Russian forces clear out abandoned military equipment after Ukrainian troops’ retreat from Avdiivka
Nato “cannot rule out” sending its soldiers into Ukraine to help fight against Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, French President Emmanual Macron has said.
Speaking during a meeting of 25 European leaders in Paris, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Mr Macron said the group were willing “to do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war”.
Asked if that included sending soldiers, a move that has been avoided out of fear of escalation, Mr Macron responded: “There is no consensus to send in an official manner of troops on the ground. But in terms of options, nothing can be ruled out.”
The French leader also announced he would drop his long-standing opposition to purchasing emergency artillery supplies for Ukraine from outside the European Union.
The initiative was put forward by the Czech Republic earlier this year, who said they had found 800,000 shells from an unnamed third-party country that they would acquire, ship and deliver to Ukraine if the bloc helped raise $1.5 billion to buy them.
Mr Macron had previously blocked the bill, saying France preferred to buy artillery from European manufacturers.
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Navalny ‘murder’ in Russia gives green light for more activist killings, warns Belarus opposition leader
Her husband Siarhei remains in Belarusian custody after his arrest in May 2020 when he announced his intention to run against Mr Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin.
Tom Watling27 February 2024 08:20
Below are some of the latest pictures from Ukraine
Here are some of the latest pictures from Ukraine after another round of overnight Russian strikes.
An educational institute in Kharkiv Oblast, near the Russian border, is hit overnight by a Russian strike
(Ukraine’s State Emergency Service / Telegram )
A warehouse filled with sunflower seeds in Sumy Oblast, northeast Ukraine, is hit by a Russian missile overnight
(Ukraine’s State Emergency Service / Telegram )
Local residents receive food kits distributed by volunteers of the NGO ‘Responsible Citizens’ with the financial support of the UK Government, in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine
(AFP via Getty Images)
Tom Watling27 February 2024 08:02
Macron says putting Western troops on ground in Ukraine cannot be ruled out
“There is no consensus at this stage to send troops on the ground. Nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we must so that Russia does not win,” Mr Macron told reporters on Monday.
Tom Watling27 February 2024 07:33
Ukraine says it destroys 11 Russia-launched drones, two missiles
Russia launched 13 attack drones and a barrage of missiles at Ukraine overnight, with air defence systems destroying 11 drones as well as two guided missiles over several regions, Ukraine‘s air force said on Monday.
In total, Russia launched 13 attack drones, four of the Kh-59 guided air missile, one air-to-surface Kh-31P missile and ballistic missiles, the Ukraine‘s force said on the Telegram messaging app.
It was not immediately clear how many ballistic missiles Russia reportedly launched or what happened to the missiles and drones that were not downed.
Tom Watling27 February 2024 07:13
Inside a frontline drone ‘laboratory’ creating new ways for Ukraine’s troops to hit Putin’s forces
Askold Krushelnycky meets members of a battalion in eastern Ukraine using 3D-printed explosive casings to build ‘bomber’ drones to take out artillery, armoured vehicles and tanks
Joe Middleton27 February 2024 05:00
ICYMI: Robert De Niro, Emma Thompson and other stars send message of support to Ukraine
Half of Western arms deliveries are being delayed and the hold-up is putting lives and territories at risk, Ukraine’s defence minister has warned as soldiers blamed a crippling lack of ammunition on Kyiv’s withdrawal from the key town of Avdiivka.
Speaking from the Ukrainian capital at an event to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Rustem Umerov said in the “mathematics of war” there are deadly consequences when promised military support “does not constitute delivery”.
He said it was also unprecedented in history that a country was expected to fight against an enemy with such a discrepancy in air power and military budget. It comes just a week after Kyiv was forced to pull its forces out of Avdiivka in the east of the country.
Joe Middleton27 February 2024 03:00
ICYMI: Robert De Niro, Emma Thompson and other stars send message of support to Ukraine
Robert De Niro, Emma Thompson and other stars send message of support to Ukraine
Joe Middleton27 February 2024 02:00
Russian drone forces German minister to cut Ukraine trip short
Germany’s foreign minister was forced to abandon a diplomatic trip to Ukraine on Sunday after a drone hovered above her.
Annalena Baerbock was visiting a waterworks facility in Mykolayiv to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
However, a Russian drone was spotted nearby forcing her to leave the scene and drive west to Moldova, according to German broadcaster ZDF.
Joe Middleton27 February 2024 01:00
Zelensky says Ukraine has lost 31,000 soldiers in war and Russia’s losses are six times greater
At least 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed fighting back against the Russian invasion that began two years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, providing the first official death toll from Kyiv in more than a year.
“31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000… (Russian president Vladimir) Putin is lying there… But nevertheless, this is a big loss for us,” he said in a news conference at the Ukraine Year Forum in Kyiv.
Mr Zelensky said Russia’s casualties – both injured and dead – during the invasion stood at 500,000, of which 180,000 were Russian soldiers killed in the war, according to Kyiv’s estimates.
Joe Middleton26 February 2024 23:59
Russia claims to have destroyed first of US Abrams tanks
Russian officials have claimed to have destroyed a US-supplied Abrams tank in Ukraine for the first time.
The US began supplying the tanks to Ukrainian forces last September, sparking claims from Russian officials that the tanks would “burn”.
“From the very beginning, our soldiers said that these tanks would burn just like others,” state news agency RIA quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying – referring to previous instances where Russia says it has destroyed Western weaponry in Ukraine.
Reuters could not immediately verify a video published on social media that purported to show an Abrams on fire.
Joe Middleton26 February 2024 23:00