The White House said on Thursday night it had “incontrovertible evidence” that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a “strategic failure”.
Joe Biden suggested Vladimir Putin appeared to be “self-isolated” and may have ostracised his advisers as officials at the Pentagon said Russia’s convoy of military vehicles to Kyiv, which once stretched some 40 miles, may no longer exist after failing to accomplish its mission.
The convoy was supposed to overwhelm Kyiv with an attack from the north but within days the offensive stalled after a series of ambushes from Ukrainian forces.
John Kirby, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, said: “I don’t even know if it still exists at this point… They never really accomplished their mission”.
Ben Wallace announced on Thursday that the UK will send longer range artillery and armoured vehicles to Ukraine in a significant ramping up of Western support.
Meanwhile, Whitehall sources have expressed concern that allies including the US, France and Germany are “over-eager” to secure an early peace deal and are pushing Ukraine to “settle”.
Follow the latest updates below.
01:44 AM
Russia will respond to EU sanctions, says clash with Moscow not good for bloc
Russia will respond to European Union sanctions and says the 27-nation bloc might realize that a confrontation with Moscow is not in its interests, RIA cited a senior foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
“The actions of the EU will not remain unanswered … the irresponsible sanctions by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans,” Nikolai Kobrinets told the news agency.
01:28 AM
European Parliament leader says visiting Kyiv
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has said she is on her way to Ukraine, making her the first EU leader to visit the war-torn country.
The Maltese MEP, who was elected in January, tweeted Thursday “On my way to Kyiv” alongside a Ukrainian flag, but gave no further details.
In mid-March the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers travelled to Kyiv to show their solidarity with Ukraine.
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and his Czech and Slovenian counterparts, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the capital.
01:20 AM
US pledges extra one million barrels of oil a day
President Joe Biden launched the largest release ever from the US emergency oil reserve and challenged oil companies to drill more in an attempt to bring down gasoline prices that have soared during Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The announcement comes as part of a broad effort by Biden to tackle raging inflation that has hurt USconsumers and threatens Biden’s fellow Democrats as they seek to maintain control of Congress in the November elections.
Starting in May, the United States will release 1 million barrels per day of crude oil for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, he said.
“This is a moment of consequence and peril for the world, and pain at the pump for American families,” Biden said at an event at the White House.
01:15 AM
Today’s top stories
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Longer range artillery and armoured vehicles will be sent to Ukraine in a significant ramping up of Western support, Ben Wallace announced on Thursday
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Whitehall sources have expressed concern that allies including the US, France and Germany are “over-eager” to secure an early peace deal and are pushing Ukraine to “settle”
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A Ministry of Defence chief suggested Britain needs a national effort to boost its nuclear weapons programme
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Russian forces were said to have retreated from a Ukrainian airfield that was key to their original plan of overthrowing the government of Volodymyr Zelensky
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The Pentagon said that it was not clear Russia’s convoy of military vehicles to Kyiv, which once stretched some 40 miles, even existed anymore after failing to accomplish its mission
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The Ukrainian state nuclear company said that most of the Russian forces that occupied the Chernobyl nuclear power station after invading Ukraine have also left
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Joe Biden, the US president, said Vladimir Putin may have fired some of his advisers or put them under house arrest, and that it’s an “open question” as to whether Mr Putin is fully informed on his military’s performance in Ukraine
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Putin has threatened to cut off gas supplies to western Europe on Friday unless buyers “open rouble accounts in Russian banks” as he scrambles to prop up his country’s collapsing economy.
