Vladimir Putin Russia Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that thousands of Russian troops are massing · Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer met in Moscow with Russian ...

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Russia is believed to be trying to connect occupied Crimea and Moscow-backed separatist territories Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbas and has laid siege to ...

The Russia-Ukraine war pushes up the price of natural gas, a key ingredient in fertilizer, and has led to severe sanctions against Russia, a major exporter ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, for talks Tuesday about Ukraine and ways to “counter” ...

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. The eight-mile convoy is believed to include a command element, a support battalion, helicopter support and other forces, a senior U.S. defense official said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon. According to Reuters, about 30,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in France as of March 27. According to its official website, the chateau — which was built in 1453 — has a chapel, stables, private apartments and a guard room. However, hundreds of pro-democracy activists from Belarus have also joined the fight in Ukraine against Russia — inspired by Ukraine’s battlefield successes and determined to carry that momentum back into Belarus to end Lukashenko’s 28-year rule. Putin presented state awards to pilot-cosmonauts and met with workers. Information on her condition has been scant, in part because Griner’s representatives and officials are trying not to escalate the situation. “This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in,” Engelbert said. Town by town, investigators have been building war crimes cases, documenting evidence they hope to use in prosecutions against Russia’s military and leaders. Britain and Australia — which called the allegation “deeply concerning” — said they were working with partners to verify the details. Putin said Russia “didn’t have a choice” in its decision to invade Ukraine, and he defended its actions as “the right decision,” Reuters reported. Putin flew to Russia’s far-east Amur region for the talks — as his military sends reinforcements and supplies to troops positioned in eastern Ukraine.

Britain and Australia said they were investigating reports that Russia had already used them. Ukraine's military is preparing for a major assault in the ...

The French foreign ministry said in a statement that the agents were “operating under diplomatic cover” to undermine French interests, but did not provide further details. Mr. Zelensky’s comments came after Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the Kremlin-backed, separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Russian television that Russia should bring in “chemical forces” to use in Mariupol, the besieged southern city. When the war began, "I went to work, and he went to the military enlistment office,” she said. These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.” New Zealand’s move is part of a wider change in the foreign policy of many countries as a response to the war. Speaking by phone, Ms. Makoviy said she thought that if the worst had happened, Vira might at least be able to look back at her mother’s Instagram, full of everyday moments from their life before the war, and see that she had been surrounded with love. A spaceport worker was shown telling Mr. Putin that he wanted the “goals and tasks” of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” to be fulfilled. But Ms. Makoviy, a 33-year-old painter who was born and raised in Kyiv, was also aware that the man-made island they lived on along the Dnipro River had no underground shelter, she said. “A collision with these forces was unavoidable for Russia — they were just choosing the time for an attack,” Mr. Putin said. Mr. Putin, visiting a spaceport in the Russian Far East along with President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, his close ally, told workers at the facility in televised remarks that “there is no doubt” that the war will be successful. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that while the reports are being examined, the Kremlin has made it clear that Russian forces were preparing for a “new stage of terror against Ukraine.” Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, which is defending Mariupol, released a video on Tuesday that purported to show people who had been made ill by what the group called “a poisonous substance of unknown origin,” although it said that fighting made a proper forensic investigation impossible.

U.K. intelligence suggests that Russian forces are preparing for what is expected to be a large and more focused push into the east of Ukraine.

