You can follow the latest developments around the clock in Ukraine in our main blog:
A summary of today's developments
- The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said he has extended a UK flight ban on Russian aircraft to include private jets. The government previously announced it was banning Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot from landing in the UK.
- Boris Johnson has told Nato leaders that “immediate action” must be taken to ban Russia from the Swift payment platform to “inflict maximum pain” on Vladimir Putin. The prime minister, who attended the virtual meeting of the leaders, warned Nato that Mr Putin was “engaging in a revanchist mission to overturn post-cold war order”, according to a No 10 spokesperson.
- Nato will deploy more troops to eastern Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the alliance’s leaders have announced. “No one should be fooled by the Russian government’s barrage of lies,” the 30 leaders said in a statement after a virtual summit chaired by secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
- The UK is no longer accepting visa applications from Ukrainians stuck in the country. This means there is no safe and legal route for them to seek asylum in Britain unless they have close family in the UK. Labour MP Nadia Whittome tweeted to say the move was “completely inhumane”.
- Vladimir Putin has urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have lodged themselves in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.” Addressing the Ukrainian military in a televised address, a visibly angry Putin urged the military to “take power in your own hands”.
- An effort is under way to isolate Vladimir Putin diplomatically by challenging Russia’s right to a permanent seat of the UN security council on the grounds that Russia took the seat from the defunct Soviet Union in 1991 without proper authorisation. Diplomats are also looking to see if there is a basis for removing Russia from the presidency of the council.
- The Belarus ambassador to London, Maxim Yermalovich, was summoned to the Foreign Office and told new members of its ruling elite will be sanctioned as a result of their role in facilitating the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. James Cleverly, the Europe minister, said afterwards: “The UK condemns the role Belarus is playing in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus must stop supporting Russia’s illegal and unprovoked actions.”
- In the first 24 hours of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not taken any of its major objectives and has lost more than 450 personnel, according to the defence secretary. Ben Wallace told Sky News it was the government’s view that Vladimir Putin intends “to invade the whole of Ukraine”.
- Keir Starmer has said he believes “further financial restrictions” against Russia are needed. He said if Boris Johnson brought forward tougher sanctions on Russia, they would be voted through Parliament “very, very quickly” with the Labour Party’s support.
- The UK has said it will work “all day” to persuade fellow European states to cut Russia off from the international Swift payment system. The UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, ended the pretence that Britain was not at odds with its fellow European leaders over the issue. He said there was still time for Russia to be excluded, and the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said: “The UK is working with allies to exclude Russia from the Swift financial system.”
-
A total of 1,000 UK troops are on standby to support Ukraine’s neighbours with refugee responses, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey
told MPs: “The 1,000 troops that are on standby are there to support Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Poland with the expected humanitarian challenges that they will face as people make their way out of Ukraine.”
The front page of Saturday’s Guardian newspaper:
Guardian front page, Saturday 26 February 2022: Kyiv on the brink pic.twitter.com/xQPDDaAG4o
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 25, 2022
Hundreds of people have protested in Belfast at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian nationals were among the crowd that gathered outside City Hall for the demonstration and vigil on Friday evening.
Placards denouncing the war were held aloft and “we want peace” was chanted.
Several Ukrainians who live in Northern Ireland addressed the event, PA reports.
Updated
Everton football club are expected to silence the air-raid siren that sounds before matches at Goodison Park when Manchester City visit on Saturday out of consideration for the Ukraine internationals Vitalii Mykolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The move comes amid support from several Premier League clubs for players affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Royal Opera House have cancelled a tour from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet following the invasion of Ukraine.
The Moscow-based ballet company, who were set to return to London this summer, has been called off as Kyiv was hit by air strikes and Russian fighters closed in on the city.
In a statement, the ROH said: “A summer season of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House had been in the final stages of planning.
“Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, the season cannot now go ahead.”
Updated
Downing Street said Boris Johnson spoke to the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, this evening to discuss how western allies could further ratchet up pressure on the Russian regime.
A spokeswoman said: “The prime minister thanked the Canadian leader for his diplomatic efforts and coordination with allies on sanctions, and said the UK and Canada held a shared ambition in ensuring President Putin failed and was seen to fail.
“The prime minister said allies needed to take immediate action on SWIFT, and the leaders discussed further options to increase coordinated economic pressure on Russia.
“The world also needs to remain vigilant to potential for the Russian regime to further exploit vulnerabilities in other countries too, the leaders agreed.
“Both leaders said President Putin’s attack on Ukraine was an attack on democracies everywhere, and the world needed to stand together and support the Ukrainians in any way possible in their hour of need.”
Updated
The expulsion of Russia’s ambassador in Ireland has not been ruled out, Leo Varadkar said.
The country’s deputy premier said the government is not currently planning to expel Yuri Filatov but it remains an option.
Varadkar suggested that the government in Ireland may move imminently to cut the number of Russian staff at the embassy in Dublin from 20 to around three, PA reports.
Asked if the government will expel Filatov, Varadkar told RTE: “It’s not something that we plan to do at the moment; it’s not something that we’re ruling out either.
“As is often the case, these things are done on an EU-coordinated level.”
Updated
Boris Johnson has addressed a message directly to the people of Russia, saying in Russian: “I do not believe this war is in your name.”
In a video posted on social media, the prime minister also spoke Ukrainian after urging an end to the conflict “because the world needs a free and sovereign Ukraine”.
He said: “The scenes unfolding in the streets and fields of Ukraine are nothing short of a tragedy.
“Brave young soldiers and innocent civilians are being cut down, tanks are rumbling through towns and cities, missiles raining indiscriminately from the skies.
“It’s a generation or more since we witnessed such bloodshed in Europe. We hoped we would never have to see such sights again.”
UK extends travel ban on Russian aircraft
The transport secretary said he has extended a UK flight ban on Russian aircraft to include private jets.
The government previously announced it was banning Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot from landing in the UK.
Grant Shapps tweeted:
Putin’s actions are unlawful and anyone benefitting from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is not welcome here. I’ve strengthened our ban in the UK so that no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace, or touchdown – effective immediately.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 25, 2022
The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has tweeted: “Today the UK stood by Ukraine and other Council of Europe states and voted to suspend Russia.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed Putin’s disregard for the rule of law, democracy & human rights. We support Ukraine and condemn this abhorrent attack.”
Have spoken to nations across the world today including Poland, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, Estonia, Hungary and USA. 🇵🇱🇸🇦🇦🇪🇨🇳🇪🇪🇭🇺🇺🇸
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 25, 2022
The UK is clear, all members of the UN should stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. 🇺🇦
Updated
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he is remaining in Kyiv even as Russian forces pounded the capital and other cities with airstrikes for a second day.
Russia has limited access to Facebook after the social media provider refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned organisations, former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg said.
Authorities in Russia announced the “partial restriction” after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed outlets over the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it had demanded that Facebook lifts the restrictions it placed on Thursday on state news agency RIA Novosti, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru.
Clegg, vice president of global affairs at Facebook’s parent company Meta, said that “ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organise for action” and the company wants “them to continue to make their voices heard”.
