Zelenskiy hails potential to inflict ‘significant new losses’ on Moscow’s forces
Ukraine has the potential to inflict major losses on Russia and make gains on the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims.
Speaking in a late-night video address after meeting with senior military commanders, he said the group discussed the supply of modern weapons, adding the intensity of attacks on the Russians had to be stepped up.
We discussed the current situation on the frontline, around Ukraine. We defined tasks in some tactical areas to strengthen our positions. And we also thoroughly worked out the issue of providing the troops with the modern weapons – the intensity of attacks on the enemy still needs to be increased.
The participants of the staff meeting agreed that we have a significant potential for the advance of our forces on the front and for the infliction of significant new losses on the occupiers.”
Kyiv hopes that western weapons, especially longer-range missiles such as US Himars that Ukraine has deployed in recent weeks, will allow it to launch a counterattack and recapture territory.
“Every one of these Russian attacks is an argument for Ukraine to receive more Himars and other modern and effective weapons. Every one of these attacks only strengthens our desire to defeat the invaders and that will certainly happen.”
Key events
Here are some of the latest images that have been sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said it believes that Russia is experiencing a “critical shortage” of ground-attack missiles, even as it advances on Kramatorsk and Siversk.
In its daily intelligence briefing, it writes:
In the Donbas, Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attempts to assault the Vuhlehirsk power plant. Russian artillery remains focused on areas around the cities of Kramatorsk and Siversk.
Russia has increased its use of air defence missiles in a secondary ground attack mode because of critical shortages of dedicated ground-attack missiles.
Russian has almost certainly deployed S-300 and S-400 strategic air defence systems, designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long ranges, near Ukraine from the start of invasion.
These weapons have relatively small warheads, designed to destroy aircraft. They could pose a significant threat against troops in the open and light buildings but are unlikely to penetrate hardened structures.
There is a high chance of these weapons missing their intended targets and causing civilian casualties because the missiles they are not optimised for this role, and their crews will have little training for such missions.
Here is a little more detail on the grain export deal reportedly going ahead later today.
A statement on the website of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which was published late on Thursday, reads:
The signing ceremony of the grain shipment agreement will be held at the Dolmabahçe Office in in Istanbul at 16.30 tomorrow with the participation of the Ukrainian and Russian sides, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Ukrainian and Russian sides, President Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General Guterres will be present at the Grain Shipment Agreement signing ceremony to be held in Istanbul tomorrow.”
Zelenskiy hails potential to inflict ‘significant new losses’ on Moscow’s forces
Ukraine has the potential to inflict major losses on Russia and make gains on the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims.
Speaking in a late-night video address after meeting with senior military commanders, he said the group discussed the supply of modern weapons, adding the intensity of attacks on the Russians had to be stepped up.
We discussed the current situation on the frontline, around Ukraine. We defined tasks in some tactical areas to strengthen our positions. And we also thoroughly worked out the issue of providing the troops with the modern weapons – the intensity of attacks on the enemy still needs to be increased.
The participants of the staff meeting agreed that we have a significant potential for the advance of our forces on the front and for the infliction of significant new losses on the occupiers.”
Kyiv hopes that western weapons, especially longer-range missiles such as US Himars that Ukraine has deployed in recent weeks, will allow it to launch a counterattack and recapture territory.
“Every one of these Russian attacks is an argument for Ukraine to receive more Himars and other modern and effective weapons. Every one of these attacks only strengthens our desire to defeat the invaders and that will certainly happen.”
Russia will support Africa to “complete the process of decolonisation”, its foreign minister has said.
In statements released by Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs, Sergei Lavrov said Russia has always supported Africans “in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression”.
“We stand in solidarity with the demands to complete the process of decolonisation,” he added.
Deal to restart grain exports in Black Sea to be signed
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN secretary general, António Guterres, will sign a deal later today to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, the Turkish president’s office has said.