The European Parliament on Thursday called for an immediate and total embargo of Russian oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas. Those attempted advances threaten Ukraine's entire southern coastline and its outlet to the sea. Russia's unprovoked onslaught in Ukraine has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis and triggered an outpouring of global condemnation over mounting evidence of war crimes. Japan's involvement has fallen under scrutiny since Russia invaded Ukraine and Western oil companies exited Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed there is no doubt that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which he has described as a "special military operation," will achieve its objectives. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. U.S. officials have been warning for several days that the Russian army will continue to commit what they call "atrocities" as it doubles down on attacks in the eastern regions of Ukraine. "Reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the people of Mariupol. We are working urgently with partners to verify details," Truss tweeted. The line of control in the Donbas is likely to "move west, not east" as Russia regroups and concentrates its forces, he predicted. "There's no doubt that the goals and objectives in operation in Ukraine will be fulfilled," Putin said, according to a translation. U.K. intelligence suggests that Russian forces are preparing for what is expected to be a large and more focused push on expanding control in the east of Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also warned that Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops to "prepare new attacks." Meanwhile, the U.K.'s foreign secretary said late Monday that her government was working "urgently" to verify details of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia's military action in Ukraine was “unavoidable” and pledged that its goals in the conflict will be achieved.

“It’s certainly impossible to isolate anyone in the world of today, especially such a huge country as Russia.” Putin reaffirmed his claim that the Russian “special military operation” was aimed to protect people in areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed rebels, adding that the campaign was also aimed to “ensure Russia’s own security”. President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s military action in Ukraine was “unavoidable” and pledged that its goals in the conflict will be achieved.

Moscow expected to push campaign ahead in Donbas after dismissing rape, chemical weapons allegations. Service members of pro-Russian troops are seen in Mariupol.

Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote on Telegram that reports of a chemical attack in the city had not been confirmed. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she told the UN’s Security Council via video. “It’s not going to be easy,” Kathryne Bomberger, the group’s director-general, told Al Jazeera, explaining that the ICMP team was invited by Ukraine’s government. “If we got jets and enough heavy armoured vehicles, the necessary artillery, we would be able to do it.” Due to the actions of the Russian army, our territory is currently one of the most contaminated by mines in the world.” They consciously did everything to make the return to these areas after de-occupation as dangerous as possible. The disconnection of electrical substations and the decommissioning of the company’s infrastructure was scheduled for Friday evening, April 8, 2022,” the CERT-UA statement said. "@WorldBankis preparing a $1.5B operation for Ukraine to support essential gov services during the war. He was arrested on April 6 and will be held in custody for three months. The new data can be accessed via the ICIJ’s public Offshore Leaks Database. “Our task is to fulfil and achieve all the goals set, minimising losses. Officials say an unknown number has also moved on to other European countries.

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: EU foreign ministers met Monday to discuss a sixth round of sanctions, with concerns that divisions over a ban on Russian gas and ...

Russia has nearly completed its buildup for a renewed assault on Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine's defence ministry said. Answering a question about India's import of Russian oil, Jaishankar said, "If you're looking at (India's)energy purchases from Russia, I'd suggest your attention should be on Europe. We buy some energy necessary for our energy security. Zelenskyy's warning came amid unconfirmed reports suggesting chemical weapons were used in the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol.Read more - Apr 12, 2022 02:21 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 02:43 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 03:16 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 03:49 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 04:05 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 04:26 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 04:58 PM IST - Apr 12, 2022 07:01 PM IST Today, we are able and willing to be partners of choice with India across every realm."

Fighting in eastern Ukraine is expected to intensify as Russian forces look poised to mount a major offensive that threatens to overwhelm Mariupol.

Russia has denied responsibility for the attack and has consistently denied targeting civilians in its assault on Ukraine. Children and families are under attack in the country, he said. Speaking with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that bodies are now "carpeted through the streets" of the besieged city. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of blocking attempted humanitarian convoys and hampering efforts to evacuate residents. An evacuation route will be opened from the besieged port city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, but only for those using private transport. The deputy defense minister said "official information" would be provided later. Ukrainian forces have held out for weeks in the besieged port city, but fears are growing for the civilians trapped without basic supplies as Russian troops appear poised to mount a major new offensive. Putin toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space port in Russia's far east, with Lukashenko during the visit. Many are women and children. "Over the last weeks we have suspended deliveries, stopped new business and are moving our limited R&D activities out of Russia," it said, referring to research and development. Heappey did not elaborate on what the potential options were. NBC News could not verify that claim.

