Ukraine war anniversary: West steps up sanctions on Russia and Zelenskiy recalls ‘year of pain’ - as it happened

EU fails to agree new round of Russian sanctions

European Union countries were unable for a third day running on Friday to agree on new sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine a year ago, with Poland rejecting Italy’s demand for laxer new curbs on rubber imports, diplomats said.

Poland said the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russia rubber included such a big quota of imports exempted and such long transition periods that they would have no effect in practice.

Other EU countries were baffled that Warsaw - a leading Russia hawk in the bloc - was risking having no new sanctions announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s attack against Ukraine over just one element of a broader package.

“This is very bad optics. What was supposed to be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day,” said one diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries in the bloc’s hub Brussels. – Reuters

It is one year since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine. Our writers at home and abroad continue to bring you complete coverage of the conflict that has reshaped the world.

Here’s a short summary of Friday’s events

• An adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said any end to the war must see Russia withdraw to Ukraine’s 1991 borders
• Russia claims to have killed 240 Ukrainian soldiers in ongoing front line offensive move
• A destroyed Russian tank has been placed outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, writes Derek Scally
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has promised enduring Irish support for the country after a year of war
• Daniel McLaughlin reports from Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv where structures may be damaged and lives lost but second city’s spirit still defies Russia
• Tears of pride and sorrow as Ukrainians in Ireland mark year since Russian invasion, writes Ronan McGreevy
• Ukraine honoured its soldiers and received its first Western-made tanks from Poland as allies vowed to maintain support for Kyiv

[ Full coverage of the conflict and the anniversary ]

Zelenskiy: ‘Russia must lose in Ukraine’

Russia has to lose its war in Ukraine so it stops seeking to conquer territories it once controlled, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday, the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Russia must lose in Ukraine,” Mr Zelenskiy told a conference in Lithuania via video-link.

“Russian revanchism must forever forget about Kyiv and Vilnius, about Chisinau and Warsaw, about our brothers in Latvia and Estonia, in Georgia and every other country that is now threatened.”

Lithuania is a member of Nato and the European Union that was once under the control of Moscow.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Zelenskiy said on Telegram: “This will be the year of our victory.”

“On 24 February, millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but a blue and yellow flag. Not fleeing, but facing. Facing the enemy. Resistance and struggle. It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity. And this is a year of our invincibility. We know that this will be the year of our victory!” – Additional reporting Reuters

Thousands turn up to GPO to mark anniversary of Russian invasion

“One year, 365 days, 8,760 hours and 525,600 minutes,” read a hand drawn poster held by a Ukrainian refugee outside the GPO on Friday evening at a demonstration to mark the Russian invasion.

February 24th is a date that will live in infamy for Ukrainians. There were tears among the thousands who gathered outside the GPO to mark the first anniversary of the invasion. The venue was deliberately chosen as a reminder of Ireland’s own struggle to nationhood with the GPO in the centre of O’Connell Street, Charles Stuart Parnell at one end and Daniel O’Connell at the other.

The crowd shouted “thank you Ireland” in between singing the Ukrainian national anthem and repeating chants of “Slava Ukraini”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin described the Russian invasion as an “affront to humanity” and its armed forces behaviour in Ukraine as the actions of a “rogue state”.

He promised the Ukrainian people living in Ireland that they would have the continuing support of the Irish Government. All the main parties in the Dáil were represented at the rally.

World Bank announces $2.5bn in additional grant financing for Ukraine

The World Bank has announced $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) in additional grant financing for Ukraine to support the country’s budget and to maintain essential services.

The funds will go towards supporting Ukraine’s key sectors, including health care, schools, payment of pensions, payments for internally displaced people, social assistance programs, and wages for employees providing core government services, a statement from the World Bank said.

The president of the World Bank group, David Malpass, said: “One year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world continues to witness the horrific destruction inflicted on the country and its people. We will continue supporting the people of Ukraine through urgent repair projects and coordination with the government for recovery and reconstruction efforts.” – Guardian

US warns UN not to be fooled by calls for unconditional truce

US secretary of state Antony Blinken warned the United Nations security council on Friday that it should not be fooled by calls for a temporary or unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, saying a “just and durable” peace cannot allow Russia to rest and rearm.

