Ukraine news - live: Russia destroying Sievierodonetsk ‘block by block’, says mayor

Russian troops are destroying the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk “ruthlessly block by block”, its mayor has said.

The Kremlin’s forces have recently intensified their attacks on the city, which is located by the strategically-important Siverskiy Donetsk river. Russian soldiers are now thought to occupy between a third and a half of Sievierodonetsk, the largest city in Luhansk province not to be fully controlled by Moscow.

“Civilians are dying from direct strikes, from fragmentation wounds and under the rubble of destroyed buildings, since most of the inhabitants are hiding in basements and shelters,” its mayor Oleksandr Striuk told the Associated Press news agency.

Meanwhile, Professor Michael Clarke, a top defence expert at the London School of Economics, said Sievierodonetsk is “turning into another Mariupol”, the southeastern city that was flattened by Russian shelling. As many as 15,000 of its 100,000 pre-war population remain trapped inside the city, he added.

Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 90 per cent of Sievierodonetsk buildings have been damaged by Russian bombardment.

This comes as Ukraine has started to prosecute 80 Russians accused of war crimes, with Kyiv’s top prosecutor saying her office had identified more than 600 suspects in total.

Key Points

• Sievierodonetsk mayor says Russia destroying city ‘block by block’

• Russian army ‘on brink of collapse'

• EU leaders agree on partial embargo on Russian oil

• Zelensky decries ‘unacceptable’ delay of latest EU sanctions

• Russia says it ‘will find other importers’ after EU oil ban

ICYMI: Russian state TV claims Nato has started ‘World War 3’ over Ukraine war

08:34 , Zoe Tidman

A prominent Russian state television presenter has claimed World War III has already begun due to western arms support for Ukraine, Liam James reports.

Rossiya 1 presenter Olga Skabeyeva said Russia’s so-called special military operation in Ukraine was over and “a real war has started, World War III”.

Russian state TV claims Nato has started ‘World War 3’

Russia ‘set for deepest recession since Soviet Union collapse'

08:01 , Zoe Tidman

Russia is reportedly set for its deepest recession since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The country is facing a growing number of sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, with the European Union dealing a further blow this week as it vowed to ban nearly all oil imports.

Moscow’s economy looks set to face a £256bn hit from sanctions, with GDP shrinking 15 per cent this year, according to The Telegraph.

Long-range missile strikes and ‘tightly focused’ ground operations

07:34 , Zoe Tidman

Here is the UK’s latest assessment on the situation in Ukraine:

Russian assault continues in Sievierodonetsk, missile fired in Sumy

06:59 , Arpan Rai

The Ukraine’s armed forces said that the Russia has fired a Su-35 missile at Bilopillya, Sumy oblast.

“Artillery fire damaged in the area of the settlement of Seredyna-Buda, Sumy oblast,” the Ukrainian armed forces said in its latest update on Wednesday morning.

In the Sievierodonetsk direction, “Russian aggressor carried out assault operations in the northern, southern and eastern districts of the city of Severodonetsk,” the armed forces said.

“In the past 24 hours, nine enemy attacks have been repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk, two tanks, 13 artillery systems, eight armoured fighting vehicles and six enemy vehicles have been destroyed. In the South, in the Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts, the losses of the Russian occupiers, in addition to military equipment, amounted to about 70 people,” the latest update from the military read.

Family who fled war in Ukraine reunite with dog after eight weeks of quarantine

06:38 , Arpan Rai

A family who was forced to flee Ukraine has been reunited with their dog after he spent two months quarantining in the UK.

Mike, his wife Alla and mother-in-law Valentyna travelled from Kyiv to north-east England with Archie, who helped keep their spirits up on the 2,000-mile journey.

But after arriving in the UK, their pet was quarantined for eight weeks.

“He kept us sane and amused, it felt like he saved us in a way,” Mike said of Archie.

“Because of the quarantine, it felt like we couldn’t save him and we let him down.”

Watch the video here:

Family who fled war in Ukraine reunite with dog after eight weeks of quarantine

Ukraine losing 60-100 soldiers every day in combat, says Zelensky

05:56 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated the war casualties among his troops and said that the besieged country is losing 60-100 soldiers every day in combat.

