Ukraine-Russia war - live: G20 meeting ends without agreement as China refuses to condemn war

The meeting of G20 leaders in India ended in disagreement over the Ukraine war after China and Russia refused to condemn the invasion.

India, which holds the G20 presidency, issued a “chair’s summary and outcome document” instead of a joint communique. It was backed by delegates from 17 of the group’s 20 members.

Meanwhile, Russia likely ignored the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine because it has failed to achieve any of its objectives, a US think tank has said.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has remarked that Moscow’s inability to secure major territorial gains could have influenced its decision.

President Putin made a number of appearances throughout the week, notably delivering the State of the Nation address, but he was silent on the 24 February anniversary.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to meet Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing’s proposed peace plan to end the war, though one senior adviser has dismissed these motives as “betting on an aggressor.”

Key Points

• China refuses to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during G20

• CIA confirms China considering sending lethal aid to Russia

• Russian diplomat accuses West of ‘arm twisting’ others during UN vote

• EU slaps sanctions on top Russia officials, banks, trade

• Zelensky wants to meet Xi Jinping following China’s peace plan

EU slaps sanctions on top Russia officials, banks, trade

04:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The European Union agreed yesterday to impose new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine targeting more officials and organisations accused of supporting the war, spreading propaganda or supplying drones, as well as restricting trade on products that could be used by the armed forces.

The EU’s Swedish presidency said the sanctions “are directed at military and political decision-makers, companies supporting or working within the Russian military industry, and commanders in the Wagner Group. Transactions with some of Russia’s largest banks are also prohibited.”

Read the full story here:

EU slaps sanctions on top Russia officials, banks, trade

It will take decades to identify Ukraine war victims, authorities predict

04:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It could take decades to identify Ukraine’s war dead, a leading forensics body has predicted.

As the war reached its one-year anniversary, The Independent revealed that at least 100,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in Russia’s brutal assault – more than 10 times the current official death toll, according to the country’s leading war crimes prosecutor.

Forensic anthropologist Photis Andronicou of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) said identifying victims in the horrific war could take decades without significant help from the Ukrainian authorities and the international community.

“From other contexts that I have worked on – and experience – I would say this process in Ukraine will take years, many years,” Mr Andronicou told The Independent.

Thomas Kingsley reports:

It will take decades to identify Ukraine war victims, authorities predict

Peace in Ukraine will depend on one crucial thing

04:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The real gain in foreign commercial opportunities will be through investment in a revitalised nation, where reconstruction has delivered a broad-based and unifying peace dividend that will resolve many of the country’s pre-war challenges, writes Fergus Drake

Peace in Ukraine will depend on one crucial thing | Fergus Drake

CIA confirms China considering sending lethal aid to Russia

04:07 , Maroosha Muzaffar

CIA director Bill Burns has confirmed that China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia.

In an interview with CBS News, Mr Burns said: “We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment.”

He, however, emphasised that China has not yet made the decision to transfer lethal aid to Russia.

“We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.”

He continued: “And that’s why, I think, Secretary [Anthony] Blinken and the president have thought it important to make very clear what the consequences of that would be as well.”

Mr Burns said that sending this type of aid to Russia would be a “very risky and unwise bet” for Xi Jinping.

Russian diplomat accuses West of ‘arm twisting’ others during UN vote

03:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russia’s senior diplomat to the United Nations has accused the West of “cowboy” methods and “arm twisting” of some countries during last week’s United Nations General Assembly vote that demanded Moscow withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

“The methods of achieving the result are again ‘cowboy’," Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, said on the Telegram messaging platform.

He added that a number of representatives from “developing” countries complained to the Russian mission about pressure from their Western colleagues who are allies of Kyiv.

“According to our calculations, almost 30 pairs of arms were twisted,” Mr Polyansky said.

There were 141 votes in favour and 32 abstentions. Six countries joined Russia to vote no – Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria. Russia’s close ally China abstained on the UN vote.

Mr Polyansky dismissed the action at the United Nations as “useless”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Twitter: “This resolution is a powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine”.

China refuses to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during G20

03:34 , Maroosha Muzaffar

China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just days after Beijing revealed a peace plan to end the war.

Finance ministers of the G20 countries failed to agree on a closing statement following a summit in India after China refused to condemn the war.

China reportedly declined to accept parts of the statement that deplored Russia’s invasion “in the strongest terms”.

Meanwhile, Moscow said that “anti-Russian” Western countries had “destabilised” the G20.

Russia's Prigozhin, Ukraine give varying accounts on fighting near Bakhmut

03:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said forces of his Wagner group had captured the village of Yahidne, just north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Saturday.

But Ukrainian military reports issued a day after the first anniversary of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, suggested that villages near the key town remained under Kyiv’s control.

Reuters could not independently confirm Prigozhin’s claim, in a short audio message, or the report by the Ukrainian military’s general staff.

“At 1900 on 25th February, storm units of the Wagner private military company secured complete control of the locality of Yagodnoye (Yahidne) to the north of Bakhmut,” Prigozhin said in the audio clip.

A day earlier, he said Wagner had taken control of Berkhivka, an adjacent village on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

The months-long struggle for Bakhmut, where only about 5,000 of 70,000 residents remain, has seen some of the bloodiest attritional fighting of Russia‘s invasion.

Wagner units have suffered heavy losses, prompting Prigozhin to complain bitterly that the Russian defence establishment has failed to properly acknowledge their contribution.

This week he even accused the army top brass of treason for failing to supply his men with sufficient ammunition, though he later said the situation had been remedied.

The prolonged siege has prompted Ukrainian analysts to consider openly whether its troops should consider abandoning their defence of the city.

On Thursday, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov acknowledged in a YouTube presentation that Berkhivka had come under Russian control.

The latest general staff report said Russian forces had made unsuccessful advances on villages around Bakhmut, including Berkhivka.

There was no mention in the report of Yahidne. But it said 18 localities in the area had been shelled by Russian forces, including villages on Bakhmut’s southern and western approaches.

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the war in Ukraine

03:19 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The Russian president’s grasp is loosening both on the battlefield and at home, writes Mark Galeoti. But is it really the end of the road?

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the Ukraine war

Ukraine 'Art Weapon' show draws crowds in Berlin

02:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In a converted former mint in Berlin on Saturday, crowds danced in a blaze of strobe light as a rapper hollered Ukrainian lyrics to punchy beats.

In other parts of the complex, revellers looked at painted bullet-proof vests hanging from the ceiling and queued for plates of Ukrainian dumplings and borsch served by women with blue and yellow ribbons weaved into their hair.

The ‘Art Weapon’ event - which opened at Berlin’s sprawling Alte Muenze complex on Saturday - also featured live painting by Ukrainian artists, Ukrainian-language theatre and the chance to sit for a Ukrainian tattoo artist.

Running non-stop till Sunday morning, the marathon event sold more than 1,000 tickets two hours after opening, its organisers said. It’s aim - to show that Ukrainian contemporary culture has been flourishing since the start of the war.

“The war boosted our artists and they are now super-passionate about what they are doing and understand their mission,” said Harry Pledov, the Kyiv-based organiser.

Pledov organised several festivals in Ukraine before the war and has held two such events in the country since Russia launched what it calls its “special military operation”. But curfews and blackouts in Ukraine made it increasingly difficult to continue.

He decided to apply for funding through a German organisation supporting cultural initiatives, allowing him to organise “Art Weapon” in Berlin.

In one room at the Alte Muenze, artist Vitalii Shupliak explained the meaning behind a work comprising two prints showing buttered bread with nails poking through the surface. The images are mounted on separate stacks of cages.

Reading “Famine comes with the sole of a Russian soldier,” the work represents both the impoverishment of Ukraine and the detached soles of Soviet-era military boots, Shupliak said.

“The invasion has definitely changed art in Ukraine,” he added. “It has forced us to reflect on our identities.”

Opinion: Peace in Ukraine will depend on one crucial thing

01:20 , Holly Bancroft

The real gain in foreign commercial opportunities will be through investment in a revitalised nation, where reconstruction has delivered a broad-based and unifying peace dividend that will resolve many of the country’s pre-war challenges, writes Fergus Drake

“All wars end in negotiations, as India’s former president Jahrwal Nehru once said. But a large part of those negotiations, in modern war at least, lies in securing a pathway to reconstruction and recovery.”