Ordinary Russians are using @Meta's apps to express themselves and organize for action. We want them to continue to make their voices heard, share what’s happening, and organize through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. pic.twitter.com/FjTovgslCe
— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) February 25, 2022
Updated
Russian ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov has claimed that his country’s invasion of Ukraine is a “humanitarian intervention”.
Filatov said there was no proof that Russian forces had targeted civilians in the assault.
He claimed Ukraine had used engagement in diplomacy in recent times as a cover for preparing an offensive on the Donbas region of the country.
“It’s not our choice, the military option is not our choice,” he told RTE.
He added: “There was no other choice to end the suffering of Donbas through real humanitarian intervention – that’s what this special operation is exactly about.
“The only aim of the operation is to neutralise the ability of the Ukrainian military to inflict any more suffering on Donbas. Ukrainians should not be afraid of that.”
Updated
Here is the full story on BP being warned of government “concern” about its involvement in Russia in a telephone call between the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, and the oil company’s boss Bernard Looney.
Kwarteng is understood to have spoken to Looney in the light of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has increased scrutiny on British business ties to the Kremlin and led to sanctions against Russian firms.
Speaking after the call, a Whitehall source said: “BP left the meeting with no doubt about the strength of the business secretary’s concern about their commercial interest in Russia.”
The British oil “supermajor” has been deeply entwined with Russia for years: it has a 22% stake in Russian state oil firm Rosneft and holds two seats on the 11-strong board of the company.
Updated
Ireland’s deputy premier, Leo Varadkar, has described Vladimir Putin as the “Hitler of the 21st century”.
The tánaiste acknowledged that sanctions such as the potential banning of Russia from the Swift payment network would have economic implications for Ireland.
But he said those consequences needed to be accepted given the situation in Ukraine.
“I don’t think we’re in that space where we can be concerned about the economic impact on Ireland when a democratic country in the European Union is being invaded and the attempt is being made to overthrow a democratic government there,” he told RTE Radio One.
Varadkar added: “The last time I can think of that happening in Europe is in the 1930s and I think we should see this conflict in that context.
“We knew that Putin was a bad man, we’ve known that for a long time now, but we didn’t think that he would be the Hitler of the 21st century and I think he’s putting himself into that space.”
Updated
London law firms are delaying the sanctions levelled against their Russian oligarch clients by threatening to challenge the measures announced by the UK government, Liz Truss told MPs.
The foreign secretary was briefing MPs on the situation in Ukraine on Friday afternoon, according to the Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw.
Bradshaw, who was in the briefing, told the PA news agency Truss had been asked why the sanctions process had not been moving more quickly.
He said Truss told MPs it was “because they had to be very careful that when they sanctioned somebody it was legally watertight because these oligarchs’ lawyers in London are very litigious, and she had already had several warning letters from them”.
Bradshaw called for the law firms in question to be named in the first instance, but also potentially subject to sanctions themselves.
But lawyer David Allen Green said it was “twaddle” that any challenge could delay the sanctions.
Jessica Simor QC added that: “Law firms can’t hold it up. Only a court could.”
Updated
A Ukrainian woman said her “worst case scenario” has come true after she had to pack up her possessions and escape Kyiv with her family and pets.
Polina Karabach, 29, made the decision to flee the Ukrainian capital on Friday with her parents, husband, his family and their five dogs, two cats and two parrots.
She told the PA news agency: “We saw a great big, black cloud of smoke and there was some small fire after that.
“We understood that it’s probably not from the troops and that the explosives that were put there, I assume, to cause the panic.
“We had already been preparing some things in advance for the worst case scenario.”
Updated
A British couple who are stuck in Kyiv after travelling to Ukraine to collect their surrogate-born twins have described the situation as a “living nightmare”.
Manisha and Metaish Parmar arrived in the country three weeks ago as the surrogate mother gave birth to the babies they had been waiting for for 13 years, PA reports.
They are now stranded in the Ukrainian capital with their newborns and Mr Parmar’s parents amid the Russian invasion.
Mrs Parmar told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s absolutely traumatising, devastating.
“We’re absolutely worried, we don’t know what to do.
“We can’t go anywhere, we’re just stranded and stuck in Kyiv.”
Updated
Charities and opposition parties have urged the government to do more to help with an expected surge in refugees fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion, with concerns also raised about the issuing of visas now UK diplomats have left the country.
With the UN refugee agency warning that as many as 5 million Ukrainians could be forced to flee, the Liberal Democrats called for a comprehensive and fully funded refugee scheme. Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, said he wanted his country to be a “nation of sanctuary”.
Dozens of refugee charities have jointly called for an evacuation and resettlement plan similar to that which saw thousands of families housed in the UK following the Balkans conflicts in the 1990s.
Updated
Commenting on sanctions against Russia, Prof John Heathershaw, from the University of Exeter, who leads research into international kleptocracy, said: “Russia doesn’t take the UK seriously.
“As a nation we have a kleptocracy problem: there are professional ‘enablers’ that help Russian kleptocrats obscure their ownership and sources of wealth, gain UK residency and property, and launder their reputations.
“This is structural, involving banks and property. It is not difficult to fix this, but this would involve the sort of regulation which has been opposed by influential UK businesses and elites.
“Sanctions must be extensive because of this past record of permissiveness.”
Updated
Britain’s chief of defence intelligence believes Russian forces are seeking to encircle the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, with a view to imposing a pro-Moscow regime.
Lt Gen Sir Jim Hockenhull said the Ukrainian military was continuing to offer “strong resistance” in the face of the Russian advance, PA reports.
He said: “Russian forces continue to advance on two axes towards Kyiv.
Their objective is to encircle the capital to secure control of the population and change the regime,” he told reporters.
“Overnight Russian launched a concerted series of strikes on targets Kyiv. Ukrainian armed forces continue to offer strong resistance focusing on the defence of key cities throughout Ukraine.”
Updated
BP is under pressure from the government to cut its ties with Russian oil giant Rosneft, which the British-based company holds a 20% stake in.
The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, held a virtual call with BP’s chief executive, Bernard Looney, for around 20 minutes on Friday to discuss the company’s position.
A Whitehall source told the PA news agency: “BP left the meeting with no doubt about the strength of the business secretary’s concern about their commercial interests in Russia.”
Updated
ITV News’ deputy political editor Anushka Asthana has tweeted this:
Boris Johnson has recorded a video in which he speaks in both Russian and Ukrainian tonight. Saying in Russian “To my friends I do not believe this war is in your name, it does not have to be this way” 1/
— Anushka Asthana (@AnushkaAsthana) February 25, 2022
No 10 added that Johnson told Nato leaders that the UK armed forces “stood ready for any further request” for further military support.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the PM told the meeting of Nato leaders “that the world must make certain President Putin would fail in this act of aggression”.
The spokesperson said the PM told the meeting “Ukraine was showing strong resistance, he added that there could no normalisation of relations with Russia after this act”.
The prime minister outlined details of the UK’s new offer to Nato across its eastern flank. The UK stood ready for any further request from Nato’s supreme allied commander Europe to go further with military support to Nato from UK armed forces, he said,” according to the spokesperson.
“Nato should have primacy in the future of European security and it was vital that it was strengthened now,” the PM added.