“We’re losing 60-100 soldiers per day killed in action and around 500 people wounded in action. So we are holding our defensive perimeters,” Mr Zelensky said, calling Ukraine and its citizens the “defensive perimeter” for the world.

He added that country under invasion is facing the most tense situation in the east of Ukraine and southern Donetsk and Luhansk.

What we’ve learnt in 100 days of war between Ukraine and Russia

05:37 , Arpan Rai

Soon to mark it’s 100th day, the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken Europe’s post-Second World War order and exposed the complacency of peace with it.

After all, it was the war we were told would never happen, or one which would take just a few days until the rapid surrender of Kyiv.

But on Friday, Russia’s dismal, bloody, stuttering and, ultimately, horrifying invasion of neighbouring Ukraine reaches its grim 100-day mark.

It has changed the widely-held view that Vladimir Putin was some sort of admirable autocrat, instead of the warmongering nationalist he is. His country is still fearsome but his army, once thought of as a machine which could march across Europe in days, is now derided as one which seems as if it will spend its life fighting in the Donbas.

The Independent’s International Editor David Harding writes here:

Editor’s letter: What we’ve learnt in 100 days of war between Ukraine and Russia

Russia’s nuclear forces hold drills, ballistic missile launchers used

05:14 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s nuclear forces held a drill in the Ivanovo province in the northeast part of the country, the Russian defence ministry said, reported Interfax news agency on Tuesday.

This comes shortly after the US announced it will provide Ukraine with advanced rockets.

The ministry said some 1,000 servicemen were engaged in intense manoeuvres and more than 100 vehicles were used including Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.

Ukraine to get advanced rockets from Washington

05:04 , Arpan Rai

The United States has announced it will provide Ukraine with more artillery like advanced rockets in an attempt to bring Moscow on the negotiating table over the conflict.

Ukraine will be armed with more advanced rocket systems and ammunitions so it can “more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield”, Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Mr Biden wrote: “We have moved quickly to send Ukraine a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition so it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.”

The weaponry provided will include the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which was dubbed as “crucial” to counter Russian missile attacks by the Ukraine’s armed forces chief.

Over concerns if the latest arms supply to Ukraine could draw Washington into direct conflict with Moscow, a top official from the Biden administration said that Kyiv has given assurances the missiles would not be used to strike inside Russia.

“These systems will be used by the Ukrainians to repel Russian advances on Ukrainian territory, but they will not be used on targets in Russian territory,” the official said.

Situation in Donbas very difficult - Zelensky

04:33 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that the situation in Donbas and the whole frontline is “very difficult” as he drummed up support for supplying modern heavy weapons to Ukraine.

“The frontline situation must be assessed comprehensively. Not by one area, where there is the most tough situation and which attracts the most attention, but by the whole frontline,” Mr Zelenksy said.

He added: “The situation in the Donbas direction is very difficult. Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Kurakhove are now at the epicenter of the confrontation.”

Warning about the existent threats in the region, Mr Zelensky said: “Given the presence of large-scale chemical production in Severodonetsk, the Russian army’s strikes there, including blind air bombing, are just madness. But on the 97th day of such a war, it is no longer surprising that for the Russian military, for Russian commanders, for Russian soldiers, any madness is absolutely acceptable.”

“Of course, everyone in Ukraine wants all our territories, all our people to be liberated today, as soon as possible. The full restoration of the territorial integrity of our state is our goal. But we must act carefully, valuing life,” the Ukrainian president said.

Stating that the ramped up military help can “speed up the victory of Ukraine”, he said “everyone at all levels must now be lobbyists for the supply of modern heavy weapons and modern artillery to our state.”

Ukrainian troops having some success near Kherson, says Zelensky

01:22 , Rory Sullivan

Although Ukrainians are hard-pressed defending the eastern Donbas region against Russian attacks, they are having some success near the Kremlin-controlled city of Kherson in the south, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.

In his late night address on Tuesday, the Ukrainian president said: “Our defenders are showing the utmost courage and remain masters of the situation at the front despite the fact the Russian army has a significant advantage in terms of equipment and numbers.”

Ukraine’s national seed bank threatened by Russian bombs, warns charity

Wednesday 1 June 2022 00:32 , Rory Sullivan

The genetic code for almost 2,000 crops is under threat due to Russian bombing near Ukraine’s national seed bank, a charity has warned.

