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Zelenskiy says Putin is the only Russian official he is willing to meet with to discuss how to end the war – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war here

 Updated 
Mon 23 May 2022 19.59 EDTFirst published on Sun 22 May 2022 23.56 EDT
A mortar explodes next to the road leading to the city of Lysychansk in the eastern Ukranian region of Donbas.
A mortar explodes next to the road leading to the city of Lysychansk in the eastern Ukranian region of Donbas. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A mortar explodes next to the road leading to the city of Lysychansk in the eastern Ukranian region of Donbas. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

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Azovstal PoWs to be tried by tribunal in separatist Donetsk – reports

There is a quick snap going across the newswires via the Interfax news agency, which states that the leader of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk has said that all prisoners of war from the Azovstal steel plant will be tried by a tribunal in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

More to follow …

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Key events

Summary

We will be pausing our live coverage of the war in Ukraine for the next few hours.

Before we return, here is a comprehensive rundown of where things currently stand.

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said President Vladimir Putin was the only Russian official he was willing to meet with to discuss how to end the war. “The president of the Russian Federation decides it all,” he said in a video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskiy said. “I cannot accept any kind of meeting with anyone coming from the Russian Federation but the president.”
  • A veteran Russian diplomat in Geneva has resigned over his country’s invasion of Ukraine, in a rare political protest from within the Russian foreign policy establishment. Boris Bondarev, a counsellor at the Russian permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, wrote in a public statement: “Never have I been so ashamed of my country.” He confirmed he had submitted his letter of resignation.
  • A court in Kyiv has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for the killing of a Ukrainian civilian, in the first verdict in a trial related to war crimes carried out by the Russian army during its invasion of Ukraine. Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old sergeant, was found guilty of killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the Sumy region during the first days of the invasion.
  • Twenty countries announced new security assistance packages and agreed to send more advanced weapons to Ukraine, including a harpoon launcher and missiles to protect its coast, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday. The new security packages included “donating critically needed artillery ammunition, coastal defence systems and tanks and other armoured vehicles”, he said. Denmark pledged to send Harpoon anti-ship missiles that could be used to push the Russian navy away from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, allowing exports of grain and other agricultural products to resume.
  • “Low-level” discussions are reportedly underway on whether some US troops should be based in Ukraine and how the US may need to adjust its training of Ukrainian forces, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added.
  • Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urged the west to intensify its economic sanctions against Russia as he said business leaders in Davos needed to decide whether “brute force” should rule the world. In a keynote video address to the World Economic Forum, Zelenskiy called for a full oil embargo, the severing of Russian banks from the global financial system, the complete isolation of the Russian IT sector and a ban on trade with Russia.
  • The European Union will likely agree an embargo on Russian oil imports “within days” and may require capping global oil prices, Germany’s economy minister said on Monday. “We will reach a breakthrough within days,” Robert Habeck told German broadcaster ZDF, adding that the European Commission and the United States were working on a proposal to no longer pay “any price” for oil, but to cap global prices.
  • Nearly 90 people were killed in a Russian airstrike on the village of Desna in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv, according to Zelenskiy. Ukrainian authorities said eight people were killed in the strike, which took place last Tuesday. Zelenskiy’s figure would give the Desna attack Ukraine’s biggest military death toll in a single strike of the war so far.
  • The war in Ukraine could cause a recession in weaker economies, the head of the IMF has warned. Kristalina Georgieva predicted that 2022 would be a tough year and declined to rule out a global recession if conditions worsened markedly.
  • New satellite images reportedly show Russian theft of Ukrainian grain, according to a series of images released by Maxar Technologies, seemingly backing up claims from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that food had been gradually stolen from the country, CNN has reported. In the photos, taken from 19 and 21 May, two bulk carrier ships with Russian flags can be seen loading grain from the grain silos they are docked by.
  • Starbucks is leaving the Russian market, bringing an end to nearly 15 years of business in the country for the Seattle-based coffee company. Starbucks currently has 130 stores in Russia and the company employs nearly 2,000 people in the country. McDonalds has also removed the “golden arches” from Moscow as the company prepares to leave Russia for good.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin was the only Russian official he was willing to meet with to discuss how to end the war.

In a video address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskiy said:

The president of the Russian Federation decides it all.

If we are talking about ending this war without him personally, that decision cannot be taken.

I cannot accept any kind of meeting with anyone coming from the Russian Federation but the president.

And only in the case when there is one issue on the (table): stopping the war. There are no other grounds for any other kind of meeting.”

Zelenskiy added that arranging any talks with Russia was becoming more difficult in light of what he said was evidence of Russian actions against civilians under occupation.

Moscow to focus on further developing ties with China, Lavrov says

Russia’s foreign minister has said Moscow will focus on developing relations with China, though would consider offers from the west to re-establish ties.

Sergei Lavrov, in a question and answer session at an event in Moscow, said western countries had espoused “russophobia” since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was working to replace goods imported from western countries, he said, and in future, would rely only on “reliable” countries not beholden to the west.