Read more here:

Peace in Ukraine will depend on one crucial thing | Fergus Drake

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the war in Ukraine

00:25 , Holly Bancroft

It is impossible yet to know for sure when and how the war in Ukraine will end, but it is clear that Vladimir Putin will not achieve either his original grandiose goal of installing a puppet regime in Kyiv, nor his fallback of conquering all the regions of south-eastern Ukraine.

Even retaining the territories he was occupying before the February 2022 invasion looks like a difficult, if not wholly impossible task.

Although his myth is irretrievably tarnished and his system of control is in decay, Mr Putin could conceivably survive defeat, and the trajectory of a post-Putin Russia is equally uncertain. Three main variables will be crucial: the fate of Crimea (which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014), the speed of that victory, and Western policies.

Read more on How Putin could cling on to power here:

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the Ukraine war

Why Russia’s aggressive revisionism in Ukraine is a global threat

Saturday 25 February 2023 23:45 , Eleanor Noyce

24 February 2022 will forever be recalled as the day when Russia started its brutal, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This was – and remains – a case of pure aggression and a clear-cut breach of the UN Charter. This war is neither, “just a European issue”; nor is it about, “the West versus the rest”. It is about the kind of world we all want to live in: no one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force – by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council – would somehow be “normalised”.

That is why international law must be enforced everywhere to protect everyone from power politics, blackmail and military attack.

One year on, there is a risk that people become inured to the images of war crimes and atrocities that they see – because there are so many; that the words we use start to lose their significance – because we have to repeat them so often; that we get tired and weaken our resolve – because time is passing and the task at hand is hard.

This we cannot do. Because every day, Russia keeps violating the UN charter, creating a dangerous precedent for the whole world with its imperialist policy. Every day, Russia keeps killing innocent Ukrainian women, men and children, raining down its missiles on cities and civilian infrastructure. Every day, Russia keeps spreading lies and fabrications.

Josep Borrell writes:

Why Russia’s aggressive revisionism in Ukraine is a global threat | Josep Borrell

Refugees, mass graves and liberation: A year on the ground in Ukraine – in pictures from The Independent’s Bel Trew

Saturday 25 February 2023 23:15 , Eleanor Noyce

At dawn on 24 February 2022 Russia shook the world by invading Ukraine, launching the bloodiest war in Europe in generations.

International Correspondent for The Independent, Bel Trew crossed the land border from Poland and began documenting the destruction, as millions of desperate Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes. She has spent a year photographing the devastating impact of the conflict on civilians across the country.

Twelve months on, as Russia has only ratchet up its attacks in the east and the south, there is little hope of peace.

Read more:

A year on the ground in Ukraine – in photographs by The Independent’s Bel Trew

Voices: I’ve spent 20 years covering conflict, from Iraq to Syria – but nothing prepared me for the horrors of Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 22:15 , Eleanor Noyce

“These are human beings, they have thrown them away like bags of rubbish,” whispered Iryna Bondarenka at a mass grave behind St Andrew’s church in Bucha as she searched for the body of her missing brother. The corpses had been flung into a shallow pit in black plastic sacks. Some had split, limbs had broken free; one palm rose from the soil as if cupped in supplication.

Nicolai Bondarenko had been taken away by Russian troops after the town was captured. His body – fingers broken, ribs smashed, with a bullet hole in the back of the head – was eventually found in the basement of a burned-out house along with two others. This was just one episode in a systematic process of violent human rights abuse by Russian forces in occupied areas.

Torture, rape, murder and abductions of civilians, the echoing sadness of the families left behind, is the familiar sorrow and pity of war: scenes that those of us who have covered conflict have witnessed in many places around the world.

In the course of reporting war we have experienced targeted violence – like in Iraq, where our hotel in Baghdad was blown up by suicide bombers, killing more than 40 people. Fellow journalists, friends like James Foley and Steven Sotloff, have been kidnapped and murdered by Isis in Syria.

But even in this world of risk and strife, Ukraine feels different from other wars. What has been unfolding here for the past year is of seismic significance – a chapter in shaping modern history, akin to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. The norms of geopolitics, as we know them, have shifted fundamentally.

Kim Sengupta reports:

I’ve spent 20 years covering war – but nothing prepared me for Ukraine | Kim Sengupta

Where are the African students who fled Ukraine one year on?

Saturday 25 February 2023 21:45 , Eleanor Noyce

When war broke out in Ukraine, African students trying to flee the country reported being blocked at the border.

Following outcry from the community, the UN acknowledged that Black people faced racism at Ukraine’s borders.

The Independent’s Nadine White spoke with Korrine Sky, 27, who says she was forced to abandon her dream of becoming a doctor after what happened to her.

“It’s very, very hard. And I empathize with a lot of my colleagues who have resulted in taking their own lives. I experienced an identity crisis”, Korrine told The Independent.

Watch:

Where are the African students who fled Ukraine one year on?

Vladimir Putin: What is driving Russian leader’s relentless assault on Ukraine?

Saturday 25 February 2023 21:15 , Eleanor Noyce

In the year since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin. has been the figurehead of what he initially termed a “special military operation”. Russia’s president might have prepared the political ground with a show of collective responsibility – few will forget how he solicited the support of key ministers live on TV just hours before ordering the invasion – but he has fronted the invasion ever since, often alone, and it is he who will answer to history.

From the start, Russia’s military action tended to be seen as an old-fashioned war launched by an old-fashioned autocrat. As such, it was as surprising as it was shocking to all those who believed such wars to be over, at least in Europe. The scenes that have dominated our television screens ever since have been tragically reminiscent of black-and-white newsreel showing battles for the very same cities during the Second World War.

But the supposedly old-fashioned autocrat who gave the orders for this war is a more complicated figure than many think.

Read more:

What is driving Putin’s relentless war on Ukraine?

The before and after images that show the true extent of the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 20:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine is paying tribute to fallen loved ones as we reach the anniversary of Russia’s invasion – but President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed his country will fight on to victory.

Russia, having originally predicted what it calls a ‘special military operation’ would be finished in a matter of weeks, is now locked in a battle of attrition with Kyiv’s forces, with fighting concentrated in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Mr Zelensky has said of the start of the invasion: “[It was] the longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and haven’t slept since.”

These before and after pictures show the devastation on cities that have been shelled and bombed as part of the Russian offensive.

Read more:

The before and after images that show the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

How to donate to Ukraine as 18 million estimated to be affected by war

Saturday 25 February 2023 20:15 , Eleanor Noyce

It has been one year since Russia declared war on Ukraine.

Ever since the conflict, many people from around the world have donated millions of pounds to help families, individuals, and organisations impacted by the conflict.

One year later, Ukraine continues to recover from the damages caused by the war so far.

In order to offer financial support, however big or small, here are some of the ways one can donate to appeals benefiting Ukraine right now…

Read more:

How to donate to Ukraine one year on

How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spread global economic turmoil

Saturday 25 February 2023 19:45 , Eleanor Noyce

To understand the pervasive and deeply damaging impact of the war in Ukraine it is only necessary to glance at headlines here in Britain, far away from the shelling. Tomato rationing at your local Tesco, for example. The reasons for shortage are many and complex but one that’s agreed on is that supplies from growers in Britain and the Netherlands are lower than usual because farmers can’t afford to run energy-intensive greenhouses; in turn, that’s because of sanctions on Russian oil exports imposed by the West and a deliberate policy by the Kremlin of restricting energy supplies to Europe.

Much the same goes for the loss of 300 jobs at the British steelworks in Scunthorpe, with possibly many thousands to follow. Steel takes a lot of energy to make, and the Chinese firm that owns the company says parts of the plant are no longer economical because of the high cost of energy. Or take the food bank in Flintshire that has reported a doubling of demand over the past year caused by the cost of living crisis and high inflation.

The war in Ukraine is again to blame – at least in part. Energy is an input into everything we consume or use, from a takeaway Domino’s pizza baked in a hot oven and delivered via a petrol-powered moped to a new-build home made of energy-intensive brick. If you wanted to find a way of wrecking the global economy by squeezing every home and business on the planet, a war that reduces energy and food supplies would be the tool of choice.

Ukraine – a year of war: Financial struggles between Moscow and the West will be just as drawn-out as the battles in Ukraine, argues Sean O’Grady:

How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spread global economic turmoil

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Saturday 25 February 2023 19:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Battle tanks from the US, Britain and Germany are now being supplied for the first time and Mr Zelensky toured London, Paris and Brussels in early February 2023 to request fighter jets be sent as well in order to counter the Russian aerial threat, a step the allies appear to have reservations about making, although Joe Biden has since visited Kyiv in a gesture of solidarity.

