War in Ukraine: Latest developments

Agence France-Presse / 11:28 AM April 26, 2022

Members of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine stand before a pile of missile remains, collected in the city after shellings in Kharkiv on April 25, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)

KYIV—Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Five killed in rail strikes

At least five people are killed and 18 injured in Russian rocket strikes on five railway stations in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia, the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office says.

US wants ‘weakened’ Russia

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says he hopes that the war in Ukraine will hobble the Russian military.

“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” he says after a visit to Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine can win the war if it has the “right equipment”, he adds. Austin and Blinken pledge $700 million (653 million euros) in additional military aid during their visit.

Russia warns of World War III

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warns there is a “real” danger of a World War III breaking out as a result of the Ukraine conflict.

“The danger is serious, it is real, you can’t underestimate it,” he tells the Interfax news agency.

Peace talks to continue

Lavrov also says peace talks with Ukraine will continue, criticising Kyiv’s approach to the negotiations and accusing President Volodymyr Zelensky of “pretending” to negotiate.

“Good will has its limits. But if it isn’t reciprocal, that doesn’t help the negotiation process,” he says.

US diplomats to return

Blinken confirms that US diplomats, withdrawn at the start of Russia’s invasion, will gradually return to Kyiv. US President Joe Biden nominates career foreign service officer Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador.

Several European countries have also reopened their embassies in Kyiv since Russia withdrew its forces from the region.

No deal on Mariupol

Russia’s army says Kyiv prevented civilian evacuations from Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian forces have been holding out in the besieged port city, despite announcing a unilateral ceasefire.

Ukraine disputes says Moscow did not agree to its request for the evacuation of wounded soldiers and civilians.

Putin congratulates Macron

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election following a run-off with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, seen as closer to Moscow.

ICC to join crime probe

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor will join an EU investigations team to probe possible international crimes committed in Ukraine, the EU’s judicial cooperation agency says — the first time they have taken part in a joint international investigation.

German diplomats expelled

Moscow says it is expelling 40 German diplomats after Berlin sent 40 Russian diplomats packing earlier this month.

UK missile launch vehicles

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says London will send Ukraine armoured vehicles able to fire missiles against Russian warplanes.

Russia says Ukraine drones downed

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, says Russian forces shot down two Ukrainian drones near the boundary between the two countries, in Kursk’s Rylsky district.

Two people are also injured in a village in the Russian region of Belgorod, its governor says, blaming Ukraine’s armed forces.

5.2 million refugees

More than 5.2 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia launched its invasion two months ago, with over 45,000 having left in the past 24 hours, the UN says.