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday peace talks with Ukraine had hit a dead end, using his first public comments on the conflict in more than a week to ...

"It is impossible to severely isolate anyone in the modern world - especially such a vast country as Russia." It's the same kind of fake in Bucha." read more Reuters saw dead bodies in the town of Bucha but could not independently verify who was responsible for the killings. Ukraine says it is fighting for its survival after Putin annexed Crimea in 2014 and on Feb. 21 recognised two of its rebel regions as sovereign. On Monday he met the visiting chancellor of Austria at a country residence outside Moscow but no images of that meeting were released. "There was no such silence when provocations were staged in Syria, when they portrayed the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government.

Italy's former PM says he is 'deeply disappointed and saddened' by the behaviour of Russia's president.

Whether Berlusconi and Putin will eventually reconnect in private remains to be seen. “It should, for its own interests, identify and put the perpetrators on trial.” Berlusconi swiftly denied the allegations. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “I met him 20 years ago and he’d always seemed a man of democracy and peace.” “The Georgian ambassador in Rome has told us that the government of Georgia believes Putin has promised Berlusconi a percentage of profits from any pipelines developed by Gazprom in coordination with ENI,” Spogli wrote in the leaked dispatches in reference to the Italian and Russian energy giants.

Russia: President Vladimir Putin said peace talks with Kyiv had have reached a “dead end,” accusing Ukraine of false and provocative claims of Russian ...

ArcelorMittal SA, the world's biggest steel maker outside of China, said Tuesday that its giant plant in Kryvyi Rih would begin to restart one of its three furnaces the site was closed early last month. This represents a near 43% rise, according to price reporting firm, Argus Media. Ukrainian steel company Metinvest separately said Tuesday that its joint venture with Zaporizhstal in the country’s southeast would tentatively restart production at two of its four blast furnaces.

On a visit to a spaceport in Russia's Far East on the 61st anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space, President Putin recalled Soviet ...

Russia says these are Ukrainian and Western provocations On a visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport in Russia's Far East on the 61st anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space, Mr Putin recalled Soviet successes and said sanctions would not slow it down. On a visit to a spaceport in Russia's Far East on the 61st anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space, Mr Putin recalled Soviet successes and said sanctions would not slow his country down.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday in the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and a European ...

India imports about 1 to 2 percent of its energy from Russia and about 10 percent from the United States, Psaki said. The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Boychenko also accused Russian forces of using mobile crematoriums to incinerate the bodies and of preventing humanitarian convoys from entering the city. Last week, Washington Post reporters witnessed the grim scenes of devastation in Borodyanka as residents surveyed the damage after Russian forces withdrew from the area in early April. No building there had been untouched: Residential buildings were stripped bare, windows were blown out and debris lined the neighborhoods. Six times as many cars were on the road last week as the week before, according to police officials. “Canada has always and will always stand by Ukraine,” Joly said in a statement. Moscow’s troops made “territorial gains” in the city this weekend, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank. According to Reuters, about 30,000 Ukrainians refugees had arrived in France as of March 27. “We are aware of social media reports which claim Russian forces deployed a potential chemical munition in Mariupol, Ukraine,” Kirby said in a statement. According to its official website, the chateau — which was built in 1453 — has a chapel, stables, private apartments and a guard room. The actions of the French people had restored their faith in humanity, Ukrainians said. Donbas — a large swath of the country’s easternmost territory, stretching from the Luhansk oblast south to Mariupol — has been the site of fierce fighting.

Russia-Ukraine War Live updates: Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful head of Russia's republic of Chechnya, said early on Monday that there will be an offensive by ...