Much of the fighting has been concentrated around the key eastern city of Bakhmut of late, with bombardments and heavy artillery fire taking place as Russian forces ramp up a major new offensive with the one-year anniversary of the war looming.

Read more:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

'Hard to process:’ Ukrainian teen returns to home frozen in time with phone still on charge and beds unmade

Saturday 25 February 2023 18:45 , Eleanor Noyce

A woman has shared the shocking reality of her home in Ukraine after returning one year after the war started.

Anna Malygon, 19, from Kharkiv, left home 18 months ago to study abroad – but had no idea that she would be unable to return.

After setting eyes on it earlier this month on a trip back, she was stunned to find it still standing.

“It was heartbreaking,” Anna told NeedToKnow.online.

“My apartment was dirty, cold and really smelly. There was mould everywhere and food in the fridge which had expired one year ago.

“Nuts and cereals were filled with worms. The water was rusty. There was unfinished coffee and a pastry that my mum didn’t finish because the war started.”

Read the full story:

Ukrainian teen returns to home frozen in time with phone still on charge

Pete Doherty sings ‘Dirty Old Town’ in Ukrainian in rare TV appearance

Saturday 25 February 2023 18:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Pete Doherty made a rare TV appearance on Channel 4 comedy talk show The Last Leg on Friday night (24 February).

The Libertines frontman, 43, performed The Pogues’ 1985 classic “Dirty Old Town”, changing the one of the lyrics to “brudne stare misto”, which is Ukrainian for “dirty old town”.

At the end of the song, he smiled and shouted “slava Ukraini!”, meaning “glory to Ukraine”.

Friday was the one-year anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The number of Ukrainian civilians killed in the war with Russia could be as high as 100,000, with both sides suffering tens of thousands of military casualties.

Millions of Ukrainians have either been displaced or left homeless 12 months on since Russian tanks rolled across the border.

Ellie Harrison reports:

Pete Doherty sings ‘Dirty Old Town’ in Ukrainian in rare TV appearance

The weapons the world is sending to Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 17:45 , Eleanor Noyce

On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Nato members have pledged further support to Ukraine’s defence effort.

Ben Wallace has said more tanks could be sent from Britain to aid Kyiv forces, with the defence secretary expressing concern that the Kremlin’s “meat grinder” army could still be battling in another year.

He said on Thursday that he was “open” to sending more British tanks and suggested Ukraine was likely to receive fighter jets from Nato member countries.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on western allies for help in defending its borders against Russian insurgencies.

And while his request for fighter jets has not been honoured, here is what has been promised to help Ukraine’s effort so far.

William Mata reports:

The weapons the world is sending to Ukraine

G-20 meeting in India ends without consensus on Ukraine war

Saturday 25 February 2023 17:15 , Eleanor Noyce

A meeting of finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies ended on Saturday without a consensus, with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document.

The meeting hosted by India issued the G-20 Chair’s summary and an outcome document stating that there was no agreement on the wording of the war in Ukraine. The first day of the meeting took place on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Group of Seven major industrial nations announced new sanctions against Russia on Friday, just as the talks of the G-20 group wrapped up in confusion in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen condemned the “illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine” at a session attended by Russian officials and reiterated calls for G-20 nations to do more to support Ukraine and hinder Moscow’s war effort.

At the last major G-20 meeting, in Bali, Indonesia, in November, leaders had strongly condemned the war, warning that the conflict was intensifying fragilities in the world’s economy. The group includes Russia and also countries like China and India that have significant trade with Moscow.

Read the full report:

G-20 meeting in India ends without consensus on Ukraine war

Refugees, mass graves and liberation: A year on the ground in Ukraine – in pictures from The Independent’s Bel Trew

Saturday 25 February 2023 16:45 , Eleanor Noyce

At dawn on 24 February 2022 Russia shook the world by invading Ukraine, launching the bloodiest war in Europe in generations.

International Correspondent for The Independent, Bel Trew crossed the land border from Poland and began documenting the destruction, as millions of desperate Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes. She has spent a year photographing the devastating impact of the conflict on civilians across the country.

Twelve months on, as Russia has only ratchet up its attacks in the east and the south, there is little hope of peace.

Across multiple trips since the start of Russia’s invasion, Bel Trew has been charting the devastating impact of the war on people all over Ukraine:

A year on the ground in Ukraine – in photographs by The Independent’s Bel Trew

Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions, fighting grinds on

Saturday 25 February 2023 16:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Fighting is grinding on in Ukraine after the country marked the anniversary of Russia‘s invasion, with Ukrainian authorities on Saturday reporting dozens of new Russian strikes and attacks on cities in the east and south.

After a somber and defiant day of commemorations on Friday and a marathon news conference, Ukraine’s seemingly indefatigable president followed up with new video posts a day later in which he declared that “Russia must lose in Ukraine” and argued that its forces can be defeated this year.

In a separate tweet, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also pushed for more sanctions pressure on Russia after the U.K., U.S. and the European Union all announced new measures aimed at further choking off funding and support for Moscow.

“The pressure on Russian aggressor must increase,” Zelenskyy tweeted in English.

He said that Ukraine wants to see “decisive steps” against Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and the Russian nuclear industry as well as “more pressure on military and banking.”

John Leicester reports:

Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions, fighting grinds on

How Britain – and Boris – led the way in global fight against Putin

Saturday 25 February 2023 15:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Rishi Sunak told the cabinet on Tuesday he was struck by the number of people at last weekend’s Munich security conference who noted that “UK leadership had played an important part in the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

For once, it wasn’t just spin. I’ve talked to some of the participants in Munich. They confirmed the plaudits for the UK, and said the prime minister made a good impression, describing him variously as “serious,” “smart” and “trustworthy.”

Not everything went according to plan for Sunak. He spoke to a half-empty hall because, after she introduced him, the US vice president, Kamala Harris, departed – in her 35-car motorcade. Security staff closed the hotel entrance, so people couldn’t get in to hear the PM. (There was much grumbling in the margins about the intense US security, which saw even a furious Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, caught in a 20-minute holding operation on his home soil).

Andrew Grice reports:

How Britain – and Boris – led the way in global fight against Putin

Football Arsenal make Oleksandr Zinchenko captain to mark Ukraine conflict

Saturday 25 February 2023 15:25 , Eleanor Noyce

Arsenal made Oleksandr Zinchenko for their game at Leicester as a gesture of love and respect to Ukraine to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Martin Odegaard, the usual captain, suggested left-back Zinchenko should instead lead the Gunners at the King Power Stadium and manager Mikel Arteta agreed.

Zinchenko, a former Shakhtar Donetsk player, has won 52 caps for his country.

Arsenal said in a statement: “Zinchenko is our captain today, as a mark of respect and love on the first anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine.”

Last season, Zinchenko captained his former club Manchester City in their FA Cup win over Peterborough when regular skipper Fernandinho decided to hand the armband to the Ukrainian after the invasion of his country.

Read more:

Arsenal make Oleksandr Zinchenko captain to mark Ukraine conflict

Ukraine protesters clash in London over supply of weapons

Saturday 25 February 2023 15:18 , Eleanor Noyce

Pro-Ukraine counter-protesters led by campaigner Peter Tatchell have clashed in central London with activists demanding Britain stops supplying weapons to the country.

Mr Tatchell shouted “Chamberlain” - a reference to prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasing Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime - in reply to protesters who angrily accused him of being an “American stooge”.

He was one of a group of 30 who interrupted a rally by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Stop the War coalition outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House.

His fellow protesters chanted “arm, arm, arm Ukraine, put an end to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s reign” and “self-defence is no offence”.

Mr Tatchell told the PA news agency: “We’re here to protest Stop the War over its opposition to Ukraine. Their stance would leave Ukraine defenceless and result in Russia occupying and annexing all of Ukraine.

“Russia is a fascist, imperialist state, and all progressive people should oppose the Putin regime and Russia’s war of aggression.

“We should arm Ukraine in the same way that we armed anti-Nazi resistance during the Second World War. This is a war between Ukrainian democracy and Russian fascism.”

His group held a banner reading “Victory to Ukraine, arm Ukraine to defeat Russian imperialism”.

Ukraine war in numbers: Shocking figures that define year of brutal conflict

Saturday 25 February 2023 15:15 , Eleanor Noyce

It is exactly a year to the day since Russian fighter jets first struck Kyiv and a huge battery of Moscow’s tanks rolled across the border of Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin began his shock assault on Russia’s sovereign neighbour.

