Russia 'steals 600,000 tonnes of grain' from occupied Ukraine

Russia has stolen around 600,000 tonnes of grain from occupied Ukrainian territory and exported some of it, the deputy head of Ukraine’s agricultural producers’ union said on Wednesday.

Ukraine will demand Russia provide compensation for both the theft of the grain and the destruction of the property of farmers, Denys Marchuk, the head of the UAC, told a television channel.

"To date, about 600,000 tonnes have been stolen from agricultural companies and taken to the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean Peninsula and from there it moves to ports, in particular to Sevastopol, and from there, ships go to the Middle East," Marchuk said.

He added that about 100,000 tonnes of grain had already been trans-shipped in Syria, according to evidence "recorded by the USA".

06:57 PM

That's all for today.

Thanks for tuning in for Wednesday's live updates - here are 10 key developments you may have missed:

1. Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine is now "largely" under Russian control, following multiple days of fierce fighting, while its twin city of Lysychansk is suffering massive destruction, according to the Luhansk region's governor.

2. Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to retaliate for attacks on Severodonetsk. The Ukrainian President said his country must "achieve a full deoccupation of our entire territory" to win the war.

3. Olaf Scholz said he was providing more support to Ukraine than “almost anyone else,” apparently including Britain.

4. Ukraine insisted it will not demine waters around Odesa to allow for grain to be exported, as it said the threat of Russian attacks on the Black Sea port city is still too high.

5. Officials confirmed that Ukraine and Russia both exchanged the bodies of 50 of their deceased soldiers, including the bodies of 37 Ukrainian soldiers who were killed at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

6. Boris Johnson was officially inducted into Ukraine’s Cossack community and given a new name that pays homage to his hairstyle in another token of gratitude for his support during the war.

7. Ukraine filed eight more war crimes cases to court, in addition to the three sentences that have already been handed down to Russian soldiers. Zelensky said the country plans to publish a special "Book of Executioners" next week with information about the war crimes.

8. The World Bank approved $1.49 billion in financial support for Ukraine to help pay wages for social workers and civil servants, the country's Prime Minister, Denys Shmygal, announced.

9. Rishi Sunak has been urged by the influential OECD think tank to consider tax cuts as its forecasts show the UK is on track to grow more slowly than any major economy in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.

10. More than seven million people have crossed the border from Ukraine since the war began, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

06:40 PM

Severodonetsk now largely under Russian control, says governor

The city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine is now "largely" under Russian control, following multiple days of fierce fighting, while its twin city of Lysychansk is suffering massive destruction, the region's governor said on Wednesday.

Sergei Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, said on Telegram that Russian forces "control a large part of Severodonetsk. The industrial zone is still ours [Ukraine's], there are no Russians there. The fighting is only going on in the streets inside the city".

Gaidai also said there was no chance of Ukrainian troops in the Luhansk region being encircled.

06:30 PM

Ukrainian journalist questions Lavrov at conference in Turkey

A Ukrainian journalist confronted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday at a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, asking him about grain exports trapped in Ukraine.

The press conference was coming to an end when Muslim Umerov - who had repeatedly been ignored when trying to ask a question - stood up and addressed Lavrov directly.

"I am from Ukrainian public television, I absolutely want to ask a question," he said. "Apart from cereals, what other goods did you steal from Ukraine and who did you sell them to?"

Lavrov replied: "You Ukrainians are always worried about what you can steal and you think everyone thinks that way. Our goals there are clear, we want to save people from the pressure of the neo-Nazi regime.

"We are not obstructing the grain. In order for it to leave the ports, Mr Zelensky must give the order, that's all."

Contacted later by AFP, Umerov, who is based in Istanbul, explained that he had raised his hand throughout the session but realised that the organisers "would not let me speak".

"I took the risk of disrupting the news conference because all of Ukraine is waiting for the answer to this question," he said.

06:16 PM

Ukrainian servicemen train on frontlines of Izium

05:59 PM

Ukraine grain shortage may hit 15m tonnes by autumn

Ukraine may have a grain storage capacity deficit of 10-15 million tonnes by the end of autumn, but the government is trying to resolve the issue, Deputy Agricultural Minister Markiyan Dmytrasevych said on Wednesday.