If they (the west) want to offer something in terms of resuming relations, then we will seriously consider whether we will need it or not,” Lavrov said, according to a transcript on the foreign ministry’s website.

Lavrov set down grievances with western countries that he said were determined to change the rules of international relations to Russia’s detriment.

We must cease being dependent in any way on supplies of absolutely everything from the West for ensuring the development of critically important sectors for security, the economy or our homeland’s social sphere,” he said.

Lavrov said Moscow’s goal now is to further develop ties with China.

Now that the west has taken a ‘dictator’s position’, our economic ties with China will grow even faster.

In addition to direct revenue for the state budget, this is a chance to develop (Russia’s) far east and eastern Siberia.”

China, he said, had information and communications technologies “that are in no way inferior to the west. A great deal here will ensure mutual benefits.”

Lavrov said Russia would count on “only ourselves and on countries which have proved themselves reliable and do not ‘dance to some other piper’s music’. If western countries change their minds and propose some form of cooperation, we can then decide.”

EU likely to agree an embargo on Russian oil imports 'within days', Germany says

The European Union will likely agree an embargo on Russian oil imports “within days,” Germany’s economy minister said on Monday, but making a dent in Russia’s war chest may require capping global oil prices.

“We will reach a breakthrough within days,” Robert Habeck told German broadcaster ZDF when asked about an EU oil embargo in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He warned, however, that an embargo would not automatically weaken the Kremlin. Rising global oil prices after the United States announced an embargo on Russian oil enabled it to rake in more income while selling lower volumes.

Therefore, the European Commission and United States were working on a proposal to no longer pay “any price” for oil, but to cap global prices, he said.

“It is obviously an unusual measure, but these are unusual times,” he said. “This path only works if many countries get on board... and that’s proving to be the sticking point.”

Bundeswirtschaftsminister Robert #Habeck geht davon aus, dass sich die EU „innerhalb von wenigen Tagen“ auf ein Öl-Embargo gegen Russland einigen wird. Bei Gas sei das aber komplizierter, so der Grünen-Politiker in #Davos. pic.twitter.com/KptLYSOqNj

— ZDF heute journal (@heutejournal) May 23, 2022

The United States is still “a ways away” from any possible decision on whether to re-introduce US troops into Ukraine, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Monday, though acknowledged low-level planning underway.

President Joe Biden decided to withdraw American troops from Ukraine before Russia’s 24 February invasion in order to avoid a direct conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary.

But changing circumstances including a reopening of the US embassy have raised questions about whether US troops may be required to return to help ensure security of diplomats in a country at war.

At a news conference, Milley acknowledged some degree of staff planning ahead of a potential decision to send US troops back into Ukraine. That planning hasn’t made it to his level for review or to the level of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin where ultimately, it would be up to Biden.

At the end of the day, any reintroduction of US forces into Ukraine would require a presidential decision. So we’re a ways away from anything like that.

We’re still developing courses of action, and none of that’s been presented yet to the Secretary.”

Milley did not specify whether he was referring to low-level planning for US troops to potentially secure a US diplomatic presence in Ukraine or potentially for other activities as well.

Russia’s Roscosmos space agency director general, Dmitry Rogozin, has said the Kuril Islands, a subject of territorial dispute with Japan, could be renamed after Russian ships and events of the early 20th century’s Russo-Japanese war, according to a Reuters report.

The territorial dispute over the isles – which Russia says are part of its Kuril chain and which Japan calls its northern territories – has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from reaching a peace treaty formally ending second world war hostilities.

Rogozin proposed to change the name of one of the islands to Varyag in honour of a cruiser whose sinking started the Russo-Japanese war in 1904. He also proposed that the Habomai Islands could be called the archipelago of Russian hero sailors.

“Always, when states added territories they would give them their own names (... ) Why don’t these islands have Russian names?” Rogozin said on state-owned radio broadcaster Sputnik.

“This would be much more logical than the names with which we now have been calling these islands and which destroy the Russian language.”

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A recording of Russian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva, Boris Bondarev, has emerged after the official resigned from his position.

Bondarev said he had handed in his resignation before sending a scathing letter to foreign colleagues inveighing against the “aggressive war unleashed” by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Ukraine. Bondarev, 41, confirmed his resignation in a letter posted on his Facebook page.

“For 20 years of my diplomatic career, I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on 24 February of this year,” he wrote, alluding to the date of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian diplomat to UN in Geneva quits over Ukraine war – video
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Today so far

It is just after 1am in Kyiv. Here are the updates going into Tuesday morning:

  • Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, commended Boris Bondarev’s decision to resign and encouraged other Russian officials to do the same.
  • The war in Ukraine has impacted the global economy and could lead to recessions in vulnerable countries, according to the head of International Monetary Fund.
  • After months of providing shelter to residents, the subway system in Kharkiv will begin operating again this week.
  • McDonalds has removed the “golden arches” from Moscow as the company prepares to leave Russia for good.
  • Satellite images reportedly show Russian-flagged ships stealing grain from Ukraine, as officials warn of a food crisis that could be felt around the world.