Twelve months on, and it has long been clear that the lightning strike expected by Mr Putin to see his troops seize Kyiv in just 10 days has instead turned into a grinding war of attrition – on a scale not seen in Europe for decades.

With the conflict – currently centred in the Donbas region – showing no signs of slowing as both sides plan renewed counteroffensives, The Independent has taken a look at some key numbers illustrating the brutal impact of Russia’s invasion.

Read more:

Ukraine war in numbers: Shocking figures that define year of brutal conflict

Russia's ambassador to United Nations interrupts minute's silence for Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 14:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations has interrupted a minute’s silence held for Ukraine.

Watch:

American actor and model Milla Jovovich joins with Ukrainian designer for charity auction on war anniversary

Saturday 25 February 2023 14:15 , Eleanor Noyce

American actor and model Milla Jovovich has collaborated with a Ukrainian designer on a charity auction following the first anniversary of the war.

Watch:

Vladimir Putin: What is driving Russian leader’s relentless assault on Ukraine?

Saturday 25 February 2023 13:45 , Eleanor Noyce

In the year since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin. has been the figurehead of what he initially termed a “special military operation”. Russia’s president might have prepared the political ground with a show of collective responsibility – few will forget how he solicited the support of key ministers live on TV just hours before ordering the invasion – but he has fronted the invasion ever since, often alone, and it is he who will answer to history.

From the start, Russia’s military action tended to be seen as an old-fashioned war launched by an old-fashioned autocrat. As such, it was as surprising as it was shocking to all those who believed such wars to be over, at least in Europe. The scenes that have dominated our television screens ever since have been tragically reminiscent of black-and-white newsreel showing battles for the very same cities during the Second World War.

But the supposedly old-fashioned autocrat who gave the orders for this war is a more complicated figure than many think.

He sold the invasion as a collective decision with his military chiefs, but it is the president alone who will have to answer to history, writes Mary Dejevsky:

What is driving Putin’s relentless war on Ukraine?

It will take decades to identify Ukraine war victims, authorities predict

Saturday 25 February 2023 13:15 , Eleanor Noyce

It could take decades to identify Ukraine’s war dead, a leading forensics body has predicted.

As the war reached its one-year anniversary, The Independent revealed that at least 100,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in Russia’s brutal assault – more than 10 times the current official death toll, according to the country’s leading war crimes prosecutor.

Forensic anthropologist Photis Andronicou of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) said identifying victims in the horrific war could take decades without significant help from the Ukrainian authorities and the international community.

“From other contexts that I have worked on – and experience – I would say this process in Ukraine will take years, many years,” Mr Andronicou told The Independent.

“As an example, the situation and events in Cyprus happened in the 60s and 70s ... it is now almost 2023 and the identification rate there is close to 50 to 60 per cent.

“Half the people have not been identified… 48 years later.”

My colleague Thomas Kingsley reports:

It will take decades to identify Ukraine war victims, authorities predict

How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spread global economic turmoil

Saturday 25 February 2023 12:45 , Eleanor Noyce

To understand the pervasive and deeply damaging impact of the war in Ukraine it is only necessary to glance at headlines here in Britain, far away from the shelling. Tomato rationing at your local Tesco, for example. The reasons for shortage are many and complex but one that’s agreed on is that supplies from growers in Britain and the Netherlands are lower than usual because farmers can’t afford to run energy-intensive greenhouses; in turn, that’s because of sanctions on Russian oil exports imposed by the West and a deliberate policy by the Kremlin of restricting energy supplies to Europe.

Much the same goes for the loss of 300 jobs at the British steelworks in Scunthorpe, with possibly many thousands to follow. Steel takes a lot of energy to make, and the Chinese firm that owns the company says parts of the plant are no longer economical because of the high cost of energy.

Or take the food bank in Flintshire that has reported a doubling of demand over the past year caused by the cost of living crisis and high inflation. The war in Ukraine is again to blame – at least in part.

Financial struggles between Moscow and the West will be just as drawn-out as the battles in Ukraine, argues Sean O’Grady:

How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spread global economic turmoil

Senior Zelensky adviser accuses Beijing of “betting on the aggressor”, rejecting China’s plans for peace

Saturday 25 February 2023 12:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Dismissing China’s plan to involve itself in peace talks, an adviser to Zelensky has accused Beijing of “betting on the aggressor.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected China’s “unrealistic” proposal which it hopes will end the conflict.

“If you claim to be a global player, you don’t offer an unrealistic plan”, Mr Podolyak tweeted.

“You don’t bet on an aggressor who broke intl law and will lose the war. It’s not far-sighted.”

Ukraine war could end now if more weapons were sent, experts suggest

Saturday 25 February 2023 12:15 , Eleanor Noyce

To mark a year since Ukraine was invaded by Russia The Independent brought together a panel of experts on the eve of the anniversary to discuss what has happened since and what is likely to happen next.

News editor Steph Cockroft hosted the virtal event and was joined by Russia expert and columnist for The Independent Mary Dejevsky, The Independent’s international correspondent Bel Trew, live from Ukraine, and Tim White, a journalist who has been reporting from the war torn country for much of the past 12 months and updating his thousands of followers on Twitter regularly from the ground.

The war has had a multitude of repercussions, not only across the rest of Europe but across the world, and of course has left the nation at the heart of it in utter devastation.

Our panel looked back at some of the key moments from the past year.

Ms Dejevsky spoke about what provoked the Russians into invading in the first place.

Read the full story here:

Ukraine war could end now if more weapons were sent, experts suggest

Russian delegates defiant at hostile OSCE assembly meeting

Saturday 25 February 2023 11:45 , Eleanor Noyce

A contentious Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe parliamentary meeting ended Friday with condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — as Russian delegates accused the West of preventing dialogue by arming Kyiv.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the 57-nation OSCE brought together lawmakers from member countries — including Russia — to discuss security and human rights issues at its annual winter gathering, which coincided with the anniversary of the invasion.

Ukraine and Lithuania boycotted the meeting in Vienna due to the presence of six Russian delegates, who were given visas by Austria despite being under European Union and United States sanctions.

“We think it is immoral to sit in the same hall with war criminals who openly support the genocide of Ukraine,” Yevheniia Kravchuk, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, told The Associated Press in Vienna.

Kravchuk said Russia had “violated every single letter” of the OSCE’s founding document and should be suspended from the organization.

Read more:

Russian delegates defiant at hostile OSCE assembly meeting

Female scientists concerned about Ukraine ‘brain drain’ after millions flee war

Saturday 25 February 2023 11:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Two Ukrainian scientists have described the importance of being a role model for girls interested in a career in their field and expressed concern over their country’s “brain drain” as young people flee the war.

Olena Pareniuk studies bacteria in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone while Kateryna Shavanova is a biologist who works on the efficiency of agriculture.

They both recently featured in the second season of the online docuseries Women in Science, which aims to make Ukrainian female scientists visible to society and inspire young women to build careers in Stem.

Dr Pareniuk, 35, and Dr Shavanova, 39, spoke to the PA news agency about how a year of the full-scale war — including the capture of Chernobyl — has impacted their work and why it is more crucial than ever that Ukrainian women are encouraged to pursue science professionally.

Lily Ford has the full story:

Female scientists concerned about Ukraine ‘brain drain’ after millions flee war

Women of Ukraine: Where are they one year into Russia’s invasion?

Saturday 25 February 2023 10:45 , Eleanor Noyce

In the first few weeks of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, Independent TV reached out to a group of women who were trying to figure out how to survive the conflict.

Victoria Bredikhina, Valeria Khrystoforova and Anna Labunet all shed light on their experiences over the past year — from being torn away from their families to being left to survive without electricity and water.

“We have no plans, no certainty in the future.

“Every one of us has one dream and one wish, that Ukraine wins as soon as possible,” Miss Labunet added.

Watch:

Women of Ukraine: Where are they one year into Russia’s invasion?

The weapons the world is sending to Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 10:25 , Eleanor Noyce

On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Nato members have pledged further support to Ukraine’s defence effort.

Ben Wallace has said more tanks could be sent from Britain to aid Kyiv forces, with the defence secretary expressing concern that the Kremlin’s “meat grinder” army could still be battling in another year.

He said on Thursday that he was “open” to sending more British tanks and suggested Ukraine was likely to receive fighter jets from Nato member countries.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on western allies for help in defending its borders against Russian insurgencies.