Prior to Russia's invasion on February 24, Ukraine had 85 million tonnes worth of grain storage capacity.

It now only has access to 60 million tonnes worth of storage capacity because of the destruction of its infrastructure and Russia's ongoing occupation.

05:25 PM

Former intelligence officer predicts Putin will be gone 'three to six months from now'

A British former intelligence officer has said he does not see Vladimir Putin still being the President of Russia “three to six months from now”.

Putin’s days will be “numbered” once Western sanctions imposed on Russia, especially energy measures, begin to have an effect on the country's economy, Christopher Steele told the BBC.

Steele also said that there are “signs that Putin’s health is failing” and said if US and UK sources are correct, the Russian leader could be “incapacitated” in that time.

04:43 PM

Ukraine now only controls outskirts of Severodonetsk, says governor

Ukrainian forces now only control the outskirts of Severodonetsk, the region's governor has said, as Russian troops have pushed them back with constant bombardment.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, told the RBC-Ukraine media outlet that it was "impossible" to confirm whether the city had been completely taken over by Russian troops.

He said: "Our [forces] now again control only the outskirts of the city. But the fighting is still going on, our [forces] are defending Severodonetsk, it is impossible to say the Russians completely control the city."

04:15 PM

UN: More than 7m people have crossed Ukrainian border since start of war

More than seven million people have crossed the border from Ukraine since the war began, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

A total of 7,023,559 border crossings have been recorded since the Russian invasion began on February 24.

The number of individual refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe stood at 4,712,076, with Poland, Russia and Moldova among the top host countries, according to the agency's figures.

03:56 PM

Hackers target Russian radio station to play Ukrainian national anthem

By Nataliya Vasilyeva, Russia Correspondent

The webcast of a popular Russian radio station was hacked on Wednesday to broadcast anti-war songs and the Ukrainian national anthem.

The broadcast of Kommersant FM, one of Russia's most popular radio stations, was interrupted online on Wednesday afternoon.

Several Ukrainian folk songs, the Ukrainian national anthem as well as Russian anti-war rock ballads including one titled "We don't need a war" played on the loop before the normal programming was restored.

The radio station said in a statement its webcast was hacked but said the radio broadcast was uninterrupted.

Kommersant FM said it was investigating the incident but insisted that its employees were not involved.

Hackers from the Anonymous hacking group on Wednesday re-tweeted a message about Kommersant FM on Wednesday with an emoji of a shoulder shrug.

03:31 PM

Britain will be worse hit by Ukraine war than any other major economy

Rishi Sunak has been urged by an influential global think tank to consider tax cuts as its forecasts show the UK is on track to grow more slowly than any major economy in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the UK was more susceptible to "spill-over effects" from the conflict, including rising energy prices and supply chain disruption.

The OECD urged the Chancellor to cut taxes or increase spending to stimulate growth, which it said will slump from 7.4pc last year to 3.6pc this year before completely grinding to a halt in 2023.

It said Mr Sunak should "consider slowing fiscal consolidation to support growth", in a reference to the combination of tax rises and spending restraint which Britain is undertaking to bring down borrowing.

Read the full story from Tim Wallace here

03:15 PM

Ruins of supermarket destroyed by shelling seen in Kharkiv

02:59 PM

'Putin has won round the French elite, not just Macron'

The French President’s appeasement of Russia is alarmingly representative of establishment opinion, writes Anne-Elisabeth Moutet.

You can read the full piece here

02:36 PM

Ukraine insists it won't demine waters around Odesa due to attack threat

Ukraine has insisted it will not demine waters around Odesa to allow for grain to be exported, as it said the threat of Russian attacks on the Black Sea port city is still too high.

“The moment we clear access to the port of Odesa, the Russian fleet will be there,” Sergiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the regional administration, said in a video statement on social media.

He warned that Russia “dreams of parachuting troops” into the city, and that their army “wants to attack” Odesa.

It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone call with German chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Wednesday, where the two leaders discussed how Ukrainian grain could be exported out of the country, especially by sea routes.

Before the war, Ukraine was the world’s fourth largest exporter of wheat, and supplied half of the world’s trade in sunflower seeds and oil.

