Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow rages over Cameron strike remarks; Russia's 'three-part plan' to claim victory

Russia is ready to consider "serious" peace talk proposals to settle the conflict in Ukraine, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Speaking at a press briefing this afternoon, Ms Zakharova said the talks must be based on existing "realities" and Moscow's security concerns. 

She said part of the proposal would include Ukraine pledging to remain militarily neutral in future.

Russia proposing the possibility of peace talks is nothing new. 

Despite suggesting it is open for discussion, it always seems to blame Ukraine or the West for the breakdown of negotiations.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said troops have taken control of 211 square miles (547 square kilometres) of Ukrainian territory this year.

He referred to the territory as Russia's "new regions".

Mr Shoigu told a group of senior military commanders that Ukrainian forces were retreating along the frontline and that Russian troops were breaking a network of "Ukrainian strongholds".

"Over the past two weeks, the Russian armed forces have liberated the settlements of Novobakhmutivka, Semenivka and Berdychi in the Donetsk People's Republic," he said.

"The Ukrainian army units are trying to cling on to individual lines, but under our onslaught they are forced to abandon their positions and retreat."

Ukraine's top commander said last week that a number of troops had fallen back to new positions in villages on the eastern front.

The advances mean Russia now controls around 18% of Ukraine.

As reported here earlier, Moscow has had a predictably indignant reaction to Lord Cameron's statement's yesterday during his trip to Ukraine (see 10.34am post).

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has offered a further reflection of displeasure within Vladimir Putin's regime, claiming the British foreign secretary's comments amounted to an acknowledgement that the West was waging a war against Russia using "Ukrainian hands".

Lord Cameron said yesterday that Ukraine had a right to use weapons provided by London to strike targets inside Russia, and that it was up to Kyiv whether to do so.

"Cameron's words are further evidence of the hybrid war the West is waging against our country," Ms Zakharova said.

"Russia is responding to that and will continue to respond."

Russian's Vladimir Putin is planning to visit China later this month to meet President Xi Jinping, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

The visit is scheduled for 15-16 May, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the Kremlin's plans.

It comes after the White House said it remained "deeply concerned" that it was not seeing China make any changes amid accusations it is helping Russia's military with its war in Ukraine. 

Next week, Mr Xi will visit Europe for the first time in five years.

Beginning in Paris, France, he will visit Hungary and Serbia, the latter of which is a close ally to Mr Putin.

China has always maintained that it remains an objective and just party over the war, adding that its trade relations are "above-board".

 By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor

The UK will appoint a new envoy to oversee a plan to ramp up the production of weapons and ammunition, which is now a "national priority", the foreign secretary has revealed. 

Lord Cameron, speaking on a visit to Ukraine, also underlined the importance of supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia, warning that the world was at an "absolutely critical tipping point" and Kyiv must prevail or else Europe faced a "very dangerous future". 

However, he cautioned against an idea by French President Emmanuel Macron to consider sending NATO troops to Ukraine to join the fight if Russia's Vladimir Putin achieves a breakthrough, saying that such a move would be a "dangerous escalation".  

"I don't think it is right to have NATO soldiers killing Russian soldiers," the foreign secretary said in an interview in the western city of Lviv today, having met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top ministers in Kyiv yesterday.

The foreign secretary said Europe faced "two futures" – one in which Ukrainian forces, backed by western weapons, are able to push out the Russian invaders and secure what he called a "just peace". 

"That is a footing on which you can see great security and prosperity for us and for Europe," he said. 

But he warned: "A future in which Putin is successful and Ukraine is pushed back is I think a very dangerous future."

Read the full story by Haynes here.

Russia will face consequences after being accused of an "intolerable" cyberattack in Germany, a top diplomat has said.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Russian state hackers were behind a cyberattack last year that targeted the leading party in the governing coalition, the Social Democrats.

The interior ministry said it had seen evidence that email servers of German companies had been affected in the alleged attacks. 

"We can attribute this attack to the group called APT28, which is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia," Ms Baerbock said.

"This is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable and will have consequences."

The acting representative of the Russian embassy was summoned by the German government today over the alleged cyberattack.

Lord Cameron has today visited the western Ukrainian city of Lviv as part of his trip to the country.

He was met by Lviv City Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and was pictured signing a visitors' book and planting a tree in the city centre. 

Lviv is around 70km (43 miles) from Ukraine's border with Poland and has been the target of Russian strikes in the past.

Lord Cameron's visit comes after he was in Kyiv, where he promised £3bn of annual military aid for Ukraine for "as long as it takes".

Italy is planning to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine - which will include a SAMP/T air defence system - according to Italian media. 

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will officially make the announcement at the G7 Summit being held in Puglia, Italy, next month, news website La Repubblica reported.

Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems and long-range Storm Shadow missiles are also thought to be included in the package.

It will be the ninth military aid package sent to Ukraine from Italy. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking allies for high-end air defence systems to counter Russian air strikes. 

Last month he told NATO members that a minimum of seven would be needed as Russia ramped up attacks, particularly in eastern Ukraine.

We're hearing from the Kremlin, which has branded Lord Cameron's comments about Ukraine striking inside Russia "dangerous and worrying".

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine could use British-supplied weapons to target areas in the country if it wants, but that such a decision would be a "direct escalation". 

On a visit to Kyiv yesterday, Lord Cameron said Ukraine has the right to strike targets inside Russia "just as [Moscow] is striking inside Ukraine".

He said he could understand why Ukraine felt the need to make sure it was defending itself, and that it was its decision as to how it would use British-supplied weapons.

Hitting back, Mr Peskov said Lord Cameron's comments could "imperil the entire system of European security architecture".

A man has been killed after planning to attack a Russian fuel storage facility, the Federal Security Service has said.

According to the Interfax news agency, the man planned to attack the terminal in the Leningrad region with explosives.

It said the man was a Russian national working for Ukraine's military intelligence.

He was reportedly shot dead by security agents on the scene.