And while his request for fighter jets has not been honoured, here is what has been promised to help Ukraine’s effort so far:

The weapons the world is sending to Ukraine

Zelensky wants to meet Xi Jinping after Beijing’s peace plan

Saturday 25 February 2023 10:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping to discuss his peace proposal for ending the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Mr Zelensky said that he plans to meet China’s president to discuss Beijing’s peace proposals.

“I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia,” he said.

China has offered a 12-point peace proposal to end the fighting in Ukraine one year into Russia’s war.

In the proposal, China has called for a ceasefire and peace talks, and an end to Western sanctions against Russia. It says “relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions” and “do their share in de-escalating the Ukraine crisis”.

Peony Hirwani reports:

Zelensky wants to meet Xi Jinping after Beijing’s peace plan

How to donate to Ukraine as 18 million estimated to be affected by war

Saturday 25 February 2023 10:06 , Eleanor Noyce

It has been one year since Russia declared war on Ukraine.

Ever since the conflict, many people from around the world have donated millions of pounds to help families, individuals, and organisations impacted by the conflict.

One year later, Ukraine continues to recover from the damages caused by the war so far.

In order to offer financial support, however big or small, here are some of the ways one can donate to appeals benefiting Ukraine right now…

How to donate to Ukraine one year on

Forgotten and abandoned: the Black, international students caught up in Ukraine conflict

Saturday 25 February 2023 09:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Thousands of African students who fled Ukraine have been “frozen out” of receiving aid for those driven out by Russian attacks, The Independent has been told.

Before the conflict, around 76,000 international students, mostly from Nigeria and Morocco, Ghana, Zimbabwe and India, were based there.

But after grappling with racism at Ukraine’s borders while trying to flee, a large number of students are displaced in countries, including Turkey, Italy, Kenya, Romania and Belgium, unsure of their next move.

Many are unable to complete their studies, battling with the mental and emotional distress of having escaped Putin’s onslaught, some are facing poverty, while others have even taken their own lives, The Independent has learned.

But while Ukrainian citizens are able to receive aid from the international community, their African counterparts have been left to fend for themselves or rely on grassroots organisations for support.

My colleague Nadine White reports:

‘Forgotten’: the Black, international students caught up in Ukraine conflict

Pence urges Ukraine support as GOP hopefuls split on US aid

Saturday 25 February 2023 09:17 , Eleanor Noyce

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday the U.S. should step up support for Ukraine, marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion with calls for more and faster military aid that put him out of step with some of his likely 2024 presidential rivals.

“Make no mistake: This is not America’s war. But if we falter in our commitment to providing the support to the people of Ukraine to defend their freedom, our sons and daughters may soon be called upon to defend ours,” Pence told an audience at The University of Texas at Austin. “If we surrender to the siren song of those in this country who argue that America has no interest in freedom’s cause, history teaches we may soon send our own into harm’s way to defend our freedom and the freedom of nations in our alliance.”

Pence, who is widely expected to launch a bid for the White House in the coming months, also threw a dig at some in the GOP who have sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war that has upended the lives of millions.

“While some in my party have taken a somewhat different view, let me be clear: There can be no room in the leadership of the Republican Party for apologists for Putin. There can only be room for champions of freedom,” Pence said.

Read more:

Pence urges Ukraine support as GOP hopefuls split on US aid

“Not rational” for China to be involved with Ukraine peace talks, says Biden

Saturday 25 February 2023 09:05 , Eleanor Noyce

US president Joe Biden has remarked that it is “not rational” for China to be involved in any negotiations on Ukraine.

When questioned on Beijing’s peace plan for the conflict, he told ABC News: “Putin’s applauding it, so how could it be any good?”

“The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that’s a totally unjust war for Ukraine, is just not rational.”

War in Ukraine has had “huge impact” on food supply, says National Farmers’ Union

Saturday 25 February 2023 08:45 , Eleanor Noyce

National Farmers’ Union deputy president Tom Bradshaw said “we need to take command of the food we can produce for ourselves” due to “volatility that’s happening around the world”.

He told Times Radio: “As we reposition ourselves in the world, we’ve left a trading bloc in the EU where we had very good trading relationships, we’ve had to go further afield.

“We see geopolitics, and the war in Ukraine being a tragic example, having huge impacts and I don’t think that unrest is likely to go away in the near future; we seem to live in a very volatile world.

“We’ve then got climate change, compounding all of those issues. What we saw last summer with 40C heat is climate change in action.

“And we have 70 million people living on an island and we have to take responsibility for how we’re going to feed those 70 million people.

“Imports will always be part of that but with all of that volatility that’s happening around the world, we need to take command of the food we can produce for ourselves here and make sure that everybody in that supply chain is getting a fair return so that we can continue to provide the food that everybody needs.”

Londoners march to Russian embassy to mark anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 08:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Crowds marched to the Russian embassy in London in a show of defiance against the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Thousands gathered at the embassy on 24 February to mark the one-year anniversary of the war.

This footage shows the scene in London as the crowd demonstrated with Ukrainian flags and signs with anti-war messages.

A vigil was held the night before at Trafalgar Square, where Dame Helen Mirren was among those to speak out against the conflict.

Watch:

Londoners march to Russian embassy to mark anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

India and China abstain from UN vote to demand Russian withdrawal on Ukraine war anniversary

Saturday 25 February 2023 08:00 , Eleanor Noyce

India and China were among the major global powers that abstained from a UN General Assembly vote calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion.

The UN motion in New York was adopted after 141 UN member nations voted in its favour, while 32 abstained and seven voted against it on Thursday.

The non-binding motion underscored the “need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

India, walking a tightrope between Washington and Moscow, said it is “constrained to abstain” from the vote and pledged to “always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out”.

The two nuclear-armed south Asian neighbours are engaged in a bitter border dispute since 2020 and have independently found common ground on Russia as both countries enjoy a long-standing relationship with Moscow.

Read more:

India and China abstain from ‘historic’ UN vote condemning Russia for war in Ukraine

German leader Scholz arrives in India to boost economic ties

Saturday 25 February 2023 07:30 , Eleanor Noyce

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the Indian capital on Saturday where he is expected to discuss with the Indian prime minister Russia‘s war in Ukraine and ways to boost bilateral economic cooperation, officials said.

“We will discuss intensely all topics relevant for the development of our countries but also the peace in the world, which is important,’’ Scholz told reporters after he was received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the president’s palace.

The trip is Scholz’s first official visit to India, though it is his fourth meeting with Modi since taking office in 2021.

The German chancellor is expected to seek India’s support for the tough stance taken by Europe and the United States toward Russia over the war in Ukraine.

After a videoconference with fellow leaders from the Group of Seven industrial powers on Friday, Scholz said before leaving Berlin for India that “internationally, we are endeavoring to make clear that Russia stands alone in the world with its aggression against Ukraine.”

Ashok Sharma has the full story:

German leader Scholz arrives in India to boost economic ties

‘Even if war stops, you cannot retrieve your dead children’

Saturday 25 February 2023 07:23 , Eleanor Noyce

A portable cabin barely bigger than the bunk bed in it is all that Maria Vasilenko, 78, has left, a year after Russian soldiers marched into her town and destroyed her life.

Most of her family were blown up in a Russian airstrike in March which levelled her home in Borodyanka.

Before the war, the sleepy river-side town of 13,000 people had been an anonymous suburb west of Kyiv. But after Russian forces rolled into Ukraine, it became a frontline area and then was occupied for several weeks.

On 1 March – just a few days into President Vladimir Putin’s invasion – Maria had taken shelter in the building’s basement. Her daughter Alona, 41, a medic, remained above ground with her husband and other family members to tend to the wounded. The decision turned out to be a fatal mistake.

Bel Trew reports:

‘Even if war stops, you cannot retrieve your dead children’

Latvian minister lashes out at Russian delegates at a security meeting

Saturday 25 February 2023 07:01 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A Latvian minister, Rihards Kols called Russia’s inclusion at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting a “disgrace”.

His remarks were met with applause from other delegates.

At the meeting held in Vienna by OSCE, the Latvian delegate proposed that the Russian delegates should be barred from speaking.

“We [say] right now that we stand up to our principles and values and statutes. We don’t. There’s an elephant in the room called Russian Federation delegation. I mean, if I were a witness and someone asked me who is a war criminal, well I would point to the back benches in this room.”

He continued: “It’s just disgrace. It’s a disgrace that this delegation is here, particularly the delegation that consists of members who are sanctioned individuals, who voted to annex independent country’s territories – Donbas, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk.”

