Live blog: Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, Biden vows

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Speaking a day after his surprise trip to the Ukrainian capital, US President Joe Biden has said Ukraine would "never be a victory for Russia" as he delivered a speech in Poland ahead of the first anniversary of Moscow's offensive.

"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease the people's love of liberty, brutality will never grind down the will of the free," he said in Warsaw.

"Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia - never," Biden told the crowd of several thousand people gathered outside the Royal Castle. "Kiev stands strong, Kiev stands proud, it stands tall and most importantly it stands free".

"There should be no doubt: our support for Ukraine will not waver, NATO will not be divided and we will not tire," Biden told a crowd gathered outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

He added that the US and its partners will announce more sanctions against Russia this week over what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Biden also responded to an anti-West speech made by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier, saying: "The West is not plotting to attack Russia as Putin said today."

Following are the latest updates:

1756 GMT - 'Lengthy war in Ukraine heightens nuclear risk'

The longer Russia's war in Ukraine grinds on, the greater the nuclear strike risk, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has warned.

The head of the Nobel Prize-winning ICAN voiced alarm at the veiled threats from the Kremlin to unleash nuclear weapons, as Russian President Putin decided to suspend Moscow's participation in a nuclear arms treaty with Washington.

"The risk of the use of nuclear weapons is increasing as a result of this war," ICAN's interim executive director Daniel Hogsta told the UN correspondents' association.

1745 GMT - Meloni: Ukraine surrender cannot be real peace

Any peace that entails the surrender of Ukraine to Russian forces "cannot be a real peace," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said after talks in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking in a news conference alongside Zelenskyy, Meloni said the defeat of Ukraine also risks leading to the invasion of other European states, and pledged continued Italian military support for Kiev.

Meloni added that Italy was considering sending more air defence systems beyond the SAMP/T-MAMBA on which it has worked with France, however also adding that the supply of military planes to Ukraine "is not on the table".

1719 GMT - US Treasury underscores commitment to long-term support for Ukraine

The United States is still hoping for a quick end to Russia's war in Ukraine, but stands ready to support Ukraine over the long term, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has told Reuters news agency, when asked if Ukraine faced a "long war."

Adeyemo, speaking after a think tank event, said it was important to support Ukraine's sovereignty to make clear that the actions of Putin in invading a country that looked weaker was unacceptable, and Washington would stay engaged over the long term.

He declined to comment on the volume of a possible International Monetary Fund lending agreement with Ukraine, but said the IMF's participation was important because it demonstrated the international community's commitment to long-term support for the country.

1701 GMT - US has given Ukraine $30B worth of weapons

The US has provided Ukraine with nearly $30 billion in military assistance since Russia began its war against its western neighbour one year ago, according to data reviewed by Anadolu Agency.

The latest tranche, announced by Biden during his surprise visit to Kiev on Monday, is worth nearly half-a-billion dollars, and is earmarked for a wide range of equipment including artillery ammunition, radars, anti-personnel mines, and anti-tank weapons.

Total US assistance since the beginning of the war now stands at $29.8 billion, with $30.4 billion provided since Biden assumed office in January 2021. The breadth of US arms supplied to Ukraine has grown steadily over the course of the conflict to meet Kiev’s requirements.

1640 GMT - US, allies to announce further sanctions against Russia

US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has said Washington and its allies will announce further sanctions against Russia in the "coming days."

"A big piece of what we're going to do using sanctions is also go after the networks that are helping to facilitate evasion," Adeyemo said.

"So in the coming days, you'll see additional actions that we'll take not just here in the United States, but … in collaboration and coordination with our allies and partners around the world," he added. 

1525 GMT - G7 will keep up economic pressure over Russia's attack in Ukraine

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have announced their countries would continue to impose economic costs on Russia and urged the broader international community to reject what they described as Moscow's "brutal expansionism."

"We will impose further economic costs on Russia, and on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – that provide political or economic support to these violations of international law," the leaders said in a joint statement.

