Closing summary
Here are all the key developments from the Russia-Ukraine war today:
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning on his first visit to Ukraine since a major US aid package was passed last month. Blinken, who arrived by train from Poland in an unannounced visit, met Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shortly after arriving. “Some of it has already arrived and more of it will be arriving,” said Blinken of the US aid. “And that’s going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
Russian troops continuing their advance in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region have captured the town of Buhruvatka, the Kremlin claimed on Tuesday. It has not been possible to independently verify the battlefield claims, though there are fears grow Moscow is in the process of achieving its biggest breakthrough since the early days of the war.
Zelenskiy described the US aid as crucial, and thanked Blinken, but also said Ukraine desperately needed two more air defence systems to protect the second city of Kharkiv, which has been hit repeatedly by Russian strikes in recent weeks.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will visit China on May 16-17, Chinese state media reported.
Russia has put its Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile into service, the TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the system’s chief designer.
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Sinehubov, said in a social media post that four people were injured by Russian shelling.
Andrei Belousov, Vladimir Putin’s nominee for defence minister, said there will be no new mobilisation of Russian troops, but that the enemy is learning fast and Moscow needed to be ahead, Reuters reported.
He also said it was imperative that Russian soldiers have the most modern equipment.
Antony Blinken, the American secretary of state, said in Kyiv that “the U.S. has been by Ukraine’s side from day one, and we will stay by your side.”
As I told President @ZelenskyyUA, the U.S. has been by Ukraine's side from day one, and we will stay by your side. pic.twitter.com/NbQx5IqPOw
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 14, 2024
Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian defence minister, has spoken with his British counterpart, Grant Shapps.
“The main focus is on long-range weapons, artillery, and ammunition,” Umerov said.
I had a telephone conversation with my colleague, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, @grantshapps.
— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) May 14, 2024
I thanked for the latest £500 million military aid package—the biggest ever! This support shows the UK's unwavering commitment to stand by Ukraine until victory.
We also… pic.twitter.com/mbNnUxdtme
Russian troops say advance continuing in Kharkiv region and claim to have captured Buhruvatka
Russian troops continuing their advance in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region have captured the town of Buhruvatka, the Kremlin claimed on Tuesday.
It has not been possible to independently verify the battlefield claims, though there are fears grow Moscow is in the process of achieving its biggest breakthrough since the early days of the war.
On Monday, in an effort to stem the Russian attacks, Kyiv announced the replacement of the commander overseeing the north-eastern Kharkiv frontline and also announced it was moving additional reserves to the Kharkiv region to try to halt Russia’s advances.
Updated
Russia has put its Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile into service, the TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the system’s chief designer.
Russia conducted a submarine-launched test last November of the missile, which the Federation of American Scientists says is designed to carry up to six nuclear warheads.
Russian authorities have arrested a second senior defence ministry official on bribery charges days after Vladimir Putin replaced the defence minister in a cabinet shake-up. The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law enforcement body, said on Tuesday that the chief of the ministry’s main personnel directorate Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov was arrested and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. Putin on Sunday replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in a reshuffle as he begins his fifth term in office. Shoigu’s deputy Timur Ivanov was arrested last month also on bribery charges.
Updated
Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister, has praised the EU’s aid package for Kyiv.
“With 50 billion euros reinforcing Ukraine’s resilience against Russian aggression, we’re making strides,” he said.
The @EUCouncil's endorsement of the #UkraineFacility Plan is a game-changer. With 50 billion euros reinforcing Ukraine's resilience against Russian aggression, we're making strides. Gratitude to the Belgian Presidency @EU2024BE and Member States for high assessment of Ukraine…
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) May 14, 2024
Zelenskiy calls for more air defences as Blinken arrives in Kyiv
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning on his first visit to Ukraine since a major US aid package was passed last month, as Ukrainian forces struggle to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks.
Blinken, who arrived by train from Poland in an unannounced visit, met Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shortly after arriving.
“Some of it has already arrived and more of it will be arriving,” said Blinken of the US aid. “And that’s going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
Zelenskiy described the US aid as crucial, and thanked Blinken, but also said Ukraine desperately needed two more air defence systems to protect the second city of Kharkiv, which has been hit repeatedly by Russian strikes in recent weeks.
Read the full story here.