However, export routes have become blocked as the Russian assault continues.

02:35 PM

Boris Johnson and his 'freedom-loving hair' win honorary Cossack title

Boris Johnson has been officially inducted into Ukraine’s Cossack community and given a new name that pays homage to his hairstyle in another token of gratitude for his support during the war.

A Cossack community in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine has officially made the prime minister a Cossack and given him the name of Boris Chuprina, which means “a long lock of hair”, Ukraine’s public broadcaster said on Tuesday.

Two local artists have painted a picture of Mr Johnson dressed as the Cossack Mamay, a Ukrainian folkloric hero playing the kobza, a lute-like musical instrument, which is now on display at the local museum.

You can read the full story here

02:22 PM

Ukraine confirms exchange of bodies of 50 soldiers with Russia

Ukrainian officials have confirmed that Ukraine and Russia both exchanged the bodies of 50 of their deceased soldiers, including the bodies of 37 Ukrainian soldiers who were killed at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

The Ukrainian Ministry for Reintegration said the exchange took place on the front lines in the southeast region of Zaporizhzhia, and said such exchanges would continue.

02:09 PM

Biden to attend G7 and Nato summits

Joe Biden will travel to Germany for a G7 summit and continue on to Spain for a Nato meeting in late June, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

The US President will attend the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 25, where leaders will discuss the war in Ukraine and the food and energy crisis it has resulted in.

Meanwhile, the Nato meeting in Madrid on June 28 is expected to involve Allies' focus on the military alliance's "transformation over the next decade".

01:55 PM

Russian proxies plan referendum in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region

The Russian-installed administration in Zaporizhzhia plans to stage a referendum later this year on joining the Russian Federation, according to officials in the region.

"The people will determine the future of the Zaporizhzhia region. The referendum is scheduled for this year," Vladimir Rogov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying.

Around 60 per cent of the region is currently under Russian control.

Rogov said the administration would draw up plans for how to proceed with a referendum even if Russia could not gain control over the entire region. Zaporizhzhia city, the main urban centre, is still held by Ukraine.

01:24 PM

Kremlin's assurances over grain shipments are 'empty words', Ukraine says

Ukraine has dismissed assurances from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow will not use the situation to its advantage if Kyiv allows grain shipments to leave safely via the Black Sea as "empty words".

"Military equipment is required to protect the coastline and a navy mission to patrol the export routes in the Black Sea. Russia cannot be allowed to use grain corridors to attack southern Ukraine," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko tweeted.

01:19 PM

War rages on in Ukraine, in pictures

01:00 PM

Zelensky vows retaliation for Russian attacks on Severodonetsk

Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retaliate as Ukraine "holds back" Russia's assault on Severodonetsk.

The Ukrainian President said the situation was challenging but pledged to retake Russia's gains in the eastern city, where intense street fighting has persisted for days.

"We have to achieve a full deoccupation of our entire territory," Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Ukraine general staff said: "Our soldiers are successfully holding back the assault in the city of Severodonetsk."

Since being pushed back from Kyiv and Kharkiv, Russia has focused on the region known as the Donbas, comprised of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, which is closest to the Russian border.

The governor of the Luhansk region said the defenders were finding it hard to repel Russian attacks in the centre of Severodonetsk.

Russia claimed its forces have taken full control of residential neighbourhoods, but that Ukrainian forces still hold the industrial zone and surrounding settlements.

12:57 PM

Ukraine grain silos half-full ahead of harvest, industry group says

Grain silos in Ukrainian territory controlled by the government are about half full in the run-up to this year's harvest, the head of the country's Grain Association said on Wednesday.

There were some 30 million tonnes of grain stored in Ukrainian-held territory out of capacity of around 55 million tonnes, Mykola Gorbachov told an International Grains Council (IGC) conference in London, adding that there were 13-15 million tonnes of storage capacity in Russian-occupied areas.

12:35 PM

Watch: Captured British fighters face death penalty in Russian-backed court

Two British men captured by Russian forces in Ukraine went on trial on Tuesday in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine on charges carrying the death penalty.

Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48 were seen in the defendants’ dock in their first public appearance in almost two months, after they were captured by the Russian army serving alongside Ukrainian marines in Mariupol.

