Notes

Russia's wanton destruction against Ukraine must be stopped: UK statement to the OSCE
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Mr Putin of "bringing war back to Europe" and warned a raft of "massive" sanctions would be proposed later aimed at Russia's economic base and its "capacity to modernise". "We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine," he told the BBC on Thursday morning. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had summoned the Russian ambassador to explain Russia's "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine" and that the UK would be "imposing severe sanctions". He said on Twitter he would also speak to his fellow G7 leaders and called for an urgent meeting of all Nato leaders as soon as possible. UK nationals were advised two weeks ago to leave Ukraine while commercial flights were still available. Those remaining have again been urged to leave Ukraine immediately - if they judge it is safe to do so.


The Ukrainian armed forces said they had shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter - which Russia denies - and inflicted casualties on invading troops. There have also been reports of troops landing by sea at the Black Sea port cities of Mariupol and Odesa in the south. Russian military convoys have crossed from Belarus into Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, and from Russia into the Sumy region, which is also in the north, Ukraine's border guard service (DPSU) said.

More from The Times and The Sunday Times
"This is a grave moment for the security of Europe. Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine is putting countless lives at risk," he said. A source told BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley the meeting was "tempestuous" and ended early after Ms Truss said the ambassador should be "ashamed" of Russia's behaviour in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin had lied repeatedly. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for the second time this week to ask him to explain the "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia. The UK "cannot and will not just look away" at Russia's "hideous and barbaric" attack on Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said. US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending troops even to shepherd American citizens out of Ukraine because he said if Russians and Americans end up fighting that would be World War III.

Earlier today, a Russian official said air defences had thwarted a drone attack on the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl. Up to 5,000 British citizens were estimated to be living in Ukraine before the crisis. While analysts say a direct conflict between NATO and Russia is unlikely, it is possible - particularly in the Baltic states, or Finland. The US did not green light the transaction until Turkey’s instruments of ratification of Sweden’s membership had arrived in Washington, a US official said, highlighting the highly sensitive nature of the negotiations, AFP reports. In line with the spirit of that pre-Russian invasion period, the original document was titled “Global Britain in a competitive age”.
We will continue to work with Ukraine and our international partners for a just and sustainable peace. Ukrainian officials on Thursday did not explicitly deny shooting down the aircraft but said they could not confirm that Ukrainian soldiers on their way to a prisoner exchange were onboard the plane. The sea-based missiles have a reported range of 900km and travel several times the speed of sound which would make it hard to defend against them. After eight years in government – as highlighted by his campaign posters, which are emblazoned with the number in a big yellow font – Stubb said his return had been spurred by Vladimir Putin’s invasion. He remains the frontrunner but polls have recently tightened between the top three candidates. Stubb’s lead over the former foreign minister and Green candidate Pekka Haavisto has slimmed and Jussi Halla-aho, of the far-right Finns party, is catching up in third.

Five ways Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed UK government
If Ukraine was part of Nato, the military alliance which is made up of 30 member states, including the US and UK, every Nato nation would have to launch an armed attack against Russia. Here’s how the war will affect the UK, from potential military action to sanctions and gas prices. The foreign secretary also warned last week that harsh UK sanctions could have far-reaching consequences. https://euronewstop.co.uk/where-is-poland-in-relation-to-ukraine.html has a strong partnership with Ukraine (even though the country is not an official member) so it’s not surprising prime minister Boris Johnson has also joined in with Western allies in calling for an immediate de-escalation from Putin. He said he was launching a “special military operation” in the east of the country.

Moscow’s ambassador to London previously warned that the UK would be hit with “immediate retaliation” if it tried to sanction Russia. Calls have recently come from senior figures on both sides of the Atlantic for the UK to be prepared in case of a potential war between Nato forces and Russia. The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has said the “future of the war in Ukraine” and the “security of our western democracy” depend on Congress reaching an agreement. And he added that any intervention from outside powers to resist the Russian attack would be met with an "instant" and devastating response. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was not aware any official list had been published. Xi remains one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies of the major powers, and his views on a potential peace plan could prove key for the future of the conflict in Ukraine.
He told reporters he had no information on what would happen to the body remains and whether they would be handed to Ukraine. Reuters could not independently verify its account of what happened and what evidence had been recovered. On Thursday the investigative committee said preliminary findings showed the plane was struck by a surface-to-air missile fired from Ukraine. Moscow has accused Kyiv of downing the Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to be swapped for Russian PoWs. Analysts have said that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At least two US citizens arrested in Russia in recent years, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the US.

Simple guide to Ukraine crisis in maps
Around 350 Royal Marines from 45 Commando were sent to Poland this week – taking the total numbers of military personnel there up to 500 – as the two countries continue to work together to try and de-escalate the tensions around Ukraine. The Russian president said his goal was the “demilitarisation” of Ukraine, warning that if the West were to interfere they would endure “consequences they had never seen”. Russia has gradually built up a force of close to 190,000 troops around the Ukrainian border over the last few weeks but maintained that it had no intention to invade – until last night. Some migrants might stay in neighbouring Poland and eastern European countries, but some might head further west and eventually end up in the UK.

A man was also killed in shelling outside the major eastern city of Kharkiv. Earlier this month, its civil defence minister told a defence conference "there could be a war in Sweden". UN ambassadors have told a new BBC documentary about the moment they learned of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Unfortunately for the Russians, it was clear they hadn't planned sufficiently well to undertake an effective invasion, and the forces operating their equipment were not well enough trained to adapt when things went wrong. Another ship, destroyer HMS Diamond, is scheduled to join it but has suffered technical difficulties, delaying its departure.
Website: https://euronewstop.co.uk/where-is-poland-in-relation-to-ukraine.html