“Any peace that legitimises Russia’s seizure of land by force will weaken the [UN] charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it,” Blinken said.

“No member of this council should call for peace while supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the UN charter.”

The 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly isolated Russia on Thursday, calling for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in line with the founding UN charter and again demanding Moscow withdraw its troops and stop fighting. – Reuters

G7 to take action against countries supporting ‘Russia’s war’

The Group of Seven nations (G7) is taking actions against third-country actors “materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the bloc said on Friday as it reaffirmed “its unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes”.

“We call on third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures to cease providing material support to Russia’s war, or face severe costs,” the G7 said in a statement.

“To deter this activity around the world, we are taking actions against third-country actors materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

The United States and Britain, which are part of the G7, slapped further sanctions on Moscow earlier on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The group said it will continue its efforts to ensure “Russia pays for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction.”

G7 said it was taking additional measures relating to Russia’s financial sector to “further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression,” adding it would target additional Russian financial institutions. ‐ Reuters

Kyiv and Moscow welcome China’s intervention in peace process

The president of Ukraine has given qualified support for China’s new pronouncements about the war in his country, saying Beijing’s interest is “not bad”.

“China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at a news conference on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

“But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.”

China called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released on Friday that analysts said was unlikely to deliver results.

Mr Zelenskiy said there were points in the Chinese proposals that he agreed with “and there are those that we don’t”.

“But it’s something,” he added

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow appreciated China’s plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and said it was open to achieving the goals of what it calls its “special military operation” through political and diplomatic means. Zakharova added that this would mean recognising “new territorial realities” in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy says victory over Russia inevitable if Ukraine’s partners do their ‘homework’

The Ukrainian president has told a news conference on Friday in Kyiv that victory over Russia was “inevitable” if all Ukraine’s partners did their “homework”.

He also said he wants countries from Latin America and Africa, as well as China and India, to join a peace formula proposed by Kyiv to end the war with Russia.

He called for a summit with Latin American leaders and said Kyiv should take steps to build relations with African countries. – Reuters

Russian ambassador interrupts minute’s silence at UN meeting

In New York, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, has interrupted a minute’s silence during a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had called for a minute’s silence to honour “the victims of the aggression”.

As members of the assembly stood up, Nebenzya began tapping his microphone and asked for the floor.

“We are getting up on our feet to honour the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine, starting in 2014.

“All of those who perished. All lives are priceless,” he said, appearing to refer to Russian lives lost in the conflict. – Guardian

Zelenskiy thanks Sunak and Britain for ‘unwavering support’

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked the UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the people of Britain for their “unwavering support” and “invaluable” help “in hard times”.

The Ukrainian leader’s tweet came after Britain’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, announced an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The UK foreign office said the internationally co-ordinated package of sanctions includes aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military-industrial complex.

The UK is also sanctioning senior executives at the Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as bosses at Russia’s two largest defence companies and four banks. – Guardian

UN Security Council discusses peace and security

The UN Security Council is holding a session on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Secretary general António Guterres says he sat in the council a year ago and urged “in the name of humanity” not to allow “what could be the worst war since the beginning of the century” in Europe.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a “blatant” violation of the UN charter and international law, he says.

It has unleashed widespread destruction and displacement attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and of course, many casualties and terrible suffering.

Mr Guterres says the UN’s office of the high commissioner for human rights has documented dozens of cases of conflict-related sexual violence against men and women.

Serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law against prisoners of war, and hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of civilians, were also documented.

The past year has been a “living hell” for the people of Ukraine, he says, adding that more than half of all of Ukraine’s children have been forced from their homes. – Guardian

US hits Russia with new round of sanctions

The US has announced a new round of sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the year-long war against Ukraine.

Russia’s metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the US treasury department’s “most significant sanctions actions to date”, according to the agency.

The action, taken in co-ordination with G7 allies, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

“Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russia’s struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy,” treasury secretary Janet Yellen said in a written statement.

“Our actions today with our G7 partners show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

The sanctions come after the White House announced early on Friday that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion (€1.89 billion) for more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones in the fight against Russia.

