European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to travel to Kyiv on Friday

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday that she would travel to Kyiv the next day to express her "unwavering support" for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

"The Ukrainian people deserve our solidarity. That is why I will travel to Kyiv tomorrow. I want to send a very strong message of unwavering support to the Ukrainian people and their brave fight for our common values," the EU leader said at a press conference on Thursday in Stockholm.
 

Vladimir Putin's press secretary admits Russia has 'significant losses of troops'

Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that Russia had a "significant losses of troops" and said it was a "huge tragedy to us".

He also said in the interview that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO Russia would "have to rebalance the situation" and make their western flank more sophisticated in terms of assuring Russia's security.

Peskov said that NATO was "tailored for confrontation."

Latvian diplomats resume their work in Ukrainian capital Kyiv

Latvian diplomats resumed their work in the Kyiv embassy, with the ambassador expected to join them.

"I am very grateful to our diplomats who work in Ukraine for their dedication and service," said Latvia's foreign affairs minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.

Croatian foreign minister says western countries 'cannot allow the killings of civilians to go unpunished'

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman said on Thursday that western countries could not allow the killing of civilians to go unpunished.

"We must show our strength. We talk here about rights and the world order which the Russian side has trampled on, about the principles and all the values on which the world order is based. We cannot allow the killings of civilians to go unpunished. We have to stand up and protect our values," he said.

He spoke during a meeting of G7 foreign ministers to discuss sanctions against Russia.

Radman said that foreign ministers strongly condemned Russian aggression in Bucha and other areas of Ukraine.

(with AP)

EU countries agree on Russian coal embargo

Representatives from the 27 EU member states agreed on Thursday on a Russian coal embargo as part of a fifth round of sanctions against Russia as evidence builds that Russian soldiers executed civilians in the areas outside of Kyiv.

The package of sanctions was approved by the EU's Committee of Permanent Representatives, the French EU Council presidency said in a tweet.

It includes sanctions against oligarchs and the freezing of assets of several Russian banks.

There will also be a ban on coal imports from Russia, an arms embargo, and a ban on exports to Russia.

Read the full story here.
 

Mariupol: pro-Russian authorities announce 'about 5,000' civilians killed and '60% to 70%' of homes destroyed

The "new mayor" proclaimed by the pro-Russian forces in Mariupol announced on Thursday that "about 5,000 people" had died among the civilian population of this Ukrainian city, besieged for weeks by the Russian army and its separatist allies.

"About 60 to 70% of the housing stock has been destroyed or partially destroyed," added Konstantin Ivashchenko, appointed head of the city on Wednesday by Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk separatists.

Ukrainian authorities have said that around 90% of the city has been destroyed. The port city is strategically located for Russia as it would create a land corridor to the Crimea peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.

(AFP)

Russian forces executed civilians in 'apparent war crimes,' Amnesty report says, citing new testimony from 20 people near Kyiv

Russian military forces "extrajudicial executed civilians in Ukraine in apparent war crimes," Amnesty International said as it published new testimony from civilians in villages close to the capital Kyiv.

"In recent weeks, we have gathered evidence that Russian forces have committed extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, which must be investigated as likely war crimes,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International.

“Testimonies show that unarmed civilians in Ukraine are being killed in their homes and streets in acts of unspeakable cruelty and shocking brutality."

Several Ukrainians cited by Amnesty International said they had seen civilians, including several unarmed family members and a city mayor delivering food and medication to bomb shelters, being shot and killed by Russian forces.

One 18-year-old woman said her father had six large holes in his back. Amnesty also interviewed a woman in a village east of Kyiv who said Russian soldiers killed her husband and raped her at gunpoint.

'Inflicting atrocities' were part of 'game plan all along' in Ukraine: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that inflicting "atrocities" in Ukraine was part of Russia's "game plan all along" during a press briefing after a meeting of foreign ministers from NATO and Ukraine in Brussels.

"For every Bucha there are many more towns Russia has occupied and more towns that it is still occupying, places where we must assume Russian soldiers are committing more atrocities right now," Blinken told journalists after meeting foreign ministers from NATO and Ukraine in Brussels.

He said the US had warned ahead of Russia's invasion that part of the Kremlin's "campaign plan was to inflict atrocities, was to target individuals, was to commit the kinds of crimes that we're now seeing to terrorise civilian populations."