1441 GMT - Ukraine tells schools to study remotely, fearing anniversary attacks

Ukraine has told schools to hold classes remotely from February 22 to 24 because of the risk of Russian missile strikes around the first anniversary of Moscow's 2022 offensive.

Russia has carried out regular missile and drone strikes since October, and Kiev says Moscow could unleash a new barrage to mark Friday's anniversary.

The education ministry issued a statement saying it had made the recommendation to schools "to protect the lives and health of all participants in the educational process, as a preventive measure before the anniversary".

1437 GMT - Rouble weakens on sanctions fears as Putin issues nuclear warning

The rouble has weakened despite increased demand for the currency ahead of month-end tax payments as Putin delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine and sanctions fears continued to hurt Russian assets.

By 1425 GMT the rouble was 0.4 percent weaker against the dollar at 74.77, near to an almost 10-month low of 75.30 hit on Friday. The Russian currency had lost 0.2 percent to 79.81 versus the euro and was up 0.3 percent against the yuan at 10.84.

The rouble is usually in greater demand before month-end taxes are due on February 28, when exporters typically convert their foreign currency revenue. EU members are expected to approve the 10th package of sanctions against Russia this week.

1410 GMT - Zelenskyy: Russia mercilessly killing civilians in Kherson

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has blasted Russia for "mercilessly killing" civilians in Kherson as local officials reported at least six deaths following strikes on the southern city, while 12 others were wounded.

"A vehicle park, residential areas, a high-rise building, and a public transport stop were hit," Zelenskyy said.

Photographs posted online by Zelenskyy had earlier shown corpses lying in the street. Russia did not immediately comment on the events in Kherson, where the Ukrainian military said about 20 rockets were fired at the city.

Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation".

1216 GMT - Stoltenberg urges Russia not to suspend participation in START

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said he regretted Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the latest START bilateral nuclear arms control treaty and urged Moscow to reconsider.

During a joint press conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held shortly after Putin delivered a warning to the West over Ukraine, Stoltenberg said Russia was the aggressor.

"It is President Putin who started this imperial war of conquest ... As Putin made clear today, he's preparing for more war ... Putin must not win ... It would be dangerous for our own security and the whole world," Stoltenberg added.

1211 GMT - Russia denies giving safety guarantees before Biden's Kiev visit

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claims it had given no security guarantees to Biden after Washington informed Moscow in advance that he would be visiting Kiev.

"The United States did notify Russia about Biden's visit to Kiev through a diplomatic channel. We did not give guarantees of his safety," FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying.

Biden made a dramatic, unannounced visit to Kiev on Monday where he met Zelenskyy, who is seeking more weaponry as Ukraine gears up for a spring offensive against the Russians.

1145 GMT - Russia summons US ambassador over 'aggressive course'

Russia's Foreign Ministry has summoned US ambassador Lynne Tracy over what it called Washington's increasingly "aggressive course", accusing it of widening its involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

"In this regard, the ambassador was told that the current aggressive course of the United States to deepen confrontation with Russia in all areas is counterproductive," the foreign ministry said.

It also called on the United States to give an explanation over blasts that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines last year. 

1121 GMT - UN: Recorded civilian toll of 8,000 in Ukraine tip of the iceberg

More than 8,000 civilians have been recorded killed in Ukraine since Russia attacked nearly a year ago, the UN human rights office said, describing the figure as only the "tip of the iceberg".

"Our data are only the tip of the iceberg. The toll on civilians is unbearable," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement. Around 90 percent of the victims were killed by explosive weapons according to the UN.

Matilda Bogner, head of the United Nations Human Rights Mission in Ukraine, said it believes thousands of civilian deaths remained to be counted, many of them in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, now under Russian control.

Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation".

1100 GMT - Putin blames West, defends Ukraine war in major speech

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Western countries of igniting and sustaining the war in Ukraine, dismissing any blame for Moscow almost a year after the war began.

