France expressed dismay on Sunday after China's ambassador in Paris questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet countries like Ukraine in an interview aired on French television. The controversy came as Russia claimed advances in western districts of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
This live blog is no longer being updated. For more of our coverage on the war in Ukraine, please click here.
12:09am: Ukraine war spurs record global spending on military, Stockholm think tank says
Global military spending rose to a record last year as Russia's war in Ukraine drove the biggest annual increase in expenditure in Europe since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, a leading conflict and armaments think tank said on Monday.
World military expenditure rose by 3.7% in real terms in 2022 to $2.24 trillion, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a statement.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February last year following years of growing tensions, has prompted European countries to rush to bolster their defences.
9:40pm: US shares information with European banks on Russian tactics to evade sanctions
The US on Sunday said it shared information with European bankers, government officials and business leaders to clamp down on Russia's tactics to try to skirt Western sanctions.
Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, held briefings last week in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy to promote more effective policing of sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury said in a statement.
Nelson shared details on some of the most critical military goods that Russia is trying to acquire, including optical devices, electronics and manufacturing equipment, the Treasury said. He urged allies to stay alert for "red flags" such as large cash payments, routing payments through third countries not involved in transaction, and multiple tenders or shipments of identical products from different providers for the same end user.
5:06pm: Russia's Medvedev warns Moscow will scrap grain deal if G7 bans exports
Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that if the G7 moved to ban exports to Russia, Moscow would respond by terminating the Black Sea Grain deal that enables vital exports of grain from Ukraine.
The Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported last week, citing Japanese government sources.
4:46pm: Ukraine condemns ‘absurd’ remarks from Chinese ambassador
Ukraine on Sunday condemned what it called "absurd" comments from China's ambassador to France, who questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries.
Speaking Friday on the LCI news channel, ambassador Lu Shaye suggested countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union did not legally have status as sovereign nations. Asked if Crimea was Ukrainian during his interview, Lu replied, "it depends on how you look at the problem. There's history. Crimea was Russian at the start".
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak replied on Sunday that the status of post-Soviet countries was "enshrined in international law".
"It is strange to hear an absurd version of the 'history of Crimea' from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history," Podolyak said, referring to China.
4:31pm: Remarks by Paris’ Chinese ambassador ‘unacceptable’ says Latvia foreign minister
"Remarks by the Chinese Ambassador in France concerning international law and sovereignty of nations are completely unacceptable," Latvia's foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics wrote on Twitter.
"We expect explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement."
3:54pm: Moscow slams US after Russian journalists denied visas for UN visit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said Moscow "will not forgive" Washington for denying US visas to Russian journalists meant to accompany him on a visit to UN headquarters.
"We won't forget, we will not forgive this," said Lavrov, who will chair several UN Security Council meetings in New York. He told reporters that the United States "had chickened out".
1:51pm: France condemns remarks from Chinese ambassador on 'sovereign status' of former Soviet nations
France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expressed dismay after China's ambassador in Paris questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet countries like Ukraine.
Asked about his position on whether Crimea is part of Ukraine or not, Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French television on Friday that historically it was part of Russia and had been offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
"These ex-USSR countries don't have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign status," Shaye added.
France responded on Sunday by stating its "full solidarity" with all the allied countries affected, which it said had acquired their independence "after decades of oppression".
"On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognized within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
1:33pm: Russia says it has gained more ground in battle for Bakhmut
Russia's defence ministry on Sunday said its forces had captured more territory in Bakhmut as they pursue their bid to seize full control of the city.
The defence ministry said Russian troops secured two more blocks in Bakhmut's western districts and that airborne units were providing reinforcements to the north and south.
Also on Sunday, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine's southern Kherson region denied a report by a US think tank that Ukrainian forces had taken up positions on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river.
"There is no enemy foothold on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river ... our military completely controls that territory," Vladimir Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel.
Kyiv has repeatedly denied claims that its forces are poised to withdraw from Bakhmut.
1:24pm: Ukrainians hold out for counteroffensive in Bakhmut
After months of fighting in the eastern town of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces are now holding on in dire circumstances while Russia has claimed gains in the city using fighters from the paramilitary Wagner Group.
As a Ukrainian counteroffensive is expected to intensify fighting in coming weeks, volunteers are trying to convince remaining civilians still living in surrounding villages to evacuate.
“They’ve lived here their whole lives. They know every pot and pan. This is their property and they know leaving would mean losing it all,’ volunteer Oleksandra told FRANCE 24.
Key developments on Saturday, April 22
Russia's foreign ministry said that Moscow was expelling more than 20 German diplomats in a "reciprocal" move, state media reported. German authorities said a flight carrying Russian diplomats had left Germany on Saturday following discussions between Berlin and Moscow over reducing Russia's intelligence presence in Germany.
More than 3,000 people were evacuated then returned home in the Russian city of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, while an explosive was disposed of, the local governor said, two days after a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on the city.
>> Read our blog for all of yesterday's events as they unfolded
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
