Russia-Ukraine war latest: Zelenskiy pleads for weapons to avoid ‘bloodbath’; Ukraine says east of country braced for attack – live | World news

US President Joe Biden earlier announced an additional $800m in military assistance to Ukraine including heavy artillery ahead of a wider Russian assault expected in eastern Ukraine.

The package, which brings the total military aid since Russian forces invaded in February to more than $2.5 billion, includes artillery systems, artillery rounds, armoured personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defence boats, Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine. These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armoured personnel carriers.”

Biden said he had also approved the transfer of additional helicopters, saying equipment provided to Ukraine “has been critical” as it confronts the invasion.

“We cannot rest now. As I assured President Zelenskiy, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” Biden said.

The new package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters and 18 155mm howitzers, along with 40,000 artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, 200 armoured personnel carriers and 300 additional Switchblade drones.

It will be the first time howitzers have been provided to Ukraine by the United States.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said some of the systems, like the howitzers and radars, will require additional training for Ukrainian forces not accustomed to using American military equipment.

“We’re aware of the clock and we know time is not our friend,” Kirby said when asked about the speed of deliveries.

Negotiations are reportedly underway on the exchange of 169 servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine who were taken prisoner at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials say.

The ministry made the announcement in an update on the Telegram messaging app, citing Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, Denis Monastyrsky.

Chernobyl is a tragic page in our history. Unfortunately, we have to state that 169 servicemen of the National Guard were taken prisoner there.

Today, some of them, according to our information, are in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, some – in Russia. We were at the place where they were kept. This is a dungeon without light, without the ability to communicate properly. They were deprived of all means of communication while they were there. And then they were taken out. Unfortunately, I can’t say what their fate is.

Negotiations are underway to exchange them. But we understand that this will probably be only after the end of the active phase of hostilities.”

Here is a little bit more about what we know on the Russian warship strike.

The Moskva was reportedly hit by two Ukrainian missiles late on Wednesday night, a Ukrainian official earlier said.

The 12,500 tonne ship has a crew of around 500. Russian news agencies said the Moskva was armed with 16 anti-ship ‘Vulkan’ cruise missiles, which have a range of at least 700km (440 miles).

The Moskva is the flagship of the Black Sea fleet.

Last month Ukraine said it had destroyed a large Russian landing support ship, the Orsk, on the smaller Sea of Azov to the northeast of the Black Sea.

The Russian defence ministry has said the entire crew of the warship Moskva, reported to be struck by Ukraine in the Black Sea late on Wednesday night, has been evacuated after an ammunition explosion resulted in a fire on the ship.

The ship was famously defied by Ukrainian troops on Snake Island at the start of the war

“The cruiser ‘Moskva’ of the Black Sea Fleet was seriously damaged as a result of the detonation of ammunition that occurred as a result of a fire, the crew was evacuated,” Russian state media outlet TASS reported, citing the Russian defene ministry.

“As a result of a fire, ammunition detonated on the Moskva missile cruiser. The ship was seriously damaged. The crew was completely evacuated,” the ministry added.

Earlier this evening, Ukraine said it struck and damaged a Russian warship in the Black Sea, according to a Telegram messaged posted by Odessa governor Maksym Marchenko.

“It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moskva today went exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island!” Marchenko said.

On the first day of the invasion, the small garrison refused calls from the ship for it to surrender, telling the ship to “go fuck yourself”.

Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych said the ship could have as many as 510 crew members on board.

Russian troops are stepping up activity in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, Zelenskiy added.

They are trying to retaliate for their defeats. Rocket bombings and artillery strikes continue. New columns of equipment are being brought in. They are looking for reserves. They are trying to recruit residents of the south of our country – that is, from these temporarily occupied areas in addition to the so-called mobilisation in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”

However, Zelenskiy noted that the recent “feverish activity” of Russian forces reflects Russia’s insecurity and inability to defeat Ukraine.

Even with significant stocks of Soviet military equipment and a significant number of soldiers, whom the commanders do not spare at all, the Russian troops doubt their ability to break us, to break Ukraine. Well, we do everything to justify their doubts.”

“This war against Ukraine can only end in Russia’s strategic defeat – sooner or later,” he added.

Either the Russian leadership will really seek peace, or as a result of this war, Russia will leave the international arena forever.”