Updated
UK to introduce sanctions against Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov imminently
Boris Johnson has told Nato leaders that “immediate action” must be taken to ban Russia from the Swift payment platform to “inflict maximum pain” on Vladimir Putin.
The prime minister, who attended the virtual meeting of the leaders, warned Nato that Mr Putin was “engaging in a revanchist mission to overturn post-cold war order”, according to a No 10 spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the PM had “urged leaders to take immediate action against Swift to inflict maximum pain on President Putin and his regime”.
Johnson told the leaders “the UK would introduce sanctions against President Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov imminently, on top of the sanctions package the UK announced yesterday”, bringing the government in line with measures announced by the EU.
The spokesperson said: “He warned the group that the Russian president’s ambitions might not stop there and that this was a Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences.”
Updated
Nato to deploy more troops to eastern Europe
Nato will deploy more troops to eastern Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the alliance’s leaders have announced.
“No one should be fooled by the Russian government’s barrage of lies,” the 30 leaders said in a statement after a virtual summit chaired by secretary general Jens Stoltenberg which has just concluded.
“We are now making significant additional defensive deployments of forces to the eastern part of the alliance.”
Updated
As Russian troops pushed into Ukraine on Thursday, viewers of the RT news channel learned a new vocabulary.
Rather than an invasion, the Russian actions were described on air as a “special military operation”. Instead of seizing territory from another nation, viewers were told that troops were trying to “liberate” land from Ukraine on behalf of two Russian-backed breakaway states.
And if there was any doubt about the justification used by Vladimir Putin for his war, then RT’s British presenter Rory Suchet – the son of the former ITN journalist John Suchet – explained to viewers that the objective was “to defend the Donbas” in the face of Ukrainian aggression.
The Kremlin-funded rolling news channel, which has long delighted in its own outsider status, has again come under intense scrutiny in the UK for its willingness to follow the narrative of the Russian government. The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, demanded RT’s broadcast licence be revoked, telling the House of Commons the organisation once known as Russia Today was Putin’s “personal propaganda tool”. He added: “I can see no reason why it should be allowed to continue to broadcast in this country.”
Global markets staged a major recovery on Friday as traders believed the sanctions imposed on Russia were unlikely to significantly impact Western economies.
The FTSE 100 leading share index in London closed up 3.9% on Friday, recovering almost all its losses from Thursday as Russia invaded Ukraine.
It was the biggest single-day rise in shares on the London Stock Exchange’s leading index in 16 months, PA reports.
Similar rises were seen on France and Germany’s exchanges, while the Russian stock market ended the day up 20% - having fallen 33% on Thursday.
The leader of the main opposition party in Ireland has said the Russian ambassador to the country should be expelled.
Alongside calling for the expulsion of Yury Filatov, the Sinn Féin leader also said that tougher sanctions needed to be levied on Russia, as the invasion of Ukraine continues.
“The sanctions announced to date against the Russian Federation and the oligarch elites close to President Putin are having no effect in deterring the invasion of Ukraine. They are simply insufficient to persuade Putin to reverse course,” Mary Lou McDonald said. “Our solidarity with Ukraine must take the form of significantly strengthened sanctions against the regime of President Putin. “We need sanctions which can end Russian aggression against Ukraine and force a complete withdrawal of Russian military forces.” McDonald raised concerns about the movement of Russian money through the financial centre of Dublin to Russia, a concern that has been flagged several times in the Irish parliament in recent days, PA reports.
Updated
The culture secretary has given her reaction to Russia being expelled from Eurovision.
Eurovision stands for freedom, unity and respect between countries - watched and enjoyed by tens of millions around the world.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) February 25, 2022
Glad to see @Eurovision taking action and kicking Russia out. https://t.co/3YvH3aZQ0Q
Summary
Here’s a round up of the key developments so far:
- The UK is no longer accepting visa applications from Ukrainians stuck in the country. This means there is no safe and legal route for them to seek asylum in Britain unless they have close family in the UK. Labour MP Nadia Whittome tweeted to say the move was “completely inhumane”.
- Vladimir Putin has urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have lodged themselves in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.” Addressing the Ukrainian military in a televised address, a visibly angry Putin urged the military to “take power in your own hands”.
-
An effort is under way to isolate Vladimir Putin diplomatically by challenging Russia’s right to a permanent seat of the UN security council on the grounds that Russia took the seat from the defunct Soviet Union in 1991 without proper authorisation. Diplomats are also looking to see if there is a basis for removing Russia from the presidency of the council.
- The Belarus ambassador to London, Maxim Yermalovich, was summoned to the Foreign Office and told new members of its ruling elite will be sanctioned as a result of their role in facilitating the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. James Cleverly, the Europe minister, said afterwards: “The UK condemns the role Belarus is playing in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus must stop supporting Russia’s illegal and unprovoked actions.”
- In the first 24 hours of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not taken any of its major objectives and has lost more than 450 personnel, according to the defence secretary. Ben Wallace told Sky News it was the government’s view that Vladimir Putin intends “to invade the whole of Ukraine”.
- Nato troops must not enter Ukraine because of the “risk of miscalculation” leading to “existential” threat, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey has told MPs that the government would “explore all that we can do to support the Ukrainians themselves over the next few days”.
- Keir Starmer has said he believes “further financial restrictions” against Russia are needed. He said if Boris Johnson brought forward tougher sanctions on Russia, they would be voted through Parliament “very, very quickly” with the Labour Party’s support.
- The UK has said it will work “all day” to persuade fellow European states to cut Russia off from the international Swift payment system. The UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, ended the pretence that Britain was not at odds with its fellow European leaders over the issue. He said there was still time for Russia to be excluded, and the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said: “The UK is working with allies to exclude Russia from the Swift financial system.”
-
Boris Johnson committed to providing further support to Ukraine after receiving an update from president Volodymyr Zelensky on the “terrible developments” in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Zelensky said after the call that Ukraine demands “effective counteraction” from allies against Russia including further sanctions.
-
A total of 1,000 UK troops are on standby to support Ukraine’s neighbours with refugee responses, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey
told MPs: “The 1,000 troops that are on standby are there to support Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Poland with the expected humanitarian challenges that they will face as people make their way out of Ukraine.”
I’m handing over to my colleague Nadeem Badshah now. Thanks so much for joining me. Sorry I wasn’t able to reply to everyone who got in touch.
Russia is no longer allowed to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest following the invasion of Ukraine, the competition’s producer has announced.
The European Broadcasting Union said in a statement that the inclusion of a Russian entry at the 2022 event in Turin would bring the contest into disrepute, PA news reports.
It comes after state broadcasters from countries including Iceland, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands called for Russia to be banned from competing.
The EBU said:
The Executive Board of the EBU made the decision following a recommendation earlier today by the Eurovision Song Contest’s governing body, the Reference Group, based on the rules of the event and the values of the EBU.
The Reference Group recommendation was also supported by the EBU’s Television Committee. The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s Contest would bring the competition into disrepute.
Before making this decision the EBU took time to consult widely among its membership.
The EBU is an apolitical member organisation of broadcasters committed to upholding the values of public service. We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which promotes international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music and unites Europe on one stage.