Vladimir Putin appointed Nikolai Patrushev and Alexei Dyumin as aides, and promoted his economic adviser, Maxim Oreshkin, to the role of deputy chief of staff, the Kremlin said today, Reuters reported.
The Kremlin also said that Sergei Shoigu’s new job as secretary of the Russian Security Council gave him a wide range of tasks that had “great importance for the country”.
Updated
Andrei Belousov: Putin picks trusted technocrat to run defence ministry
In 2014, Russia’s bloc of economic strategists was panicked by Vladimir Putin’s decision to annex Crimea and foment a war in east Ukraine, a move that led to western condemnation and sanctions against Russia that were seen as potentially ruinous.
But his adviser Andrei Belousov was a rare economist who publicly stood by his side, calling the damage manageable and western sanctions “insignificant” in terms of the Russian economy.
A decade later, Belousov, a Putin loyalist known to back government spending to stimulate the economy, has taken up the Kremlin’s biggest challenge: overseeing the defence ministry as military spending soars above 7% of Russia’s GDP and the Kremlin prepares itself for a long war in Ukraine.
“I think that the Kremlin sees the war as a war of attrition and a war of attrition is won by economics,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, who is an expert on the Russian economy and former adviser to the Russian central bank. “So a combination of industry and a pure economist who has a very strict and clear view of the leading role of the state within the economy can be the key to transform Russia’s heavily militarised economy into a real war economy.”
Read the full story here, by Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer.
Putin to visit China May 16-17
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will visit China on May 16-17, Chinese state media reported.
The Ukrainian military said the situation in the town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region was under control but it had to withdraw to new positions near the village of Lukyantsi, Reuters reported.
It also said the number of Russian attacks in the northern part of the Kharkiv region decreased significantly.
Russian state news agency Tass had reported that the western and northern parts of Vovchansk have fallen under Russian forces’ control.
Updated
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, met with British MPs John Healey and David Lammy.
Met with members of the UK Parliament from the opposition Labour Party: Shadow Secretary of State for Defence @JohnHealey_MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs @DavidLammy. pic.twitter.com/zOiS3SNiWo
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) May 14, 2024
Updated
Weapons package will make a difference, Blinken says in Ukraine as Zelenskiy underscores air defence needs
In Kyiv, the American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said a new weapons package is already arriving and more more is coming, Reuters reported.
“We also know that in the near term the assistance is now on the way, some of it has already arrived and more of it will be arriving,” Blinken said. “And that’s going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, told Blinken that air defence is Ukraine’s biggest deficit and that two air defence batteries are needed for Kharkiv now.
Updated
A Ukrainian drone attack derailed a freight train and sparked a fire in a diesel tank in the Volgograd region, Reuters reported citing Russian media.
Updated
Four people injured in Kharkiv
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Sinehubov, said in a social media post this morning that four people were injured by Russian shelling.
Antony Blinken arriving in Kyiv this morning
A warm welcome back to Kyiv, @SecBlinken! pic.twitter.com/mtcZMry79C
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) May 14, 2024
Here are the latest images from Ukraine, as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived for a visit.
“I returned to Kyiv today to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine as they defend their freedom against Russian aggression,” Blinken said.
I returned to Kyiv today to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine as they defend their freedom against Russian aggression. pic.twitter.com/7ruIw6GgVd
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 14, 2024
Opening summary
Good morning, welcome to the blog. The main news this morning is the unannounced visit to Kyiv by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken.
As Associated Press reports, the mission is designed to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend itself against increasingly intense Russian attacks.
The visit comes less than a month after Congress approved a long-delayed foreign assistance package that sets aside $60bn in aid for Ukraine.
Artillery, air defence interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered, some of them already to the front lines, said a senior US official travelling with the secretary on an overnight train from Poland.
Blinken will “send a strong signal of reassurance” to Ukrainian leaders and civil society figures he will meet during his two-day visit, said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
In a statement released after Blinken‘s arrival, the State Department said he would meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials “to discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new US security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine’s economic recovery”.
Delays in U.S. assistance, particularly since Israel’s war with Hamas began to preoccupy top administration officials, triggered deep concerns in Kyiv and Europe. Blinken, for example, has visited the Middle East seven times since the Gaza conflict began in October. His last trip to Kyiv was in September.