And when the world ignores it, the monsters decide that it is the world that has to adapt to them. The ministry said that the Russian ambassador was summoned in a protest over the "brutal aggression on Ukraine and numerous crimes committed (there)". "The Russian party was informed about the reduction of administrative-technical staff of the Russian Federation's embassy in Zagreb," the statement said The Ukrainian military command said Sunday that the Russian troops have continued attempts to break Ukrainian defences near Izyum, southeast of Kharkiv. It reported that Russia was sending reinforcements to Izyum while continuing the shelling of Kharkiv. The military added that the Russians also continued their attempts to take control of Mariupol, the Sea of Azov port that has been besieged by Russian forces for nearly 1 month. The tour by the Shakhtar Donetsk club aims to raise money for Ukraine's military in the war against Russia, and also help Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war. Ukraine said on Monday that tens of thousands of people have likely been killed in Russia's assault on Mariupol and Russian forces have slowed down evacuations from the besieged southeastern city, where conditions are desperate. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday that the military used air-launched missiles to hit Ukraine's S-300 air defense missile systems in Starobohdanivka in the southern Mykolaiv region and at an airbase in Chuhuiv in the eastern Kharkiv region. He made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press a day after at least 52 people were killed in a strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, and as evidence of civilian killings came to light after Russian troops failed to seize the capital where he has hunkered down, Kyiv.“No one wants to negotiate with a person or people who tortured this nation. North Korea's minister of foreign affairs on Monday denounced last week's suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, calling it an "unreasonable act" led by the United States and the West to maintain political hegemony. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians that have stunned the world, and he renewed his plea for more weapons ahead of an expected surge in fighting in the country’s east. Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was at the site Monday and said that a bailiff had entered the two apparently empty buildings, dubbed spyville by Warsaw residents, to check their condition and to mark them as seized by the Town Hall. It is very symbolic that we are closing this procedure of many years now, at the time of Russia's aggression on Ukraine, Trzaskowski said on Twitter. Russia's Embassy, which had the tall apartment blocks built in the 1970s, has been refusing court orders to pay lease or to hand it over. Welcoming India's humanitarian support for the people in Ukraine, Biden said that India and the US will continue close discussions on the war in Ukraine. "This morning, bailiffs came to our diplomatic property at 100 Sobieskiego Street in Warsaw and ordered the transfer of the building to the Polish state treasury on behalf of Warsaw City Hall," Russia's RIA news agency quoted Andreev as saying.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, following a meeting with Ukraine's leader in ...

Borrell said E.U. foreign ministers would discuss the “brutal aggression of the Russian troops” and how to respond. The World Bank also emphasized that support to countries hosting refugees fleeing the war "will be critical." It did not identify the country by name, but Slovakia announced Friday that it had donated its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine. Team members are "experts in crime scenes and victim identification," the announcement said. Kirby appeared to be responding to a single Telegram message from Azov, an ultra-nationalist faction of the Ukrainian National Guard that's often described as a regiment or battalion. He recounted seeing a 4-year-old shot twice in the stomach while fleeing with his family, who is expected to live. The Russian Embassy, which had the tall apartment blocks built in the 1970s, has been refusing court orders to pay the lease or to hand it over. He said two-thirds of the children in Ukraine have been displaced. Kara-Murza, a well-known critic of Putin, survived what he said was his second poisoning in 2017. “Please know that getting her home safely continues to be our top priority and while we are facing an extraordinarily complex challenge, there is strength in community, especially the WNBA.” “I clearly told him that his attitude toward war is in no way even remotely shared,” Nehammer said at a news conference, adding that it is an invasion, according to Reuters. NBC News has not verified the numbers of deaths.

Russia could use phosphorus bombs in Mariupol, UK warns; Austrian leader to meet Putin. Follow our live updates ... This is CNBC's live blog tracking Monday's ...

