Russia Ukraine war latest: Putin rejects talks with Zelensky as North Korean cannon deployed

Russia claims to have held “frank” discussions with Syria’s new de facto leader as Moscow desperately seeks retain its two military bases in the country.

A Syrian source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa – also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani – had requested that Moscow hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia when he was toppled by rebels in December.

Syrian news agency Sana said Damascus also wanted Russia, which backed Assad in the country’s civil war, to rebuild trust through “concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery”, following talks on Tuesday with a Russian delegation led by deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

Asked to confirm whether Russia had been asked to return Assad and pay compensation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment. The Syrian source said Moscow had not been willing to concede its “past mistakes” and the only agreement that was reached was to continue discussions.

Russia, whose troops and air force backed Assad for years against Syrian rebels, is seeking to retain its naval base in Tartous and Hmeimim air base near the port city of Latakia. Losing them would deal a serious blow to its ability to project power in the region.

Ukrainian investigators have opened a criminal case involving defence minister Rustem Umerov, following a standoff in his ministry over arms procurement which threatens to strain Kyiv’s ties with vital Western allies.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) told Reuters that its investigation, requested by a corruption watchdog, would examine whether there had been an abuse of authority by Mr Umerov but gave few other details.

The watchdog, the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, has accused Mr Umerov of acting illegally by sidelining the head of the Defence Procurement Agency, whose contract he is refusing to renew after criticising the agency’s work.

Mr Umerov said last week that the agency had failed to deliver results for Ukrainian forces, writing on Facebook: “Despite the publicised scale of procurement, our defenders on the frontlines have not experienced its tangible impact.”

Patria has acquired Belgium-based firm Ilias Solutions for an undisclosed sum in a deal the state-backed Finnish defence group believes will allow it to lead the way in the digitisation of Europe’s defence industry.

Ilias’ digital defence software is used by more than 30 countries, Nato and air forces including those of the UK, US and Greece. Patria, owned by Finland and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said the deal would help to manage capability gaps revealed by the military aid Europe is sending to Kyiv.

Many military capabilities remain largely undigitised and are therefore difficult to maintain and manage, Ilias’ chief operating officer Harald Kokelkoren said, adding its software brought artificial intelligence to military equipment management.

The European Commission did not propose a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in its latest package of sanctions because member states raised concerns about needing to first secure alternative fuels, diplomats have told Reuters.

“First you have to have a deal because otherwise you will be left without gas from Russia and without the US,” one of the diplomats said.

Moscow had been using northern European ports to do ship-to-ship transfers of LNG for onward journeys to Asia. But a ban announced by the EU last June has seen more Russian LNG staying in Europe, prompting some member states to push for tighter rules and an all-out ban.

However, the Commission did not propose tougher measures after pushback from some member states, and EU sources have told Reuters that the cold winter weather, gas stocks drawdown and the timing of the upcoming German election put a further dampener on the idea.

“There was never an original measure, so I don’t think it’s useful to talk about it in terms of watering down,” one European diplomat told Reuters.

“The general idea was floated by the Commission in confessionals in order to test the waters … Apparently one or more member [state] signalled enough opposition for the Commission not to deem it opportune to propose such a measure now.”

The number of drug-resistant infections is rapidly rising in Ukraine, according to reports – with the UK’s government agency for health security on alert over a risk of case numbers increasing.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections occur when bacteria evolves to learn how to defend itself against common antibiotic and other medicines, making treatment ineffective.

Overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of the so-called “silent pandemic” of AMR infections, with a type of infection called Klebsiella pneumoniae now becoming a major issue for hospitals near Ukraine’s frontline.

Last week, the BBC reported on a sharp rise in cases faced by clinicians in Ukraine. While globally, 1.4m people died from AMR infections in 2023. In the same year, 58,000 people had AMR infections in the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency has called it a global crisis with the agency calling for action to drive down infections around the world. Below, The Independent asks what is helping drive the increase in Ukraine and what can be done about it:

G7 ambassadors have issued a warning to Ukraine that a dispute over the reappointment of Kyiv’s weapons procurement chief could jeapordise trust among Ukraine’s allies at a critical point in which the backing of new US president Donald Trump appears to be in the balance.

Russian prosecutors are seeking to recover some £26m of funds that they say were allocated for the defence of Kursk, but which were stolen instead by corrupt officials.

Ukrainian troops stormed across the border in a surprise attack on 6 August and seized a chunk of territory in Russia’s Kursk region, some of which they still hold in a valuable bargaining chip for Kyiv in any peace talks with Moscow.

A lawsuit filed by Russia’s chief prosecutor’s office orders the head of the Kursk Regional Development Corporation, his deputies and a number of businessmen to repay more than 3.2 billion roubles (£26m) allegedly embezzled from the regional defence budget, state news agency RIA reported.

In the two years prior to Ukraine‘s attack, the governor in charge of Kursk at the time had repeatedly told the public that Russia had boosted its fortifications along the region’s 150-mile border with Ukraine.

But in the autumn of 2023, Ukraine‘s National Resistance Center, created by the special operations forces, said in an online post that reconnaissance showed “almost all the strongholds are deserted of personnel and equipment” along the border with Kursk. Corruption was a factor, it said.

Western officials have urged Ukraine to resolve an escalating rift between its defence minister and procurement, warning that it could jeopardise trust in the country and disrupt weapons supplies.

The row began last week when the Defence Procurement Agency’s board unanimously voted to extend director Maryna Bezrukova’s contract for another year. However, defence minister Rustem Umerov overruled the decision, accusing her of poor performance and failing to deliver arms to frontline troops.

The decision provoked an outcry from politicians and anti-corruption watchdogs who alleged that Mr Umerov’s move to dismiss Ms Bezrukova was illegal under Ukrainian law.

In a statement on Monday, G7 ambassadors urged Kyiv to resolve the situation “expeditiously and focus on keeping defence procurement going”, saying: “Consistency with good governance principles and Nato recommendations is important to maintain the trust of the public and international partners.”

Desperate Ukrainian families are resorting to illegal routes and “rogue advisers” to bring their children to Britain after “catastrophic” changes to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, ministers have been told.

The government, which has vowed “ironclad” support for Ukrainians, has been warned repeatedly since taking office that changes to the Ukrainian sponsorship schemes – made overnight last February by the Tory administration – are preventing children from joining their parents in the UK.

This has now created the “inevitable” situation in which families are resorting to bringing children to the UK via irregular routes, leaving them at risk of exploitation by criminals and people traffickers, a charity supporting Ukrainians told the home secretary this week.

Speaking to The Independent, one Ukrainian mother said she was left with no choice but to bring her children from Ukraine illegally after their carer grandparent fell ill, and urged the government to change course to allow families to reunite in safety.

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