British multiple-launch rocket systems to arrive in Ukraine imminently, says Ben Wallace

Britain will soon deliver multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine in response to its request for arms to repel the Russian invasion, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said today.

It comes after the UK announced last week that it would send Ukraine its guided multiple launch rocket system, which has better range and precision than Russia's artillery.

"I think it's imminent, their delivery, and the munition has to go alongside", Mr Wallace told reporters in Oslo on the sidelines of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force which includes 10 Northern European countries.

Ukraine has repeatedly called on its allies to provide more heavy weaponry as its forces are struggling to defend the Donbas region in the east of the country.

Yesterday, Ukraine's deputy defence minister Ganna Maliar said the country had only received "around 10 percent" of the arms it needed.

Follow the latest updates in Thursday's live blog.

06:58 PM

And that's all for today...

Thanks for following today's liveblog.

Here are five key updates.

• Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, demanded EU candidacy status for his war-torn country and a package of sanctions against Russia ahead of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz’s visit to Kyiv.

• Two former US servicemen were captured during fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, The Telegraph has been told.

• Britain will soon deliver multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine in response to its request for arms to repel the Russian invasion, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, has said.

• Russia claims to have destroyed a large quantity of Nato-supplied weapons kept at a base in western Ukraine, as the head of the Western alliance said there was an “urgent need” to speed up arms deliveries.

• A Russian man was arrested by counter-terror police on suspicion of spying for Vladimir Putin.

06:43 PM

Germany to deliver three multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine

Germany will supply three MARS II multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Wednesday in Brussels, adding that the training of Ukrainian troops would begin in the coming weeks.

The weapons will come from Bundeswehr inventories, she told reporters after talks between nearly 50 countries to discuss and coordinate military assistance to Ukraine that took place on the sidelines of a NATO meeting.

The MARS II multiple rocket launcher can hit targets at a distance of more than 80 kilometres.

06:33 PM

Biden announces $1 bn in new military aid for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced a new package of arms and ammunition for Ukraine Tuesday after reaffirming Washington's support for Kyiv against Russia's invasion in a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The package of $1 billion worth of arms includes more artillery, coastal anti-ship defense systems and ammunition for artillery and advanced rocket systems that Ukraine is already using, Biden said.

In the phone call, Biden said he "reaffirmed my commitment that the United States will stand by Ukraine as it defends its democracy and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression," according to a statement.

Biden also announced $225 million worth of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

06:10 PM

UK 'stands firmly behind Ukraine'

05:44 PM

Volodymyr Zelensky says: I want Ukraine to be in the EU

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has demanded EU candidacy status for his war-torn country and a package of sanctions against Russia ahead of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz’s visit to Kyiv.

In a speech to the Czech parliament via videolink, Mr Zelensky warned Russian forces would not stop at Ukraine and could attack other countries.

“Russia is not interested only in our Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv. No, its ambitions are directed on a vast area from Warsaw to Sofia," he said.

Read the full story from Joe Barnes here

05:24 PM

Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen fire with a French self-propelled 155 mm/52-calibre gun Caesar towards Russian positions

05:09 PM

US fighters 'captured' by Russian forces in Ukraine

Two former US servicemen have been captured during fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, The Telegraph has been told.

The pair were taken prisoner during a fierce battle outside the north-east city of Kharkiv last week, according to comrades who were fighting alongside them.

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, had been serving as volunteers with a regular Ukrainian army unit. They are believed to be the first US servicemen to end up as Russian prisoners of war.

Colin Freeman has the story here

05:01 PM

US expected to send $1 billion more in aid to Ukraine

The U.S. is expected to announce Wednesday that it will send about $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the largest single tranche of weapons and equipment since the war began, in a effort to help stall Russia's slow but steady march to conquer the eastern Donbas region, U.S. officials said.

According to officials, the aid is expected to include anti-ship missile launchers, howitzers, and more rounds for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems that U.S. forces are training Ukrainian troops on now. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.

The aid comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting in Brussels of more than 45 nations to discuss support for Ukraine. At the start of the meeting, Austin warned that the West must step up weapons deliveries to Ukraine and prove its commitment to helping the country's military fight along a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in a grinding war of attrition with Russia.