The 66th edition of Eurovision is due to take place in Turin after Italian rock band Maneskin won the 2021 contest.
An effort is under way to isolate Vladimir Putin diplomatically by challenging Russia’s right to a permanent seat of the UN security council on the grounds that Russia took the seat from the defunct Soviet Union in 1991 without proper authorisation.
Diplomats are also looking to see if there is a basis for removing Russia from the presidency of the council.
The presidency rotates monthly between the 15 members of the security council, allowing the office holder to shape its monthly agenda and to chair its meetings.
The Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzias was chairing an emergency meeting of the security council in New York on Wednesday night as Putin announced his assault on Ukraine. Nebenzias started reading out a text sent to his phone by the Kremlin justifying the attack. He maintained the fiction that an invasion was not under way but instead a special military operation had begun in the Donbas.
Most council members condemned Russia, one of the five permanent security council members, with the UN secretary general António Guterres taking the rare step of accusing Russia of being in breach of the UN charter.
A draft security council motion, condemning Russia and calling for its unconditional withdrawal, is being negotiated behind the scenes in New York and will probably be debated on Friday, but Russia as a permanent member will use its veto.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, told Wednesday night’s meeting that article 4 of the UN charter says the UN is open only to peace-loving states that accept the terms of the charter. He said Russia’s actions showed it could not comply with those terms.
Read more here:
The Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said President Putin’s actions in attacking Ukraine were “disgraceful”.
Speaking in Newcastle, she said:
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see the footage out of Ukraine, and the responsibility and the death and the bloodshed lies with Putin.
He shouldn’t have done this. He knows that he’s broken international law.
This is devastating to see what’s happened here and the hand of history will not be kind to Putin and his regime for what they’ve done.
It is really devastating to see what’s happening.
All of my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and people who are watching that, and people in Russia who have strong links to family in Ukraine who are seeing this.
It’s disgraceful what Putin has done and he will be judged by his actions by the international community.
Updated
The Belarus ambassador to London, Maxim Yermalovich, was summoned to the Foreign Office and told new members of its ruling elite will be sanctioned as a result of their role in facilitating the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
James Cleverly, the Europe minister, said afterwards:
The UK condemns the role Belarus is playing in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus must stop supporting Russia’s illegal and unprovoked actions.
We must be united against Russian aggression.
The Foreign Office said the measures allow the UK to sanction not just Russians that support the Russian state, but individuals and entities in other countries that support Russia.
The Foreign Office said Belarus needs to desist from its support to Russia and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in line with its international obligations.
In recent weeks Belarus has allowed Russian troops to conduct exercises on its soil in full knowledge that they were there to prepare for the attack on Ukraine.
At present 108 citizens from Belarus are subject to asset freezes as are 10 entities.
Updated
The UK is no longer accepting visa applications from Ukrainians stuck in the country.
This means there is no safe and legal route for them to seek asylum in Britain unless they have close family in the UK.
Labour MP Nadia Whittome tweeted to say the move was “completely inhumane”.
The UN aid agencies said Russia’s invasion could drive up to 5 million people to flee abroad.
The UK government has stopped accepting visa applications from all Ukrainians who do not have a close British family member living in Ukraine.
— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) February 25, 2022
This will prevent Ukrainian refugees from coming to the UK, including those with family here.
This is completely inhumane.
The Scottish Greens’ equality and human rights spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP called on Priti Patel to immediately establish safe and legal routes for Ukrainians to travel directly to the UK to claim asylum.
Maggie Chapman said:
The UK government has a responsibility to provide a humanitarian response and that must include support for those forced to flee Ukraine.
The move to extend visas for Ukrainians already in the UK is welcome, but it is essential that more is done.
The home secretary should take inspiration from countries such as Ireland and Moldova and ensure that the UK is ready to welcome those fleeing conflict, especially those who may be most at risk under a Russian occupation, such as journalists and LGBT people.
Meanwhile, the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is making preparations for an influx of refugees.
Christof Johnen, head of international cooperation at the German Red Cross, told Reuters the establishment of reception camps for refugees was under discussion, but that there was still no reliable indication of how many refugees might come.
He said:
We have reports that civilian facilities have also been affected by the fighting. People are insecure, people try to hide. In formal shelters, but of course also in informal ones, in basements and so on.
At least 100,000 people are uprooted in Ukraine after fleeing their homes, while several thousand have already crossed into neighbouring countries including Moldova, Romania and Poland, UN refugee agency spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a UN briefing in Geneva.
Updated
Guardian contributor Oliver Bullough has written an opinion piece calling Boris Johnson’s claim this week to the House of Commons that no government could “conceivably be doing more to root out corrupt Russian money” ludicrous and explaining what more the UK should be doing.
He writes:
We were warned about Vladimir Putin – about his intentions, his nature, his mindset – and, because it was profitable for us, we ignored those warnings and welcomed his friends and their money. It is too late for us to erase our responsibility for helping Putin build his system. But we can still dismantle it and stop it coming back.
Russia is a mafia state, and its elite exists to enrich itself. Democracy is an existential threat to that theft, which is why Putin has crushed it at home and seeks to undermine it abroad. For decades, London has been the most important place not only for Russia’s criminal elite to launder its money, but also for it to stash its wealth. We have been the Kremlin’s bankers, and provided its elite with the financial skills it lacks. Its kleptocracy could not exist without our assistance. The best time to do something about this was 30 years ago – but the second best time is right now.
Read the full piece here:
Hundreds of people have gathered outside the Russian consulate in Edinburgh to protest against the attack on Ukraine.
Here’s a report from Jack Foster of LBC:
Hundreds of people demonstrate outside the Russian consulate in Edinburgh to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. @jackfostr reports.
— LBC (@LBC) February 25, 2022
Follow the latest live: https://t.co/7G7NqgRY3d pic.twitter.com/G4xIwzhMff
Putin urges Ukrainian army to overthrow Ukrainian government in angry TV address
Vladimir Putin has urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have lodged themselves in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.”
Addressing the Ukrainian military in a televised address, a visibly angry Putin urged the military to “take power in your own hands”.
It seems like it will be easier for us to agree with you than this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.
Putin also repeated his claim that the Ukrainian leadership had been engaged in “genocide” in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
We are fighting with nationalist groups that are directly responsible for the genocide of the Donbas and the bloodshed of peaceful civilians in the two republics.
In the address, Putin further accused the Ukrainian “neo-Nazi” leadership of acting like terrorists, by “cowering behind civilians”.
Updated
Iceland and Estonia have joined the Netherlands in calling for Russia to be excluded from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest over its invasion of Ukraine.
PA Media reports the competition has indicated it plans to allow Russia to compete in Turin in May, describing itself as a “non-political cultural event”.
The Estonian Public Broadcasting board chairman Erik Roose said he had contacted organisers to discuss Russia’s involvement. He said: “Obviously, it is inconceivable that Estonia will participate in Eurovision in a situation where Russia participates but Ukraine does not.
“Apparently, our colleagues from other Baltic countries are of the same opinion. We will continue to communicate with the EBU as the organiser of the song contest.”
The Icelandic broadcaster RUV said it had been in contact with its “Nordic colleagues who share our concerns about the situation in Ukraine” and they had agreed Russia should not compete.