In his state-of-the-nation address, Putin cast Russia — and Ukraine — as victims of Western double-dealing and said Russia, not Ukraine, was the one fighting for its very existence.

“We aren’t fighting the Ukrainian people,” Putin said in a speech days before the war’s first anniversary on Friday. Ukraine “has become hostage of the Kiev regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country.”

Putin also welcomed what he said was a long-overdue structural transformation of the Russian economy as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and called on Russian companies, locked out of Western economies, to start investing more at home.

1050 GMT — Ukrainian presidential aide says Putin lost touch with reality

Putin's speech to Russia's political and military elite showed he has lost touch with reality, a senior aide to Ukraine's president has said.

"He is in a completely different reality, where there is no opportunity to conduct a dialogue about justice and international law," Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Zelenskyy, told Reuters.

1036 GMT — EU countries mull curbing Russia sanctions dodging via trade tools, access to EU market

Twelve countries have been calling on the European Union to stop companies and third countries from circumventing EU sanctions on Russia by using trade with the 27-nation bloc and access to the European single market as leverage, a document showed.

The document was prepared by Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Spain and The Netherlands for talks of representatives of EU governments who are discussing their 10th sanctions package against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

1017 GMT — US slams 'absurdity' of Putin's anti-West speech

A top US official has described Putin’s accusations that Russia had been threatened by the West as justification for attacking Ukraine as "absurdity."

"Nobody is attacking Russia. There's a kind of absurdity in the notion that Russia was under some form of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.

1004 GMT — Italy's prime minister arrives in Kiev

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has arrived in Kiev on Tuesday, her spokesman told AFP news agency, where she is expected to hold talks with Zelenskyy.

Meloni, who took office in October, has repeatedly expressed a desire to visit Ukraine to demonstrate her government's support following Russia's military campaign almost exactly one year ago.

1003 GMT — Russian attack on Ukraine 'strategic failure': US

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called Russia's attacks on Ukraine a "strategic failure" as Putin vowed to "systematically" continue the offensive that began almost a year ago.

"One year after President Putin attacked Ukraine. It's clear that his war has been a strategic failure in every way," Blinken said in Athens at the close of a five-day trip to the region.

"No one wanted this war. No one likes this war. Everyone wants it to end as quickly as possible," Blinken said. "If we allow this to go forward with impunity, then we will open a Pandora's box around the world where might makes right."

0928 GMT — Netanyahu deputy urges Israel to help defend Ukraine against Russian 'terrorism'

A senior lawmaker from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party has called for the country to stop "fence-sitting" on Ukraine and provide it with military defences against Russia, which he accused of "terrorism".

The remarks by Yuli Edelstein, head of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, were welcomed by Kiev but met no immediate response from Netanyahu.

"We must no longer sit on the fence," Edelstein tweeted after he and an Israeli opposition lawmaker, Zeev Elkin, met Zelenskyy in Kiev.

0930 GMT — More than 8,000 civilians killed since Russia attacked Ukraine: UN

More than 8,000 civilians have been killed since Russian offensive began in Ukraine nearly a year ago, the UN Human Rights Office said.

The new toll represents a significant upward revision from the previous tally of 7,199 killed since February 24, the UN report said. Around 90 percent of the victims were killed by explosive weapons, it added.

The UN human rights mission in Ukraine, which has dozens of monitors in the country, said it expects the real toll to be "considerably higher" than the official tally since corroboration work is ongoing. 

0727 GMT — Italy's Meloni heads to Kiev

Meloni has been travelling to Kiev for talks with Zelenskyy, local media reported.

NATO member Italy has provided cash and weapons to help Ukraine, and earlier this month agreed to send mobile surface-to-air missile systems that it has jointly developed with France.

"We have provided financial, military, humanitarian and civilian support" to Kiev "and Ukraine can certainly count on Italy because we have shown since the start... that we were here (for Kiev) and we will continue to be here," Meloni said at a press conference in Warsaw on Monday.

