Ukraine-Russia war LIVE – UK to send MORE weapons to Zelensky’s troops as he calls for meeting with Putin ‘to end war’

Zelensky: Our souls are filled with fierce hatred for the invaders

The United States’ top diplomat and defence chief today set to make their first war-time visits to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago, with fierce fighting casting a long shadow over Orthodox Easter.

The trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cames as the war entered its third month.

Blinken and Lloyd’s arrival in Ukraine coincided with Easter celebrations in the largely Orthodox country.

“Our souls are filled with fierce hatred for the invaders and all that they have done.

“Don’t let rage destroy us from within,” Zelensky said in a statement to mark the holiday.

Pope Francis backs calls for an Easter truce

As Christians in Ukraine marked Orthodox Easter today, Pope Francis has called on the attacks to stop.

Pope Francis called for an Easter truce: “Stop the attacks in order to help the exhausted population. Stop,” he said.

‘Putin has lost interest in talks to end the war’

According to a report in the Financial Times has stated that Vladimir Putin is no longer interested in diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

Instead, he wants to seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible.

One person briefed on the talks said: “Putin sincerely believes in the nonsense he hears on [Russian] television and he wants to win big.”

His approach hardened after the sinking of Russian warship Moskva, which Ukraine has claimed responsibility for.

A source said: “Putin was against signing anything… after the Moskva he doesn’t look like a winner, because it was humiliating.”

Putin’s Satan 2 nuclear missile can ‘break through any defences’

TYRANT Putin has boasted that his apocalyptic ‘Satan 2’ nuke missile can “break through any defences” as he revelled in the prospect of global destruction.

In a mortifying threat, Mad Vlad, 69, said the world-ending RS-28 Sarmat missile will “force those who try to threaten Russia to think twice”.

Putin hailed the development of the new missile – successfully test-fired earlier this week – as “a big, significant event” for Russia’s defence industry.

Speaking yesterday, the dictator boasted: “The missile can break through all modern anti-missile defences.

“There is nothing like this anywhere in the world, and won’t be for a long time.”

The deadly projectile can fly over 11,000 miles, carry 15 warheads and has the potential to destroy an area the size of the United Kingdom in a single strike.

Zelensky leader pushes for more arms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed the West for more powerful weapons as he prepared to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country’s capital today.

Zelensky said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

“You cant come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,” he said.

Ukraine blames Russia after Mariupol humanitarian corridor fails today

No humanitarian routes were established out of the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol today, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

She blamed Russian forces for not holding their fire.

Vereshchuk said that the Ukrainian side would try again on Monday to establish safe passage out of Mariupol, calling for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to demand a ceasefire and open up humanitarian corridors from Mariupol.

“This is what Guterres should talk about in Moscow, if he is preparing to talk about peace,” Vereshchuk said.

Zelensky in talks for Mariupol evacuation with Turkish president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter to say that that he had “an important phone conversation” with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“On the eve of his talks with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, I stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops.”

Civilians killed in shelling on Luhansk

The governor of the eastern Luhansk region has just reported that a unspecified number of civilians have died in shelling today.

In a video address meant to celebrate Orthodox Easter Sunday, Serhiy Gaidai said: “Today, once again, civilians have died. Our compatriots.

“The [Russians] do not hold anything sacred.”

Zelensky calls on meeting with Putin

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has again called for a meeting with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, in an effort ‘to end the war’.

“I think that whoever started this war will be able to end it,” he told a news conference at a metro station in the heart of the Ukrainian capital.

He was “not afraid to meet” Putin if it would lead to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, he added.

“From the beginning, I have insisted on talks with the Russian president,” said Zelensky.

“It’s not that I want (to meet him), it’s that I have to meet him so as to settle this conflict by diplomatic means. We have confidence in our partners, but we have no confidence in Russia,” he added.

UN calls for ‘immediate stop’ to fighting in Mariupol

The UN’s Ukraine crisis coordinator, Amin Awad, has called for an “immediate stop” to fighting in Mariupol. This is to allow the evacuation of trapped civilians in the battered city from today.

“The lives of tens of thousands, including women, children and older people, are at stake in Mariupol,” Mr Awad said in a statement.

“We need a pause in fighting right now to save lives.

“The longer we wait the more lives will be at risk. They must be allowed to safely evacuate now, today. Tomorrow could be too late.”

Putin fuels Parkinson’s rumours during Easter cathedral service

FRAIL-looking Vladimir Putin stoked rumours of failing health last night as he was seen biting his lips, fidgeting distractedly and appearing unsteady at a church service.

The tyrant – dogged by claims he has Parkinson’s or terminal cancer – gurned while clutching a candle near the altar at a midnight mass for Orthodox Easter.

Brief TV footage showed little obvious sign of the telltale tremors often associated with Parkinson’s.

But viewers saw the ageing autocrat appearing to shift uncomfortably, sticking out his tongue and chewing his lips.

He also looked up to the ceiling and down at the floor during a mass led by crony Patriarch Kirill, who has supported his invasion of Ukraine.

At one point the President was seen crossing himself slowly, appearing to take great care to control the movement.

It came days after dishevelled Putin, 69, was seen gripping a table and tapping his foot in video that Kremlin watchers claimed showed a drastic decline in his physical state.

Russia condemned for continuing shelling during Orthodox Easter

The Ukrainian parliament’s human rights ombudsman has said Russian forces continued deadly attacks even on the eve of Orthodox Easter.

“On the eve of one of the biggest Orthodox holidays, the Russian army continued to actively shell peaceful cities in Ukraine and kill civilians,” Liudmyla Denisova said.

Turkey ready to assist in negotiations with Ukraine

President Erdogan told President Zelensky during a telephone call that Turkey is ready to give all possible assistance during the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia,.

Mr Erdogan said the evacuation of the wounded and civilians in Mariupol must be ensured.

He added that Turkey viewed the guarantor issue positively in principle.

Afternoon, Milica Cosic now taking over the blog. I’ll be with you until 10pm tonight.

Zelensky issues another warning

ZELENSKY has issued yet another warning to Vladimir Putin in his lengthy press conference in Kyiv’s metro.

He warned that if Russian forces kill any of the last soldiers defending Mariupol’s steel plant, Ukraine will abandon peace talks with Moscow.

The Ukrainian President also said that Ukraine will pull out of peace talks if Russia holds an independence referendum in the occupied city of Kherson.

Mariupol remains a strategically important city and has been battered by Russia for weeks.

Officials say planned evacuations have been halted by intense shelling in the city.

Nearly three million have fled

The Polish Border Guard have said that more than 2.9 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began.

The number of people crossing the border into Poland has fallen significantly in recent weeks.

US State Department confident of Ukrainian victory

Ukraine’s President Zelensky says he’s expecting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary for Defence Lloyd Austin to visit Kyiv today.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme the Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said he was confident Zelensky would prevail in the war.

“This is going to be a victory for Ukraine; it is going to be a strategic defeat for Russia,” he said.

Putin to meet UN chief next week – reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow next week, Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Guterres on Wednesday separately asked Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to receive him to discuss steps to bring about peace.

Russia had previously complained Guterres had not tried to contact the Kremlin leader since the start of what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

All you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Everything you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…

Trump reveals how he’d deal with Putin

DONALD Trump has revealed how he would deal with Vladimir Putin and the word he’d NEVER let the Russian leader use if he were still in charge.

The former US President told Piers Morgan in the exclusive TalkTV interview that he’d approach Putin very differently amid his brutal attack on Ukraine.

Trump said he believes Putin has been using nuclear threats during the war in Ukraine to frighten other nations – making the Russian leader think “no one will attack him.”

Putin thinks that everyone is “stupid and afraid to talk about it” so he keeps on threatening with the destructive weapons, according to Trump.

But if he was still President, Donald Trump said he would have a completely different strategy to Joe Biden.

Instead of cowering away, Trump insisted he would tell Putin “we’re going to have problems” if he keeps threatening with the word ‘nuclear.’