Denmark and Norway have also joined calls for Russia to be excluded, according to local media reports.
In a statement, Eurovision said on Thursday: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event which unites nations and celebrates diversity through music.
“We of course will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Updated
The Kremlin-funded UK news channel RT has come under pressure over its pro-Russian reporting of the Ukraine invasion.
Our media editor Jim Waterson has this story about calls for the channel – which has described the Russian invasion as a “special military operation” – to have its licence revoked.
Updated
Summary
Here’s a round up of the key developments so far:
- In the first 24 hours of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not taken any of its major objectives and has lost more than 450 personnel, according to the defence secretary. Ben Wallace told Sky News it was the government’s view that Vladimir Putin intends “to invade the whole of Ukraine”.
- Nato troops must not enter Ukraine because of the “risk of miscalculation” leading to “existential” threat, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey has told MPs that the government would “explore all that we can do to support the Ukrainians themselves over the next few days”.
- Keir Starmer has said he believes “further financial restrictions” against Russia are needed. He said if Boris Johnson brought forward tougher sanctions on Russia, they would be voted through Parliament “very, very quickly” with the Labour Party’s support.
- The UK has said it will work “all day” to persuade fellow European states to cut Russia off from the international Swift payment system. The UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, ended the pretence that Britain was not at odds with its fellow European leaders over the issue. He said there was still time for Russia to be excluded, and the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said: “The UK is working with allies to exclude Russia from the Swift financial system.”
-
Boris Johnson committed to providing further support to Ukraine after receiving an update from president Volodymyr Zelensky on the “terrible developments” in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Zelensky said after the call that Ukraine demands “effective counteraction” from allies against Russia including further sanctions.
-
A total of 1,000 UK troops are on standby to support Ukraine’s neighbours with refugee responses, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey
told MPs: “The 1,000 troops that are on standby are there to support Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Poland with the expected humanitarian challenges that they will face as people make their way out of Ukraine.”
I’m taking a short break now but will be back soon. In the meantime, do take a look at the dedicated liveblog on the crisis in Ukraine here:
A Royal Navy destroyer has set sail to be on standby in the Mediterranean following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
HMS Diamond left Portsmouth naval base as part of the UK’s response to support Nato countries in eastern Europe.
The government said it had deployed the vessel in case it is required as part of a wider Nato force.
The Type 45 destroyer will join offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent in the eastern Mediterranean with four additional RAF Typhoon jets also being deployed to Cyprus to take part in Nato patrols in eastern Europe.
Hundreds of troops have also been deployed to Estonia and Poland.
HMS Diamond had originally been set to leave on February 17 but its departure was initially delayed by Storm Eunice with further delays caused by the warship requiring “minor repairs”.
The problems meant that all of the navy’s fleet of Type 45s were alongside at the same time, with four vessels in Portsmouth and two in Birkenhead.
The defence select committee warned in December 2021 that the “low availability of the UK’s Type 45 destroyers and recognised issues in their propulsion systems are a major cause for concern”.
Updated
The EU is preparing to freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as part of a third round of sanctions against Russia, the Financial Times reports.
Foreign ministers are planning to approve the sanctions package this afternoon, along with a number of measures against Russian banks and industry, the paper quotes three people familiar with the matter.
Putin and Lavrov will not be subject to a ban on travelling under the measures, the FT writes, underlining the EU’s willingness to keep symbolic diplomatic possibilities open.
An EU official, speaking under condition of anonymity, told Reuters: “We are moving as quickly as we can,” adding the bloc could also target “many more” oligarchs.
Follow our dedicated liveblog for more global stories on the Russia/Ukraine crisis here:
Updated
The UK has said it will work “all day” to persuade fellow European states to cut Russia off from the international Swift payment system.
The UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, ended the pretence that Britain was not at odds with its fellow European leaders over the issue. He said there was still time for Russia to be excluded, and the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said: “The UK is working with allies to exclude Russia from the Swift financial system.”
Wallace added: “We will work all the magic, do everything we can in diplomacy.”
Truss is to undertake a round of shuttle diplomacy to try to rally support for the British position after the EU refused to adopt what has been billed as the “nuclear option” of sanctions.
British officials said that the EU, reflecting the divisions at its council meeting on Thursday, kept the Swift option on the table. UK diplomats are arguing that with Ukrainian forces mounting a defence of their country, and scattered signs of unease in Russian cities, this is the moment to try to get ahead of Putin for once and surprise him with a move that would send the Russian economy straight into the deep freeze.
The British position has the support of Canada and some US senators. British officials insist they will keep up the pressure for the policy even if Kyiv falls.
Boris Johnson lobbied the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Wednesday on the issue but made no progress. Johnson’s position, also raised at a virtual meeting of the G7, is backed by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer.
The Swift payment system (the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) is the main secure messaging system that banks use to make rapid and secure cross-border payments, allowing international trade to flow smoothly. It has become the principal mechanism for financing international trade. In 2020, about 38m transactions were sent each day over the Swift platform, facilitating trillions of dollars’ worth of deals.
Swift is incorporated under Belgian law and, although supervised by a complex web of central banks, it was forced in 2012 to comply with an EU regulation, as confirmed by its home country government, that had cut Iran off from the banking system.
Wallace said:
We would like to go further. We’d like to do the Swift system – that is the financial system that allows the Russians to move money around the world to receive payments for its gas – but … these are international organisations and if not every country wants them to be thrown out of the Swift system, it becomes difficult.
Opponents of the move argue that it would incentivise Russia to try to use an alternative fledgling scheme. They also say it would be dangerous for countries highly dependent on Russia for their energy, principally Italy.
Read the full story here:
Boris Johnson will host the leaders of the V4 countries in London next month to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
No 10 said the prime minister will hold a meeting with the leaders of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on March 8 to “discuss the situation in Ukraine and the UK’s support for security in the region”.
An estimated 450 Russian soldiers have died in the conflict in Ukraine so far and Vladimir Putin failed in his military objectives on the first day of fighting, the UK defence secretary has said.
Ben Wallace also rebuffed pleas on Friday morning from Ukrainian and some Conservative politicians for the UK to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine, arguing that introducing one would amount to declaring war on Russia.
“Our assessment as of this morning is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives, in fact it is behind its hoped-for timetable,” Wallace told Sky News.
They have lost over 450 personnel. One of the significant airports they were trying to capture with their elite Spetsnaz [special forces] has failed to be taken. In fact, the Ukrainians have taken it back.
So, I think contrary to great Russian claims, and indeed President Putin’s sort of vision that somehow the Ukrainians would be liberated and would be flocking to his cause – he’s got that completely wrong. The Russian army has failed to deliver on day one its main objective.
In a later exchange on BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, the Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko pleaded with Wallace for the UK and the US to close airspace above Ukraine “in order for these casualties not to escalate”.
However Wallace said this would constitute a direct act of aggression towards Russia, which would prompt a response, and result in “war across Europe” as any attack on the UK would implicate all other Nato members.
Wallace said:
To do a no-fly zone I would have to put British fighter jets against Russian; Nato would have to declare war on Russia.
I cannot and won’t trigger a European war but I will help Ukraine fight every street with every piece of equipment we can support them.
Vasylenko warned that Europe is already at war, since “if Ukraine is allowed to fall others will follow”, and other democratic nations should seek to protect a fellow sovereign country.
She said:
What you are witnessing is a restructuring of the defence and security framework we are so used to.
Read more from my colleagues Rachel Hall and Dan Sabbagh here:
Keir Starmer is continuing his clampdown on Labour’s leftwing by cutting funds to Young Labour and cancelling its annual conference, Rachel Wearmouth of the Daily Mirror reports.
A source told her:
Labour will no longer tolerate the selfishness of those who aren’t focused on winning the next election.
Young Labour has declared its support for Stop The War “and other pro-peace activists”.
Yesterday, a group of 11 Labour MPs from the left of the party removed their names from a statement about the invasion of Ukraine, which heavily criticises Nato after being warned they risked losing the party whip.
The clampdown on Young Labour makes clear Starmer is now operating a zero tolerance approach to Left-wing activists supporting Corbyn & organising against the party
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) February 25, 2022
Source: "Labour will no longer tolerate the selfishness of those who aren’t focused on winning the next election” https://t.co/HoqlGMjgiz
The Mirror understands senior Young Labour figures have been asked to meet with Labour's General Secretary David Evans
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) February 25, 2022
Updated
Boris Johnson is expected to raise the prospect of banning Russia from the Swift payment system with allies again on Friday, Downing Street said.
A spokesman for the prime minister was asked whether the UK would be pushing for the sanction and he said:
You’ll have heard the prime minister’s comments in the house on this yesterday, we will continue to work with allies to try and cut Russia off from Swift.
You’ll be aware that the PM raised this in his call with G7 leaders yesterday, I expect he will raise it at the Nato leaders meeting again today.
The spokesman would not be drawn on which countries were holding out on the proposal but he said:
We’ve set out why we want to ensure that we can do this, as the prime minister said yesterday to ensure that we send a clear message to Vladimir Putin that his efforts will not succeed and to ensure that we can deal a severe blow to the Russian economy.
As I say, the Prime Minister will raise it again later today.
The government is working “incredibly closely” with Ukraine’s neighbours to support those fleeing the country, No 10 said.
A spokesman for Boris Johnson said and he pointed towards the home secretary’s announcement on visa extensions.
You’ll be aware that we deployed an extra 350 troops to Poland a fortnight ago to help exactly with that task.
1,000 UK troops are on stand-by to support refugee response
A total of 1,000 UK troops are on standby to support Ukraine’s neighbours with refugee responses, the armed forces minister has said.
Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones asked:
Will the 1,000 UK troops that he has placed on standby to help with the humanitarian crisis now be urgently deployed?
James Heappey replied:
Just to be very clear – because I think unless I am almost doing her a disservice – I might have understood her question to be will the 1,000 troops go into Ukraine as they did into Kabul into the summer to facilitate the egress of Ukrainians.
I am afraid she will be disappointed. That is just not something that could realistically be done. This is a highly kinetic combat situation and the probability of Nato troops being caught up in combat with Russian armed forces is far too high and would lead to huge escalation.
The 1,000 troops that are on standby are there to support Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Poland with the expected humanitarian challenges that they will face as people make their way out of Ukraine.
Conservative MP Luke Evans asked:
What sanctions and steps will we take to make sure that Belarus feel the pain for what they are doing?
Heappey replied:
The Belarusian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office today to have the views of Her Majesty’s government shared with them. Belarus has also been included in the sanctions regime.
Updated
Downing Street said “nothing is off the table” in support of Ukraine.
A spokesman for Boris Johnson said:
We remain firmly behind Ukraine and will continue to support them.
The spokesman said he could not go into detail over the support being provided but the UK had “talked about protective equipment, helmets, body armour, as well as some of the defensive lethal aid that we’ve provided in terms of anti-tank weaponry”.
The public inquiry into how a British woman was fatally poisoned after being exposed to Novichok has been delayed, in a decision which has been condemned by the coroner and the victim’s family.
Dawn Sturgess died in July 2018 after she unwittingly came into contact with the nerve agent on a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire.
The UK government and Scotland Yard believe the Kremlin was responsible for the act, prompting Priti Patel three months ago to order the inquest into Sturgess’s death be converted into a public inquiry to better establish the extent of Russian involvement.
At what was intended to be the inquiry’s first hearing on Friday at the Royal Courts of Justice, coroner Lady Heather Hallett, who has now been appointed to lead the Covid-19 inquiry, was told her successor had still not been appointed, resulting in further delays.
Michael Mansfield, representing the victim’s family and Sturgess’s partner Charlie Rowley, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine this week underlined the need to progress with the inquiry without delay.
He told the 30-minute hearing:
As of today, or yesterday, there is a poignancy about what is happening in Ukraine and eastern Europe at the moment, for the necessity of this inquiry not losing a single day.
Hallett said she had been putting “extreme pressure on, behind the scenes” to ensure her successor was appointed.
She added:
It is, I have to say, a disappointment to me to be sitting here today with no inquiry set up and no judge appointed to lead it.
I have seen a letter from Birnberg Peirce, the solicitors who represent the Sturgess family and also Mr Rowley, expressing a degree of frustration at the delay - that is a frustration that I share.
Ben Watson, counsel for the government, said a chairman was expected to be appointed in the next two weeks.
He said it was “regrettable” the appointment had not been made, and added that “recent events” had increased demands on the government.
Hallett concluded:
Many other people have been affected (by the poisoning) and they too have the right to have these proceedings heard as soon as possible.
Sturgess died in hospital after she and Rowley became seriously ill in Amesbury.
It followed the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and ex-police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year when members of a Russian military intelligence squad are believed to have smeared the deadly nerve agent on Skripal’s door handle in Salisbury.
All three survived, as did Rowley.
Updated
Moscow’s ambassador in London, has not yet been expelled from the UK, Jack Elsom of The Sun points out.
A spokesperson for No 10 said:
Having a Russian representative in London allows us to deliver clear and tough messages directly to Putin’s government.
Despite pressure to expel him, looks like Moscow's ambassador in London is staying put for now:
— Jack Elsom (@JackElsom) February 25, 2022
No10 spox says: "Having a Russian representative in London allows us to deliver clear and tough messages directly to Putin's government."
Responding to shadow defence secretary John Healey, James Heappey says anti-tank missiles had “already proven to be invaluable” in the conflict in Ukraine.
The armed forces minister says the weapons were “high on our list of things that we are looking to supply”, adding:
They are unsubstantiated reports, but nonetheless we are aware of the number of circumstances in which they have been used to defeat Russian armour, and we are therefore very aware of their utility both in open battle during the initial phase of the conflict but also in the urban domain in any resistance or insurgency that might follow.
Heappey also shares insight that Russia’s invasion had not been as successful as planned.
He says:
Suffice to say, we are pretty certain that in the Kremlin last night there will have been some pretty urgent reflections on the speed of the advance compared to what they anticipated.
I think that Russian people should be calling President Putin and the kleptocracy that surrounds him out on that, because young Russian men and women are being sacrificed in the name of President Putin’s hubris.
Shadow defence secretary John Healey has pressed the government on whether the UK will provide Ukraine with short-range handheld anti-tank missiles.
He says:
On Wednesday, the prime minister told the house the UK will be shortly providing a further package of military support to Ukraine. We understand the minister’s comments about detail, but has this further military assistance being provided?
The minister knows he has Labour’s full support for this.
Healey says the “UK’s short-range handheld anti-tank missiles are working well”, adding:
He knows that the Ukrainians need more of these urgently to defend Kiev and their other cities. So, can he confirm that he is willing to go that bit further?
Healey concludes his remarks by saying:
We’ve taken peace and security in Europe for granted since the end of the Cold War. We can no longer do that.
I fear that we will be dealing with the consequences of this Russian invasion now for years to come.
Sending Nato forces to Ukraine would risk leading to 'existential' threat
Nato troops must not enter Ukraine because of the “risk of miscalculation” leading to “existential” threat, the armed forces minister has said.
James Heappey has told MPs that the government would “explore all that we can do to support the Ukrainians themselves over the next few days”.
He adds:
But we must all in this house be clear that British and Nato troops should not, must not, play an active role in Ukraine.
We must all be clear what the risk of miscalculation could be and how existential that could very quickly become if people miscalculate and things escalate unnecessarily.
Updated
Conservative MP Peter Bone has asked the armed forces minister to update the house on whether the UK and Western allies will institute a no-fly zone on Ukraine.
Bone says:
We are seeing history repeat itself, as a powerful country, headed by a mad man, is extending its territorial boundaries. First by annexing regions of sovereign countries and then invading those countries. This, of course, is what happened in the 1930s and led to World War.
He adds:
The Ukraine ambassador to the United Kingdom has asked for us and our allies to institute a no-fly zone of Ukraine. As the ambassador said, people are dying as we speak.
This action will be a significant and a real help for the people of Ukraine. Yesterday, when I asked the Prime Minister about this request, he indicated it was not ruled out. Could the minister update the House on this request for help?
James Heappey said a no-fly zone is “somewhat difficult to implement in a hostile airspace against a peer adversary”.
He noted eyes must be open to the reality that “in such an event, Nato jets would not possibly, but would most certainly probably, come into a combat situation with Russian jets.”
Heappey went on:
The risk of miscalculation and escalation and the triggering of Article 5 could not be understated in those circumstances. In the air domain, the risk of miscalculation is greater because things are happening at Mach 2. And there is no time for political calibration.
Shadow defence secretary John Healey says Europe took peace for “granted”.
The Labour MP says:
We’ve taken peace & security in Europe for granted since the end of the Cold War.
We can no longer do that.
And I fear that we will be dealing with the consequences of this Russian invasion now for years to come.
Britain is going through all of its military kit to see what can be sent to Ukraine, James Heappey has told MPs.
The armed forces minister says:
We want to see as much British kit in the hands of Ukrainians as we can manage.
Asked by shadow defence secretary John Healey which specific objectives Russia failed to achieve, James Heappey won’t divulge intelligence.
However, he does say: “Putin may have bitten off more than he can chew” with his Invasion of Ukraine.
The armed forces minister adds he is “pretty certain” people “in the Kremlin” will be asking questions about the invasion.
Updated
The UK will send further armed forces to Estonia “earlier than planned” to reinforce the Nato ally in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Responding to an urgent question, Defence minister James Heappey told the Commons:
In addition to the Royal Tank Regiment battle group that has been in place in Estonia for the last six months, the Royal Welsh battlegroup will be arriving in Estonia earlier than planned to double up our force levels and those doubled-up force levels remain indefinitely.
They will be augmented by the headquarters of 12 Mechanised Brigade, meaning that the United Kingdom will have an armoured brigade in Estonia reassuring one of our closest Nato allies.
Updated
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said if Boris Johnson brought forward tougher sanctions on Russia, they would be voted through Parliament “very, very quickly” with the Labour Party’s support.
He also strengthened his appeal for Russia to be banned from international financial system Swift, describing the move as a “now decision” which should be made as soon as possible.
He told BBC Breakfast:
That is a now decision and the Labour Party would support it in full. We think it should happen now.
Starmer called for shell companies in the UK supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime to be targeted, saying there was “frustration” in parliament that the government hasn’t “got on with this”.
He continued:
What I’ve said to the prime minister is whatever criticism I’ve got for you, not having done it now, do it now. If you bring forward legislation, I said to the prime minister on Monday, we the Labour party will vote for it.
We could bring this through parliament very, very quickly because those shell companies are hiding assets that are supporting Putin and we have to get our house in order and there’s such a will in parliament at the moment.
Defence minister Baroness Goldie said there is currently no indication Russia intends to “directly target” UK or Nato forces, but they “remain on guard”, with cyber attacks expected.
Opening a debate in the House of Lords, Lady Goldie said 1,000 troops are on stand-by to deal with the exodus of people from Ukraine.
She told peers:
It goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers remain with the Ukrainian people, many of whom have family and friends in the UK, and will now find themselves under attack for no reason whatsoever.
But at the same time we remain on guard. While there is no indication at present that Russia intends to directly target British or Nato forces, we should expect their forces and proxies to launch cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns, seeking opportunities to embarrass the UK or Nato and to undermine our resolve.
We stand ready to protect our country against any threats, whether conventional or in cyberspace.
However, I’m afraid there’s no disguising the fact that a dark new chapter has opened in our history.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries welcomed Uefa’s decision to strip St Petersburg of the Champions League final over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She said:
I welcome Uefa’s decisive action to strip St Petersburg of staging this year’s Champions League Final.
Russia must not be allowed to exploit sporting and cultural events on the world stage to legitimise its unprovoked, premeditated and needless attack against a sovereign democratic state.
More on that story from my colleagues on the sports desk here:
The government has been pressed to give an update on China’s position on Ukraine and on missiles “arriving in Serbia ready to destabilise” peace in Bosnia.
As the Commons began a Friday sitting, Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said:
I appreciate there is an urgent question on Ukraine later on, but I wonder if the government has given any indication about whether they are going to make a statement about our relations with China, given that China has done nothing to condemn the Ukrainian incursion, and whether the government will also make a statement about what is happening in the Balkans where I understand that missiles are arriving in Serbia ready to destabilise the Dayton Agreement and create a new crisis there.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he was sure the government would take Jenkin’s comments “very seriously”.
Hoyle said:
I have been given no notification that anything is forthcoming. What I would say is that we do have the urgent question and I am sure that he may be able to press the minister if he were able to catch my eye.
Ben Wallace said Britain will “work all day” to try to get the Swift international payment system “turned off for Russia”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
Britain wants the Swift system to be turned off for Russia. But unfortunately the Swift system is not in our control - it’s not a unilateral decision.
Wallace said the system is used “to move money around”, explaining:
When you pay Russia for its gas, it probably goes through the Swift system, for example. It is based in Belgium. It has a number of partners that control it, or nation states.”
We want it switched off. Other countries do not. We only have so many options. We are going to work all day to try and get it (switched off for Russia).
An urgent question on the military situation in Ukraine will take place in the House of Commons from 11am.