05:00 PM

Russian missile strike destroys Nato-supplied howitzers in Ukraine

Russia claims to have destroyed a large quantity of Nato-supplied weapons kept at a base in western Ukraine, as the head of the Western alliance said there was an “urgent need” to speed up arms deliveries.

The Russian defence ministry said that high-precision, long-range missiles had destroyed “an ammunition depot of foreign weapons transferred to Ukraine by Nato countries, including 155-mm M777 howitzers” near the town of Zolochiv, in the Lviv region.

The howitzers are among the weapons the Ukrainians have been requesting from Western countries as they face an onslaught of Russian artillery in the eastern Donbas region.

Read more from Nick Squires here

04:23 PM

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03:55 PM

Ukraine's push for EU candidacy stirs up enlargement quarrels

The European Union's executive is expected to propose on Friday that Ukraine become a formal candidate for membership of the bloc, diplomats and officials say, a significant political gesture to the country as it resists Russia's invasion.

But for the 27 EU leaders, who are set to sign off on the European Commision recommendation at a June 23-24 summit, it may force an unwelcome moment of reckoning over the failure of the bloc's broader "enlargement" policy.

EU candidate status, sought by Ukraine since 2014 when protests in Kyiv toppled an unpopular pro-Russian president, would be a milestone in its path from a former Soviet republic towards a developed economy in the world's largest trading bloc.

Candidate status "is a correct solution from a moral, economic and security perspective," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said alongside his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at a military base in Romania on Wednesday.

03:14 PM

Must stay focused on Ukraine during 'pivotal' moment, says Pentagon chief

Russia's invasion of Ukraine was at a "pivotal" moment and the United States and its allies could not lose focus on the three-month long conflict, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday during a meeting of dozens of defense ministers in Brussels.

The meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministerial will focus on weapon deliveries to Ukraine and is the third time the group of nearly 50 countries are meeting to discuss and coordinate assistance to Ukraine. The previous in-person meeting was at Ramstein Air Base in Germany in April.

Ukraine needs 1,000 howitzers, 500 tanks and 1,000 drones among other heavy weapons, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Monday. Western countries have promised NATO-standard weapons, including advanced U.S. rockets.

03:03 PM

Russian 'spy' arrested at Gatwick airport

A Russian man has been arrested by counter-terror police on suspicion of spying for Vladimir Putin.

The suspect, in his 40s, was detained by the Metropolitan Police at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex on Monday evening.

The Sun newspaper reported that the man is accused of spying in Britain for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and was due to get an outbound flight when he was arrested.

Read the full story from Marcus Parekh here

02:29 PM

Biden chastises oil industry over fuel costs

Joe Biden has chastised the oil industry over soaring fuel prices at the heart of 40-year high inflation, warning of unspecified emergency measures.

The letter, sent to seven major oil corporations, was the US President's most direct salvo yet in a campaign to blame the industry for stoking price increases.

Average fuel prices are now $5 a gallon for drivers in the United States, up from $3 a year ago, and the spike is reverberating through the entire economy, helping to sink Biden's approval ratings to below 40 percent.

"Refinery profit margins well above normal being passed directly onto American families are not acceptable," Biden wrote in the letter to executives from Shell, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Valero Energy Corp, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Chevron and BP.

02:04 PM

Russian accused of Chechen assassination plot stands trial in Germany

A Russian citizen went on trial in Munich today on charges of agreeing to carry out the contract killing of a Chechen dissident on behalf of people linked to Ramzan Kadyrov, strongman ruler of Russia's autonomous Chechnya region.

German prosecutors believed the thwarted killing was meant to frighten into silence the 27-year-old intended victim's elder brother, another activist for Chechen independence who lives in exile in Stockholm.

"For the Chechen government, the intended victim and his brother were and are enemies of the state," Frank Stuppi of the federal prosecutor's office said outside the courthouse.

Prosecutors have said that a member of Kadyrov's security apparatus contracted the accused Valid D. for the killing in the first half of 2020.

01:32 PM

UN probes allegations Russians adopting Ukrainian children

The UN rights chief has said that her office was investigating allegations that children are being sent from war-torn Ukraine to Russia and then offered up for adoption.

Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet said her office "has been looking into allegations of children forcibly deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

These reportedly included children who were "taken from orphanages and subsequently offered for adoption in Russia," she said.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said her office could not confirm the allegations, nor the number of children involved.