The Crop Trust, which was set up by the UN, highlighted the risk by saying a research facility near the country’s seed bank was recently damaged.

The site is based in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, which has seen fierce fighting over the last three months.

Ukraine’s seed store, which only has 4 per cent of its seeds backed up, is the tenth largest in the world.

Stefan Schmitz, who runs the Crop Trust, told Reuters: “Seed banks are a kind of life insurance for mankind. They provide the raw materials for breeding new plant varieties resistant to drought, new pests, new diseases, and higher temperatures.

“It would be a tragic loss if Ukraine‘s seed bank were destroyed.”

US to discuss new security assistance for Ukraine ‘before too long'

Tuesday 31 May 2022 23:30 , Rory Sullivan

The US will issue details about potential new security assistance for Ukraine “before too long,” the Biden administration has said.

Speaking on Tuesday, state department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington is concerned by Russian efforts to intituionalize its rule over captured Ukrainian cities like Kherson.

UN hold ‘constructive discussions’ with Russia about food exports

Tuesday 31 May 2022 22:30 , Rory Sullivan

The UN has held “constructive discussions” with the Russian deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow about facilitating Russian grain and fertiliser exports.

Rebecca Grynspan, the coordinator of the UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, attended the talks on behalf of the UN.

“The objective of her discussions is focused on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer to global markets, with the key aim of addressing growing global food insecurity,” a UN spokesperson said.

This comes as Russia has been accused of increasing global hunger by blockading Ukraine’s port. This has prevented the export of millions of tons of grain around the world.

Pope prays for peace in Ukraine and other conflict zones

Tuesday 31 May 2022 21:30 , Rory Sullivan

Returning to Pope Francis once again...

The leader of the Catholic church has led an international prayer calling for peace in war zones like Ukraine.

The 85-year-old pope prayed in Rome as worshippers in countries including Iraq, Syria and Ukraine joined in via video link.

Francis asked Mary to “reconcile hearts that are full of violence and vendetta”.

Germany to help Ukraine by sending IFVs to Greece

Tuesday 31 May 2022 20:45 , Rory Sullivan

Germany will send infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) to Greece so that Athens can send Soviet-style IFVs to Ukraine, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

“We will provide Greece with German infantry fighting vehicles,” he told reporters in Brussels.

“The defence ministries will work out the details and quickly implement this agreement,” he added, without giving more detail about the deal he struck with the Greek prime minister.

One defence source told Reuters that Berlin would give Athens 100 old Marder IFVs and Greece would send Soviet-style BMP IFVs to Ukraine.

Germany has been criticised for not doing more to help Ukraine with heavier weapons.

Bombing and bloodshed as Russia advances through Donbas

Tuesday 31 May 2022 20:05 , Rory Sullivan

Alexander Levchenko, 43, was burned alive in his fifth floor home after a Russian missile hit his apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.

Four other people are thought to have died and another eight were injured.

Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian cities in the eastern Donbas region as it attempts to capture the territory.

Kim Sengupta reports from Slovyansk in the Donbas:

Residents fear advancing Russian forces as Putin closes in on Donbas

Sievierodonetsk mainly under Russian control, says Ukrainian governor

Tuesday 31 May 2022 19:45 , Rory Sullivan

Russian troops now occupy most of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, the governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk province has said.

However, Serhiy Gaidai added that the Kremlin’s forces have not managed to surround the city.

In an online post, he also said that evacuation and aid deliveries were impossible because of Russian shelling.

Pope could meet controversial Russian Orthodox Church leader later this year

Tuesday 31 May 2022 19:00 , Rory Sullivan

Pope Francis will attend a conference in Kazakhstan this summer, where he is likely to meet Patriarch Kirill, the controversial head of the Russian Orthodox Church who has backed Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The pontifex called off a meeting with Kirill in Jerusalem next month over fears of a diplomatic backlash against the Catholic church.

However, the Vatican confirmed that Francis would attend a congress in September in Nur-Sultan. Kirill will be at the same event, according to the Russian Orthodox Church.

“The continuation of peaceful coexistence in the face of contemporary challenges is achievable only through an inclusive and comprehensive dialogue,” the Vatican and Kazakhstan said in a joint statement to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of their diplomatic relations.