On Thursday night, the office of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said a general agreement was reached on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul last week and that it would now be put in writing by the parties. The details of the agreement were not immediately known. It is due to be signed later today at the Dolmabahce Palace offices at 14.30 GMT, Erdoğan’s office said.
Before last week’s talks, diplomats said details of the plan included Ukrainian vessels guiding grain ships in and out through mined port waters; Russia agreeing to a truce while shipments move; and Turkey – supported by the United Nations – inspecting ships to allay Russian fears of weapon smuggling.
The UN and Turkey have been working for two months to broker what Guterres called a “package” deal – to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports and facilitate Russian grain and fertiliser shipments.
Ukraine appeared to sound a note of caution over the deal on Thursday night. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko told Reuters:
In summary, a document may be signed which will bind the sides to (ensure) safe functioning of export routes in the Black Sea.”
Nikolenko said the Ukrainian delegation at the talks would only support decisions that would guarantee the safety of Ukraine’s southern regions, “strong positions” of Ukraine’s armed forces in the Black Sea, and safe exports of Ukrainian agricultural produce.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while.
It is 8am in Kyiv and here is where things stand:
- A deal to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports is expected to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations on Friday. The agreement will be put in writing by the parties and signed at the Dolmabahce Palace offices at 1.30pm GMT, the office of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, added: “In summary, a document may be signed which will bind the sides to [ensure] safe functioning of export routes in the Black Sea.”
- The US said it would hold Russia accountable for implementing the deal. A state department spokesperson, Ned Price, accused Russia of weaponising food, saying: “What will really matter is the implementation of this agreement. We will, of course, continue to work with our partners to hold Russia accountable for its implementation.”
- Russia is “about to run out of steam” and take an operational pause, offering Ukraine the chance to strike back, the head of UK intelligence said. “I think our assessment is that the Russians will increasingly find it difficult to supply manpower material over the next few weeks,” said Richard Moore, the MI6 chief. “They will have to pause in some way, and that will give the Ukrainians opportunities to strike back.” Moore also said half of all the Russian spies operating under diplomatic cover around Europe, totalling about 400, had been expelled since the start of the war in Ukraine.
- Germany’s economics minister announced a new wave of emergency measures to cut the country’s consumption of gas after flows from Russia through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline resumed at reduced levels following a scheduled shutdown.
- An EU proposal that member countries cut gas use by 15% to prepare for possible supply cuts from Russia is facing resistance from governments, throwing into doubt whether they will approve the emergency plan.
- Britain will send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said on Thursday. He said Britain would also provide counter-battery radar systems, hundreds of drones and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition.
- Ukraine has called for an international tribunal to bring Vladimir Putin to justice more quickly. Trying Russia separately for the act of aggression, with international participation, would speed up its quest to hold the Russian president and his inner circle accountable, officials said. “We hope to have the indictment within three months,” Andriy Smyrnov, Ukraine’s deputy head of the presidential administration, said.
- The Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko, said the war must be stopped in order to avoid the “abyss of nuclear war” and insisted Ukraine accept Russia’s demands. “There’s no need to go further. Further lies the abyss of nuclear war,” he told AFP. Lukashenko also accused the west of seeking a conflict with Russia and of provoking the war. “If Russia had not got ahead of you, members of Nato, you would have organised and struck a blow against it,” he said.
- Russian proxies in the Russian-occupied territory of Donbas have been confiscating documents from forcibly mobilised troops, according to Ukrainian military chiefs. Russian proxies have reportedly been stripping personal documents from residents in attempts to force them to fight against Ukraine and making it impossible for forcibly mobilised troops to desert or identify those who have been killed, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said.
- The UK National Crime Agency has called for more funding to tackle Russian kleptocracy. The NCA said the UK had been slower to seize sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ assets than the US because it could not rely on the same “substantial level of investment” that Washington had poured into tackling international corruption and sanctions-busting.
- What could be a priceless Fabergé egg has been found onboard a Russian oligarch’s superyacht seized by US authorities. US deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco told the Aspen security forum on Wednesday it was one of the more “interesting” finds her team had made.
