Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early on Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit.
The Japanese leader, the first to visit a warzone since World War Two, will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital in a summit that directly coincides with longtime rivals holding crunch talks in Moscow.
Mr Kishida will show his “absolute rejection of Russia’s one-sided change to the status quo by invasion and force,” during his visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in announcing his trip to Kyiv.
Japan, which has territorial disputes over islands with both China and Russia, is particularly concerned about the close relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which have conducted joint military exercises near Japan’s coasts.
07:56 AM
Analysis: Why Xi can’t solve Putin’s Ukraine problem
Vladimir Putin has bet his own and his country’s future on starting the biggest war in Europe for generations, writes Roland Oliphant.
Xi Jinping, probably the second most powerful individual on the planet, could have a profound influence on its outcome.
But can he end it? And does he really want to?
Read more here
07:40 AM
Ukraine waiting for confirmation of Zelensky call with China’s Xi, say reports
Kyiv is waiting to hear if a call will take place between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an interview published on Tuesday.
“I don’t know, we are waiting for confirmation,” Vereshchuk said when asked whether a call between the two leaders will take place. “That would be an important move. They have things to say to each other,” Vereshchuk told the Corriere della Sera Italian daily.
07:39 AM
Ukraine in pictures
07:35 AM
Latest MoD update
07:28 AM
Russian cruise missiles destroyed in strike in drone strike on train in Crimea
Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Monday that an explosion in Dzhankoi in the north of the Crimean peninsula destroyed Russian cruise missiles intended for use by the Kremlin’s Black Sea fleet.
It said the missiles, designed to be launched from surface ships, had an operational range of more than 2,500km (1,550 miles) on land and 375km at sea.
“An explosion in Dzhankoi city in the north of temporarily occupied Crimea destroyed Russian Kalibr-KN cruise missiles as they were being transported by rail,” the ministry’s main intelligence directorate said in social media posts.
Read the full story here
07:26 AM
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s Ukraine liveblog.
We will be guiding you through all the latest developments on Ukraine.
