Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia vowed Tuesday to capture the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the epicentre of fierce fighting for months, as a precursor for offensives deeper into eastern Ukraine.

Kiev’s troops on the ground are reportedly concerned that the government is clinging to a key Donbass city

Ambiguity has held Kyiv’s allies together so far – but it will divide them when the conflict’s final stages approach.
 

Yevgeny Prigozhin says his troops are fighting against old men and children in besieged eastern Ukraine town

Ukraine war overshadows gathering of top diplomats, with Russia and China rejecting a collective condemnation of the invasion

The U.S. and Germany have warned China not to deliver weapons to Russia. According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, however, Beijing and Moscow are said to be negotiating the purchase of 100 strike drones, which could be delivered as soon as April.

Moldova is the most affected country after Ukraine (by) the war.

Without arms control, the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals could double in size, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to meet China's leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing's proposals on ending the war in Ukraine.

Moldova's leaders have rejected Russian claims that Ukraine is planning to attack the country's breakaway pro-Russian territory, and called for calm.

The US has marked a year since Russia invaded Ukraine by announcing a new range of sanctions against Russia and new military aid for Ukraine.

On eve of Ukraine invasion anniversary Russian leader says China relations ‘proceeding as planned’

• Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of wanting to wipe out Russia and issued a veiled nuclear threat in a landmark address to the nation.

Civilians in Donbass suffered while Kiev’s backers pretended they wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, the Russian president claimed

Unannounced visit made ahead of 1st anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

• Streets were blocked off in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as a high-security operation swung into action.

The US president has previously ruled out such a visit, saying he will travel to Poland but would not go further

China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said.

Ukraine dominated the annual gathering, with Western leaders pledging to do more to fight Russia.

Paris stands firmly against “attacking Russia on its own soil,” the French leader stated