Blinken credits India and China for preventing Russia from using nuclear weapons on Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 06:28 , Maroosha Muzaffar

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said that Vladimir Putin might have used nuclear weapons on Ukraine already if not for India and China’s “influence”.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Mr Blinken said India and China had “a little bit more influence with Russia these days” in opposing the use of nuclear weapons.

He said “we know that they [India and Cjina] conveyed those messages. And I think that had some effect. It’s something we always have to look at, but again, the track record to date suggests that the escalation that some feared has, at least to now, not happened.”

He added: “Putin might react more, even more irrationally, and there was language coming out of Moscow that suggested that he would look to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. It was a concern.

“We urged, and I think successfully, other countries that might have a little bit more influence with Russia these days, like China, but also other countries like India, to engage him [Vladimir Putin] directly about their absolute opposition to any use of nuclear weapons. And we know that they conveyed those messages, and I think that had some effect,” he added.

Russian troops carry 27 airstrikes and fire 75 rounds from rocket launchers on first anniversary of invasion

Saturday 25 February 2023 06:10 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Russian troops carried out 27 airstrikes and fired 75 rounds from rocket launchers, targeting communities across Ukraine yesterday, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Ukrainian forces fought 70 Russian attacks on the day of the first-year anniversary, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces was quoted as saying.

According to the General Staff, Russian forces concentrated their efforts near Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtarsk.

Over 80 per cent of homes in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, have reportedly been destroyed, the General Staff added.

Zelensky hails ‘invincible’ Ukraine as world marks one year since Russian invasion

Saturday 25 February 2023 05:55 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory for Ukraine as he and his allies around the world on Friday marked the grim milestone of one year since the Russian invasion.

On a day of commemorations and defiance, Ukraine’s president said his people had proven “invincible” despite “a year of pain”.

And after receiving the first Leopard 2 tanks pledged by allies, he hinted that F-16 fighter jets might finally also be on the way, with other nations following Britain in offering to train Ukrainian pilots.

“If our partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory inevitably awaits us,” he said.

Kim Sengupta has the full story:

Ukraine is ‘invincible’ says Zelensky as world marks one year since Russian invasion

ICYMI: What is China’s peace proposal on how to end Ukraine war?

Saturday 25 February 2023 05:43 , Maroosha Muzaffar

China has offered a 12-point peace proposal to end the fighting in Ukraine one year into Russia‘s war.

The proposal follows China’s recent announcement that it is trying to act as a mediator in the war that has re-energised Western alliances viewed by Beijing and Moscow as rivals. China’s top diplomat indicated that the plan was coming at a security conference this week in Munich, Germany.

With its release, President Xi Jinping’s government is reiterating China’s claim about being neutral, despite blocking efforts at the United Nations to condemn the invasion.

The document echoes Russian complaints that Western governments are to blame for the 24 February 2022 invasion and criticises sanctions on Russia.

Matt Mathers explains:

What is China’s peace proposal on how to end Ukraine war?

G20 leaders ‘fail to reach consensus on Russia-Ukraine war’

Saturday 25 February 2023 05:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar

G20 heads are unable to reach a consensus on describing the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported today.

Quoting sources, the news agency said it is likely that the leaders will end the meeting in India today without a joint communique.

India, the G20 host, is also pressing that the joint communique avoids using the word “war”, officials told Reuters.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said there was no way the group could step back from a joint statement agreed at a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November, which said “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” but also acknowledged some countries saw the conflict differently.

“Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique,” Mr Le Maire told reporters yesterday.

ICYMI: The before and after images that show the true extent of the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 05:23 , Maroosha Muzaffar

These before and after pictures show the devastation on cities that have been shelled and bombed as part of the Russian offensive.

The before and after images that show the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Zelensky wants to meet Xi Jinping following China’s peace plan

Saturday 25 February 2023 04:56 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to meet Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing’s proposed peace plan to end the war.

“I am planning to meet with Xi Jinping,” he told reporters on the occasion of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

He said: “I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia. This will be important for world security.”

China offered a 12-point peace proposal to end the fighting in Ukraine one year into Russia‘s war.

Meanwhile, Russia has hailed China’s peace plan and said “we share Beijing’s views”.

With its release, President Xi Jinping’s government is reiterating China’s claim about being neutral, despite blocking efforts at the United Nations to condemn the invasion.

Biden dismisses China’s peace plan to end war

Saturday 25 February 2023 04:41 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Joe Biden dismissed China’s peace plan yesterday and added that there is “nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia”.

In an interview with ABC News, US President Joe Biden said: “If Putin is applauding it, so how could it be any good? I’m not being facetious. I’m being deadly earnest.”

He continued: “I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia if the Chinese plan were followed.”

“The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that is a totally unjust war for Ukraine is just not rational,” Mr Biden added.

Voices: China wants it to be Xi Jinping’s peace plan for Ukraine – or no peace at all

Saturday 25 February 2023 04:31 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The world is much less familiar with the image of Xi as peace-broker – yet that is the one Beijing is trying to project this week as the war in Ukraine marks its one-year anniversary, Adam Withnall writes:

Opinion: China wants Xi Jinping’s peace plan for Ukraine – or no peace at all

Biden rules out giving Ukraine advanced fighter jets ‘for now'

Saturday 25 February 2023 04:06 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Joe Biden has ruled out giving Ukraine advanced fighter jets “for now”.

In an interview with ABC News, the US president was asked whether Volodymyr Zelensky needs F-16 fighter jets. Mr Biden responded by saying, “he doesn’t need F-16s now.”

He added that there is “no basis upon which there is a rationale, according to our military now, to provide F-16s”.

“Look, we’re sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now,” Mr Biden said. “He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defence, including another HIMAR(s).”

He added that the US is sending Kyiv what is necessary for Ukraine “to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall”.

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly asked Western allies to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

US says Iran ‘expanding’ support for Russia’s war on Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 03:51 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Iran’s backing of Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine is expanding to include “unprecedented defence cooperation” that will see the Islamic Republic purchase advanced weaponry from Moscow in exchange for providing Russian forces with equipment meant for use on Ukrainian territory, the White House has said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Friday said the “unprecedented” cooperation Moscow is offering includes the provision of “missiles, electronics and air defence” equipment to Tehran, which in turn has been providing Russian forces with Iranian-made kamikaze drones, as well as artillery and tank rounds compatible with Russian-made weapons systems.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

US says Iran ‘expanding’ support for Russia’s war on Ukraine

G7 vows to impose new 'coordinated economic actions’ against Russia

Saturday 25 February 2023 03:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The leaders of the Group of Seven economies pledged yesterday to levy further sanctions on Russia, according to a joint statement.

The online summit on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour was presided over by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The joint statement said: “We condemn Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war. We commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine” and to “increasing the costs to Russia”.

“Russia started this war and Russia can end this war. We call on Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine,” the G7 said.

The statement added that the G7 will impose “new coordinated economic actions” against Russia “in the days and weeks ahead”.

The before and after images that show the true extent of the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 03:37 , Maroosha Muzaffar

These before and after pictures show the devastation in cities that have been shelled and bombed as part of the Russian offensive:

The before and after images that show the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Zelensky hails ‘invincible’ Ukraine as world marks one year since Russian invasion

Saturday 25 February 2023 03:29 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory for Ukraine as he and his allies around the world on Friday marked the grim milestone of one year since the Russian invasion.

On a day of commemorations and defiance, Ukraine’s president said his people had proven “invincible” despite “a year of pain”.

And after receiving the first Leopard 2 tanks pledged by allies, he hinted that F-16 fighter jets might finally also be on the way, with other nations following Britain in offering to train Ukrainian pilots.

“If our partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory inevitably awaits us,” he said.

Kim Sengupta reports:

Ukraine is ‘invincible’ says Zelensky as world marks one year since Russian invasion

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the war in Ukraine

Saturday 25 February 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian president’s grasp is loosening both on the battlefield and at home, writes Mark Galeoti. But is it really the end of the road?

It is impossible yet to know for sure when and how the war in Ukraine will end, but it is clear that Vladimir Putin will not achieve either his original grandiose goal of installing a puppet regime in Kyiv, nor his fallback of conquering all the regions of south-eastern Ukraine.

Even retaining the territories he was occupying before the February 2022 invasion looks like a difficult, if not wholly impossible task.

Although his myth is irretrievably tarnished and his system of control is in decay, Mr Putin could conceivably survive defeat, and the trajectory of a post-Putin Russia is equally uncertain. Three main variables will be crucial: the fate of Crimea (which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014), the speed of that victory, and Western policies.