01:15 PM

Pictured: Local people enjoy the sun and Azov sea in front of the cargo sea port in downtown of Berdyansk, Ukraine

12:52 PM

Ukraine pleads for western arms as Russia chokes frontline city

Ukraine pleaded with Western governments to decide quickly on sending heavy weapons to shore up its faltering defences, as Russia said it would evacuate civilians from a frontline chemical plant.

The industrial city of Severodonetsk is under intense bombardment as Russia focuses its offensive on the Donbas region in an effort to secure a swathe of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Moscow's forces have intensified efforts to cut off beleaguered Ukrainian troops remaining in the city, and have said that they will open a corridor to allow civilians to flee the besieged factory.

Western defence ministers, including US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, were meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels, under pressure to step up weapons shipments to Ukraine.

12:51 PM

Germany sees 'political' motive behind Gazprom gas cut

Russian energy giant Gazprom's decision to cut supplies of natural gas to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline was "political", Germany's economy minister said Wednesday.

Gazprom announced Tuesday it would be cutting deliveries via the pipeline by around 40 percent due to the "repair" of compressor units by German company Siemens.

Gazprom's move was "a political decision and not a technically justifiable decision", Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a press conference.

Habeck said Germany was aware of the need to service the pipeline but added that "the first set of maintenance works where this would have become relevant will not take place until autumn."

12:25 PM

Macron hints of Ukraine visit to carry 'message of support'

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Wednesday that he would soon go to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but said he would not publicly discuss details about such a trip.

Answering a journalist's question during an official visit to Romania, Macron said the timing was right for a visit to Ukraine's capital but that he would not "enter into logistics." Ukraine has been at war since Russia invaded the neighboring country more than 3 1/2 months ago.

"We are in a moment where we need to send clear political signals - us, Europeans, us, the European Union - toward Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Macron said after meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at an air base in southeastern Romania.

The two presidents met in preparation for a June 23-24 European Union leaders' summit in Brussels and a June 29-30 NATO summit in Madrid. France currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

12:06 PM

Ukraine says Russia eyes a 'vast area from Warsaw to Sofia'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union on Wednesday to let his country start on the road to membership of the bloc, warning that Russia's territorial ambitions stretched from Warsaw to Sofia.

In a speech to both chambers of the Czech parliament via a video link, Zelenskiy also called for more EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"Russia is not interested only in our (cities of) Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv. No, its ambitions are directed on a vast area from Warsaw to Sofia," he said, without citing evidence for his assertion.

"As in the past, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first step that the Russian leadership needs to open the way to other countries, to the conquest of other peoples."

The EU has adopted six rounds of sanctions against Russia, and Ukraine is seeking a seventh round to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.

11:49 AM

CCTV footage appears to show Russian soldiers break in and loot supermarket in Sumy

11:32 AM

Ukraine's president seeks tighter sanctions on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union on Wednesday to tighten sanctions on Russia, warning that Russian forces could attack other countries after invading his own country.

In a speech to both chambers of the Czech parliament via a video link, Zelenskiy reiterated calls for the EU to allow Ukraine to start on the road to membership of the 27-nation bloc by giving it candidate country status.

"As in the past, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first step that the Russian leadership needs to open the way to other countries, to the conquest of other peoples," he said.

11:23 AM

Pictured: Dancers from Kyiv City Ballet make finishing touches to their costumes as they perform at York Theatre Royal

11:09 AM

Ukraine 'waiting for a decision' on more Western weapons

Ukraine said it was outgunned and appealed to Western allies for greater military aid to fend off Russia's invasion ahead of a gathering of NATO officials in Belgium to discuss more supplies.

Presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on social media that Ukrainian soldiers were asking him "daily" when Western artillery was expected on the frontlines and added: "Brussels, we are waiting for a decision".

11:03 AM

Ben Wallace to discuss Sweden, Finland Nato applications with Turkey

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Wednesday said he would be speaking to the Turkish government next week about Sweden's and Finland's Nato applications.

He told a news conference it was "important" to listen to Turkey.

10:47 AM

Kremlin says communication with US is 'essential'

The Kremlin has said that communication remains "essential" in relations with the United States, amid tensions over Russia's continuing war in Ukraine.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a call that such communication could only be conducted on a basis of mutual respect and benefit.

