He added that there will be other public speeches during the week, including an address to the Stanford University community.

The Ukrainian leader will also participate in multiple bilateral level talks with representatives of various states and international organisations this week, he announced in his nightly address.

“Our state expands its international ties every week to get everything it needs to end the war as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said.

He added: “There will be a new meeting of representatives of the partner countries - "Ramstein-2", if we call this group after the place of the first meeting in Germany. We look forward to new useful decisions for our defence.”

WHO assembly- what to expect for Ukraine

03:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

More than 100 world health ministers will meet in Geneva next week for the World Health Organization’s first in-person assembly in three years as the U.N. agency seeks to define its future role in global health policy.

The WHO’s Europe region passed a resolution against Russia this month and asked Tedros to prepare a report on Ukraine‘s health emergency.

Members are also preparing a resolution to be submitted to the assembly, although diplomats say it will stop short of suspending Russia‘s voting rights, as some initially sought.

ICYMI - To circumvent Ukraine and bottlenecks, a controversial new trade route emerges: Iran

02:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Newly emerging trade routes are slashing transport times between Europe, western Asia and the Middle East from upwards of six weeks to as little as six days, saving consumers and exporters shipping expenses, insurance fees, and refrigeration costs.

There is just one catch.

The truck routes, which were first launched last year with lorries travelling from the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan to Turkey, pass through Iran, further integrating Tehran into the global economy, adding to its coffers and increasing its clout despite years of efforts by the United States to isolate it.

International correspondent Borzou Daragahi reports:

To circumvent Ukraine and bottlenecks, a controversial new trade route emerges: Iran

Ukraine rules out any ceasefire deal that would see land given to Russia

02:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s lead negotiator has ruled out any ceasefire deal in which Kyiv would cede territory to Russia or allow Russian troops to remain on its land.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is leading talks with Moscow said such concessions would backfire as Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting.

“The war will not stop. It will just be put on pause for some time,” Mr Podolyak said in an interview with Reuters in the presidential office in Kyiv.

“They’ll start a new offensive, even more bloody and large-scale.”

Read more here:

Ukraine rules out any ceasefire deal that would see land given to Russia

ICYMI - Kyiv rules out a ceasefire as Russia says its forces pummel Ukraine command centres

01:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine ruled out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow as Russia stepped up its attack in the country’s east and south, pounding the Donbas and Mykolaiv regions with air strikes and artillery fire.

Russia‘s defence ministry said its forces pummeled Ukrainian command centres, troops and ammunition depots in Donbas and the Mykolaiv region in the south with air strikes and artillery.

The heaviest fighting focused around the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said.

The cities form the eastern part of a Ukrainian-held pocket that Russia has been trying to overrun since mid-April. *Reuters could not independently verify those battlefield reports.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is interested in a major gas exploitation project in Senegal

01:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country is interested in a major gas exploitation project in Senegal as he began a three-nation visit to Africa on Sunday that also is focused on the geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Senegal is believed to have significant deposits of natural gas along its border with Mauritania at a time when Germany and other European countries are trying to reduce their dependence on importing Russian gas.

“We have begun exchanges and we will continue our efforts at the level of experts because it is our wish to achieve progress,” Scholz said at a joint news briefing with Senegalese President Macky Sall.

The gas project off the coast of Senegal is being led by BP, and the first barrels are not expected until next year.

This week’s trip marks Scholz’s first to Africa since becoming chancellor nearly six months ago.

Two of the countries he is visiting — Senegal and South Africa — have been invited to attend the Group of 7 summit in Germany at the end of June.

Participants there will try to find a common position toward Russia, which was kicked out of the then-Group of Eight following its 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.

Ukraine parliament bans Russian war symbols

Sunday 22 May 2022 23:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s parliament on Sunday banned the symbols “Z” and “V”, used by Russia‘s military to promote its war in Ukraine but agreed to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s call to allow their use for educational or historic purposes.

Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an opposition member, announced the decision on the Telegram messaging app, saying 313 deputies had voted in favour in the 423-member Verkhovna Rada assembly.

Zelenskiy had vetoed an earlier version of the bill and called for the two symbols to be allowed in displays in museums, libraries, scientific works, re-enactments, textbooks and similar instances.

Neither of the two letters exists in the Russian alphabet. They have been widely used, particularly on Russian military vehicles and equipment, to promote the aims of the conflict.

Moscow calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” to disarm its neighbour and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.

Over the weekend, Russia pummelled positions in the east of Ukraine, pounding the Donbas and Mykolaiv regions with air strikes and artillery fire.