How Putin can cling on… even if Russia loses the Ukraine war

The forgotten Black students caught up in Ukraine conflict

Friday 24 February 2023 22:30 , Martha Mchardy

Thousands of African students who fled Ukraine have been “frozen out” of receiving aid for those driven out by Russian attacks, The Independent has been told.

Before the conflict, around 76,000 international students, mostly from Nigeria and Morocco, Ghana, Zimbabwe and India, were based there.

But after grappling with racism at Ukraine’s borders while trying to flee, a large number of students are displaced in countries, including Turkey, Italy, Kenya, Romania and Belgium, unsure of their next move.

Many are unable to complete their studies, battling with the mental and emotional distress of having escaped Putin’s onslaught, some are facing poverty, while others have even taken their own lives, The Independent has learned.

Nadine White reports:

‘Forgotten’: the Black, international students caught up in Ukraine conflict

Russia, Ukraine face off at UN with rival tributes to dead

Friday 24 February 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia and Ukraine faced off at the U.N. Security Council on Friday on the first anniversary of their war, with their confrontation even extending to dueling moments of silence for the dead.

The showdown began before the session formally began, with Russia’s ambassador demanding to know why Ukraine sat at the top of the speakers list. Most dramatically, in the middle of the meeting, the two countries even tussled over tributes to the victims of the war.

Edith M. Lederer reports:

Russia, Ukraine face off at UN with rival tributes to dead

Zelensky hails ‘invincible’ Ukraine as world marks one year since Russian invasion

Friday 24 February 2023 21:31 , Martha Mchardy

Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory for Ukraine on Friday as he and allies around the world marked the grim milestone of one year since the Russian invasion.

On a day of commemorations and defiance, Ukraine’s president said his people had proven “invincible” despite “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.”

And after receiving the first Leopard 2 tanks pledged by allies, he hinted that F-16 fighter jets might finally also be on the way, with other nations following Britain in offering to train Ukrainian pilots.

Kim Sengupta reports:

Ukraine is ‘invincible’ says Zelensky as world marks one year since Russian invasion

Teenage pianist who fled Ukraine performs in Liverpool to mark anniversary of conflict

Friday 24 February 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

A teenage pianist who fled Ukraine at the beginning of the invasion has performed in Liverpool to mark the anniversary of the war.

This footage shows 13-year-old Alisa Bushuieva playing a piano inside Liverpool ONE shopping centre.

She left Kharkiv last February, along with her mother, after the city was bombed by Putin’s troops.

The musician has also lifted the spirits of those in refugee camps in Ukraine and Poland by performing songs for them.

What fighter jets has Zelensky asked for and what might he get?

Friday 24 February 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

The warplanes the Ukrainians are most likely to get are American F-16s. This would make sense in terms of operational support and maintenance, and they are the type of plane the Ukrainians need, just as German Leopard 2s are the logical tanks for their army.

Kim Sengupta explains:

What fighter jets has Volodymyr Zelensky asked for and what might he get?

I’ve spent 20 years covering conflict, but nothing prepared me for Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy

I’ve spent 20 years covering conflict, from Iraq to Syria – but nothing prepared me for the horrors of Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta.

Read more here:

I’ve spent 20 years covering war – but nothing prepared me for Ukraine | Kim Sengupta

PM and G7 leaders pledge ‘unwavering’ support as Ukraine invasion marked

Friday 24 February 2023 20:21 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak and other world leaders have pledged to stand with Ukraine for as long as needed, after a year of war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced.

Earlier, the Prime Minister led the UK in a minute’s silence to mark the one-year anniversary of the war, as the world reflected on the conflict initiated by Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion last February.

A call on Friday afternoon saw Mr Sunak join fellow leaders, including US President Joe Biden, to discuss the war effort and how best to support Ukraine going forward.

In a joint statement, G7 leaders committed to intensifying “diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine” as well as “increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort”.

They also pledged that “solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law”.

According to a Downing Street readout, Mr Sunak urged allies to “support Ukraine with long-term military and security assurances to send a strong message to President Putin that the global support was enduring”.

Outside No 10 on Friday morning, the Prime Minister had been joined by his wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv’s ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK for the national pause on Friday morning.

The King also issued a message praising the “remarkable courage and resilience” of the Ukrainian people.

Leading UK political figures mark anniversary of Ukraine invasion

Friday 24 February 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK political leaders have marked a year of Ukraine’s extraordinary resistance to Russia’s all-out assault, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced.

On Friday, Rishi Sunak was joined outside 10 Downing Street by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, and dozens of Ukrainian troops, for a minute’s silence.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also observed the pause from Cardiff, while Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, lit candles at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, alongside former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Oliver Browning reports:

Leading UK political figures mark anniversary of Ukraine invasion

Canada to send more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 19:58 , Martha Mchardy

Canada is imposing fresh Russia-related sanctions and sending four more Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday.

The new sanctions would target 129 individuals and 63 entities including Russian deputy prime ministers and other officials, Trudeau told reporters in Toronto.

The US will continue to provide humanitarian relief to people fleeing Russia-Ukraine war, says Secretary of Homeland Security

Friday 24 February 2023 19:48 , Martha Mchardy

The US will continue to provide humanitarian relief to people fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war, the US Secretary of Homeland Security has said.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said: “The Department of Homeland Security remains committed to supporting the Ukrainian people and to honoring the United States’ commitment to provide humanitarian relief to those who are fleeing Russia’s unprovoked war.

“From deterring cyberattacks to welcoming more than 270,000 Ukrainians to the United States, including more than 115,000 who have arrived through our Uniting for Ukraine program, DHS is proud to support Ukraine and its people. We will continue to do so in close collaboration with our international partners.”

UK army camp holds service to mark anniversary of war in Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 19:15 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian troops on Friday took part in a service at an army camp in the southeast of England to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Padre John Power of the Royal Lancers led the sunrise service in the morning, which included “Reveille” sounded by a bugler and a rousing rendition of Ukraine’s national anthem.

The event finished with the Lord’s Prayer in English and Ukrainian and a chant of “Slava Ukraini” - meaning “glory to Ukraine”.

Ukraine war could end now if more weapons were sent, experts suggest

Friday 24 February 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

To mark a year since Ukraine was invaded by Russia The Independent brought together a panel of experts on the eve of the anniversary to discuss what has happened since and what is likley to happen next.

News editor Steph Cockroft hosted the virtal event and was joined by Russia expert and columnist for The Independent Mary Dejevsky, The Independent’s international correspondent Bel Trew, live from Ukraine, and Tim White a journalist who has been reporting from the war torn country for much of the past 12 months and updating his thousands of followers on Twitter regularly from the ground.

Find out more here:

Ukraine war could end now if more weapons were sent, experts suggest

Zelensky marks anniversary of invasion by presenting medals to Ukrainian fighters

Friday 24 February 2023 18:59 , Martha Mchardy

Volodymyr Zelensky marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion by awarding state medals to the fighters who are taking part in the war.

The president of Ukraine handed medals to a number of people, including one solider walking on crutches.

“We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment,” Mr Zelensky said, as he made a televised address early on Friday.

He also vowed to push for victory in 2023 for his country.

“We had not been defeated. And we will do everything to win this year,” he said.

EU war anniversary sanctions against Russia stalled

Friday 24 February 2023 18:49 , Martha Mchardy

European Union countries were unable for a third day running on Friday to agree on new sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine a year ago, with Poland rejecting Italy’s demand for laxer new curbs on rubber imports, diplomats said.

Poland said the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russia rubber included such a big quota of imports exempted and such long transition periods that they would have no effect in practice.

Other EU countries were baffled that Warsaw - a leading Russia hawk in the bloc - was risking having no new sanctions announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s attack against Ukraine over just one element of a broader package.

“This is very bad optics. What was supposed to be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day,” said one diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries in the bloc’s hub Brussels.

All 27 member states need to approve sanctions for them to be enacted.

The EU has said what would be its 10th round of sanctions against Russia since the war started was designed to make financing the war more difficult and starve Russia of tech equipment and spare parts for arms used against Ukraine.

It would blacklist more individuals including what the West says are Russian propagandists, those Kyiv holds responsible for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia and those involved in the production of Iranian drones deployed on the frontline.

It would cut more banks including the private Alfa-Bank and the online bank Tinkoff off from the global system SWIFT and cut trade between the EU and Russia by more than 10 billion euros, according to the bloc’s executive.

