Russian tanks seen being ambushed on outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine

16m ago

05:26

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/11/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-we-are-dealing-with-a-terrorist-state-says-zelenskiy-biden-plans-fresh-russian-trade-crackdown-live

 

Russia’s war on its neighbour in now in its third week. Hundreds have been reported to be dead or wounded while more than two million Ukrainian refugees have so far fled their homeland, according to UN estimates.

 

It is 7.30am in Ukraine and here is where the crisis currently stands:

 

• Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was a “terrorist state” in his latest video address. “The world must know it. The world must acknowledge it,” he said, and also accused Russian forces of attacking a convoy of humanitarian aid for the besieged city of Mariupol.
• Zelenskiy said Ukrainian authorities managed to evacuate almost 40,000 people on Thursday from five other cities.
• The Russian defence ministry said that it would open up humanitarian corridors for civilians to evacuate from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Mariupol. It also accused Ukraine of using security service personnel to drive aid trucks and spy on Russian military positions.
• European Union leaders “acknowledged the European aspirations” of Ukraine and agreed to support Ukraine in “pursuing its European path”. After a meeting in Versailles, a statement also called for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces, and praised Ukraine’s courageous resistance.
• The US Congress passed a spending bill late Thursday evening, including $13.6bn in emergency aid for Ukraine.
• US president Joe Biden will ratchet up the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin on Friday by calling for the end of normal trade relations with Russia, according to reports. The White House has just confirmed reports that US president Joe Biden will announce new actions on Friday to continue to hold Russia accountable.
• US press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States has seen reports that Russia may be considering seizing the assets of US and international companies suspending operations in Russia. Psaki said any “lawless decision by Russia to seize the assets of these companies” will “ultimately result in even more economic pain for Russia”.
• There are conflicting reports about the state of Russian forces around Kyiv. A large Russian military convoy last seen north-west of Kyiv has largely dispersed and redeployed, according to US company Maxar Technologies, based on satellite photographs. But a US defence official said on Thursday that Russian forces have moved 5km (or about 3 miles) closer to the Ukraine capital, despite Ukrainians fighting back “very, very well”.
• A recently released report from the UK’s Ministry of Defence says Russian forces are “committing an increased number of their deployed forces to encircle key cities” due to strong Ukrainian resistance.
• The Ukrainian military also confirmed reports suggesting Russian troops had dispersed to regroup and replenish supplies in its daily operational report. According to the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine, Russian forces have slowed in their advance while some have retreated back to Russian territory.
• The United Nations security council will convene on Friday at Russia’s request, diplomats said, to discuss Moscow’s claims of US biological activities in Ukraine.
• High-level talks between Russia and Ukraine – the first of their kind since Moscow invaded its neighbour two weeks ago – ended without a ceasefire. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said there had been no progress towards achieving a ceasefire with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
• Hundreds of thousands of people in Mariupol face an “increasingly dire and desperate” humanitarian situation, the International Red Cross has said. A delegation leader said people in Mariupol had “started to attack each other for food” and many people report having no food for their children.
• Ukraine opened seven humanitarian corridors for civilians to evacuate on Thursday, but no one was able to leave the besieged port city of Mariupol, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said. In the north-eastern Sumy region, more than 12,000 civilians were evacuated by car or bus, the state emergency services said.
• The British public will be able to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees as the government announces a new route to the UK for those fleeing the Russian invasion.
• Boris Johnson has expressed fears that Vladimir Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine. Echoing language used by the White House, the UK prime minister said Russian claims about its enemies getting ready to use chemical weapons were “straight out of their playbook”.
• Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder has reportedly met Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, Politico reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
• The Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, is among seven of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential oligarchs to have been hit with sanctions by the UK, in an effort to further punish allies of Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.