10:11 AM

Emmanuel Macron: Volodymyr Zelensky will have to negotiate with Russia at some point

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Ukraine would have to hold talks with Russia at some point, in order to try and bring an end to the war between the two countries.

"The Ukrainian President and his officials will have to negotiate with Russia," said Mr Macron, while on a visit to Romania and Moldova.

Mr Macron has been criticised by Ukraine and eastern European allies for what they perceived as his ambiguous backing for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

09:42 AM

Russia says it has destroyed warehouse for Nato weapons

Russia has said its missiles destroyed an ammunition warehouse for weapons donated by Nato alliance countries in Ukraine's western Lviv region.

The defence ministry said some of the ammunition was to be used for U.S.-produced M777 howitzers, a type of artillery weapon.

09:23 AM

Emmanuel Macron toughens tone on Russia

President Emmanuel Macron has voiced a tougher line on Russia after visiting French and allied troops at a Nato base in Romania, seeking to assuage concerns in Ukraine and among some European allies over his previous stance towards Moscow.

Mr Macron arrived in Romania on Tuesday for a three-day trip to Nato's southern flank including Moldova before possibly heading to Kyiv on Thursday on a visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, two diplomatic sources said.

"We will do everything to stop Russia's war forces, to help the Ukrainians and their army and continue to negotiate," he told French and Nato troops at a military base in Romania.

"But for the foreseeable future, we will need to protect, dissuade and be present," Mr Macron added.

The French leader has in recent weeks repeatedly said it was vital not to "humiliate" Russia so a diplomatic solution could be found when fighting ended, riling more hawkish allies.

08:22 AM

500 trapped civilians attempt to flee Azot plant

Some 500 civilians believed to be trapped alongside soldiers inside Azot, a chemical factory in Severodonetsk, are preparing to flee the city through a possible humanitarian corridor this morning.

Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk region, said about 500 civilians, 40 of them children, were sheltering from heavy Russian attacks in the Azot chemical plant in the city.

Shelling on Azot was so strong that “people can no longer stand it in the shelters, their psychological state is on edge,” Mr Haidai added.

Late on Tuesday, Russia appeared to offer the chance for civilians to evacuate through a humanitarian corridor.

07:58 AM

'Stop your senseless resistance', Russia tells Severedonetsk fighters

Russia told Ukrainian forces holed up in a chemical plant in the embattled city of Severodonetsk to lay down their arms by early Wednesday, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

Fighters should "stop their senseless resistance and lay down arms" from 8 a.m. Moscow time (0500 GMT), ​Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia's National Defence Management Centre told the Interfax news agency.

Civilians would be let out through a humanitarian corridor, Mr Mizintsev said.

07:35 AM

Ukraine today, in pictures

07:08 AM

Nato calls for extra artillery support

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said further artillery support for Ukraine will be discussed by members today, while Russia indicated it would be willing to consider a UK appeal over the fate of two Britons sentenced to death.

Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at The Hague: "Ukraine should have more heavy weapons. And Nato allies and partners have provided heavy weapons for a long time, but they are also stepping up."

He added the matter will be addressed on Wednesday in Brussels at the Nato headquarters of the contact group for support to Ukraine, saying: "(Ukrainians) need to be prepped for the long haul, as there is no way to predict how and when this war will end."

06:48 AM

MoD says civilians sheltered in chemical plant

Elements of Ukraine's armed forces and several-hundred civilians are sheltering in underground bunkers in Azot chemical plant in the embattled city of Severodonetsk, Britain's defence ministry said on Wednesday morning.

Russian forces now control the majority of the Ukrainian city, Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a Twitter update.

Russia told Ukrainian forces who were holed up in the chemical plant to lay down their arms by early Wednesday, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

British military intelligence said Russian forces had likely taken fixed positions around Azot, while Ukrainian fighters could survive in underground parts of the plant.

06:43 AM

Updates from Russia-Ukraine war

• Russian president Vladimir Putin likely still wants to capture much, if not all, of Ukraine but has had to narrow his tactical objectives in war, the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy has said

• Few of the global financial elite will show up for Russia's annual economic forum in St Petersburg, with the country isolated by sanctions over its actions in Ukraine. Putin is set to deliver a major speech on Friday, focusing on the international economic situation.