Zelenskiy to discuss further sanctions with G7 leaders

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to attend an online summit with leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies who are expected to pledge more support for Ukraine and tighten sanctions against Russia.

Joe Biden announced new US sanctions on Russia earlier today, and other western allies are expected to do so around the summit to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Current G7 president Japan said it was considering new measures, without giving any details.

The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US. – Guardian

Gallery: The Ukraine war has been captured by photo journalists and on social media like no other conflict

Here are some of those pictures and videos captured during 12 months of fighting across Ukraine

See the full collection of images here – A war in pictures: The images that tell the story of a year of Ukranian fighting and suffering

Tanks for Ukraine from Sweden and Poland

Sweden will deliver up to 10 Leopard 2 tanks and HAWK anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine as part of an 11th defence support package, the Nordic country’s government said on Friday.

“The Swedish tanks reinforce the Leopard 2 contribution that other European countries make. Co-ordination of support is ongoing with international partners donating Leopard 2 or other tanks,” the government said in a statement.

Defence minister Pal Jonson told a news conference the war in Ukraine was in an intensive phase and Sweden would “do all it can to send this

Also on Friday, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki met Ukrainian Mr Zelenskiy in Kyiv and said his country has delivered four Leopard tanks to Ukraine already and is prepared to delivery more quickly.

“Poland and Europe stand by your side. We will definitely not leave you, we will support Ukraine until complete victory over Russia,” Mr Morawiecki said during a joint news conference with Zelenskiy. – Reuters

US president Joe Biden shares message of support

Joe Biden has tweeted his support for Ukraine today on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-fledged invasion, alongside a photograph of him and his Ukrainian counterpart, Zelenskiy, in Kyiv.

“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never,” the US president wrote.

“Today, a year after bombs began to fall, Ukraine is still independent and free. From Kherson to Kharkiv – Ukrainian fighters have reclaimed their land. And in more than half of the territory Russia held last year, the Ukrainian flag proudly waves once more.”

Living with Leo Varadkar: Meet the Ukrainian musician who fled home and ended up in the Taoiseach’s house

Ronan McGreevy has spoken to Olesia Borsuk, who fled Ukraine and ended up living with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. On the morning of February 24th last year, she was woken up by sirens in her apartment at 7am. She thought it was a drill until she opened the windows of her apartment and saw smoke billowing from the civilian airport 5km from her home.

One of the first acts of the Russian invasion was a rocket attack on her home city. “I realised that I had nothing prepared for the war. We were told in the media that you need to have a rucksack, documents, some warm clothes,” she says. Find out how she ended up living with Mr Varadkar and his partner in Ronan’s story here.

End to war must see Russia withdraw to 1991 borders

A senior adviser to Mr Zelenskiy said on Friday any plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine must involve the withdrawal of Russian troops to Ukraine’s 1991 borders.

Political adviser Mykhailo Podolyak made his remarks after China presented a 12-point plan for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He was referring to Ukraine’s borders at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

“Any ‘peace plan’ with ceasefire only and, as a result, a new delimitation line and continued occupation of Ukrainian territory isn’t about peace, but about freezing the war, a Ukrainian defeat, (and the) next stages of Russia’s genocide,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Ukraine’s position is known – the withdrawal of Russian troops to the borders of 1991.” – Reuters

Russia claims killing of up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers

Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that its forces continued to attack along the front line in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, claiming to have killed up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours.

“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation,” the defence ministry said in a daily briefing on the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

“In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Group of Forces inflicted a comprehensive fire attack on accumulations of the enemy’s manpower and equipment along the entire line of contact.”

Reuters was not able to independently verify the defence ministry’s claim.

The last weeks have seen Russia mount infantry assaults across frozen ground in battles described by both sides as the bloodiest of the war. Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces had repelled Russian assaults along the front line. – Reuters

Stoltenberg: Putin ‘preparing for more war’

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg says Mr Putin is “preparing for more war” and that he wants a Europe in which Russia “can dictate what neighbours do.”

Mr Stoltenberg made the remarks on Friday in the Estonian capital where he was joined by Ms von der Leyen to commemorate the Baltic country’s independence day.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Stoltenberg reacted reservedly to a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying Beijing did not have a lot of credibility as a mediator.

