Putin attacks Ukraine port after Moscow accused of lying over Black Sea ceasefire

Defence Secretary John Healey says he’s “proud” of the UK’s main position in constructing a ‘coalition of the prepared’ to assist Ukraine.

Mr Healey was requested about US particular envoy Steve Witkoff’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, after Mr Witkoff dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s plans for a peacekeeping drive as being primarily based on a “simplistic” concept.

Talking on BBC Radio 4’s At present programme, Mr Healey mentioned: “I am proud that the UK, alongside France, is main the coalition of the prepared, prepared to face by Ukraine within the occasion of a negotiated peace simply as now we have by the conflict.

“And we’re responding to the US problem to European nations just like the UK to do extra to assist Ukraine.

“We’re responding to the requirement of Ukraine to say, ‘look, post-ceasefire, what are the safety preparations that give us the arrogance that any negotiated peace will, as President Trump has mentioned, be a sturdy peace’.

“That is what we’re getting ready for: the success of the negotiations we have seen, long term, in Saudi Arabia, however the way forward for Ukraine as an impartial sovereign nation that has been preventing so arduous for its future over the past three years towards Putin’s unlawful invasion.”

Whereas Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned he would instantly observe the ceasefire, Russia mentioned they’d solely halt motion if sure situations together with the lifting of sanctions was met.

In a single day, Russia launched a drone assault on town of Mykolaiv, a key Black Sea port.

Oleksandr Vilkul, the pinnacle of the navy administration, described it as the most important drone assault on town because the conflict started.

“Apparently, that is how the occupiers ‘need peace’,” he wrote on telegram.

However as world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes from Odesa, Ukraine has been beating Russia in the Black Sea – which has been essential in getting Vladimir Putin to the negotiating desk.

World Affairs Editor Similar Kiley has frolicked with the Ukrainians preventing Russia on the Black Sea. Watch right here:

Ukrainians have paid respects to a volunteer medic, Oleksandr “Bohushâ” Oliynyk, who was reportedly killed in service.

Russia’s international minister says the US might want to implement the brand new deal permitting cargo ships to go by the Black Sea.

“We’ll want clear ensures,” Sergei Lavrov informed the Russian state Channel One tv.

“And given the unhappy expertise of agreements with simply Kyiv, the ensures can solely be the results of an order from Washington to Zelensky and his workforce to do one factor and never the opposite.”

Mr Lavrov mentioned Russia needed this not solely to have the ability to make a revenue however to additionally assist enhance meals safety in Africa and the World South.

“We would like the grain and fertiliser market to be predictable, in order that nobody tries to ‘ward us off’ from it,” he mentioned.

Ukraine’s President has welcomed the progress on a ceasefire however says Russia’s actions over the following few days will present the world whether or not the Kremlin is severe about peace.

Volodymyr Zelensky warned that any motion taken by Russia to go towards the brand new settlement to cease focusing on ships within the Black Sea needs to be met with drive.

“How Russia behaves within the coming days will reveal so much – if not the whole lot. If there are air raid alerts once more, if there may be renewed navy exercise within the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats proceed – then new measures will have to be taken, particularly towards Moscow,” he mentioned in his nightly video.

The president mentioned Russia was already “actively deceiving” mediators and mendacity about its actions.

“Moscow at all times lies. And it will depend on the world – on all those that really want peace – whether or not Moscow shall be allowed to lie once more,” Mr Zelensky mentioned.

“We in Ukraine will do the whole lot to make sure that the agreements work out and that there are not any strikes. However the Russians should know and should realise: in the event that they perform strikes, they are going to face a powerful response and they’ll bear the duty.

Mr Zelensky identified that Ukraine had come to a 30-day ceasefire settlement, however it was Russia that refused to simply accept it.

“It’s Russia’s stance that’s prolonging this conflict,” he mentioned.

Ukraine’s navy says it shot down 56 of the 117 Russian drones that have been deployed throughout the preventing fronts.

The Basic Workers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mentioned the drones got here from a number of completely different instructions, together with Kursk and Crimea

The Ukrainian military mentioned it efficiently shot down 56 of the drones within the south, north, east and centre of Ukraine. An additional 48 drones have been misplaced, however Ukraine mentioned no consequential harm was prompted.

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “manipulation” after Moscow mentioned it might solely conform to cease firing on ships within the Black Sea if different situations are met.

The US mentioned earlier on Tuesday that it had secured separate agreements from each Ukraine and Russia to a truce that might shield key delivery routes.

However the Kremlin has now mentioned the settlement won’t come into impact until Russia receives sanctions aid first, and the hyperlinks between some Russian banks and the worldwide monetary system are restored.

Mr Zelensky has mentioned his understanding was that the truce agreements didn’t require sanctions aid to come back into drive and would take impact instantly, calling the Kremlin’s assertion an try and “manipulate” the offers.

As one of many first steps to ending the conflict in Ukraine, members of the US delegation have sought to have Moscow and Kyiv halt their assaults on one another’s power services and property within the Black Sea.

However it’s nonetheless not instantly clear when both settlement will take impact.

“They’re already making an attempt to distort agreements and, the truth is, deceive each our intermediaries and your complete world,” Mr Zelensky mentioned in his nightly video handle.

“How Russia behaves within the coming days will reveal so much – if not the whole lot. If there are air raid alerts once more, if there may be renewed navy exercise within the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats proceed – then new measures will have to be taken, particularly towards Moscow,” he mentioned.

Russia launched an in a single day drone assault on the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv that gives the war-hit nation with entry to the Black Sea, officers mentioned.

The mayor of Mykolaiv mentioned there have been emergency energy outages early right now within the metropolis, following a report by the area’s governor that seven drones have been destroyed in a single day over the area.

It was not instantly clear whether or not the facility cuts have been precautionary or a results of the in a single day assault on Mykolaiv.

Russia additionally attacked Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih in a single day, in an assault which sparked fires and broken buildings however prompted no deaths, the pinnacle of town’s navy administration mentioned.

“Apparently, that is how the occupiers ‘need peace’,” wrote Oleksandr Vilkul, the pinnacle of the navy administration, on Telegram.

He described it as the most important drone assault on town because the conflict started.

“Most significantly, there have been no deaths or accidents.”