Russia-Ukraine updates: Biden, Scholz praise Western cooperation
The new round of military aid includes a package of ammunition and tactical bridges to move tanks and armoured vehicles.
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for March 3:
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for March 3:
- In a meeting with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the importance of maintaining Western support for Ukraine.
- The US annouces a new military aid package worth $400 million for Ukraine which includes for the first time tactical bridges to move tanks.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, says his fighters surrounded the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and that Kyiv’s troops had only one road left.
- Ukrainian authorities unearth people who were hastily buried in makeshift graves during Russia’s brief occupation of villages and towns near Kyiv, to identify victims and investigate alleged war crimes.
- Russia says it will take measures to prevent new border incursions, a day after accusing Ukraine-backed nationalists of killing two people in a cross-border raid.
Biden thanks Germany for Ukraine aid
Biden has hailed Germany’s military and political support for Ukraine, telling Scholz that Berlin’s assistance made a “world of difference” in the war.
“You stepped up to provide critical military support, and I would argue that beyond the military support, the moral support you gave Ukrainians has been profound,” Biden told his German counterpart.
The US president also praised Germany for increasing its defence spending and diversifying its energy supplies away from dependence on Russian oil and gas.
“As NATO allies, we’re making the alliance stronger and more capable,” Biden said.
Scholz stresses support for Ukraine at White House meeting
In a meeting with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the importance of maintaining Western support for Ukraine.
“This is a very, very important year because of the dangerous threat to peace that comes from Russia invading Ukraine,” he said.
The German leader lauded the transatlantic cooperation between the US and Europe in providing the “necessary support” for Kyiv.
“I think it is very important that we give the message that we will continue to do so as long as it takes and as long as it is necessary,” Scholz said.
US attorney general makes unannounced trip to Ukraine, US official says
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has made an unannounced visit to Lviv, Ukraine at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, a Department of Justice official said.
“The attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbour,” the official said.
Ukraine war: Is more war the only solution?
US military aid package to include tactical bridges for first time
For the first time, tactical bridges to move tanks and armoured vehicles will be included in a military aid package announced by the US.
The bridges could be used by Ukrainian troops who have been training in “combined arms manoeuvre” warfare, which is the coordinated use of artillery shelling, alongside tank and armoured vehicle attack movements, to retake territory seized by Russian forces.
The additional ammunition is being sent to help boost stocks in anticipation of a coming offensive.
“Assault bridging is essential for combined arms operations. It allows armoured vehicles to cross narrow rivers and ditches that would otherwise cause a whole force to slow down,” Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for Land Warfare at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, told Reuters.
“Importantly, assault bridges are only critical for offensive operations showing that the US is preparing Ukraine to continue retaking its territory,” Watling added.
US announces $400m in additional military aid to Ukraine
The US has announced another round of military aid for Ukraine, a package of ammunition and other support valued at $400m.
The package will be funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without congressional approval during an emergency, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in announcing the aid.
“This military assistance package includes more ammunition for US-provided HIMARS and howitzers, which Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges, demolitions munitions and equipment, and other maintenance, training, and support,” he said.
EU official cites ‘red line’ if China gives Russia weapons
It would be an absolute “red line” if China provided weapons to Russia, a senior European Union official has said, adding that the EU would respond with sanctions.
The comments echo remarks by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday warning Beijing against providing such aid to Moscow as it continues to fight in Ukraine.
Russia’s Andrey Kelin: Ukraine invasion can be called ‘civil war’
The Russian embassy in London is the site of regular protests against the yearlong invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom has accused NATO powers of turning Ukraine into a Western-backed fortress to oppose Russian influence in Eastern Europe, saying the possible supply of long-range weapons to Kyiv risks forcing Russia to push deeper into Ukraine.
In the depths of the biggest confrontation involving Russia since the Cold War, how and when will this war end?
Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, talks to Al Jazeera.
Ukraine sentences Russian pilot for Kharkiv tower blast
A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian pilot to 12 years in prison for war crimes for dropping eight bombs weighing 2.5 tonnes around a television tower in Kharkiv last year, prosecutors said.
Ukrainian anti-aircraft guns shot down the pilot, and the Ukrainian National Guard captured him.
Several captured Russian soldiers have already been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for war crimes.
The latest prison sentence comes as officials, including Zelenskyy, gather in Lviv later on Friday for an international conference to discuss war crimes investigations and the international tribunal Ukraine wants.
What does history show about the end of the war?
The war in Ukraine is firmly in its second year with no clear end in sight after initially intended to last a matter of days.
Margaret Macmillan, a war historian and emeritus professor at the University of Oxford, said the war is something “we didn’t think we’d see” again, referring to the wars in Iraq and Serbia.
But as the conflict drags along, many historians and experts predict the end of the war will result in both sides being unwilling to admit defeat and resulting in a frozen conflict.
Read more about what history shows about how the war will end.
Save the Children calls for long-term protections for Ukrainian refugees
The international aid group Save the Children has called for long-term protection of Ukrainian children and their families beyond 2025.
At the start of the war, the European Union activated the Temporary Protection Directive to give Ukrainian refugees temporary residency and access to housing and essential services in EU member states.
But NGOs have said the plan, which can last one to three years, should extend beyond that as the war continues.
Ylva Sperling, Europe director at Save the Children, said: “Governments across Europe need to begin investing in options to help families from Ukraine to stay legally beyond 2025.
“Though the vast majority of refugees long to go home, the war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating. Ensuring they can stay legally in Europe for the years to come will give children a sense of security, stability and belonging in their host countries.”
Germany is taking key role in weapons delivery: Ukrainian official
Ukraine’s envoy to Berlin said Germany is taking more of a leadership role in organising deliveries of weapons and has stopped making what he referred to as excuses to avoid sending arms.