Zelenskiy confirmed forensic experts from the International Criminal Court visited Bucha on Wednesday to investigate possible war crimes.

Responsibility for the Russian military for war crimes is inevitable.

We will drag them all to the tribunal. And not only for what was done in Bucha.

The president added that the clean-up of mines left by Russian troops in the north of Ukraine continues.

The occupiers left tens of thousands of unexploded shells, mines and tripwire mines – a lot of everything. Therefore, everyone who wants to return home to the liberated territory should be as careful as possible, as attentive as possible. And immediately inform the police and rescuers in case you find a strange object, an explosive object.”

Ukraine’s president Zelenskiy has called for an oil embargo in his latest national address.

First of all, we need an oil embargo. And Europe’s clear readiness to give up all Russian energy.

The European Union must stop sponsoring Russia’s military machine.”

Zelenskiy added that he discussed western sanctions policy with a group of international and Ukrainian experts who “assessed the sanctions imposed and how Russia is trying to circumvent them”.

The group has prepared concrete proposals on how to remove sanctions loopholes and how to immediately enhance sanctions to make it tangible for Moscow, Zelenskiy added.

It’s 6 PM ET/3 PM PT here in the US. I’m signing off and will be handing over the blog to our colleagues in Australia.

Here’s what happened so far:

• More than 1,000 Ukrainian marines defending the besieged port city of Mariupol have surrendered, Moscow has claimed. In one of the most critical battles of the war, Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday 1,026 soldiers from Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, including 162 officers, had “voluntarily laid down their arms” near the city’s Ilyich iron and steelworks. There was no independent confirmation of the claim.

• Ukraine claims it damaged a Russian warship in the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to a Telegram messaged posted by Odessa governor Maksym Marchenko.“Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!” Marchenko’s message read. The Guardian could not independently confirm the attack.

• In a speech at the Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said that countries on the fence of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine could face global isolation. “The unified coalition of sanctioning countries will not be indifferent to actions that undermine the sanctions we’ve put in place,” Yellen said at the Atlantic Council.

• Russian troops are reportedly suffering from “low morale and disenchantment” amongst some of the younger troops. While speaking at a press conference today, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby also said that Russian troop leaders are “frustrated” as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

• The presidents of four countries bordering Russia – Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – have travelled to Kyiv in a show of support for their Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his embattled troops. It follows Kyiv’s reported refusal to meet the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who visited Poland on Tuesday and said he had planned to go on to Ukraine but “was not wanted”. The former German foreign minister is facing heavy criticism for his past policy of rapprochement towards Moscow.

• Zelenskiy told Estonian MPs, without providing evidence, that Russia was using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces in Mariupol said a drone had dropped a poisonous substance on the city, but there has been no independent confirmation that Russia used banned chemical weapons.

• Zelenskiy warned that the war would become an “endless bloodbath, spreading misery, suffering, and destruction” without additional weaponry. Speaking in English in a video published on Twitter, Zelenskiy said: “Freedom must be armed better than tyranny. Western countries have everything to make it happen.”

• The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has declined to repeat Joe Biden’s accusation that Russia was carrying out “genocide” against Ukrainians, warning that verbal escalations would not help end the war. The US president said on Tuesday it had “become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian”. In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Biden’s comments as “unacceptable”.

• The UK government has imposed sanctions on another 206 individuals in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, including 178 people it said were involved in propping up the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said the latest sanctions were imposed in a direct response to the “horrific rocket attacks” on a train station in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, that killed dozens of civilians.

Ukraine says it struck and damaged a Russian warship in the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to a Telegram messaged posted by Odessa governor Maksym Marchenko.

“Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!” Marchenko’s message read.

In a YouTube broadcast, Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said “a surprise happened with the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet”, AFP reported.

The Guardian could not independently confirm the attack. AFP did not receive any confirmation from the Russian military of an attack on the warship.

The US won’t say whether it will launch its own probe into whether Russia has committed genocide in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Though Biden said on Tuesday that Russia’s actions amount to a genocide, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration would assess whether to launch their own review. In the meantime, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the country supported international efforts to determine whether Russia’s actions met the legal threshold to qualify as a genocide but would not say if the US would launch its own probe.

“What we are doing is the most effective means of achieving that ultimate goal of accountability,” Price said.

On Wednesday, Russia said it disagreed with Biden’s description of the country’s actions in Ukraine as “genocide”.