“China doesn’t have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he told reporters in Tallinn, adding Beijing had signed an agreement with Russian president Vladimir Putin only days before the invasion.

Ms von der Leyen said Mr Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic goals and that Russia is becoming increasingly isolated, citing Thursday’s UN General Assembly vote approving a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

Mr Stoltenberg also said that he has invited Mr Zelenskiy to attend a Nato summit in Lithuania in July, expressing hope that the Ukrainian leader can attend in person.

Nato will hold a summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, from July 11th-13th.

Mr Stoltenberg’s comments came as Mr Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its support in the first year of Russia’s invasion and said his country can “end Russian aggression this year”.

Mr Zelensky spoke in a video message to a memorial event in Berlin Friday led by president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and attended by Germany’s top politicians and the Ukrainian ambassador.

Mr Zelenskiy, who spoke through an interpreter, said that “now is the time when, with our courage and our weapons, we can restore peace and create a historically important safeguard against every aggression”.

Mr Steinmeier led a minute of silence for the victims of the war. He said that “Germany is not at war, but this war concerns us ... Russia’s war of aggression has wrecked the European security order”.

He pledged that Kyiv can rely on Germany.

The German parliament on Friday replaced one of the German flags on top of its Reichstag building – which usually has three German flags and one European Union flag – with a Ukrainian flag. A Ukrainian flag was also raised outside the chancellery.

In Poland, defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that “preventive barriers” are being put up along the country’s borders with Russia and Belarus.

Mr Blaszczak posted on Twitter on Friday that the barriers were elements of a “strategy of defence and deterrence”. – AP/Reuters

Russian tank parked outside embassy in Berlin

Just before midnight the Russian tank crossed the border from Poland into Germany, writes Derek Scally. At dawn on Friday, it arrived in Berlin.

Exactly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the battered and rusting T-72B tank was parked outside the Russian Federation embassy in the German capital.

Originating with a Mongolian unit, the bullet-ridden and burnt-out tank appears to have been destroyed by a mine near the capital Bucha in the battle for the Ukrainian capital at the end of March.

The tank’s arrival comes after months of administrative and legal battles with Berlin’s Mitte district. Read the full story here.

Video: One year on, Ukrainians in Ireland rally to look after each other

UK and Denmark considering supply of jets to Ukraine

Britain is prepared to supply fighter jets to eastern European allies to enable them to release their Soviet-era planes to Ukraine, while Denmark is ‘open’ to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

UK defence minister Ben Wallace said backfilling allies with the UK’s jets to free up their own would be a quicker way to bolster Kyiv’s defences than providing them with British Typhoons.

Britain announced a new package of sanctions, imposing an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Also on Friday, the Danish defence minister said his country is “open” to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine to help its war effort, according to state broadcaster, DR.

“I won’t rule out that at some point it may be necessary to look at the contribution of fighter jets,” acting defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.

The Danish air force has purchased 77 F-16 jets since the 1970s, according to the armed forces. Around 30 of them are currently in operation, according to local media reports.

Ukraine has this year asked Western allies for more advanced weapons including fighter jets. Western countries that have provided Ukraine with arms have so far refused to send fighter jets or long-range weapons capable of striking deep inside Russia. – PA/Reuters

Varadkar: ‘Ireland will continue to stand with Ukraine’

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Ukraine would “prevail” in its war against Russia, as he promised enduring Irish support for the country after a year of war.

As Ukrainians and the country’s allies mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, Mr Varadkar also praised the response of the Irish people to the conflict.

Around 75,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland since the war began last February, with many taken in by households across the country.

“In marking this awful anniversary, we think of the scale of suffering by the people of Ukraine, of lives lost, opportunities stolen and whole towns destroyed,” Mr Varadkar said.

“We are humbled by their brave and spirited defence of their country, and we commend their immense courage and resolve. They have been an inspiration to those of us who value freedom and democracy.

“We think also of the response of the Irish people, who in communities across the country have warmly welcomed people fleeing from war and persecution with an enormously generous spirit.

“Irish people have shown empathy and compassion in standing up for what is right.