"And so this, as we saw it, was part of the game plan all along," he said.

"We've seen as the Ukrainians have pushed back this Russian tide, we see with the tide receding, what's left behind, and that is horrific death and destruction."

Blinken met with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was in Brussels pushing NATO members for more heavy weaponry ahead of a feared major Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region.

(AFP)

Belarus wants to be included in negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is calling for his country to be included in negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine.

“There can be no negotiations without the participation of Belarus,” Lukashenko said at a meeting Thursday of his national security council. “There can be no separate agreements behind the back of Belarus.”

Russia has launched missile attacks on Ukraine from Belarus and Russian troops invaded Ukraine from Belarus. There has been no confirmation of claims that Belarusian forces entered Ukraine.

(AP)

UK to build more nuclear power plans to help reduce its dependence on Russian energy

The UK will build more nuclear power plants, invest in renewable energy and further tap domestic oil and gas reserves to reduce the country's dependence on Russian energy.

The UK plans to build eight new nuclear reactors by 2030 and increase the production of electricity from offshore wind farms 10-fold.

The government also announced a new round of licensing for oil and gas projects in the North Sea, saying these fuels would be key to UK energy security and as a transition to low-carbon renewable energy. Other elements include promoting solar power and increasing hydrogen production for use in fuel cells.

"This is a massively green strategy," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with the government saying that the strategy "could see 95% of electricity by 2030 being low carbon."

(with AP)

US bans exports to three Russian airlines

The US moved to choke off US exports to three Russian airlines on Thursday as part of what officials described as an unprecedented enforcement action.

The Commerce Department said the move would prevent the Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot, Utair and Azur Air from receiving items from the US, including parts to service their aircraft.

Matthew Axelrod, an assistant commerce secretary for export enforcement, told reporters the sanctioned airlines will largely be unable to continue to fly since they will be cut off from the parts and services needed to maintain their fleets.

The actions, known as temporary denial orders, do allow the Commerce Department to grant exceptions when the safety of a flight would be at risk. The orders extend for 180 days, though they can be renewed.

(AP)

UN members voted in favour of suspending Russia from Human Rights Council

The UN General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from its leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, considered to be tantamount to war crimes.

Russia is the second country to have its membership rights stripped at the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The vote on Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. That is significantly lower than votes on two resolutions the assembly adopted last month demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield launched the campaign to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council in the wake of videos and photos of streets in the Ukrainian town of Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians after Russian soldiers retreated.

The deaths have sparked global revulsion and calls for tougher sanctions against the Kremlin, which has denied its troops were responsible.

(AP)

Discussion on new EU sanctions turning ‘heated’ among member states

EU ambassadors are currently discussing the fifth package of sanctions against Russia that the European Commission proposed on Tuesday in response to the killings in Bucha, near Kyiv.

National representatives have expressed their displeasure with the Commission’s decision of announcing the penalties to the press before circulating the draft among member states.

Discussions have been taking place since Wednesday morning and continue on Thursday. The debate is becoming “heated,” Euronews understands, as some coastal countries, such as Cyprus, Malta and Greece, raise concerns regarding a new measure that would block Russian vessels from EU ports – with exemptions for food products, humanitarian aid and energy.

The three nations want to ensure the sanctions don’t backfire and cause excessive damage to their domestic shipping industries, which have a considerable economic weight in their economies.

EU envoys are also negotiating the pace of the coal phase-out the Commission has proposed. The latest compromise suggests the coal ban will only take full effect from mid-August, a month later than expected.

The change was introduced at the behest of Germany, Euronews understands. Berlin had previously unveiled plans to become independent of Russian coal by the autumn.

If approved, this will be the first raft of EU sanctions that directly targets Russian fossil fuels, the Kremlin’s main source of revenue.

(Efi Koutsokosta, Euronews Brussels Bureau)

Russian invasion driving more disinformation online, says Meta

A plot by pro-Russian hackers was working to post fake Ukrainian surrender messages online when it was disrupted, Meta said on Thursday.

The parent company for Facebook and Instagram said the hackers had broken into the social media accounts of dozens of Ukrainian military officers and were working to upload videos of defeated and surrendering Ukrainian soldiers.

A new report by Meta details a troubling increase in social media disinformation this year.

Russia and its allies are major players, according to the report, with groups linked to the Kremlin spreading disinformation about its invasion of Ukraine while amplifying pro-Russian conspiracy theories at home.