The before and after images that show the true extent of the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 18:40 , Martha Mchardy

Before and after images show the true extent of the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

William Mata reports:

The before and after images that show the devastation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russian MP who hung noodles on ears during Putin’s speech faces punishment

Friday 24 February 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

A Russian MP who hung noodles from his ears during President Putin’s State of the Nation speech is to face punishment, the party has confirmed.

Russia’s Communist Party has pledged to punish Mikhail Abdalkin, deputy of the Samara Duma, for seemingly mocking Mr Putin during his address on Tuesday.

The idiom “to hang noodles on someone’s ears” dictates that someone is lying, with the phrase “don’t hang noodles on my ears!” meaning “don’t fool me” or “don’t lie to me.”

Eleanor Noyce reports:

Russian MP who hung noodles on ears during Putin’s speech faces punishment

U.S. targets Russia with sanctions on anniversary of invasion

Friday 24 February 2023 18:12 , Martha Mchardy

The United States marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday with $2 billion in weaponry for Kyiv and new sanctions against Russia aimed at undermining Moscow’s ability to wage war.

U.S. president Joe Biden’s administration unveiled the sanctions as the Group of 7 bloc of wealthy nations and Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskiy met for over an hour to discuss more aid.

Among the steps were placing visa restrictions on Russian military members, freezing assets of allies of President Vladimir Putin, effectively banning aluminum imports from Russia, curbing Russian banking and arms-making activity and putting the country’s second largest mobile phone company Megafon on a trade blacklist.

Additional measures could be imposed at a later date, U.S. officials said.

The administration also sent a message to China and other countries that they should not try to help Russia evade sanctions.

“We will sanction additional actors tied to Russia’s defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion,” the White House said.

The United States suspects Iran, itself under U.S. sanctions, may provide Russia with fighter jets, John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, told reporters. He did not provide evidence.

“We’ve been very clear from the outset with China and with other countries that providing material support to Russia in evasion of sanctions would provoke very serious consequences,” U.S. treasury secretary Janet Yellen said on MSNBC.

The aid to Ukraine fell short of providing the F-16 fighter jets that Kyiv has requested and some U.S. officials are raising doubts about the ability of such measures to slow the increasing hostilities on the battlefield ahead of an anticipated springtime offensive.

There was no immediate response from Moscow, which called its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” and has imposed its own sanctions on some Western nations while accusing Washington and others of leading a global campaign to destroy Russia.

US says Iran ‘expanding’ support for Russia’s war on Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 18:02 , Martha Mchardy

Iran’s backing of Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine is expanding to include “unprecedented defence cooperation” that will see the Islamic Republic purchase advanced weaponry from Moscow in exchange for providing Russian forces with equipment meant for use on Ukrainian territory, the White House has said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Friday said the “unprecedented” cooperation Moscow is offering includes provision of “missiles, electronics and air defence” equipment to Tehran, which in turn has been providing Russian forces with Iranian-made kamikaze drones, as well as artillery and tank rounds compatible with Russian-made weapons systems.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

US says Iran ‘expanding’ support for Russia’s war on Ukraine

Zelensky on Russia

Friday 24 February 2023 17:51 , Chris Stevenson

Asked at a press conference what are the chances of him negotiating with Putin to try and bring an end to the war, President Zelensky said he had something to say to Moscow: “Respect our right to live on our land, get out of our territory, stop bombing us, stop killing civilians... stop the bombardments.”

US Secretary of Defense reiterates ‘unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine'

Friday 24 February 2023 17:37 , Martha Mchardy

The US has reiterated its “unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine”, the Pentagon has said.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder said: “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov today to reiterate the unwavering U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine.

“As Russia’s unprovoked and indefensible full-scale invasion reaches the one-year mark, Secretary Austin praised Ukraine’s courage and sacrifice that has inspired and rallied the international community to support its efforts to push back against Russian aggression.

“During the call, Secretary Austin also provided an update on U.S. security assistance efforts, including the $2 billion security assistance package announced today. Minister Reznikov provided an update of developments on the ground in Ukraine.

“The two leaders pledged to remain in close contact.”

Zelensky delivers message to Putin on first anniversary of Russian invasion

Friday 24 February 2023 17:27 , Martha Mchardy

President Zelensky has delivered a message to Putin on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president marked the anniversary by hailing his nation for fighting back against Russian troops during “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity”.

In a video address, Zelensky said: “We have endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year.

“Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world... We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment.”

It comes as former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev today vowed that Russia would win the war.

Zelensky gives strong response when asked what it would take for him to negotiate with Russia

Friday 24 February 2023 16:40 , William Mata

Live: Ukrainians march in Athens to mark one year of Russia's invasion

Friday 24 February 2023 16:39 , William Mata

Flash quotes: Zelensky and Scholz

Friday 24 February 2023 16:38 , William Mata

- Asked about comment attributed to US General Milley that Ukraine won't be able to drive Russia out of entire occupied territory, Zelensky said he didn't hear this at meeting with Milley. - German chancellor Scholz, meanwhile, has said he will make a view on the Ukraine war once again clear to India's premier Modi during his visit.

Russia welcomes China peace plan, says it is open to talks

Friday 24 February 2023 16:30 , William Mata

Russia said on Friday that it appreciated China's plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and said it was open to achieving the goals of what it calls its "special military operation" through political and diplomatic means.

"We appreciate the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to resolving the conflict in Ukraine by peaceful means," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding however that this would also mean recognising "new territorital realities" in Ukraine.

China called for a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday as part of a 12-point plan for dealing with the war. Kyiv has rejected the proposal unless it involves Russia withdrawing its troops to its 1991 borders - when the Soviet Union was dissolved - but has also said it is open to parts of the plan.

Update: Support for China proposals

Friday 24 February 2023 16:29 , William Mata

The president of Ukraine has given qualified support for China's new pronouncements about the war in his country, saying Beijing's interest is "not bad".

"China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad," President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

"But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to."

China called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released on Friday that analysts said was unlikely to deliver results.

Mr Zelensky said there were points in the Chinese proposals that he agreed with "and there are those that we don't".

"But it's something," he added

Dozens detained by Russian police on Ukraine war anniversary - rights centre

Friday 24 February 2023 16:19 , William Mata

Dozens of people were detained by police in Russia on Friday for actions to commemorate the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, in some cases just for placing flowers, a human rights group said on Friday.

Russian authorities have remained largely silent during the anniversary, which Ukraine has observed with a ceremony to remember soldiers and civilians who have been killed.

In Moscow, at least three people laying flowers on a monument to prominent Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka were quickly detained by police officers, rights centre OVD-Info said.

Ukraine is open to parts of China ceasefire proposal - Zelensky

Friday 24 February 2023 16:17 , William Mata

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he was open to considering parts of China's 12-point ceasefire plan to end Russia's war on his country.

He made the comments during a news conference marking the one-year anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Blinken to UN Security Council: Don't be fooled by calls for unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine

Friday 24 February 2023 15:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UN Security Council should not be fooled by calls for a temporary or unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and should not fall into the false equivalency of calling on both sides to stop fighting, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the council on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Friday.

Russia will use any pause in fighting to consolidate control of territory and replenish its forces, Blinken said after China called for a ceasefire as part of a position paper on the war.

“No member of this council should call for peace while supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the UN Charter,” Blinken said.

France, Germany and Poland to continue supporting Ukraine-statement

Friday 24 February 2023 15:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

France, Germany and Poland reaffirm their commitment to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine‘s pressing military and defence equipment needs, the countries’ leaders said in a joint statement published on Friday.

“France, Poland and Germany are fully supporting Ukraine in exercising its right to defend itself against Russia‘s invasion, including by providing military and defence assistance, and will do so for as long as it takes,” the German chancellor, French president and Polish president said.

If all Ukraine’s partners do their homework, victory is inevitable- Zelensky

Friday 24 February 2023 15:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference on Friday that victory over Russia was “inevitable” if all Ukraine‘s partners did their “homework”.

He made the comments on the first anniversary of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

US secretary of state says spirit of Ukrainians is ‘unbroken'

Friday 24 February 2023 15:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has said the spirit of the Ukrainians is “unbroken” despite a catastrophic 12 months of war.

German foreign minister: China could have persuaded Russia of U.N. resolution

Friday 24 February 2023 15:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

China could have used its influence as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to persuade Russia to adhere to a U.N. resolution on peace for Ukraine backed by 141 countries, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday.

China’s 12-point paper contains many familiar positions, said Baerbock, adding that it was important that China warn against nuclear escalation.

However, “those who speak of peace must not mean submission,” she added.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website