“We are demonstrating through our actions that the experiences of the Irish and our diaspora down the years have shaped us as a nation and moulded our values, finding a resonance today in the suffering of others.

“I pay tribute to all who have opened their hearts, their homes and their communities to a people in need. It has been a great and unprecedented national effort that reflects well on who we are.”

Last July, then-taoiseach Micheál Martin visited Kyiv to show Irish support for the Ukraine.

In his statement, Mr Varadkar warned that it remained unclear when the war would end. He predicted “difficult days and months” ahead for the country.

But he said: “I know that Ukraine will continue be strong and that Ireland will continue to stand with it for as long as it takes.

“In defending their country, Ukrainians are defending the fundamental values of the UN Charter.

“They are standing up for the right of countries throughout the world to live peacefully, within their own borders, and according to their own values and choices.

“Right is on their side. They will prevail. Slava Ukraini.” – PA

Wagner mercenaries claim control of village near Bakhmut

Russia’s Wagner group of mercenaries has taken full control of the Ukrainian village of Berkhivka, on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Friday.

“Berkhivka is fully under our control. Units of Wagner Private Military Company are in full control of Berkhivka,” he said in a post on social media.

Berkhivka is about 3km northwest from the suburbs of Bakhmut, a frontline city that has seen intense fighting. – Reuters

‘Ukraine will prevail ... you will live in peace’

President of the European Council Charles Michel has posted a message in support of Ukraine.

In a video uploaded to Twitter, Mr Michel said: “Today is a dark anniversary ... for one year, you, Ukrainians have fought back with courage.”

“Ukraine will prevail. You will prevail. And you will live in peace and freedom. A free and independent Ukraine is a free and independent Europe.”

Applause as UN votes for Russia to leave Ukraine

The UN overwhelmingly voted yesterday to call for Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine, marking one year since Moscow’s invasion by calling for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace”.

Applause broke out when the result was announced, with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, calling the resolution “a powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine” in a tweet late on Thursday.

The resolution on Thursday night saw 141 countries in favour with seven against and 32 abstentions, including China.

Russia had worked hard to try to end its isolation by blaming the west for pouring arms into the region and by pointing to the growing hunger crisis it blamed on western sanctions.

China calls for ceasefire, saying ‘conflict and war benefit no one’

China has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine, urging western powers to lift sanctions against Russia and warning Moscow against the use of nuclear weapons, writes our China correspondent, Denis Staunton.

A 12-point position paper published by the foreign ministry in Beijing on the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine says the conflict can only be resolved through negotiation.

“Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire,” it said.

China has declared itself to be neutral in the war, neither endorsing nor condemning the invasion but the United States and its allies claim that Beijing is backing Moscow. US secretary of state Anthony Blinken said this week that China is considering supplying lethal military equipment to Russia, a claim Beijing has denied.

Friday’s position paper reaffirms China’s stated commitment to respecting the sovereignty, independence and integrity of all countries “big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor”. But it says that the security of one country must not be pursued at the expense of another, calling for the abandonment of the Cold War mentality.

“Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation,” it says.

A minute’s silence was held in the Dáil on Thursday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko was present in the chamber as well as members of the international diplomatic corps.

Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said as the Dáil marked the first anniversary of Russia’s “unlawful and brutal war, we remember and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine”.

“We acknowledge the generosity of the Irish people and their kindness and welcoming spirit in having almost 77,000 Ukrainian displaced people in our country at this present time,” he said. Sarah Burns was in the Dáil yesterday – you can read her full report here.

Mr Zelenskiy on Thursday vowed that Ukraine would win the war and hold the Kremlin to account for crimes committed during the conflict, as his country braced for a possible missile attack by Moscow’s forces a year after they launched their all-out invasion.

As Moscow and Beijing warned that the war could spiral into a wider international conflict, Russian president Vladimir Putin pledged to strengthen his nuclear arsenal and Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg noted “signs” that China might supply weapons to Russia and said it “should not be part of that”.

Commenting on photographs from 12 months of fighting that have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, Mr Zelenskiy said they “leave deep scars in your heart and soul. They remind us of the path we have gone from February to February. It must be in our DNA.” Read the full report here.