In a speech at the Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said that countries on the fence of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine could face global isolation, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

The US has urged China not to undercut sanctions or provide aid to Russia and has asked countries like India to take a tougher stance on Russia. Yellen said those countries “sitting on the fence” will not be ignored.

“Let me now say a few words to those countries that are currently sitting on the fence, perhaps seeing an opportunity to gain by preserving their relationship with Russia and backfilling the void left by others. Such motivations are shortsighted,” Yellen said. “And let’s be clear, the unified coalition of sanctioning countries will not be indifferent to actions that undermine the sanctions we’ve put in place.”

The only country Yellen mentioned by name was China saying, “The world’s attitude towards China and its willingness to embrace further economic integration may well be affected by China’s reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia.”

She also said that new trade agreements should be drawn up to reduce the reliance on non-allied nations.

“We cannot allow countries to use their market position in key raw materials, technologies or products to have the power to disrupt our economy or exercise unwanted geopolitical leverage,” she said

In a new letter, close to 3 dozen House Democrats put pressure on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship, the AP is reporting.

Led by Rep Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat and senior member of the committee on foreign affairs, and Rep Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the committee on rules, lawmakers wrote that Saudi Arabia has been a bad strategic partner following its refusal to help ease the skyrocketing demand for oil during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Governments that have formed genuine, ironclad alliances with the United States, forged in shared values of democratic norms and respect for human rights, have answered the call to action in the wake of unprovoked invasion. Unfortunately, our longstanding relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not produced a similar response,” Democrats wrote.

“Saudi Arabia’s inability to stand up for international law exemplifies the short- and long-term risks associated with maintaining uncritical US support for the Saudi regime,” the letter added.

Global leaders are split on whether to follow US President Biden’s lead and accuse Russia of carrying out a genocide, AFP is reporting.

While Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau told reporters it was “right” that more people will be “using the word genocide in terms of what Russia is doing, what Vladimir Putin has done”, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said it was important for world leaders to be careful about avoiding “verbal escalations”.

“I would say that Russia unilaterally unleashed the most brutal war, that it is now established that war crimes were committed by the Russian army and that it is now necessary to find those responsible and make them face justice,” Macron said.

“But at the same time I look at the facts and I want to try as much as possible to continue to be able to stop this war and to rebuild peace. I’m not sure that verbal escalations serve this cause,” he said.

In a radio interview, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said war crimes were being committed in Russia but did not use the term genocide. “This is a terrible war in eastern Europe. And I think that’s what shouldn’t be minimised,” Scholz said. “War crimes are being committed.”

Russian troops are reportedly suffering from “low morale and disenchantment” amongst some of the younger troops.

While speaking at a press conference today, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby also said that Russian troop leaders are “frustrated” as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

From ABC News:

Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau said today that it is correct to call what is happening in Ukraine a “genocide,” reported AFP.

Following US president Joe Biden calling Russia’s actions in Ukraine a “genocide” yesterday, Trudeau parroted that language, saying to reporters in Quebec:

I think it’s absolutely right that more and more people be talking and using the word genocide in terms of what Russia is doing, what Vladimir Putin has done…

We have seen this desire to attack civilians, to use sexual violence as a weapon of war…This is completely unacceptable.

Trudeau, along with Biden, is one of the first world leaders to use the term “genocide” when describing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a rising number of children are impacted by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, volunteer groups are dropping into shelters to help young people cope.

In the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, volunteers used a therapeutic dog to lead group therapy session with children.

From the Reuters’ Idrees Ali:

The UN chief said today that a ceasefire in Ukraine “doesn’t seem possible,” possibly indicating that the UN is still waiting on a response from Russia on evacuating Ukrainian civilians and providing aid, reported AFP

While speaking at a press conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said:

That was our appeal for humanitarian reasons, but it doesn’t seem possible.

Guterres recently sent UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to Russia and Ukraine with the goal of finalizing a ceasefire.

Aid agencies have repeatedly tried to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian cities including Mariupol, which has been besieged for weeks by Russian forces.

The US Pentagon said today that some military equipment that is being provided to Ukraine will require training, reports Reuters.

In a briefing today, the Pentagon spokesperson, John Kirby, said that some of the new equipment being sent to Ukraine would require training in its use.

In terms of training options, the US will likely train a small number of Ukrainian forces who will then go and train more of their colleagues.

From Reuters’ Idrees Ali: