Putin launches fresh wave of deadly strikes on Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelensky is returning to Ukraine today with new defence packages for frontline troops collected across his foreign visits with allies.

“Italy, Germany, France, Great Britain… We are returning home with new defence packages. More new and powerful weapons for the frontline, more protection for our people from terror, more political support,” he said.

Mr Zelensky added: “At all the meetings we discussed our Peace Formula, and now there is more willingness of our partners to follow the formula. There is more support for our accession to the EU, more understanding that Ukraine’s accession to Nato is inevitable.”

Officials say Kyiv has been hit with an unusually large barrage of Russian strikes overnight, with a combination of drones, cruise and likely ballistic missiles fired at the Ukrainian capital from multiple directions.

“It was exceptional in its density – the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said in comments on Telegram.

“According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed.”

Several explosions rocked Kyiv in the early hours today killing three people, officials said.

“Explosions in Kyiv. A few – in the Solomyan district. And in Shevchenkivskyi, on the territory of the zoo, rocket debris fell. All services go to places,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

There are three victims in Solomyan district in Kyiv, he said, adding that there were no casualties in Obolonskyi, where the debris fell.

“Several cars caught fire in the Solomyansk district as a result of falling rocket debris. The damaged building with an area of ​​200 square meters. Rescuers are working on the spot. The victims have not been identified so far,” the mayor said on Telegram.

For nearly a week, the whereabouts of Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko have been a mystery.

The 68-year-old was last seen in public at a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square, looking pale and bloated, and he skipped a celebratory breakfast in the Kremlin to fly home. Later that day, he appeared at a similar event in his capital of Minsk to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but then skipped other scheduled appearances for days, feeding speculation on social media about his health.

On Monday, the state news agency Belta reported Lukashenko inspected an air force installation and a photo was posted to the presidential website showing him standing stiffly in a military jacket, taking a salute from an officer.

The intent of the photo was clear -– to dispel rumours and reports that Lukashenko was seriously ill — although a bandage was wrapped on his left hand. On May 9 in Red Square, his right hand was bandaged.

The man who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades has been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowing the Kremlin to use his country as a staging ground for its war in neighbouring Ukraine, although he has stopped short of committing his troops to the conflict.

A Chinese envoy was preparing Monday to visit Ukraine and Russia, but there appeared to be little chance of a breakthrough to end the 15-month-long invasion.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it is neutral and wants to play a role as mediator, but has given Moscow political support. Beijing released a proposed peace plan in February, but that was largely dismissed by Ukraine’s allies, who insist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces must withdraw.

Li Hui, a former ambassador to Moscow, also will visit Poland, France and Germany, according to the foreign ministry. It gave no other schedule details.

Political analysts see little hope for a peace agreement because neither Ukraine nor Russia is ready to stop fighting. They say by sending an envoy, China appears to be trying to neutralize criticism of its friendship with Putin and to split European allies away from Washington.

Liz Truss branded China “the largest threat that we face to the free world” as she accused the UK along with other western countries of being “too dependent” on Beijing.

Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister – who was widely expected to adopt a more hawkish stance towards the nation during her premiership – warned against capitulating to “rhetorical bullying from authoritarian regimes”.

Appearing at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit ahead of a high-profile visit to Taiwan, Ms Truss said: “There’s no doubt that the entire western world including the United States, including Europe, including the UK, has become too dependent on China, and that’s a problem because it’s given China leverage over us, and it’s also a problem economically.

Ms Truss said the issue of Beijing was also “inherently linked” to the war in Ukraine, drawing parallels between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The Ukrainian president met his “friend”, the prime minister, as part of a trip around Europe pressing western allies for more military aid.

Mr Sunak welcomed Mr Zelensky to country retreat Chequers – the first time he has hosted a visiting leader at the Buckinghamshire mansion – before the two leaders held talks.

The two leaders had discussed western fighter jets, Mr Zelensky said, and he anticipated “very important decisions” to be made soon. It came as No 10 said Britain would send hundreds of air defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems to the war-torn country.

Russia could use chemical weapons if Ukraine’s counter-offensive is successful in regaining territory, MPs have heard.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK is “very much on our guard about what happens next” after concerns were raised that Russian President Vladimir Putin may “turn ugly” and resort to using non-conventional weapons systems in Ukraine.

Mr Wallace pointed to the use of chemical weapons by Russia in Syria and the Russian-state Salisbury poisonings in 2018.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, welcomed the visit of Volodymyr Zelensky to the UK on Monday and noted there is a “warm relationship” developing between the Ukrainian president and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr Ellwood asked if “fast jets” would be the next military equipment given to Ukraine, adding in the Commons: “There’s much talk of a counter-offensive.

“We’ve got to focus on Ukraine, but we also need to focus on the threat from China,” the former prime minister said, speaking at a democracy summit in Copenhagen on Monday 15 May.

“If we take our eye off the ball on China, we’ll be facing a very, very serious problem down the road.”

The White House on Monday said that Russia is looking to buy additional advanced attack drones from Iran for use in the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine after using up most of the 400 drones it had previously purchased from Tehran.

The Biden administration last year publicised satellite imagery and intelligence findings that it said indicated Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia. For months, officials have publicly stated that the United States believed Iran was considering selling hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, but Washington did not have evidence a deal was consummated.

“Iran also continues to provide Russia with one-way attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Since August, Iran has provided Russia with more than 400 UAVs primarily of the Shahed variety,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

“Russia has expended most of these UAVs, using them to target Ukrainian critical infrastructure inside Ukraine. By providing Russia with these UAVs, Iran has been directly enabling Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters.