Russia Ukraine war latest news: Putin’s forces face shortage of tanks as Kyiv’s counteroffensive creeps forward

Russia’s forces are struggling a scarcity of tanks, the nations’s defence minister has admitted, throughout a go to a navy manufacturing facility in western Siberia.

Sergei Shoigu has referred to as for extra tanks to be manufactured “to satisfy the wants of Russian forces” in Ukraine, with Kyiv having launched a counteroffensive involving Western tanks and weapons.

Mr Shoigu mentioned there was a necessity “to keep up the elevated manufacturing of tanks” and higher safety features in armored automobiles, the Protection Ministry mentioned in an announcement in regards to the go to.

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin met a gaggle of leaders of African international locations yesterday, after they travelled to Ukraine and Russia on a self-styled “peace mission”, however the assembly ended with no seen progress.

The seven African leaders – presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, in addition to Egypt’s prime minister and prime envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda – first visited Ukraine on Friday and met with president Volodymyr Zelensky as they mentioned efforts to finish the almost 16-month-old conflict.

The African leaders then travelled to St Petersburg on Saturday to satisfy Mr Putin, who was attending Russia’s showpiece worldwide financial discussion board.

Particulars in regards to the delegation’s proposals had been skinny.

Overseas minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned after the three-hour assembly that the Africans’ peace plan consisted of 10 components, however “was not formulated on paper”.

“The peace initiative proposed by African international locations could be very troublesome to implement, troublesome to match positions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned.

However “President Putin has proven curiosity in contemplating it”.

“He spoke about our place. Not all provisions will be correlated with the primary components of our place, however this doesn’t imply that we don’t have to proceed working,” Mr Peskov mentioned.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak will ask entrepreneurs and companies to step up funding in Ukraine at a convention subsequent week to assist it rebuild after Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will make a digital look on the two-day occasion which begins in London on Wednesday, organisers mentioned.

“Ukraine’s bravery on the battlefield should be matched by the imaginative and prescient of the personal sector to assist the nation rebuild and get well,” Mr Sunak will say, in keeping with the textual content of his speech launched by his workplace yesterday

“A financially stronger, technologically superior Ukraine will bolster its capacity to drive Russia again behind its borders,” Mr Sunak will inform dignitaries and firm bosses on the Ukraine Restoration Convention, in keeping with the assertion.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing this morning on a high-stakes diplomatic mission to attempt to cool excessive US-China tensions which have set many all over the world on edge.

The checklist of disagreements and potential battle factors is lengthy: starting from commerce with Taiwan, human rights situations in China to Hong Kong, in addition to the Chinese language navy assertiveness within the South China Sea to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

Mr Blinken was to start two days of talks with senior Chinese language officers within the afternoon. He’s the highest-level American official to go to China since president Joe Biden took workplace and the primary secretary of state to make the journey in 5 years.

The journey comes after he postponed plans to go to in February after the shootdown of a Chinese language surveillance balloon over the US.

Mr Blinken plans to satisfy with Chinese language international minister Qin Gang on Sunday, prime diplomat Wang Yi, and probably president Xi Jinping on Monday, in keeping with US officers.

Shortly earlier than leaving, Mr Blinken emphasised the significance of the US and China establishing and sustaining higher strains of communication. The US needs to verify “that the competitors we now have with China does not veer into battle” as a result of avoidable misunderstandings, he instructed reporters.

Biden and Xi had made commitments to enhance communications “exactly in order that we are able to be certain that we’re speaking as clearly as potential to keep away from potential misunderstandings and miscommunications,” Mr Blinken mentioned Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted opening remarks by African leaders looking for peace within the Ukraine battle to ship a listing of causes – together with his tried-and-tested tactic of blaming the West – as to why he claims lots of their proposals are misguided.

Mr Putin first welcomed the presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, in addition to Egypt’s prime minister and prime envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda to the 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. He pressured Russia‘s dedication to the continent. However after displays from the Comoran, Senegalese and South African leaders, he stepped in to problem the assumptions of the plan earlier than the spherical of feedback from all of the representatives might go any additional.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa instructed Mr Putin: “The conflict can not go on perpetually. All wars should be settled and are available to an finish at some stage,” he mentioned. “And we’re right here to speak a really clear message that we want this conflict to be ended.”

Learn the total story right here:

Ukraine has celebrated the primary territorial beneficial properties of its long-trailed counteroffensive towards the invading Russian forces.

Unverified images and video showing on Sunday and on Monday morning confirmed Ukrainian troopers holding their nation’s blue and yellow flag aloft in triumph within the jap villages of Storozheve, Blahodatne, Neskuchne and Makarivka in Donetsk, suggesting that they had been recaptured from occupying enemy troops.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar posted one of many photographs from Storozheve and thanked the thirty fifth Separate Brigade of Marines for liberating it.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday touted Russia’s prospects on the nation’s fundamental worldwide financial discussion board regardless of heavy worldwide sanctions imposed due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Western officers and buyers steered away from this yr’s St. Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board that for many years has been Russia’s premier occasion for attracting international capital and is typically likened to the Davos World Financial Discussion board.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence has tweeted some messages of help to its troops because the battle rages on.

“When the solar goes down, “they” come to destroy our cities and kill our individuals,” learn one message. “Our mission begins at every sundown. We should shield our individuals.”

President Zelensky earlier mentioned: “Thanks to each soldier! To everybody who fights with the enemy, rescues our troopers after wounds, trains our troopers, and provides every little thing obligatory for the Ukrainian defence!”

Ukraine’s president has tweeted to say his nation has retaken each place that had been captured.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his troopers in a report that might not be verified by the Unbiased.

“Our forces are new and new arguments for the world that Ukraine can, can win,” Mr Zelensky tweeted at 11.50am British time.