• Russia said it would establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a chemical plant in Severodonetsk starting on Wednesday as Ukrainian forces wage a desperate battle for control of the city

• Dozens of defence ministers from Nato and other parts of the world are expected to discuss weapon deliveries to Ukraine on Wednesday in Brussels, as Kyiv calls for a significant increase in arms to help hold off Russian troops in eastern Ukraine

06:34 AM

Three seasons of grain shortages

Russia's invasion of Ukraine will create a global wheat shortage for at least three seasons, Kyiv's agriculture minister has said.

Keeping much of the Ukrainian crop from markets will push prices to record levels.

US President Joe Biden said temporary silos would be built along the border with Ukraine, including in Poland, in a bid to help export more grain.

05:21 AM

Defence ministers to meet as Kyiv calls for more weapons

Dozens of defence ministers from Nato and other parts of the world are set to discuss weapon deliveries to Ukraine on Wednesday in Brussels, US officials said.

Western countries have pledged Nato-standard weapons - including advanced US rockets. But deploying them is taking time, and Ukraine will require consistent Western support to transition to new supplies and systems as stocks dwindle of their Soviet-era weapons and munitions.

"Russia has not given up on the fight, despite its pretty anemic progress. What we have is this grinding, slow, incremental Russian operation," a senior US defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

"So the question is what do the Ukrainians need to continue the success they've already seen in slowing down and thwarting that Russian objective and that'll be a major focus for the defense ministers."

04:21 AM

Russia destroys every bridge out of Severodonetsk

Russia called on Ukrainian soldiers in Severodonetsk to surrender after it blew up the last bridge into the city, trapping all those left behind in one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the war.

Kyiv’s forces were told to “stop their senseless resistance and lay down their arms” by Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defence Management Centre.

Fighting in the industrial city that would give Russia total control of Luhansk, one half of the Donbas region, has raged door-to-door, with video from the front lines showing soldiers desperately firing at each other from close range.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said that the price of the battle was “terrifyingly high”, describing it as one of the most brutal in European history.

Read the full story here

03:26 AM

In pictures: Donbas destruction as fight for territory continues

02:58 AM

Russia-Ukraine war causing a tampon shortage

Tampons are the latest essential product to face shortages in the United States due to supply chain problems and the Ukraine war.

Women across the country have described on social media going to more than half a dozen stores only to find empty shelves, with some even travelling to different states.

According to Bloomberg prices are up 10 per cent, and customers say even more is being charged online.

Read the full story here

02:33 AM

Ukrainian woman evacuating given cake to mark her 75th birthday

01:34 AM

Sanctions-hit Russia holds 'Russian Davos' bereft of elite

Russia will see little of the global financial elite at its "Russian Davos" world economic annual meeting this year due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Instead, to make up for the lack of major Western attendees, Russia is welcoming smaller players or countries like China - the world's second largest economy - that have not placed sanctions.

"Foreign investors are not only from the United States and European Union," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, pointing to the Middle East and Asia.

President Vladimir Putin will give a major speech on Friday focusing on the international economic situation and Russia's tasks in the near future.

01:22 AM

European official 'worried' about Russia flying Western-made planes

Europe's top aviation safety regulator said he is "very worried" about the safety of Western-made aircraft continuing to fly in Russia without access to spare parts and proper maintenance.

It comes as the European Union and the United States moved to restrict Russia's access to spare parts following its invasion of Ukraine.

"This is very unsafe," Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on the sidelines of a conference on Tuesday.

12:50 AM

Today's top stories

• Russia has called on Ukrainian soldiers in Severodonetsk to surrender after it blew up the last bridge into the city

• Russia struck an artillery weapons depot with Kalibr cruise missiles in Ukraine's northerly Chernihiv region, the RIA news agency reported, citing the Russian defence ministry

• Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the US Open this year but only under a neutral flag, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced

• Russia has blacklisted 49 UK citizens, including defence officials and journalists from The Telegraph

• Kyiv said it has received the bodies of 64 soldiers who died defending Mariupol's steel works in an exchange with Moscow that saw Ukraine returning the remains of Russian troops

• Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she will do "whatever is necessary" to secure the release of two Britons sentenced to death by a Russian proxy in Ukraine