Italy’s largest oil refinery could be ‘paralysed’ by EU oil embargo against Russia, says Sicily

Tuesday 31 May 2022 18:24 , Rory Sullivan

The EU’s decision to implement a partial embargo against Russian oil could spell disaster for an Italian oil refinery, the president of Sicily region has said.

Nello Musumeci said the bloc’s ban on seaborne oil imports could paralyse the ISAB plant and cause a local jobs crisis. It is currently Italy’s biggest refinery by capacity.

He urged the Italian government to deal with the issue and called for a meeting.

“There is a deafening silence on the employment catastrophe that could engulf part of the Priolo petrochemical plant, with the embargo and the consequent paralysis of ISAB,” he said in a Facebook post.

As world watches Ukraine, Turkey prepares military move against Syria

Tuesday 31 May 2022 18:00 , Rory Sullivan

With the rest of the world’s attention on Ukraine, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan could launch another military offensive in northern Syria, analysts have said.

This would be the fifth major incursion to take place in six years.

Senior officials and analysts say a campaign against Syrian Kurdish groups is likely to begin soon, with the hopes of it finishing before the Nato summit in Madrid on 29 June.

Borzou Daragahi has more details:

As the world watches Ukraine, Turkey prepares a military move into Syria

Zelensky decries ‘unacceptable’ delay in EU’s partial Russian oil embargo

Tuesday 31 May 2022 17:38 , Rory Sullivan

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has hit out at what it called the EU’s “unacceptable” delay in announcing its latest round of sanctions against Russia.

“When over 50 days have passed between the 5th and 6th sanction packages, the situation is not acceptable for us,” Mr Zelensky said in Kyiv.

The bloc agreed last night to a partial Russia oil ban in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv in talks with UN about food exports, says Ukrainian foreign minister

Tuesday 31 May 2022 17:12 , Rory Sullivan

Fears have been growing about the worsening global food crisis, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s ports.

Speaking on Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said his country was discussing ways of shipping grain out safely. If this does not happen, millions of tonnes of cereals could rot.

He did not give any further details.

Ukraine war photos

Tuesday 31 May 2022 16:47 , Rory Sullivan

Eduard Zelenskyy returned to his home near Kyiv to find that it had been destroyed.

One of the latest images to emerge from Ukraine shows him standing where his house once stood.

US ambassador to Kyiv’s ‘thoughts are in the Donbas'

Tuesday 31 May 2022 16:29 , Rory Sullivan

The new US ambassador to Kyiv has said her “thoughts are in the Donbas”, where the Ukrainian army is trying to block fierce Russian attacks.

On a trip to an air field near the capital, Bridget Brink said the fighting in Luhansk and Donetsk - the eastern provinces which make up the Donbas - is “critical right now”.

The Russians now control at least a third of Sievierodonetsk, the last remaining key city in Luhansk in Ukrainian hands.

Navalny says he could be given another 15 years in jail

Tuesday 31 May 2022 16:10 , Rory Sullivan

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has said new charges have been brought against him which could extend his prison sentence by up to 15 years.

The opposition leader was recently given a 9-year sentence on top of the two-and-a-half year one he was already serving. Human rights organisations say all the charges - including fraud and contempt of court - have been politically-motivated.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Mr Navalny said: “Not even eight days have passed since my nine-year high-security sentence came into force, and today the investigator showed up again and formally charged me with a new case.”

“It turns out that I created an extremist group in order to incite hatred towards officials and oligarchs. And when they put me in jail, I dared to be disgruntled about it and called for rallies. For that, they’re supposed to add up to 15 more years to my sentence,” he added.

Denmark to vote on joining EU defence policy

Tuesday 31 May 2022 15:52 , Rory Sullivan

Danish voters will tomorrow vote on whether their country should become part of the EU’s defence policy.

Although Denmark is part of the bloc, it is only the member state yet to have joined the Common Security and Defence Policy.

However, this might change following the security threat posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Nato will of course remain our most important tool, but the EU gives us another tool in securing our defence in the east,” said Mogens Jensen, defence spokesman for the Social Democrats, the ruling party in Denmark.

If his country decides to participate in the defence policy, its soldiers can take part in EU military operations.

Kristian Soby Kristensen, a senior researcher at Copenhagen University’s Centre for Military Studies, said the step would be more symbolic for the EU than militarily advantageous.