The men are now accused of fighting as mercenaries, despite the fact that both live in Ukraine and have officially served in its armed forces for several years.

You can read the full story from Nataliya Vasilyeva, our Russia Correspondent, here

12:15 PM

Zelensky holds phone call with Scholz on grain exports

Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz via telephone today, with the pair having discussed how Ukrainian grain could be exported out of the country, especially by sea routes.

Scholz also spoke about his May 28 phone call with Vladimir Putin, a German government spokesperson said.

11:58 AM

Moscow's chief rabbi leaves Russia amid pressure to back war in Ukraine

Moscow's chief rabbi has left Russia after coming under pressure to support its invasion of Ukraine, according to a relative.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, who was born in Switzerland, had served as Moscow's chief rabbi since 1993.

Jewish organisations in Russia have struck a more critical tone on the war in Ukraine than other religious groups, including the powerful Orthodox Church which has supported the invasion.

On March 2, Russia's chief rabbi Berel Lazar called for participants in the conflict to "silence the guns and to stop the bombs", although he stopped short of directly condemning Vladimir Putin.

11:32 AM

Kremlin to respond to French ban against Russian TV channels

Moscow will respond to France's decision to ban some Russian television channels, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"The Foreign Ministry will react to such actions, and a response to this will be given," Zakharova told reporters, without expanding.

Russia warned US news organisations on Monday that they risked being stripped of their accreditation unless the treatment of Russian journalists in the US improves, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

11:18 AM

Ukraine files eight more war crimes cases to court

Ukraine has filed eight more war crimes cases to court, in addition to the three sentences that have already been handed down to Russian soldiers, the country's prosecutor general said on Wednesday.

Iryna Venediktova said Ukraine has opened more than 16,000 investigations into possible war crimes during Russia's invasion, which began on February 24.

"Every day we see an increase [in investigations]," Venediktova said.

"We are talking about people who didn't just come as military combatants... but also came to rape, kill civilians, loot, humiliate and so on."

11:13 AM

Russian demands for end to sanctions to help solve grain crisis 'legitimate', says Turkey

Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu has called Russian demands for an end to sanctions to help grain onto the world market "legitimate".

"If we need to open up the international market to Ukrainian grain, we see the removal of obstacles standing in the way of Russia's exports as a legitimate demand," he said.

Sanctions imposed on Moscow's financial system have impeded the export of Russian grain and fertiliser.

At the request of the United Nations, Turkey has offered its services to escort maritime convoys from Ukrainian ports, despite the presence of mines - some of which have been detected near the Turkish coast.

Russia and Ukraine produce 30 percent of the global wheat supply.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday: "Right now we have about 20-25 million tonnes blocked. In the autumn that could be 70-75 million tonnes."

11:09 AM

Russia 'ready to ensure safety' of ships leaving Ukraine ports

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow was ready to ensure the safe passage of vessels from Ukraine as concerns mount over grain stuck in Ukrainian ports.

"We are ready to ensure the safety of ships that leave Ukrainian ports," Lavrov told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"We are ready to do this in cooperation with our Turkish colleagues."

Lavrov arrived in Ankara on Tuesday amid stark warnings of global food shortages partly blamed on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Talks focus on efforts to open a security corridor to ship Ukrainian grain - cereals and wheat in particular - stuck in the war-torn country's ports due to a Russian blockade.

10:53 AM

Ukraine must de-mine ports to allow grain shipments, Russia says

The onus is on Ukraine to de-mine Black Sea ports in order to resume grain shipments, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, has said.

Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, Mr Lavrov said that no action was required on the Russian side because it had already made the necessary commitments.

"We state daily that we're ready to guarantee the safety of vessels leaving Ukrainian ports and heading for the (Bosphorus) gulf, we're ready to do that in cooperation with our Turkish colleagues," he said.

"To solve the problem, the only thing needed is for the Ukrainians to let vessels out of their ports, either by demining them or by marking out safe corridors, nothing more is required."

Ukraine is one of the world's biggest exporters of grain, and Western countries have accused Russia of creating the risk of global famine by shutting Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Moscow denies responsibility for the international food crisis, blaming Western sanctions.