In a statement after the meeting, Nehammer said the discussion with Putin was "very direct, open and tough." "We have massive indications of war crimes," Baerbock said ahead of a meeting with European ministers in Luxembourg, Reuters reported. For Ukraine, the World Bank report estimates that over half of the country's businesses are closed, while others still open are operating at well under normal capacity. The threat to children in Ukraine extends far beyond death and injury, Fontaine noted. It is a regime of murderers, and it is important to say it out loud," Kara-Murza said. He called it "tragic" that "it took a large-scale war in the middle of Europe, which Vladimir Putin is now conducting against Ukraine, for most western leaders to finally open their eyes to the true nature of this regime." We hope that the ongoing discussions between Russia and Ukraine will lead to peace." The affected areas include Saltivka, Pyatihatky, Kholodna Hora, Pisochyn, Zolochiv, Balakliya and Derhachi. The reason for this is that New Delhi relies upon Moscow for military hardware and for oil. That figure, updated as of April 10, includes 1,793 deaths and 2,439 injuries. Kara-Murza, a survivor of two suspected poisoning attempts, condemned the Kremlin in a CNN video that aired earlier Monday. Those attempted advances threaten Ukraine's entire southern coastline and its outlet to the sea.

Russia: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of professional workers, ...

"Now, we are changing our attitude," the official said. French counter-intelligence is often aware of the agents but allows them to operate under surveillance, the official said. Several bills pending in Congress would require investment advisers such as private-equity and hedge funds to verify and report the identities of their investors. While the ethanol industry and corn state politicians have long advocated for year-round E15 sales, the push this time around is complicated by the war in Ukraine’s effect on food prices. She was subsequently turned over to the police. While E15’s price per gallon tends to be cheaper, it has lower fuel economy, so the direct price comparison can be misleading. Russians against war.” She yelled: “Stop the war, no to war” before the camera cut away. Stop the war. "Unfortunately, I participated in the creation of Kremlin propaganda for so many years that now I want to make every effort to break it. Russian Army Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikov, an architect of Russia’s military intervention in Syria, will become the overall commander in Ukraine, according to Western officials, as Russia refocuses on the south and eastern Donbas region. French bank Société Générale said it would cease its banking and insurance activities in Russia, including selling Rosbank. Ukrainian authorities said they were investigating a claim by troops in the besieged city of Mariupol that they came under a Russian chemical weapons attack Monday. No independent evidence of the attack emerged Monday from Mariupol.

Ukraine's president has warned that Russian troops 'will move to even larger operations in the east'.

It will propose a “Repower EU” plan in May. It also called on Russia to immediately stop its war in Ukraine and occupation of Georgia. We condemn Russia for organizing unlawful elections in the occupied parts of Georgia. They will have no legal implications. I’m no longer interested in their diplomacy that leads to the destruction of my country,” Zelenskyy said, after being asked about his outburst at NATO and the UN Security Council when he told the UNSC it should punish Russia or “dissolve itself”. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also announced an additional billion euros ($1.088bn) in loans. “I remember, all of us remember, books about the second world war, and about the devil in uniform – Adolf Hitler. Are those countries who did not participate in the war responsible? So, I’m afraid in the next days, the war will increase on the Donbas” he told reporters before a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg. “Of course we will sue, because we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that investors receive their payments,” Anton Siluanov said. Finland and Sweden are poised to join NATO within the coming months, The Times has reported, citing US officials. NATO said on March 24 that Moscow lost up to 15,000 soldiers in Ukraine. The model also projects that global trade growth this year could be cut almost in half from the 4.7 percent the WTO forecasted last October to between 2.4 percent and three percent,” the Geneva-based organisation said. “Russia will go into default, full default, very shortly and be out of international capital markets for a decade.

As Ukrainian officials warn of a major Russian assault in the east, President Zelensky vowed: “We will respond.” Austria's chancellor plans to meet ...