The new bill bans the creation of non-governmental organisations using Russian war symbols or undermining Ukraine‘s sovereignty.

The Ukrainian parliament on Sunday also extended for another 90 days, or until Aug. 23, the period of martial law in the country.

Russia presses Donbas attacks as Polish leader praises Kyiv

Sunday 22 May 2022 23:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia pressed its offensive in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as Poland’s president traveled to Kyiv to support the country’s European Union aspirations, becoming the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.

Lawmakers gave a standing ovation to President Andrzej Duda, who thanked them for the honor of speaking where “the heart of a free, independent and democratic Ukraine beats.”

Duda received more applause when he said that to end the conflict, Ukraine did not need to submit to conditions given by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Unfortunately, in Europe there have also been disturbing voices in recent times demanding that Ukraine yield to Putin’s demands,” he said.

“I want to say clearly: Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future. Only Ukraine has the right to decide for itself.”

Duda’s visit, his second to Kyiv since April, came as Russian and Ukrainian forces battled along a 551-kilometer (342-mile) wedge of the country’s eastern industrial heartland.

After declaring full control of a sprawling seaside steel plant that was the last defensive holdout in the port city of Mariupol, Russia launched artillery and missile attacks in the region, known as the Donbas, seeking to expand the territory that Moscow-backed separatists have held since 2014.

ICYMI - Sanctions have ‘virtually wrecked all logistics’ in Russia, transport minister admits

Sunday 22 May 2022 23:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Kremlin official admitted that western sanctions were stopping the Russian economy from functioning.

Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev told state media that punitive measures had “virtually wrecked” Russian trade logistics, the Kremlin’s transport minister was quoted by Interfax as saying.

He said Russia was being forced to consider alternative trade routes, including the north-south corridor running from Moscow through central Asia to India.

My colleague Liam James has more:

Sanctions have ‘virtually wrecked all logistics’ in Russia, transport minister admits

PM pens heartfelt letter to Ukrainian children

Sunday 22 May 2022 22:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson has penned an emotive letter to the children of Ukraine, commending them for holding their heads high in the “toughest of times” and reassuring them they are not alone.

The Prime Minister said he was “very sad” to see youngsters absent from the streets and parks of Kyiv when he visited the Ukrainian capital last month, adding: “I cannot imagine how difficult this year must have been for you.”

But he said the children must bear two things in mind - that they should be “immensely proud” and they have “millions” of friends around the world.

In his letter to the Ukrainian children, Mr Johnson wrote: “When your president showed me around Kyiv last month, the absence of children and young people on the streets and in the parks made me feel very sad.

“Since the invasion many of you have been forced to flee your homes. You have left behind family, friends, pets, toys and all that is familiar, seeking refuge in underground stations, distant cities, even other countries. I cannot imagine how difficult this year must have been for you.”

Mr Johnson said the children should be proud of their country, their parents, their families, their soldiers, and “most of all” themselves.

“Many of you have seen or experienced things no child should have to witness,” he wrote.

“Yet, every day Ukrainian children are teaching all of us what it means to be strong and dignified, to hold your head high in even the toughest of times. I can think of no better role model for children and adults everywhere.”

The PM said the children may be separated from their friends at home but they have “millions of others all over the world”, including in the UK.

“We fly Ukrainian flags from our homes, offices, churches, shops and playgrounds, even from my own roof in Downing Street, where the windows are filled with sunflowers drawn by British children,” he wrote.

“Our young people are painting your flag in their classrooms and making blue and yellow bracelets in support of your country.”

He added: “I believe, like your president, that Ukraine is going to win this war. I hope with all my heart that, one day soon, you will be free to return to your homes, your schools, your families.

“And whatever happens, however long it takes, we in the UK will never forget you, and will always be proud to call you our friends.”

Prime minister promises to ‘redouble efforts’ to provide vital food and aid to Ukraine

Sunday 22 May 2022 22:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson has resolved to “redouble efforts” to provide vital food and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians, and ensure the country is able to export to the rest of the world.

The prime minister told Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky that Britons are “1000%” behind his people in a call on Sunday evening, No 10 has said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister paid tribute to the incredible courage demonstrated by the president and his family in recent months. He expressed his profound hope that they would, along with all the people of Ukraine, be able to return to life as normal one day soon.

“President Zelensky thanked the Prime Minister for the UK’s ongoing support.

“The Prime Minister reiterated that the British people are 1000% behind the people of Ukraine. He outlined both the most recent defensive support the UK has sent to Ukraine and the further sanctions being imposed on (Vladimir) Putin and his supporters.