10:38 AM

Russia is trying to ‘wipe Severodonetsk off the face of the earth’

Russian forces are attempting to wipe the strategically vital city of Severodonetsk off the face of the earth, local officials have warned, after the Ukrainian president visited the frontline of the fighting.

Serhiy Haidai, the regional governor of the eastern Luhansk region, said fighting in the area had further intensified, with the city on the brink of becoming another Mariupol.

In an update posted on the Telegram messaging app, the official said Russian shelling on the city and neighbouring Lysychansk had "increased tenfold".

Read more here.

09:48 AM

'Book of Executioners' set to be published

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country plans to publish a special "Book of Executioners" next week with information about war crimes committed by the Russian army.

"These are specific facts about specific people who are guilty of specific cruel crimes against Ukrainians," he said.

Those named would include not only people who carried out the crimes but their commanders, he said.

09:17 AM

$1.49 billion support boost approved for Ukraine

The World Bank has approved $1.49 billion in financial support for Ukraine to help pay wages for social workers and civil servants, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on Wednesday.

"Funding will be used to pay wages for social workers & civil servants. Recovery & victory will be the victory of democracy & whole civilized world," the Ukrainian politician tweeted.

08:58 AM

Ukrainian students return to celebrate graduation in the rubble

Ukrainian students robbed of a graduation ceremony have returned to the rubble of their school determined to celebrate the milestone moment.

Anna Episheva posted a photo on Twitter of her niece in a red ballgown standing in front of what remains of her school in Kharkiv.

In a video, shared by Ms Episheva, parents can be seen filming and supporting their children as they danced a farewell waltz on the school grounds.

Read the full story here.

08:14 AM

US supplies High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine

More than $4bn worth of military equipment has been given to Ukraine since the start of the conflict, and the US is the biggest contributor.

Among the donations include:

• 4 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems

• 6,500 Javelin anti-tank missiles

• 7,200 firearms with 50m rounds

07:39 AM

We are giving Ukraine more military aid than Britain, says Germany

Germany’s chancellor appeared to claim he was doing more to support Ukraine than Britain on Tuesday as he suggested that only the United States had sent more military aid to Kyiv than he had.

Speaking at a press conference alongside the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Olaf Scholz said he was providing more support to Ukraine than “almost anyone else,” as the Baltic leaders criticised his insistence that phone calls with Vladimir Putin will help to resolve the war.

“Germany is one of the main supporters of Ukraine militarily and probably only the United States provides greater support than us,” Mr Scholz also said, pointing out that Berlin was sending its most advanced Howitzer systems and training Ukrainians to use them.

Read more here.

06:48 AM

Norway gives Ukraine 22 Howitzers

Norway has donated 22 self-propelled Howitzers to Ukraine – including spare parts, ammunition and other gear – the Norwegian defence ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Norwegian Government has waited to publicly announce the donation for security reasons," the ministry said in a statement.

"Future donations may not be announced or commented upon."

04:26 AM

Americans start rocket training for Ukraine's fighters

The US military has started training Ukrainian forces on the sophisticated rocket systems that the Biden administration agreed last week to provide – but that Russia has said could trigger wider airstrikes in Ukraine.

Marine Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth, Pentagon spokesman, said Ukrainian troops are training on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, at Grafenwoehr training base in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

The US agreed to send four of the medium-range, precision rocket systems to Ukraine as part of a $700 million package approved last week, and officials said it would take about three weeks of training before they could go to the battlefront.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that any Western deliveries of longer-range rocket systems would prompt Moscow to hit "objects that we haven't yet struck".

About 900 Ukrainian service members have received training on a variety of weapons by the US, including on howitzers that  are being delivered to the front lines.

04:00 AM

Ukraine wants Israel to sell Iron Dome

Ukraine's ambassador is urging Israel to sell its Iron Dome rocket-interception system and provide anti-tank missiles to defend civilians against Russia's invasion.

Yevgen Korniychuk on Tuesday stopped short of accusing Israel of blocking the sale of the missile defence system. But he wants the Israeli Government to back its verbal support for Ukraine with military assistance.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv, he said Ukraine wants to buy the Iron Dome system, contending that the United States would not oppose such a sale.