Meta traced the effort to take over the social media accounts of dozens of Ukrainian military leaders back to a shadowy hacker organization known as Ghostwriter, which previous research has linked to Belarus, a Russian ally.

Ghostwriter has a history of spreading content critical of NATO, and also has tried to hack email accounts.

Belarus and Russia have not responded to the claims.

Within Russia, the Kremlin has blocked hundreds of news sources and websites, including Facebook and Twitter, and threatened jail time to anyone who tries to report on the war. In the place of accurate journalism, the state-controlled media have pumped out discredited conspiracy theories about Ukrainian Nazis or secret US bioweapon labs.

Meta and other big tech companies have responded by removing or restricting Russian state-run media, by targeting disinformation networks and by labelling content it does not remove.

Meta said it would be rolling out additional policies in the coming weeks and months to make sure it stays ahead of groups looking to exploit its platforms.

But according to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, a London-based nonprofit that supports greater social media regulation, the prevalence of Russian-linked propaganda and disinformation on social media shows that a more aggressive response is needed. 

“Despite taking action against state channels under enormous pressure, Meta is failing badly to contain major disinformation narratives that benefit Putin’s regime,” said Imran Ahmed, the centre's CEO.

(with AP)

MEPs demand full embargo on Russian oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas imports

The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for the imposition of a "total and immediate" embargo on imports of "oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas" from Russia.

The vote was carried by 513 votes in favour, with 22 against and 19 abstentions.

Commenting on the non-binding vote, the parliament's president Roberta Metsola called it a significant step, saying MEPs had sent a strong message of support to those on the front line in Ukraine.

The parliament's appeal goes further than proposals put forward by the European Commission, which is recommending a halt to Russian coal imports, which represent 45% of the EU's total imports of coal.

However, a possible embargo on Russian oil (25% of total European oil imports) and Russian gas (45% of the total) is the subject of bitter discussions between member states, Berlin having publicly expressed its reluctance.

(with AFP)

Ukrainian command ship on fire in Mariupol

Satellite photos show a Ukrainian naval vessel on fire in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The images from Planet Labs PBC appear to show the Ukrainian command ship Donbas ablaze at the port, as a nearby building also burned around 2:30 pm local time Wednesday.

The cause of the fire remained unclear.

Russian forces are strangling the city on the Sea of Azov as they press forward in their war that began on 24 February.

Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine had accused Ukrainian forces of setting fire to the vessel as a “provocation” to “discredit the Russian military”.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities on the blaze.

(AP)

Russian shelling a prelude to new eastern offensive — UK intelligence

Britain’s defence ministry says Russia is bombarding infrastructure targets to wear down Ukraine’s government and military as it prepares for a renewed assault on the country’s east.

It says Russia is targeting the “line of control” between Ukrainian-held areas in the Donbas and those held by Russia-supporting separatists with artillery and airstrikes.

But, it adds, “Russian forces are likely to continue facing morale issues and shortages of supplies and personnel”.

Hungary 'helping Putin' in the war — Ukraine foreign ministry

Ukraine has accused Hungary of "helping Putin" in the war, a day after the country's nationalist leader Viktor Orban said he was ready to break ranks with the EU and buy Russian gas in roubles.

Without mentioning Orban by name, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement that following Sunday's election victory, Hungary's ruling party was now moving to a "next step -- to help Putin continue his aggression against Ukraine, the civilized world and Christian values". 

"The Hungarian leadership's reluctance to acknowledge Russia's undeniable responsibility for the Russian army's atrocities... is designed to consciously strengthen Russia's sense of impunity and encourage it to commit new atrocities against Ukrainians," he went on.

Nikolenko said Hungary's readiness to pay for Russian gas in roubles was a hostile move towards Ukraine, and undermined the EU's common position.

"Ukrainians and Hungarians have centuries of historical, political, economic and cultural ties. Ukraine is home to about 150,000 Ukrainian Hungarians. At the same time, the logic that guides politicians in Budapest today, playing into Russia's aggressive policies, is detrimental to both our peoples," he added.

The spokesman described as "cynical" the Hungarian proposal to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. On Wednesday Viktor Orban suggested a meeting in Budapest with the leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany, and said he had spoken to Putin by phone and proposed "an immediate ceasefire".