It has been tabled by Conservative MP Peter Bone.
Defence minister James Heappey is expected to respond to the urgent question.
The House of Lords will be debating Ukraine and Russia from 10am.
Updated
Ben Wallace said Vladimir Putin “won’t stop” after invading Ukraine.
He said the decision not to “put British service personnel in direct fighting” was not about “risk”, but to avoid triggering a “war across Europe”.
“It’s not about risk, as much as I care for my personnel. It’s not about risk,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
It’s about if we were to directly attack Russian aircraft, we would have a war across Europe.
I have said continually for a long time, as has Britain, and the prime minister has supported this position, that Putin is not rational.
He is trying to invade Ukraine. He won’t stop after he’s ... with Ukraine. He will use everything in the Baltic states. He doesn’t believe the Baltic states are really countries.
And we will have to stand up to it. Now, I cannot trigger a European war and I won’t trigger a European war. But what I will do is help Ukraine fight every street with every piece of equipment we can get to them, and we will support them, and that is the reality.
Boris Johnson committed to providing further support to Ukraine after receiving an update from president Volodymyr Zelensky on the “terrible developments” in Kyiv.
A Downing Street statement said:
The prime minister spoke to president Zelensky this morning to express his solidarity with Ukraine.
President Zelensky updated the prime minister on the most recent Russian military advances, including missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities and the terrible developments in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning.
The prime minister assured president Zelensky that the world is united in its horror at what Putin his doing. He paid tribute to the bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people in standing up to Russia’s campaign of violence, and expressed his deep condolences for those who have been killed.
The prime minister committed to provide further UK support to Ukraine in the coming days as the people of Ukraine and the world continue to demonstrate that Putin cannot act with impunity.
Meanwhile, Zelensky said after the call that Ukraine demands “effective counteraction” from allies against Russia including further sanctions.
The Ukrainian leader tweeted:
Held talks with PM BorisJohnson. Reported on the course of (Ukraine’s) defence and insidious attacks on Kyiv by the aggressor. Today (Ukraine) needs the support of partners more than ever.
Held talks with 🇬🇧 PM @BorisJohnson. Reported on the course of 🇺🇦’s defense and insidious attacks on Kyiv by the aggressor. Today 🇺🇦 needs the support of partners more than ever. We demand effective counteraction to the Russian Federation. Sanctions must be further strengthened.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022
He later tweeted about a conversation he had with the president of Finland Sauli Niinistö, adding “We need to increase sanctions & [Ukrainian flag] defense support.”
Discussed with @niinisto countering the aggressor. Informed about our defense, insidious shelling of Kyiv. Grateful to 🇫🇮 for allocating $50 million aid. It’s an effective contribution to the anti-war coalition. We keep working. We need to increase sanctions & 🇺🇦 defense support
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022
Ben Wallace has said British troops will not be sent to fight “directly” with the Russians.
The defence secretary told BBC Breakfast they had provided training for more than 20,000 Ukrainians, which he described as “the next best thing”.
He said sending troops in would trigger a European war.
I said very clearly about a month ago that we are not going to be sending British troops to fight directly with Russian troops.
We are going to hold the line in Nato. We’ve always supported Ukraine’s application to Nato over the last 15 years, not every country has wanted them to join.
We’ve done the next best thing, which is train over 20,000 Ukrainians, provided them with lethal capabilities, which they are using right now.
But I’m not putting British troops directly to fight Russian troops. That would trigger a European war, because we are a Nato country, and Russia would therefore be attacking Nato.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said Jeremy Corbyn was wrong about Nato and the party itself has “never wavered” in its support for the alliance.
Asked on Sky News about the former Labour leader’s stance on stopping the expansion of Nato, Starmer said:
Jeremy Corbyn was wrong about that but the Labour Party’s policy never shifted under his leadership and I’ve been very clear.
He added that the “collective failure of the West” in the past response to Vladimir Putin may have emboldened the Russian president but described the party’s support for Nato as “unshakeable”.
He said:
I do think that the failure, the collective failure, of you know, the West... in relation to action he’s taken in the past, so many examples - Georgia, Crimea, Donbas - have given him the sense that as I say the benefits of aggression outweigh the costs.
We have to be clear that that isn’t the case here in relation to Ukraine and that that response package from the rest of the world will be so strong that it will not only isolate Russia but also cripple its ability to function.
For anyone who missed it, a group of 11 Labour MPs from the left of the party removed their names yesterday from a statement about the invasion of Ukraine, which heavily criticises Nato after being warned they risked losing the party whip.
In a rapid victory for Starmer over MPs still linked to Corbyn, the Labour chief whip wrote to the 11 backbenchers asking them to remove their signatures from a statement drawn up by the Stop the War group.
A party spokesperson later said all the MPs had agreed to do so.
The Stop the War statement, which accuses the UK government of “sabre-rattling” over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, also criticises it for saying Ukraine has a right to join Nato if it wishes.
Read more on that by my colleague Peter Walker here:
Keir Starmer has said he believes “further financial restrictions” against Russia are needed.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the Labour leader said he supported the government’s package of sanctions announced yesterday but called for extra measures.
He said the UK should “break open” shell companies in Britain providing support to Vladimir Putin and target Russia via Swift, an international financial system.
Reacting to news that Russian troops were nearing Kyiv, Starmer said the situation was “extremely serious” and Britain should be “absolutely clear” in its stance.
He said:
We have to stand together with our allies, particularly Nato, and it’s very important we must stand together as one United Kingdom, and therefore yesterday was significant in Parliament because all political parties spoke with one voice in our support for Ukraine and our support for Nato.
In relation to the sanctions, I thought what the Government put forward earlier this week was not strong enough. They came forward yesterday with a stronger package and I was able to say that we, the opposition, will support those further sanctions.
I do want to go further. I think that we do need further financial restrictions, particularly the Swift mechanism. I also think we’ve got to break open the shell companies we have here in the UK that are providing financial support for Putin.
In the first 24 hours of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not taken any of its major objectives and has lost more than 450 personnel, according to the defence secretary.
However, Ben Wallace told Sky News it was the government’s view that Vladimir Putin intends “to invade the whole of Ukraine”.
But he said Russia was “behind its hoped-for timetable” in the military action against its neighbour.
He said:
Our assessment, as of this morning, is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives,” the defence secretary said.
In fact it’s behind its hoped-for timetable. They’ve lost over 450 personnel.
One of the significant airports they were trying to capture with their elite spetsnaz [special forces] has failed to be taken and, in fact, the Ukrainians have taken it back.
So I think, contrary to great Russian claims and indeed President Putin’s vision that somehow the Ukrainians would be liberated and would be flocking to his cause, he’s got that completely wrong.
And the Russian army has failed to deliver on day one its main objective.
Welcome to today’s politics live blog. I’m Nicola Slawson and I’ll be taking the lead today. You can contact me on Twitter (@Nicola_Slawson) or via email (nicola.slawson@theguardian.com) if you have any questions or think I’m missing something.
I will be covering UK elements of the crisis in Ukraine here, but for full coverage of the story, and for the global perspective, do read our dedicated live blog. It’s here.
Meanwhile, our global coronavirus blog is here:
