Russia Ukraine War News Live Updates: Moscow says Western weapons will pour ‘fuel on the fire’; 2 journalists injured in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Friday that Moscow was stopping Ukrainian ports from exporting grains, blaming rising international meals costs on the West.

Rescuers carry the physique of a civilian at a website of an house constructing destroyed by Russian shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk area, Ukraine. (AP)

“We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market onto Russia,” he mentioned on nationwide tv.

He mentioned the perfect answer could be for Western sanctions on Russia’s ally Belarus to be lifted and for Ukraine to export grain by way of that nation.

Ukrainian officers are relying on superior missile methods that the United States and Britain just lately pledged to swing the warfare of their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun coaching on them.

While Ukraine’s resistance has pressured Putin to slender his rapid objective to conquering all the Donbas area, Ukrainian officers mentioned he stays intent on subduing the entire nation. “Putin’s important objective is the destruction of Ukraine. He shouldn’t be backing down from his objectives, even supposing Ukraine received the primary stage of this full-scale warfare,” Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar advised nationwide tv on Friday.

Moscow has poured troops and materiel into the battle for Sievierodonetsk, which Russia should overrun to take all of Luhansk, one in every of two provinces that comprise the japanese Donbas area that the Kremlin has acknowledged it intends to seize.