Hungary has refused to allow shipments of arms across its territory to Ukraine, its northeastern neighbour, while Orban has also said his government would block any attempt by the EU to extend sanctions to Russian oil and gas.

"If Hungary really wants to help end the war, here's how to do it: stop destroying unity in the EU, support new anti-Russian sanctions, provide military assistance to Ukraine, and not create additional sources of funding for Russia's military machine," Nikolenko said.

"It is never too late to get to the right side of history."

Zelenskyy to meet EU's von der Leyen in Kyiv on Friday — Ukraine presidency

President Zelenskyy will have talks in Kyiv on Friday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to a Ukrainian presidential spokesman.

Sergii Nykyforov said on national television that other details of the talks would not be announced for security reasons.

A European Union spokesman said on Tuesday that the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, would also travel to Kyiv this week with the Commission president.

(with Reuters)

Ukraine needs 'weapons, weapons, weapons', Kuleba tells NATO

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on NATO to provide Kyiv with all the weaponry it needs to fight Russia.

"My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it. Its weapons, weapons, and weapons," Kuleba said as he arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

NATO foreign ministers are meeting for a second day of talks to consider how best to continue supporting Ukraine.

“We know how to fight. We know how to win. But without sustainable and sufficient supplies requested by Ukraine, these wins will be accompanied by enormous sacrifices,” Kuleba said. “The more weapons we get and the sooner they arrive in Ukraine, the more human lives will be saved.”

He urged Germany in particular to go further, and speed the dispatch of sorely needed equipment and arms, saying that “while Berlin has time, Kyiv doesn’t”.

Appearing alongside Kuleba, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on members to provide more weapons for Ukraine and not just defensive anti-tank and anti-craft arms.

“I have urged allies to provide further support of many different types of systems, both light weapons but also heavier weapons,” he said. NATO's chief added that NATO countries acting individually are supplying many kinds of arms and other support to Ukraine but that the 30 allies can do more.

“Ukraine is fighting a defensive war, so this distinction between offensive and defensive weapons doesn’t actually have any real meaning," Stoltenberg said, insisting that it is also important for NATO not to be dragged into a wider war with Russia.

“NATO is not sending troops to be on the ground. We also have a responsibility to prevent this conflict from escalating beyond Ukraine, and become even more deadly, even more dangerous and destructive,” he said.

(Euronews with AP, AFP)

Latest from eastern Ukraine as Russia prepares new offensive

Russia is continuing to prepare for an attack to gain full control over the eastern breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as well as the besieged southern port of Mariupol, the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said late on Wednesday.

Ukrainian authorities say they cannot help people evacuate from the eastern front line town of Izyum or send humanitarian aid because it is completely under Russian control as the east sees the worst fighting.

At least five people were killed by Russian shelling Wednesday in the Donbas' Donetsk region, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, who urged civilians to leave for safer areas.

In the Luhansk region of the Donbas, Russian bombardment set fire to at least 10 multi-story buildings and a mall in Severodonetsk, the regional governor reported.

AFP journalists noted regular shelling on Wednesday in the city which had 100,000 inhabitants before the conflict. Severodonetsk is the easternmost city held by the Ukrainian army in the Donbas, very close to the front line.

In Vougledar, a town of 15,000 people 50 km southwest of Donetsk, two civilians were killed and five injured in the shelling of an aid distribution centre, Kyrylenko said.

A little further, Ukrainian forces were preparing to defend a road linking Izyum, recently taken by Russian forces, to the neighboring cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the de facto capital of the east controlled by Kyiv.

Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists in the Donbas since 2014. Ahead of its February 24 invasion, Moscow recognised the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent states.

Russian forces also attacked a fuel depot and a factory in the Dnipropetrovsk region, just west of the Donbas, authorities said.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also called on Wednesday the civilian population of eastern regions, including the large city of Kharkiv, to evacuate while there was still time, or "risk death".

(Euronews with AP, AFP, Reuters)

Russian television shows rebel fighting in the Luhansk region.

Russian state television on Wednesday broadcast images of what it said were rebels fighting in the eastern region of Luhansk.

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of trying to hide war crimes evidence

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to hide the evidence of war crimes to interfere with the international investigation.

“It seems that the Russian leadership was really afraid that the global anger over what was seen in Bucha would be repeated after what was seen in other cities,” Zelenskyy said in his daily nighttime video address to the nation late Wednesday.