The US has been financially supporting Israel's Iron Dome for about a decade, providing about $1.6 billion for its production and maintenance, according to the Congressional Research Service. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets fired into Israel.

Mr Korniychuk also said Israel last week declined a US request for Germany to deliver Israeli-licensed "Spike" anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

Israel has limited its support for Ukraine to humanitarian aid and was the only country operating a field hospital inside the country earlier in the year.

Israel fears helping Ukraine militarily would inflame Russia, which has a military presence in neighbouring Syria. Israel, which carries out frequent strikes on enemy targets in Syria, relies on Russia for security coordination.

03:46 AM

Ukraine begins rebuilding process

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his government is working to raise money to fund the army and rebuild cities and towns destroyed in the fighting.

He said in his nightly address on Tuesday that work was already underway to restore electricity, gas, running water and phone services in places from which Russian forces had been pushed out. He said much also needed to be done to re-equip hospitals and remove landmines.

Mr Zelensky said one of the ways money was being gathered was through the government fundraising platform UNITED24, which in its first month brought in more than $50 million.

He said Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina on Tuesday joined former Ukrainian soccer player Andriy Shevchenko in becoming an ambassador for the fundraising platform.

03:10 AM

Russia returns Mariupol bodies

Ukraine's military intelligence agency said Russia had turned over the bodies of 210 Ukrainian fighters killed in the battle for Mariupol.

It said most of them were among the last holdouts in the Azovstal steelworks.

The agency did not specify how many more bodies are believed to remain in the rubble of the plant.

Russia now controls the destroyed port city. It began turning over bodies last week.

Ukraine said on Saturday that the two sides had exchanged 320 bodies, with each getting back 160. It is unclear whether any more bodies have been given to Russia.

The Ukrainian fighters defended the steelworks for nearly three months before surrendering in May under relentless Russian attacks from the ground, sea and air.

02:10 AM

'Putin could have wrought gigantic damage in Ukraine'

Angela Merkel defended her approach to Ukraine and Russia during her 16 years as Germany's leader, saying on Tuesday that a much-criticised 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine bought Kyiv precious time and she would not apologise for her diplomatic efforts.

In her first substantial comments since leaving office six months ago, Ms Merkel said there was "no excuse" for Russia's "brutal" attack on Ukraine and it was "a big mistake on Russia's part".

Ms Merkel, who dealt with Vladimir Putin throughout her chancellorship, rejected a suggestion that she and others engaged in appeasement that ultimately enabled the invasion.

"I tried to work toward calamity being averted, and diplomacy was not wrong if it doesn't succeed," she said in an on-stage interview at a Berlin theatre that was televised live. "I don't see that I should say now that it was wrong, and so I won't apologise."

"It is a matter of great sorrow that it didn't succeed, but I don't blame myself now for trying."

She defended the 2015 peace agreement that she and then-French President Francois Hollande brokered in Minsk, Belarus, aimed at easing fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

Ms Merkel conceded that it did not fulfil all of Ukraine's interests and that few people stand by it now, with some saying it was badly negotiated.

"But at the time it brought calm and, for example, it gave Ukraine a great deal of time – seven years namely – to develop into what it is today," she said.

If there had been no intervention at the time, she added: "Putin could have wrought gigantic damage in Ukraine."

01:59 AM

Today's top stories

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to claim he was doing more to support Ukraine than Britain as he suggested that only the United States had sent more military aid to Kyiv than he had

• Ukrainian students robbed of a graduation ceremony have returned to the rubble of their school determined to celebrate the milestone moment

• Russian troops in Ukraine are trying to arrange fake marriages as one of an array of tricks to get back home, Ukraine’s intelligence agency has said

• Late morning customers in search of the latest delicacy in Kyiv’s Zavertailo café would have been disappointed on Tuesday morning – the “Boris Johnson” croissant was so popular it had already sold out

• A skateboarding Ukrainian teenager has been hailed a “hero” after using a toy drone to help his country’s forces blast back Russians advancing on the capital

• Russia stormed out of a UN Security Council meeting after the EU blamed Moscow for causing a global food crisis by blocking ports and stealing grain in Ukraine