Ukraine

Invasion was Putin's plan 'all along', says Blinken … Downing Street insiders questioned under caution … stunning Roman mosaic found in London.

The Mirror agrees, saying “Get dirty Russian money out of UK now” and calls UK sanctions “feeble”. The Metro says “We’ll grab him by the roubles” – it carries a hint of discontent at the extent of the sanctions but is broadly positive about the “first barrage” of measures. The Mail takes a more visceral approach with “Twisted Putin is ready for bloodshed”. It notes Russian tank movements and says 100 Nato jets are on alert. The Telegraph gives the US president the headline – “Putin is invading and will go much further, says Biden” – and Johnson the main image. The Times says “West imposes sanctions as Biden warns of war” and carries an image of Russian troops and tanks in the Rostov region, close to the border with Ukraine. The Express demands “Punish Putin harder now” urging Boris Johnson to squeeze 150 Russian oligarchs. The Guardian focuses on the latest developments abroad, with the headline “War threat grows as Putin backs Ukraine proxy states” and a huge image of Russian tanks ploughing through the mud close to Ukraine’s border. A spokesperson for the health department said the NHS was employing record numbers of staff and was “focused on securing even more staff”. Wales have been warned to expect a fast and furious welcome from England at Twickenham on Saturday in a game the home team are billing as a knockout eliminator. Petrol prices could reach 150p a litre in Britain this week after the worsening tension in Ukraine added fresh pressure to the cost of living crisis facing households. Dating from the late second to early third century, the flowers and geometric patterns were a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime find, said Antonietta Lerz, of the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola). Thomas Tuchel says Romelu Lukaku was dropped from Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Lille in order to take him out of the firing line after a torrid afternoon at Crystal Palace in which he touched the ball only seven times. Young turn inward – Happiness and confidence among Britain’s 16- to 25-year-olds is at a 13-year low, according to research exposing the impact of Covid. Forty per cent of young people report being anxious about socialising with others and 35% say they have never felt more alone, the Prince’s Trust reports. From Kyiv, Emma Graham-Harrison writes that nearly a decade of war has left Ukraine with about half a million combat-experienced veterans, many of whom are preparing to fight again.

Last night, President Putin flagrantly violated the Minsk peace agreements by recognising the supposed independence of the so-called “People's Republics” of ...

And it is precisely because the stakes are so high that Putin’s venture in Ukraine must fail, must ultimately fail and be seen to fail. That will require the perseverance, the unity and the resolve of the entire Western alliance, and Britain will do everything possible to ensure that that unity is maintained. And now the UK and our allies will begin to impose the sanctions on Russia that we have already prepared, using the new and unprecedented powers granted by this House to sanction Russian individuals and entities of strategic importance to the Kremlin. This is the first tranche, the first barrage, of what we are prepared to do: we will hold further sanctions at readiness, to be deployed alongside the United States and the European Union if the situation escalates still further. And I will tell the house, we will not give up: we will continue to seek a diplomatic solution until the last possible second, but we have to face the possibility that none of our messages has been heeded and Putin is implacably determined to go further in subjugating and tormenting Ukraine. And it is because we suspected as much that the UK and our allies repeatedly sounded the alarm about a possible new invasion, and we disclosed much of what we knew about Russia’s military build-up.

"We've cut off Russia's government from Western financing," Mr Biden said. It came after Russian politicians authorised President Vladimir Putin to send troops ...

The EU's response also targets 27 individuals and entities involved in the decision. Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine have seized large swathes of territory since fierce fighting broke out in 2014. Western nations largely see the action as a pretext for a wider invasion. Announcing his "first tranche" of measures directly targeting the Russian state, Mr Biden said on Tuesday: "To put it simply, Russia just announced that it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine." On Monday Mr Putin ordered soldiers into the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions, to "keep the peace" - a description the US called "nonsense". The US has hit Russia with wide-ranging sanctions over what President Joe Biden called "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine".

Prime minister Scott Morrison says Australia 'always stands up to bullies' and there 'must be consequences for Russia's actions'

He said the Russian government “should be called out as thugs and bullies”. The US president, Joe Biden, said he was determined to “cut off Russia’s government from western financing”. “Calling it peacekeeping is quite farcical. It is anything but. “Australians always stand up to bullies,” he said. Senior Labor opposition frontbenchers were briefed by senior officials on Wednesday afternoon.

UK Minister James Cleverly condemns President Putin's decision to recognise so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and calls out Russia for ...

We commend the restraint of the Ukrainians on the line of control in the face of Russia’s provocations and aggression. And Mr Chairman I request that this statement be attached to the journal of the day. And we will stand by the people of Ukraine. I call on other participating States to do likewise. This is not the first time Russia has invaded Donbas. Let no-one be fooled: it follows a military intervention in 2014, and eight years of barely disguised Russian control over these territories. Ukraine has pursued diplomacy through the Normandy Format and the Trilateral Contact Group. It has enabled the Special Monitoring Mission to carry out its work, unlike Russia’s proxies who systematically attempt to restrict the Mission’s movement. Every step of the way, Russia has lied, obfuscated and delayed.

Biden denounces Putin's recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as 'so-called countries' and unveils new sanctions.

“We need to promptly replenish the Ukrainian army and other military formations,” he said. The US imposed targeted sanctions on members of the Moscow elite and their families. As Russia abandons diplomacy as a tool for resolving the conflict, Ukraine has no choice but to prepare to defend its territory,” said Bohdan Yaremenko, an MP and member of parliament’s foreign policy committee. The government in Kyiv is unlikely to accept any of Putin’s ultimatums, which would involve surrendering a large swath of territory. The UK, US and EU made it clear they were prepared to escalate sanctions in line with Russian actions.k And the constitution prescribes the borders within the Donetsk and Luhansk regions at the time when they were part of Ukraine,” Putin said.