“The political significance will outweigh the military contribution,” he told Reuters.

Macron ‘not excluding anything’ on more sanctions

Tuesday 31 May 2022 15:35 , Matt Mathers

French president Emmanuel Macron said that following a sixth European Union package of sanctions against Russia nothing could be ruled out in terms of additional sanctions in the coming weeks.

Speaking to reporters following an EU summit in Brussels, he also said he hoped that in the next days and weeks an agreement with Russia could be found for Ukrainian food exports, saying that recent talks between the Russian and Turkish presidents on the matter were a "positive sign".

Sievierodonetsk mayor says Russia destroying city ‘block by block’

Tuesday 31 May 2022 15:20 , Matt Mathers

The eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk is being destroyed “block by block”, the town’s mayor said on Tuesday.

Elena Becatoros and Yuras Karmanau report:

Sievierodonetsk mayor says Russia destroying city ‘block by block’

Investor panel to discuss possible Russia ‘credit event’ on Wednesday

Tuesday 31 May 2022 15:06 , Matt Mathers

A panel of investors said on Tuesday it will continue to discuss on 1 June whether missing payment of accrued interest on Russia's foreign sovereign debt constitutes a "credit event", which would bring the nation a step closer to a historic default and could trigger insurance payout.

The EMEA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee said on its website it will meet at 1300 UTC on Wednesday to continue the discussion.

Cutting Russian gas exports key to crippling war effort, Lord Hague says

Tuesday 31 May 2022 14:50 , Matt Mathers

Cutting out Russian exports of gas is key to hampering the Kremlin's war effort, Lord William Hague has said.

The Tory peer spoke to Times Radio after the EU agreed a partial embargo on Russian oil.

More comments from Hague below:

Ukraine has identified 600 Russian war crime suspects - prosecutor

Tuesday 31 May 2022 14:36 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has identified more than 600 Russian war crime suspects and has started prosecuting around 80 of them, Kyiv's top prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The list of suspects includes "top military, politicians and propaganda agents of Russia", prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova told a news conference in The Hague.

Venediktova said Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia had decided to join an international investigation team in Ukraine, which was originally formed by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland in March to enable the exchange of information and investigation into suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity.

They are working with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which launched its investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine in early March.

Eurozone inflation hits 8.1 per cent amid rising energy costs

Tuesday 31 May 2022 14:16 , Matt Mathers

Eurozone inflation hit a record 8.1 per cent in May amid surging energy and food costs fueled in part by Russia's war in Ukraine.

Annual inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro currency soared past the previous record of 7. 4 per cent reached in March and April, according to the latest numbers published Tuesday by the European Union statistics agency, Eurostat.

Inflation in the eurozone is now at its highest level since recordkeeping for the euro began in 1997.

Russian lawmaker suggests kidnapping NATO defence minister in Ukraine

Tuesday 31 May 2022 13:55 , Matt Mathers

A senior Russian lawmaker has suggested kidnapping a NATO defence minister in Ukraine and bringing them to Moscow for questioning about what "orders" the West has been giving to Kyiv.

Oleg Morozov, first elected to the Russian parliament in 1993 and a member of the dominant United Russia party, said the supply of Western arms to Ukraine posed a direct threat to Russia and might require Moscow to review its military aims.

"You know, perhaps it is a fantastical plot that I have brewing ... that in the near future, at some stage, a war minister of some NATO country will go by train to Kyiv to talk with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy," Morozov told the "60 Minutes" talk show on Rossiya-1 state TV late on Monday.

"But he would not get there. And would wake up somewhere in Moscow," Morozov said.

"You mean we abduct them?" TV host Olga Skabeyeva, one of the most pro-Kremlin journalists on television, asked with a smile.

"Yes. And then we would sort out who gave which order for what, who is responsible for what exactly," Morozov said. "It is not such a mythical picture ... There are new rules in the world now. Let all those war ministers gathering in Kyiv think a little about what it would be like to wake up in Moscow."

Neither Morozov nor Skabeyeva could be reached for comment.

Russian politician suggests kidnapping Nato defence minister in Ukraine

'This is turning into another Mariupol'

Tuesday 31 May 2022 13:40 , Matt Mathers

Severodonetsk is "turning into another Mariupol", a top defence expert has warned.

