US says Putin ‘misinformed’ by advisers on state of Ukraine war
White House says Ukraine invasion has been ‘strategic blunder’ leaving Russia weaker and more isolated on world stage.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Western nations should not lift sanctions on Moscow until all Russian troops leave Ukraine.
- More than four million people have fled Ukraine amid Russia’s offensive, according to UN figures.
- Pentagon says Russia has started to reposition under 20 percent of the forces it had assembled around Kyiv.
- Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks have not eased in Chernihiv despite a promise by Moscow to scale back its offensive there.
Here are all the latest updates:
Sanctions should remain until all Russian troops withdraw: UK’s Johnson
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Western nations should not lift sanctions on Russia until all of Moscow’s troops leave Ukraine.
“I certainly don’t think that you could expect the G7 to lift sanctions simply because there’s been a ceasefire in Ukraine, and that again goes straight into Putin’s playbook,” Johnson said.
“In my view, we should continue to intensify sanctions with a rolling programme until every single one of his troops is out of Ukraine.”
Invasion ‘strategic blunder’ for Russia, White House says
The White House communications director has described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “strategic blunder”.
“It is increasingly clear that Putin’s war has been a strategic blunder that has left Russia weaker over the long term and increasingly isolated on the world stage,” Kate Bedingfield told reporters during a news briefing.
Russia repositioning under 20 percent of its forces around Kyiv: Pentagon
Russia has started to reposition under 20 percent of its forces around Kyiv, the Pentagon has said, cautioning that Moscow was expected to refit and resupply them for redeployment but not bring the forces home.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said some of the Russian forces may have already moved into Belarus, as opposed to their home garrisons.
Kirby also said during a news briefing that Russian private military company Wagner Group had deployed about 1,000 contractors into Ukraine’s Donbas region, which Moscow has declared a priority in its offensive.
Gas supply: What will happen if Russia turns off taps to Germany?
The German government has triggered the first stage of an emergency plan for natural gas supplies and urged consumers to save energy in the face of growing concerns that sanctions-hit Russia could stop deliveries unless it is paid in roubles.
Putin announced last week his country would only accept payments in roubles for natural gas deliveries to “unfriendly countries” – those that have imposed sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, including all European Union members.
Click here for more on Germany’s decision.
White House says Putin misled by advisers on Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been misled by his advisers about the Russian military’s performance in Ukraine, the White House has said.
“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership,” Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, told reporters during a news briefing.
“We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy has been crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth.”
Read more here.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Wednesday, March 30 here.