0621 GMT — Putin to update Russia's elite on Ukraine war in major speech

President Vladimir Putin will focus on what he casts as the "special military operation" in Ukraine, give his analysis of the international situation and outline his vision of Russia's development after the West slapped on the severest sanctions in recent history.

"At such a crucial and very complicated juncture in our development, our lives, everyone is waiting for a message in the hope of hearing an assessment of what is happening, an assessment of the special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television.

The speech, to members of both houses of parliament and to military commanders and soldiers, is due to begin at 0900 GMT in central Moscow.

0543 GMT — Russian court hands down first sabotage verdict since start or Ukraine war

A Russian court has sentenced two people to three-and-a-half years for plotting to sabotage the railway in a region bordering Ukraine, the first convictions for sabotage since the war began.

"According to the criminal intent, such actions would have led to derailment, damage to military and railway equipment, casualties among servicemen," Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited an unidentified source at the court in the Belgorod region as saying.

TASS identified the two by their last names but gave no more details about them.

0508GMT — EU plans to finance weapons for Ukraine via its own budget: FT

The European Commission is exploring to leverage the bloc's budget to provide down-payments to arms manufacturers in order to incentivise increased production, the Financial times has reported, citing people briefed on the plans.

0500 GMT — HRW says Russian attack on Ukraine station a 'war crime'

Human Rights Watch has accused Russia of committing a "war crime" with a missile attack that killed some 60 fleeing civilians at a railway station in eastern Ukraine.

The attack on the Kramatorsk train station in April is one of the deadliest targeting civilians since Russia began attacking Ukraine on February 24 last year.

Russia has denied responsibility.

"The attack was a violation of the laws of war and an apparent war crime," it said after an HRW team visited Kramatorsk and studied relevant photo, video and satellite imagery.

0436 GMT —  China seeking role in Ukraine peace settlement

The foreign minister of China, which has provided strong political backing for Russia during its military operations against Ukraine, has said his country wants to play a role in ending the conflict.

Qin Gang told participants at a security conference in Beijing that China was concerned the almost year-long war could escalate further and spin “out of control.”

China would continue to urge peace talks and provide “Chinese wisdom” to bring about a political settlement, he said.

China and Russia have aligned their foreign policies to oppose the U.S. and, weeks before the Ukraine conflict, their leaders declared a partnership with “no limits.” China also says Russia was provoked into using military force by NATO's eastward expansion.

In recent days, China has been accused by the US of trying to send arms to Russia for its war with Ukraine. But a spokesman from Germany said they have not seen information to support that claim.

0010 GMT — Biden arrives in Poland after his surprise trip to Kiev

US President Joe Biden has landed in the Polish capital Warsaw, Polish television footage showed, after making a surprise visit to Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday Biden walked around Ukraine's capital Kiev on an unannounced visit, promising to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes, on a trip timed to upstage the Kremlin ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's military campaign. 

0005 GMT — World order depends on events in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

A world order based on rules and humanity depends on how events play out in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on Monday.

"It is right now and here in Ukraine that the future of a world order based on rules, humanity and predictability is being decided," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, delivered after a surprise visit to Kiev by Biden.

Zelenskyy said defence and other needs for putting an end to Russian aggression this year were already well known, including by Ukraine's partners.

"All it takes is resolve," he said.

"Today, I saw such resolve from President Biden and the United States of America." 

0000 GMT — NATO chief Stoltenberg to visit Poland

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Poland on February 22.

He will attend the B-9 Summit being hosted by Polish President Andrzej Duda, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu confirmed on Twitter on Monday.

US President Joe Biden also will attend the summit.

Biden was initially scheduled to visit Poland on Monday, but he arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced, but widely speculated, trip earlier today.

Biden met Zelenskyy in Kiev and announced an additional $500 million military aid package for Ukraine.

His visit came two months after Zelenskyy travelled to Washington to meet Biden at the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

For our live updates from Monday (February 20), click here