Professor Michael Clarke of the London School of Economics said between 10,000 to 15,000 civilians remain trapped in the Donbas region city as fighting there intensifies.

Putin's troops recently took control of Mariupol in the southeast after laying siege to it for months.

The city was razed to the ground by Russian bombs and estimates suggest that at least 3,500 civilians were killed during the bombardment and fighting.

‘They hate us all’, claims former Russian leader in latest sanctions row

Tuesday 31 May 2022 13:25 , Matt Mathers

Western sanctions against Russia are motivated by “hatred”, according to a former Russian president with close links to Vladimir Putin.

My colleague Tom Ambrose reports:

‘They hate us all’, claims former Russian leader in latest sanctions row

Hungary says it has oil security guarantee from Croatia

Tuesday 31 May 2022 13:07 , Liam James

Hungary and Slovakia can rely on Croatia for oil in case of any disruptions to imports from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, Hungary’s foreign minister said.

European Union leaders gave concessions to Hungary and Slovakia in order to agree an oil embargo on Russia that aims to cut 90 per cent of Moscow’s crude imports into the bloc by the end of this year.

With its embargo the bloc aims to reduce Moscow’s income to finance the war it launched more than three months ago in Ukraine, but it exempted landlocked Hungary because the country relies on the Druzhba pipeline for oil.

Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said he had reached a long-term energy security co-operation agreement with Croatia‘s energy minister, whereby Hungary‘s southern neighbour would provide an alternative route for possible additional oil imports, if needed.

“Croatia is ready to provide a route for oil shipments towards Hungary, should they become necessary,” Szijjarto said, adding that Hungarian energy group MOL would start talks with Croatian officials later today.

Russia’s Lavrov to meet Gulf counterparts in Saudi Arabia

Tuesday 31 May 2022 12:53 , Liam James

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow to meet foreign ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, two Gulf officials said on Tuesday.

He will meet ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

The focus of the talks was not clear, although the officials said the six Gulf ministers would also hold an online meeting with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba later on Wednesday. They declined to give details.

Mr Lavrov’s visit will take place a day before a meeting in Vienna of Opec+, an oil alliance that includes Gulf producers and Russia. Opec+ is set to stick to last year’s deal that will see another modest monthly output increase by the group in July.

Saudi Arabia and other members of Opec have so far resisted pressure from the United States to boost crude output more sharply to prices which have rocketed higher, partly due to the Ukraine crisis.

Gulf states have stayed neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict despite western calls to help isolate Moscow. Oman’s foreign minister said in remarks published by his ministry on Saturday that the crisis required a European solution.

‘There are new rules now’: Russian MP suggests kidnapping Nato defence minister

Tuesday 31 May 2022 12:32 , Liam James

A senior Russian parliamentarian has suggested the Kremlin kidnap a Nato defence minister in Ukraine and bring them to Moscow for questioning on the “orders” western powers have been giving to Kyiv.

Oleg Morozov, first elected to the Russian parliament in 1993 and a member of the dominant United Russia party, said the supply of western arms to Ukraine posed a direct threat to Russia and might require Moscow to review its military aims.

Appearing on the 60 Minutes talk show on Rossiya-1 state TV late on Monday, Mr Morozov suggested intercepting a Nato defence minister as they travel to Kyiv by train.“And then we would sort out who gave which order for what, who is responsible for what exactly,” he said.

“It is not such a mythical picture ... There are new rules in the world now. Let all those war ministers gathering in Kyiv think a little about what it would be like to wake up in Moscow.”

A succession of Western politicians have visited Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine while Nato members have kept up a supply of weapons to the Ukrainian army throughout the war.

Russia has repeatedly warned that western arm supplies risk escalating the war.

Czech ministry summons Russian ambassador over diplomatic property use doubts

Tuesday 31 May 2022 12:07 , Matt Mathers

The Czech foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador on Tuesday to express concerns about the use of Russian diplomatic properties.

The Czech Republic expelled around 100 Russian embassy last year in a diplomatic row over Prague's accusations of Russian involvement in a 2014 explosion at an arms depot, and the government has been one of the toughest against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

"Diplomatic missions on the territory of a foreign state must respect not only the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but also the rules and laws of the host country," foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement.

"Russia does not do this and does not respect the rule of law," the ministry's statement added, without providing further details.