Ukraine morning briefing: Five developments as Kremlin warns it could use nuclear weapons if facing 'existential threat'
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Good morning. As reports from Kyiv highlight the bravery of Ukraine's forces to defend their country, a Kremlin spokesman has warned that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it were facing an "existential threat".
The United States says Russian forces "have struggled with logistics". They have been beaten back in several areas as Ukrainian troops launched a valiant fightback to regain key slices of territory across their land.
Here are the key developments from overnight, and you can follow the latest news in our daily liveblog.
1. Fears conflict could escalate into nuclear war
Having failed to seize a major Ukrainian city with a swift offensive, Russia is waging a war of attrition that has reduced some urban areas to rubble and prompted Western concern that the conflict could escalate into a nuclear war.
Russia's security policy dictates that the country would only use such weapons if its very existence were threatened, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
"If it is an existential threat for our country, then it (the nuclear arsenal) can be used in accordance with our concept," he said.
Analysis: Fears grow that desperate Vladimir Putin could unleash chemical weapons
2. Russian forces 'have struggled with logistics'
The Pentagon says Russian forces "have struggled with logistics and sustainment".
"We think they're having command and control problems," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
A senior defence official said the Pentagon believed as much as 10 per cent of Russian forces committed to Ukraine might have been knocked out in just four weeks of fighting.
Ukraine's army command believes Russian troops now have sufficient ammunition, food and fuel for just three days.
3. Ukrainians regain key territory in fightback
Russian forces have been beaten back in several areas as Ukrainian troops launched a valiant fightback to regain key slices of territory across their country.
The Ukrainians deployed devastating hit-and-run tactics against enemy tanks, while some of the Kremlin's ill-prepared forces suffered frostbite and could no longer fight, according to US officials.
With Russian casualties mounting, Vladimir Putin has his "back against the wall", according to Joe Biden, the US president, and could resort to using biological or chemical weapons.
A former UK and Nato commander of chemical, biological and nuclear defence forces told The Telegraph that Putin was most likely to use chlorine gas.
Ukraine's defence ministry said its forces retook Makariv, a strategically important town west of Kyiv, after a fierce battle. They regained control of a crucial highway and prevented Russian troops from surrounding the capital from the north-west.
Read more: Russians in retreat, blighted by frostbite and casualties
4. Allies aim to prevent even greater catastrophe
Joe Biden will huddle with key allies in Brussels and Warsaw this week as the leaders try to prevent the war from spiralling into an even greater catastrophe.
The US President will embark on a four-day trip on Wednesday that will test his ability to navigate the Continent's worst crisis since the Second World War.
Mr Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the President would coordinate with allies on military assistance for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia.
He said Mr Biden was working on long-term efforts to boost defences in Eastern Europe, where more countries fear Russian aggression. The President is also aiming to reduce the Continent's reliance on Russian energy.
5. Putin intends to attend G20 summit in Indonesia
Vladimir Putin intends to attend a G20 summit being hosted by Indonesia later this year, Russia's ambassador in Jakarta said on Wednesday, following calls by some members for the country to be barred from the group.
"Not only G20, many organisations are trying to expel Russia," the ambassador Lyudmila Vorobieva told a news conference.
"The reaction of the West is absolutely disproportional."
The United States and its Western allies are assessing whether Russia should remain within the G20 group of major economies following its invasion of Ukraine, sources involved in the discussions told Reuters.
