Ukraine 'ready to negotiate on Crimea' if counter-offensive succeeds

A Ukrainian soldier is seen on an artillery gun - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu — A Ukrainian soldier is seen on an artillery gun – Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

Ukraine is reportedly willing to discuss the future of Crimea with Moscow if its forces reach the border of the peninsula.

Andriy Sybiha, an adviser to Volodymr Zelensky, told the Financial Times: “If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open [a] diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” he said, in reference to Kyiv’s long-planned counteroffensive.

The comments are the strongest yet from Ukraine in terms of their willingness to enter into negotiations with Russia since talks with the Kremlin broke down last April.

He added: “It doesn’t mean that we exclude the way of liberation [of Crimea] by our army.”

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08:26 AM

Western Europe’s strongest artillery and a huge reserve army: What Finland brings to Nato

Finland formally became the 31st member of Nato this week, ditching decades of non-alignment to join the military alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The country has spent decades building and maintaining a fighting force to guard its 832 mile frontier with Russia and deter any invasion.

With hundreds of tanks, dozens of aircraft and the ability to call on large numbers of reservists, the Finnish military has long been one of the most powerful in Europe and is now one of the most capable in Nato.

Read more from Matthew Day here

08:12 AM

Pictured: A Ukrainian serviceman of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade fires a 120mm mortar

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade fires a 120mm mortar - GENYA SAVILOV/AFP — A Ukrainian serviceman of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade fires a 120mm mortar – GENYA SAVILOV/AFP

08:06 AM

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08:05 AM

Explosions rock Melitopol as Russia warns of Ukraine counter-attack

Several explosions shook an occupied Ukrainian city regarded as the “Gateway to Crimea” on Wednesday, as Russian collaborators warned Ukraine’s spring offensive could begin imminently.

The ousted Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, reported blasts in the “northern and western sectors” of the city on Wednesday, but did not give any more details.

“Collaborators of the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region have sounded the alarm,” said Ivan Fedorov. “It turns out that the orcs are abandoning ‘their own’.”

Read the full story from James Kilner here

08:04 AM

Macron and von der Leyen to press China’s Xi on Ukraine

French and EU leaders will on Thursday seek to make Europe’s case for bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine in a Beijing meeting with Xi Jinping.

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will be greeted on Thursday afternoon by the Chinese president at the Great Hall of the People, the heart of power in the capital.

Western pressure is mounting on China to take a more active role in the peace process in Ukraine – though Beijing is officially neutral, Mr Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion.

While he recently went to Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Putin – framed as an anti-Western front – Mr Xi has not even spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Macron, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day state visit, said he wants to “be a voice that unites Europe” over Ukraine, and that coming to China with Von der Leyen serves to “underline the consistency of this approach”