"Using Ukraine, the collective West is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of its independence. These attempts are doomed to fail, " he said. Mr Putin has previously made similar statements, framing Russia's war with Ukraine as part of a wider battle against the West. Zelenskyy says he would welcome meeting with China Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would welcome a meeting between Kyiv and Beijing despite seeing no sign of a peace plan from China. The Ukrainian president made the comment during a joint news briefing in Kyiv with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Mr Sanchez is the latest leader to visit Ukraine ahead of the war anniversary, after US President Joe Biden's surprise trip on Monday and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's appearance on Tuesday. Mr Zelenskyy's statement that he "would like to meet with China" comes after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had seen signs that China is ready to supply Russia with weapons. He said this is why the US and other allies "have been very clear, warning against that". "China should of course not support Russia's illegal war, " Mr Stoltenberg said. It comes amid mounting concern from Western countries that Beijing is planning to arm Moscow against Ukraine.

It's worth giving his full Q&A below a watch, where he answers whether Bakhmut is going to fall and what a realistic end to the war would look like. Why the reluctance to send fighter jets to Ukraine? By Mark Stone, US correspondent in New YorkWhy are Western nations unwilling to provide Ukraine with fast jets, despite the clear advantage they would give to Ukraine? One principal reason is a lingering fear that it will precipitate a widening of the conflict beyond Ukraine's borders. All the weaponry provided so far is of shorter range, allowing Ukraine to push back a Russian advance but not much more.

Last summer, it fixed the hryvnia at 36. 57 to the US dollar - a devaluation that meant Ukrainian products could stay competitive. People 'trapped under rubble' as Russia 'intensively shells' areas in Kharkiv People have been trapped under piles of rubble and at least two women have been injured during Russia shelling attack, a Ukrainian official has said. In a Telegram post, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration said "the enemy continues to intensively shell" areas along the contact line in the northeast Ukrainian area. "Today, the city of Kupiansk and the Kupiansk district are under attack, " Oleg Sinegubov said. "An enemy missile hit one of the local administrations.

Shun'ichi Suzuki, finance minister for G7 chair Japan, said today that the bloc is "unwavering" in its "commitment to support for Ukraine". Ukraine unveils new bank note for anniversary of invasion The country's central bank revealed the design of the 20-hryvnia (45p) note today, which shows three soldiers holding the national flag on one side, and two hands tied on the other. At a presentation in Kyiv, Andriy Pyshnyi, governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, said the "small piece of paper" depicts "a year of emotions, patterns, content and iconic things". It took eight months to design and produce the note, according to central bank officials, and it's the first in a series of planned commemorative notes. Officials said notes have already been planned to mark victory and Ukraine's reconstruction.

Ukraine war - latest: Putin marks military holiday after missile warning; NATO 'cannot allow Moscow to win'; Russian text messages from the frontline revealed'West using Ukraine to break up Russia' - Russian defence minister One of Vladimir Putin's close allies has accused the West of trying to break up Russia using Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, said any attempts to fracture the country would be "doomed to fail". Mr Shoigu made the comments in a message congratulating armed forces in Moscow, which is marking Russia's "Defender of the Fatherland" military holiday today.

Mr Pyshnyi added that Ukrainians have "realised their force, their significance, their ability not only to withstand but also to win, to win without forgiving a single military crime, a single ruined house". The bank has worked to mitigate the impact of the war on Ukraine's economy over the last year.

Western nations cannot guarantee that Ukraine's military wouldn't use Western jets (or long-range rockets for that matter) to strike targets within Russia itself. The Russian president warned just this week that deployment of long-range western weapons in Ukraine would give him the justification to strike further west - possibly inside NATO countries? Last night at the UN in New York, I asked Ukraine's foreign minister about this issue.

G7 increases financial support for Ukraine by $7bn for 2023 It means the bloc's economic support this year has been raised to $39bn (£32bn) from its initial pledge of $32bn (£26bn), announced at the end of 2022. G7 finance ministers and central bank governors are meeting in the Indian city of Bengaluru today. Financial support for Ukraine is the main item on the agenda, one day before the anniversary of the war. The G7 has also stressed the need for a "fully-funded" programme of support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Ukraine by the end of March. Kyiv is looking to secure a $15bn programme with the IMF - a major financial agency of the UN - to cover urgent financial help and support for rebuilding its infrastructure.