“The leaders discussed Putin’s despicable blockade of Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest shipping port. The Prime Minister resolved to redouble efforts to provide vital food and humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine and ensure that the country was able to export to the rest of the world.

“The leaders agreed on the need for the international community to remain united in its condemnation of Putin’s barbarism. The Prime Minister said that every country had a duty to help Ukraine in their struggle for freedom, both now and in the long-term.

#ICYMI Biden signs $40bn Ukraine aid bill

Sunday 22 May 2022 21:58 , Liam James

Joe Biden has signed the $40bn Ukraine aid package after the bill was physically flown to South Korea, the White House confirmed (Graeme Massie writes).

The Senate passed the bill following the president’s departure from Washington to Seoul, but he signed it on Saturday before his state dinner with South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Biden administration says that an official brought a hard copy father bill on a commercial flight to Asia for the president’s signature. Mr Biden also signed a bill to improve access to baby formula during the current nationwide shortage.

The Ukraine bill includes money for military and humanitarian aid for the war-torn country as it continues to try and repel Russia’s forces.

Biden signs $40bn Ukraine aid bill after it was flown to him in South Korea

Russia’s war on Ukraine can only be resolved through ‘diplomacy’, says Zelensky

Sunday 22 May 2022 21:30 , Liam James

Ukrainian victory over Russia will be hard won through diplomacy, said Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview marking the third anniversary of his inauguration last night.

“We did not start this war. But we have to finish it,” he said in the hour-long broadcast recorded on Friday and released on Saturday.

“Victory will be bloody in battle. But the end will be in diplomacy. We want everything back. Russia does not want to give anything away.”

An end to the fierce war can only be reached “at the negotiating table”, he added.

World faces ‘unprecedented’ wave of hunger as Ukraine harvests worse than feared

Sunday 22 May 2022 20:50 , Liam James

The world faces an unprecedented wave of famine and hunger triggered by a further “explosive” increase in food prices, experts have warned, after new figures revealed the extent to which the war in Ukraine will decimate global supplies of wheat.

Forecasts supplied exclusively to The Independent suggest that Russia’s brutal campaign, including its blockade of vital Ukrainian ports, is likely to cause even deeper disruption to food supplies than was previously feared.

Wheat production is now expected to be halved this year – a significantly worse outcome than previous forecasts predicted, said MHP, one of Ukraine’s largest exporters.

More worryingly, Ukraine will export less than a quarter of the amount of wheat it exported last year, according to the company.

World faces ‘unprecedented’ hunger as Ukraine harvest worse than feared

Russian officer ‘says he resigned out of guilt'

Sunday 22 May 2022 20:05 , Liam James

A Russian officer who reportedly resigned weeks into the invasion of Ukraine told CNN he left his post out of guilt.

The officer, who CNN allowed to remain anonymous, said he resolved to quit after reflecting on the invasion.

He said while driving in a military column after crossing the border he would hide his face as he was embarrassed to be seen by Ukrainians on their land.

After a couple of weeks he was deployed to accompany equipment in need of repair, where he was able to listen to the radio and hear the news.

He said: “That’s how I learned that shops are closing in Russia and the economy is collapsing. I felt guilty about this. But I felt even more guilty because we came to Ukraine.”

Soon he told his commander of his wish to resign. “He told me there could be a criminal case. That rejection is betrayal. But I stood my ground. He gave me a sheet of paper and a pen,” he said, adding he wrote his resignation there and then.

Accounts of Russian troops refusing to fight have been appearing often in the western press recently.

UK ‘unprepared’ for soaring food prices and shortages, says head of government advisory body

Sunday 22 May 2022 19:20 , Liam James

The UK is unprepared for huge food price hikes and shortages of essential goods that will be triggered by the Ukraine war, the head of a government advisory body fears (Rob Merrick writes).

Ian Wright has told The Independent of growing concerns that there is no proper plan for a “scary” future of disrupted food supplies, warning: “This is a bigger crisis than energy.”

Cooking oil, which is used in crisps, ready meals, biscuits and mayonnaise, has already been rationed, while rising fertiliser and animal feed prices are hitting domestic production.

Supplies of donated food by charities and community groups – co-ordinated by an organisation with no government funding – will run out as millions more flock to lunch clubs and homeless shelters, it is feared.

UK ‘unprepared’ for soaring food prices and shortages from Ukraine war

Senegal prepared to supply gas to Europe in lieu of Russia

Sunday 22 May 2022 18:43 , Liam James

Senegal is ready to work towards supplying the European market with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the country’s president said, as the Russian supply is shunned by countries in opposition to the war in Ukraine.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz met Senegalese president Macky Sall in Dakar today and discussed how Europe could access Senegal’s billions of cubic metres of gas reserves.

