Ukraine latest: Volodymyr Zelensky addresses G7 leaders, PM says cost of Ukraine support is price worth paying

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky is understood to have told G7 leaders not to let the conflict in his country “drag on over winter”.

He told the leaders gathered in Germany that “if Ukraine wins you all win”.

And in a sign he was not willing to back down and accept a peace deal that gave up swathes of Ukraine to Russia, the president said: “We will only negotiate from a position of strength.”

In a joint statement, the G7 leaders promised to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

They said: “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“As we do so, we commit to demonstrate global responsibility and solidarity through working to address the international impacts of Russia’s aggression, especially on the most vulnerable.”

Boris Johnson has said G7 leaders remain united in their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing offensive on its territory.

Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, the Prime Minister said: “What has really struck me in the last couple of days is the amazing consistency of our resolve and the continuing unity of the G7. That has certainly shone through in the conversation in the last couple of days.

“The logic of the position is so clear. There is no deal that President Zelensky can do, so in those circumstances the G7, the supporters of Ukraine around the world, have to continue to help Ukrainians rebuild their economy, to get their grain out, and of course we have to help them to protect themselves.”

Environment Secretary George Eustice has admitted it would be a “big challenge” to get grain out of Ukraine by rail.

Questioned about the logistical difficulties of such a move, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is a big challenge. If it were easy, we would have found a way of doing it so far.”

But he said that moving it by ship through the Black Sea would be fraught with difficulty.

French European affairs minister Clement Beaune has warned it could take "15 or 20 years” for Ukraine to be made a full member of the EU.

Mr Beaune told Radio J in Paris: "We have to be honest. If you say Ukraine is going to join the EU in six months, or a year or two, you're lying.

"It's probably in 15 or 20 years, it takes a long time."

The French minister’s comments will come as a blow to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hoped to secure a speedy entry to the bloc after Russia's invasion.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has offered a compromise of creating a "European political community" - a halfway house to EU membership - but Mr Zelensky has rejected the proposals.

Ukraine military command has instructed soldiers to “save the lives of soliders” and stop defending the city of Mariupol.

The city, which has been heavily under-seige since the beginning of the war, was at the centre of a bloody battle for control of the Azovstal Steel Works.

The complex had sheltered civilians, who have now been evacuated, and was the last holdout for Ukrainian forces in the city, however Russia’s top military official has said that the steel plant has now been “completely liberated”.

US President Joe Biden has announced the country’s largest-ever aid package to Ukraine.

The US will hand over $40billon in aid to the country, the largest amount send to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

President Biden said that the newly-announced aid pakcage was “a clear bipartisan message to the world” that the USwould support Ukraine in defending “their democracy and freedom”.

The package includes $6bn for security assistance, $8.7bn worth of US equiptment to be sent to Ukraine and $5bn to address global food insecurity as a result of the war.

Newly released CCTV footage has allegedly shown Russian soliders gunning down two unarmed Ukrainian civilians.

Believed to be filmed during the heigh of the conflict as it was centering on Kyiv, the footage shows two Russian guards approaching a business park in the city.

Two Ukrainian men are seen walking towards the soldiers with their arms in the air.

After walking away from the encounter, the Russian guards are seen returning and shooting the two men in the back.

Now, the US has urged social media platforms to not delete such footage from their sites, even if it goes against their posting policy.

US Democratic lawmakers said: ““If verified as authentic, this content could... help substantiate allegations of war crimes and other atrocities committed by Russian forces against the people of Ukraine.”

The Kremlin has said that Finland’s move to join Nato will not help stability and security in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Moscow’s military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies.

Speaking at a military parade marking the former Soviet Union’s Second World War victory over the Nazis, Mr Putin drew parallels between the Red Army’s fighting against Nazi troops and the Russian forces’ action in Ukraine.

He said that the campaign in Ukraine was a timely and necessary move to ward off potential aggression.

The Russian leader added that troops are fighting for the country’s security in Ukraine, and observed a minute of silence to honour those who had fallen in combat.

The Russian President was speaking at a Victory Day parade in Moscow, which celebrates its triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945.

US first lady Jill Biden has met with her Ukrainian counterpart in a surprise visit to western Ukraine.

She later wrote on Twitter: “This Mother’s Day, I wanted to be with Ukrainian mothers and their children. Over the last few months, far too many Ukrainians have had to flee their homes – forcing them to leave behind their loved ones.

“As a mother, I can only imagine the grief and anxiety they must feel every day from Russia’s unprovoked attack. I’ve seen firsthand how the people of Slovakia and Romania have opened their homes, their schools, their hospitals, and their hearts.

“Together, we are united for Ukraine.

“I hope by being here I can convey how much their strength and resilience inspires the world, and remind them that they are not alone.”

Victory Day is Russia’s central national holiday and carries ongoing importance to ordinary Russians, many of whom carry portraits of their relatives who fought in the war.

While the annual event is always a mix of pride and patriotism for the Kremlin, this year there is also apprehension around what President Vladimir Putin may say, given his desire to make military progress as his brutal invasion of Ukraine stalls.

Early on in the conflict, Victory Day on 9 May was earmarked by Russia as a point of focus, even if it has become clear to Moscow that a swift victory was impossible in the face of stern Ukrainian defence.

But what is Victory Day, how is it celebrated in Russia, and what could Putin announce? Read our explainer on what you need to know.

Ukraine’s military said it has recaptured areas in the south and repelled Russian attacks in the east as a battle rages at a steel mill in Mariupol – where Ukrainian troops are holed up in tunnels and bunkers fending off a Russian onslaught.

Ukrainian fighters have held out at the sprawling Azovstal steel mill — the last pocket of resistance in a city that is otherwise controlled by Moscow’s forces.

“With the support of aircraft, the enemy resumed the offensive in order to take control of the plant,” the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said on Thursday.

Video posted on social media on Wednesday night showed Russian air strikes on the steel plant.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ending the EU’s dependency on Russian oil “will not be easy but we simply have to do it”.

Osnat Lubrani, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Ukraine, said evacuees from the besieged city of Mariupol have spoken of the “hell” they have experienced in the city.

Boris Johnson has said any threat or attack on British diplomats in Ukraine is “totally beyond the pale”.

Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain about the UK’s ambassador, the Prime Minister said: “I’m proud of our diplomats in Ukraine and Melinda Simmons, who is going back to open the embassy and she has done an amazing job.”

Mr Johnson added that threats toward British diplomats are “totally beyond the pale” and that there is “no justification for it”.

He said the UK has “led the world in helping the Ukrainians to protect themselves against wanton aggression, barbaric aggression” and later added that the UK has also “marshalled the world in delivering a very tough package of economic sanctions”.

“We are not saying we are doing this to drive some geopolitical change or have some outcome in Moscow,” he said.

“What we care about is Ukrainian people and their suffering. It is totally unjustifiable to have a free country like Ukraine to be overwhelmed and obliterated like it has been.”

Boris Johnson will address the Kyiv parliament today where he is expected to say:

Russian football clubs and the national team have been hit with more sanctions from footballing body UEFA.

The country will be barred from competing in this summer’s women’s Euro 2022 tournament as the Ukrainian invasion continues.

Teams at club level will also continue to be barred from UEFA competitions next season, after they were removed from this year’s ongoing competitions “until further notice”.

UEFA has also confirmed that Russia’s bids to host the men’s Euro 2028 or 2032 tournaments are now ineligible.