New satellite images reportedly show Russian theft of Ukrainian grain, CNN reports, backing up claims from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that food had been gradually stolen from the country.

The images, which were produced by Maxar Technologies, are from 19 and 21 May. In them, two bulk carrier ships with Russian flags can be seen loading grain from the grain silos they are docked by.

From CNN:

It’s difficult to know for certain whether the ship is being loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain, but Russia-annexed Crimea produces little grain itself, unlike the agriculturally rich Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia immediately to the north. Ukrainian officials and industry sources have told CNN that Russian forces in occupied areas have emptied several silos and trucked the grain south.

Earlier this month, the Matros Pozynich carried out a similar mission: loading up with grain and setting sail out of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean. It was initially bound for Egypt with its cargo, but it was turned away from Alexandria after a warning from Ukrainian officials, according to the country’s government. It was also barred entry to Beirut, eventually docking in Latakia, in Syria, where Russia has for years been propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, Russia has stopped Ukrainian exports from the ports, creating the potential for a global food crisis. With Ukraine a top exporter of wheat and other food products, supply is already becoming strained.

“The world community must help Ukraine unblock seaports, otherwise the energy crisis will be followed by a food crisis and many more countries will face it,” Zelenskiy said over the weekend.

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McDonald’s world-famous golden arches are coming down in Moscow, Reuters reports, as the fast food chain begins its departure from Russia.

After more than three decades, the company is selling the restaurants to a local licensee and they will operate under a different name.

From Reuters:

McDonald’s had in March decided to close its restaurants in the country, including the Pushkin Square location in central Moscow that had been a symbol of flourishing American capitalism in the dying embers of the Soviet Union.

The departure of McDonald’s is one of the most high-profile so far in opposition to what Russia calls its special operation in neighboring Ukraine.”

McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990, a move largely seen as a signal just one year before the Soviet Union collapsed. But in March, the company announced that, because of the invasion of Ukraine and the “humanitarian crisis” it caused, its outlets there would close.

“This is a complicated issue that’s without precedent and with profound consequences,” said McDonald’s chief executive, Chris Kempczinski, in a statement to staff, reported by the BBC.

The departure comes at a high cost, and the company will write off a $1.4bn charge while also covering pay for the 62,000 employees now out of work, until the newly branded restaurants reopen.

“Some might argue that providing access to food and continuing to employ tens of thousands of ordinary citizens is surely the right thing to do,” Kempczinski said. “But it is impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. And it is impossible to imagine the Golden Arches representing the same hope and promise that led us to enter the Russian market 32 years ago.”

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The mayor of Kharkiv has announced that the city will resume subway service this week after the underground system was used for months to shelter civilians, CNN reports.

“All lines will be launched,” the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said in a televised address, noting that the trains won’t go as often as they did before the invasion. “The subway depot was damaged during the bombing and shelling, so the intervals will be longer.”

Weary Kharkiv residents, after months living underground in the metro, are transported to student dorms. City subway system set to restart this week. #Ukraine #gettyimages #gettyimagesnews pic.twitter.com/zRkLlm2rHJ

— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) May 22, 2022

Residents in the county’s second-largest city fled to the tracks as Russia attacked in February, but officials said those who sought refuge have now been relocated. Still, if needed, Terekhov said, “people can use the subway as a bomb shelter, especially subway underpasses”.

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The award-winning Ukrainian film-maker Sergei Loznitsa said he plans to make a documentary about the war in his country.

Loznitsa, who lives in Lithuania, is currently showing his latest film, The Natural History of Destruction, at the Cannes film festival.

The filmmaker told Reuters today:

I haven’t yet been back in Ukraine since the war started but of course I intend to go there, and I intend to make a film, about those atrocities that are taking place at the moment.

Loznitsa also defended his position that Russian film-makers should not be boycotted in response to the war in Ukraine:

Culture in general, by definition, opposes war – it is something that is absolutely against any war.

And I’m now handing over the blog to my Guardian US colleague Gabrielle Canon. She will have more updates coming up, so stay tuned.

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A Ukrainian court has demanded the arrest in absentia of the country’s former president Viktor Yanukovych on charges of treason.

The accusations center on a 2010 pact signed by Yanukovych that extended Russia’s lease on naval facilities in Crimea.

That agreement, widely known in Ukraine as the Kharkiv pact, allowed Russia to keep its Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, Reuters reports.

Yanukovych has already received a 13-year jail sentence in absentia for treason, in connection to a letter he sent to Vladimir Putin in 2014. The letter asked the Russian leader to use his country’s army and police forces to restore order in Ukraine. Yanukovych fled to Russia in 2014 following mass protests.

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