Russia provided 41 per cent of Europe’s LNG before invading Ukraine but the continent is now seeking alternative suppliers. Germany, which was particularly reliant on Russian gas, said it could help Senegal explore a gas field holding untapped reserves.

Mr Sall forecast Senegal’s LNG output reaching 2.5 million tonnes next year and 10 million tonnes by 2030 – meaning Senegal could eventually plug much of the gap left by Russia, which supplied 11 million tonnes of LNG to Europe in 2020.

Full story: Sanctions have ‘virtually wrecked all logistics’ in Russia

Sunday 22 May 2022 18:10 , Liam James

A Kremlin official admitted that western sanctions were stopping the Russian economy from functioning.

Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev told state media that punitive measures had “virtually wrecked” Russian trade logistics, the Kremlin’s transport minister was quoted by Interfax as saying.

He said Russia was being forced to consider alternative trade routes, including the north-south corridor running from Moscow through central Asia to India.

“The sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation today have virtually wrecked all the logistics in our country. And we are forced to look for new logistics corridors,” Mr Savelyev said.

Sanctions have ‘virtually wrecked all logistics’ in Russia, transport minister admits

Russian-appointed mayor injured in explosion

Sunday 22 May 2022 17:30 , Liam James

The Russian-appointed head of the occupied Ukrainian town next to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was injured in an explosion on Sunday, a Ukrainian official and a Russian news agency said.

Andrei Shevchik, who was appointed mayor of Enerhodar following the Russian army’s occupation of the town, was in intensive care following the attack, Russia’s RIA news agency reported, citing a source in the emergency services.

“We have accurate confirmation that during the explosion the self-proclaimed head of the ‘people’s administration’ Shevchik and his bodyguards were injured,” Dmytro Orlov, who Ukraine recognises as mayor of the town said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Enerhodar is a town with a pre-war population of over 50,000.

Many residents work at the two power plants located next to the town, one of which is the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe. Ukraine has previously complained that Russia’s occupation of the plant raises the risk of a nuclear disaster.

Ukraine rules out giving land to Russia

Sunday 22 May 2022 16:59 , Liam James

Ukraine’s lead negotiator has ruled out a ceasefire that would involve Russian forces remaining in occupied areas or any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory.

Making concessions would backfire because Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.

“The war will not stop. It will just be put on pause for some time,” Mr Podolyak said in an interview with Reuters in the heavily guarded presidential office.

“They’ll start a new offensive, even more bloody and large-scale.”

Recent calls for an immediate ceasefire have come from US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and Italian prime minister Mario Draghi.

Africa ‘doesn’t want to take sides’ in Ukraine war

Sunday 22 May 2022 16:41 , Liam James

The chair of the African Union and president of Senegal, Macky Sall, said he would visit Moscow and Kyiv in the coming weeks to promote deescalation in Ukraine and peace through dialogue between the two sides.

Speaking at a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Sall said: “We do not want to be aligned on this conflict, very clearly, we want peace.

“Even though we condemn the invasion, we’re working for a de-escalation, we’re working for a ceasefire, for dialogue ... that is the African position.”

Much of Africa is wary of damaging ties with Russia by taking a stance against it invasion of Ukraine.

Several African nations abstained from a UN vote calling on Russian to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Eritrea, a country with a long history of pro-Russian positions, voted against the resolution.

Zelensky offers Polish citizens in Ukraine reciprocal rights

Sunday 22 May 2022 16:06 , Lamiat Sabin

Polish citizens in Ukraine will be granted the same rights that Ukrainian refugees in Poland are currently receiving under a new “special legal status”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced the new policy today during a visit to Kyiv by his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.

Poland has granted the right to live and work and claim social security payments to over 3 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a new parliamentary bill will be tabled soon to give Polish citizens in Ukraine the same rights.

Ukraine will ‘probably join EU in 20 years’ – French minister

Sunday 22 May 2022 15:30 , Lamiat Sabin

Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Polish president Andrzej Duda for his lobbying for Ukraine to join the European Union in the wake of the Russian invasion.

But a French minister said it could take 15 to 20 years for Ukraine to join the bloc.

Clement Beaune, Europe minister for France, reportedly told Paris-based Jewish community radio station Radio J: “We have to be honest. If you say Ukraine is going to join the EU in six months, or a year or two, you’re lying.

“It’s probably in 15 or 20 years, it takes a long time.”