“We have information that the Russian troops have changed tactics and are trying to remove the dead people, the dead Ukrainians, from the streets and cellars of territory they occupied. This is only an attempt to hide the evidence and nothing more,” Zelenskyy said.

He also said thousands of people are now missing, either dead or deported to Russia.

Zelenskyy also urged Russian citizens not to be afraid to protest the war.

“If you have even a little shame about what the Russian military is doing in Ukraine, then for such Russian citizens this is a key moment: You have to demand – just demand – an end to the war,” he said.

(AP)

Macron responds to Morawiecki over Putin calls

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out against Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday evening, defending himself over criticism he held multiple talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to no avail.

On Monday, Morawiecki ridiculed the French leader’s several hours of phone calls with Putin, saying that they achieved nothing.

Some fear the comments from Poland might destabilise unity of the European Union as it hopes to stand unified in the face of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.

Macron told TF1 broadcaster’s evening news that he takes full responsibility for speaking to Putin “in the name of France to avoid the war and to build a new architecture for peace in Europe several years ago.”

Macron is standing for re-election in France in polls that begin Sunday.

(AP)

EU countries yet to reach agreement on fresh sanctions

EU member states are still trying to overcome their differences as they look to approve a fifth round of sanctions against Russia.

The measures proposed by the European Commission include a ban on coal imports and the closure of European ports to Russian ships.

European Council President Charles Michel has said sanctions on Russian oil and gas are likely to be needed eventually.

Germany and Austria seem to be moving towards a similar conclusion, but Hungary -- which has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin -- is now the most reluctant country to impose sanctions on oil and gas.

EU ambassadors will meet on Thursday in an attempt to bridge the gaps and reach a final agreement.

Read the full story here:

EU countries yet to reach agreement on fresh sanctions against Russia

US and UK hit Russia with new sanctions

The US rolled out a new wave of financial sanctions on Wednesday against Russia and the UK quickly followed suit.

Washington's measures singled out the Putin's family, targeting his two adult daughters in addition to blocking two key Russian banks.

The UK announced asset freezes against major banks, a ban on British investment in Russia and a pledge to end dependency on Russian coal and oil -- but not gas -- by the end of the year.

The EU is due to announce a fifth wave of sanctions against Russia soon.

Read more here:

Ukraine war: US, UK hit Russia with new sanctions

The US and UK rolled out new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, with Europe promising a fifth round of sanctions soon.

'In every barrel of oil, there is Ukrainian blood', Ukrainian MP says

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko called for an immediate end to business with Russia after he visited Bucha.

“In every barrel of oil, there is Ukrainian blood,” he told Euronews. The member of Ukraine's parliament added that he saw 50 bodies in the city, including one child.

“I am afraid about what is happening in Mariupol is even worse,” he added.

Read more and watch the interview here:

'In every barrel of oil, there is Ukrainian blood', Ukrainian MP says

A member of Ukraine's parliament told Euronews that the situation in Mariupol could be even worse than the Russian atrocities in Bucha.

Failure to agree Russian oil embargo is costing Ukrainian lives, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is grateful for Western sanctions but argues they don't go far enough.

In his latest video address released early on Thursday, he called on Western politicians to agree quickly on an embargo of Russian oil, complaining that their failure to do so was costing Ukrainians their lives.

Zelenskyy said Moscow was making so much money from oil exports that it did not need to take peace talks seriously and called on the "democratic world" to shun Russian crude.

He said some politicians were "unable to decide how to limit the flow of petrodollars and oil euros to Russia so as not to put their own economies at risk". 

"The only question is how many more Ukrainian men, how many more Ukrainian women, the Russian military will have time to kill in order for you, certain politicians - and we know who you are - to find some determination," he said.

The president also said he would continue to insist Russian banks be completely blocked from the international finance system.

The US announced new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday including a move to ban Russian oil imports. New UK measures include a pledge to end dependency on Russian coal and oil by the end of 2022.

EU member states are still trying to overcome their differences as they look to approve a fifth round of sanctions. The Commission has proposed a ban on coal imports and the closure of European ports to Russian ships.

"Measures on oil and even gas will also be needed sooner or later," European Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday.

Hungary, which has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin, is now the most reluctant country to impose sanctions on oil and gas.

(Euronews with Reuters)

Good morning, this is Alasdair Sandford with the latest updates on the war in Ukraine following Russia's invasion.