Ukraine-Russia war live: US president Biden says Putin ‘will not prevail’ in meeting with Zelensky
Vladimir Putin issues fresh threat to use nuclear weapons if Moscow attacked
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US president Joe Biden has insisted that Ukraine will win the war against Russia, after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Washington.
“Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail,” Mr Biden said alongside Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House. “We stand with Ukraine, now and in the future.”
US vice-president Kamala Harris branded calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia “dangerous and unacceptable” as she met Mr Zelensky.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for Russia to respond with a nuclear attack, amid discussions in Washington over Ukraine’s use of Western-provided long-range weapons.
The Russian president has said any conventional attack on Moscow that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. He claimed that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if Moscow received “reliable information” about the start of a massive launch of missiles, aircraft or drones against it.
At least one civilian was killed, Ukrainian officials said, in an overnight Russian aerial attack on the power grid in the capital Kyiv for five hours.
Ukraine says its soldiers recaptured a Russian stronghold after hand-to-hand fighting
Russia treating own citizens as ‘bits of meat to fling into grinder’, says Starmer in UN speech
Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek 'an out' from Russia's war instead of true peace
Trump labels Zelensky ‘greatest salesman on Earth’ in Russia war dig
Watch: Trump labels Zelensky ‘greatest salesman on Earth’ in Russia war dig
Lammy tears into Russian invasion: ‘In Putin's interests alone’
Foreign secretary David Lammy came down heavily on Vladimir Putin in his United Nations Security Council address and said the invasion of Ukraine serves the Russian president’s interests alone.
“Vladimir Putin, when you fire missiles into Ukraine hospitals. We know who you are. When you send mercenaries into African countries. We know who you are. When you murder opponents in European cities. We know who you are,” the foreign secretary told the gathering of member nations in New York last night.
“Your invasion is in your own interests. Yours alone. To expand your mafia state into a mafia empire. An empire built on corruption,” Mr Lammy told the security council.
He also lauded the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s efforts to lead the defence of his country. “President Zelensky, the UK commends you not only for standing up for your people but for standing up for democracy,” he said.
“Seeing you in Kyiv a few weeks ago with Secretary Blinken I saw ordinary people from all walks of life. The soldiers and the civilians. The firefighters and the first responders,” Mr Lammy said.
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Ukraine’s attack into Kursk has left Vladimir Putin’s forces scrambling
Watch: Putin’s Satan II missile ‘blows up during test launch’
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street to street to keep them out
Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key eastern city
The Russians taking Pokrovsk would split Ukraine’s defensive line in the region and harm supplies in the eastern part of Donetsk. Now facing constant bombardment, soldiers and residents in Pokrovsk speak to Askold Krushelnycky about the drawn-out siege they are bracing themselves for
Explained: What is the Satan II missile?
The RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks.
The 35-metre-long RS-28 Sarmat, known in the West as Satan II, has a range of 18,000 km (11,000 miles) and a launch weight of over 208 tonnes.
Russian media say it can carry up to 16 independently targetable nuclear warheads as well as Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, a new system that Putin has said is unmatched by Russia’s enemies.
Since the start of the conflict, President Vladimir Putin has said repeatedly that Russia has the biggest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world, and warned the West not to cross a threshold that could lead to nuclear war.
Putin said in October 2023 that Russia had almost completed work on the missile.
Kremlin continues to show public disinterest in peace talks short of complete destruction of the Ukrainian state, think tank says
The Kremlin have continued to show a public disinterest in peace talks unless it involves the complete destruction of the Ukrainian state, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank has said.
ISW analysts noted that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed reports that Ukraine invited Russia to attend Ukraine’s second peace summit but that the Kremlin had not demonstrated any interest in participating.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recently said there is “no alternative” to Russian victory in Ukraine, reiterating Russia’s unwillingness to negotiate on terms other than Ukrainian “capitulation”.
“ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin is not interested in good faith peace negotiations with Ukraine and that the Kremlin will only invoke the concept of ‘peace plans’ and ‘negotiations’ to prompt the West to pressure Ukraine into preemptive concessions on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the situation report from the ISW said.
Exclusive: Zelensky demands UK extradites political opponent in Ukraine Orthodox Church row
Zelensky demands UK extradites political opponent in Ukraine Orthodox Church row
Exclusive: Ukraine MP who has attempted to defend the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is facing an attempt to have him extradited from the UK today
Russia treating own citizens as ‘bits of meat to fling into grinder’, says Starmer in UN speech
Russia is treating its own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder” in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer said as he urged Vladimir Putin to end the conflict.
The prime minister, speaking at the UN Security Council in New York, said Russia was responsible for “colossal human suffering” as a result of the conflict.
He said Russia, which is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council alongside the UK, was behind the “greatest violation of the (UN) charter in a generation”.
David Hughes reports:
Russia treating own citizens as ‘bits of meat to fling into grinder’, says Starmer
The prime minister said Russia was responsible for ‘colossal human suffering’ as a result of the conflict in Ukraine
Ukraine says China is key route for foreign tech in Russian weapons
Around 60 per cent of the foreign parts found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine come via China, Ukraine‘s presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk has said.
“If you take all the usual types of weapons and count the foreign made components about 60% would be coming from China. We have had lengthy discussions with some manufacturers about this,” Vlasiuk said.
“The PRC (China) is the biggest problem I would say.”
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