The oil giant began cutting ties with Russia in February and said last month that it would stop buying oil and gas from Russiaand shutter its service stations in the country in a “phased withdrawal.” It has ceased new business with Russia and “suspended investment management purchases of Russian securities,” a spokesman for the company said. Last week, the senior Pentagon official said Russia had increased the number of battalion fighting groups to 40 from 30 in about a week — or to as many as 40,000 troops from 30,000 troops — with more reinforcements on the way. The Biden team strongly wants to see President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and others in his military chain of command held to account. “The United States and India will continue our close consultations on how to manage the destabilizing effects of this Russian war.” The French foreign ministry said in a statement that the agents were “operating under diplomatic cover” to undermine French interests, but did not provide further details. A significant number of the soldiers dying at the front are from Western Ukraine, and there are regular funerals in churches in the city center. “The United States and India will continue our close consultations on how to manage the destabilizing effects of this Russian war.” The president has said global unity behind economic sanctions is the key to forcing the Russian leader to abandon what Mr. Biden calls his “war of choice” in Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky’s comments came after Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the Kremlin-backed, separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Russian television that Russia should bring in “chemical forces” to use in Mariupol, the besieged southern city. He said he also had told Mr. Putin about the destroyed Russian tanks he saw on a recent visit to Ukraine, to make clear the enormous loss of life that Russia was suffering. And Mr. Putin, despite Russia’s military blunders in the war, and for all the Western efforts to ostracize him, still appeared in control of the crisis.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Ukraine needs more military support, including heavy weapons, as Kyiv reported Russian missile attacks ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new general overseeing his war in Ukraine, and his military commanders are signaling a new phase in the war: an ...

Russian forces will likely continue to struggle to establish coherent and efficient command and control arrangements for the foreseeable future." That doesn't mean the coming weeks will be easy for Ukrainian forces fighting in the east. The city fell to Syrian government forces in December 2016. Before the invasion, Russia had arrayed approximately 120 battalion tactical groups around Ukraine. According to one European official, about a quarter of those forces are "effectively inoperable" after heavy casualties and the destruction of hardware. Russian units that have fought in Ukraine have taken fearful damage." "The situation is gradually heating up in Donbas, and we understand that April will be quite hot," Filatov said recently.

General Alexander Dvornikov, whose brutal tactics against Syrian rebels led to war crimes accusations, is now in charge of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

His mere presence in the heavily fortified capital was a powerful message. The commander's appointment to take over Russian operations in Ukraine comes after a catalogue of military failures. Russian forces were defeated in the battle for Kyiv and have withdrawn from around the capital city.

"He (Putin) wanted to divide us, to shatter us, to provoke internal confrontation, but it is impossible to do this with Ukrainians," Olena Zelenska says.

"She anaesthetized and bandaged them. It works." The best strategy with children is the truth, she said. We are all Ukrainians first, and then everything else." "He (Putin) wanted to divide us, to shatter us, to provoke internal confrontation, but it is impossible to do this with Ukrainians," Olena Zelenska says. "It started" was all he said, Mrs Zelenskyy told Vogue magazine.

Karl Nehammer visits Moscow as EU leaders discuss sanctions on Russian oil.

The bloc, which imports 27% of its oil from Russia, is likely to argue over the phaseout period. “It’s death for some of us and captivity for the rest.” The Swedish foreign minister, Ann Linde, said: “I think we might make progress when it comes to oil. We need to cut off that financing,” Coveney said. While EU ministers again condemned atrocities in Ukraine, it remains unclear how quickly the bloc will move in cutting imports of Russian crude. Peskov said he could not exclude that gas would be discussed, as this was “very, very relevant for the Austrian side”, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. “It should be in his own interest that someone tells him the truth. I personally have no reason to believe that he is ‘talkable’.” “Today will probably be the last battle,” the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces wrote on social media. “The European Union is spending hundreds of millions of euros on importing oil from Russia, that is certainly contributing to financing this war. Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, confirmed that the European Commission, which is responsible for the sanctions proposals, was “now working on ensuring that oil is part of the next sanctions package”. “I mentioned the serious war crimes in Bucha and other locations and stressed that all those responsible have to be brought to justice,” Nehammer said in a statement, after a 75-minute meeting that Vienna described as “tough and direct”.