In January, Berlin agreed to send its Leopard tanks after being reluctant to send arms in fear that it might escalate the conflict.
“What has changed in the last few months is we are not just discussing the current order of the day but we are strategically planning according to what is needed and what can be delivered,” Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev told the Reuters news agency.
“There are no more excuses now but facts that we talk about.”
The envoy said the military items Kyiv most needed were air defence systems, battle tanks, artillery and ammunition.
Putin tells security council to increase ‘anti-terrorism’ measures
Putin told his Security Council they needed to discuss additional “anti-terrorism measures” to safeguard facilities controlled by law enforcement bodies.
On Thursday, he said Russia had been hit by a “terrorist attack” in the southern Bryansk region and pledged to crush a sabotage group that fired at civilians.
Ukraine has accused Russia of staging a false “provocation”.
Who controls what?
Here are four maps we update daily, charting the latest war developments.
Ukraine able to generate power despite attacks on grid: PM
Ukraine is managing to generate as much power as it needs despite repeated attacks on its energy network, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Russia has carried out waves of air raids on energy facilities that, at times, have left millions of people without power, but Ukraine has quickly done repairs.
“Ukraine is for now provided with [power] generating and network capacities,” Shmyhal said.
“The next step is to secure the network infrastructure for the next [heating] season.”
He said the government would continue reforms to meet its wartime challenges, adding that personnel changes would happen “but we did not discuss them for the near future.”
Russia’s Wagner Group explained
As the Wagner Group fights to capture the eastern city of Bakhmut and deliver a win that Russia desperately needs in Ukraine, the shadowy group has taken a leading role in the conflict.
But what exactly is the Wagner Group, and how important has it been to Russia’s war efforts?
Al Jazeera’s Sandra Gathmann looks into the group and charts its prominence on Russia’s front lines.
US, Ukraine foreign ministers discuss Lavrov meeting
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart and discussed Blinken’s brief conversation with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, US spokesperson Ned Price said.
“The secretary underscored to foreign minister Kuleba the United States’s enduring support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal attacks, including the ongoing targeting of civilian infrastructure and resulting civilian casualties,” Price added.
The US and Russian diplomats spoke on Thursday for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G20 conference in New Delhi, India.
“I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression Engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and durable peace,” Blinken said.
Putin signs decree to ensure defence contracts are met
Putin signed a decree enabling the state to suspend the directors and shareholders of companies that fail to meet state defence contracts under martial law conditions.
The new decree would apply to companies that “violate their obligations under a state contract, including failing to take measures to guarantee production deliveries”.
In October, Putin said he was introducing martial law in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partly seized control of and claimed as its territory, a move condemned as illegal by most countries.
A year into the war with Ukraine, the economy is on a war footing, with defence factories working around the clock in three shifts to meet the army’s needs.
US charges two men suspected of selling tech to Russia
The US Department of Justice arrested two men on allegations that the pair illegally exported technology to Russia and provided repair services for aviation equipment.
Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky and Douglas Robertson were charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a licence, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information and smuggling goods violating US law.
The Department of Justice says Buyanovsky and Robertson owned and operated KanRus Trading Co, which allegedly supplied aircraft electronics to Russian companies and provided repair services for equipment used in Russian-manufactured aircraft.
The charges come as the US has ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine.
Germany will not send Swiss tanks to Ukraine
A German defence ministry spokesperson said Germany would not send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if Switzerland agreed to send them.
“There are existing and assessed contractual regulations,” the spokesperson said when asked at a regular news conference how Berlin could guarantee this.
Germany asked Switzerland to sell some of the tanks back to arms maker Rheinmetall, allowing the company to backfill gaps in the armaments of European Union and NATO members.
Ukraine ‘not involved’ in internal Russian conflicts, official says on Bryansk
Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mikhail Podolyak, said Ukraine is “not involved in internal conflicts” in Russia, referring to the Bryansk attack.
Podolyak tweeted, “Explosions at critical facilities; unidentified drones attacking RF’s [Russian Federation] regions; clashes of gangs; partisans attacking populated areas – all these are direct consequences of the loss of control inside RF. And consequences of war … Ukraine is not involved in internal conflicts in RF…”
Explosions at critical facilities; unidentified drones attacking RF’s regions; clashes of gangs; partisans attacking populated areas – all these are direct consequences of the loss of control inside RF. And consequences of war… 🇺🇦 is not involved in internal conflicts in RF…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 3, 2023
Al Jazeera’s Sandra Gathmann explains the battle for Bakhmut
Scholz, Biden to meet in Washington and discuss support for Kyiv
US President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Friday for talks setting out their support for Ukraine after friction over tank deliveries to Kyiv.
“I think the two of them are now more concerned about the way ahead — what will the next months in Ukraine look like? What does that mean for the support that the allies can organise for Ukraine?” said Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
They will “certainly discuss one or two other topics”, he said, declining to elaborate.
In an address to parliament on the eve of the meeting, Scholz said the partnership between two of Ukraine’s biggest backers was “closer and more trusting than ever”.
This will be the German chancellor’s first trip to Washington since February 2022.
US, India, Australia and Japan condemn threat of nuclear weapons
The US, India, Australia and Japan have agreed that “the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible” during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of the four countries agreed on the joint statement after a meeting in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Friday, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
According to the report, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had warned that “if we allow with impunity Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it, too”.
Their talks come a day after Blinken spoke in person with Lavrov on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in New Delhi for the first time since the war began.
Lavrov says Russia will not let the West target pipelines
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia “will not let the West blow up gas pipelines again” and that Moscow would no longer rely on the West as an energy partner.
Moscow has accused the West of being responsible for the blasts that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September, an assertion they have dismissed, and has called for an international investigation.
Last month, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American investigative journalist also accused the US of orchestrating the blast.