Ukraine news - live: UK must be ready to fight Putin’s Russia, army chief says
Volodymyr Zelensky said it’s ‘impossible to even imagine’ how many killed
G7 leaders focus on helping Ukraine and punishing Russia
The UK must be prepared to fight against Russia in Ukraine, the British army chief said on Tuesday.
Chief of the General Staff Patrick Sanders said Russia will likely be an even greater threat to European security after the war and the army must be ready to fight to “avert conflict.”
“We're not at war, but we must act rapidly so that we aren't drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion,” he said.
He said the army should focus on boosting readiness so troops could be deployed quickly, and on urban combat and rebuilding stockpiles. He described the choice facing Britain as its “1937 moment” in what appeared to be a reference to when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler invaded Austria.
It comes as Russia has been accused of “cruel and barbaric” war crimes after 18 people were killed and more than 59 injured in a missile strike on a crowded shopping centre in Ukraine.
UK must be ready to fight Putin’s Russia, army chief says
Russia will likely be an even greater threat to European security after the war in Ukraine than it was before and the British army must be prepared, its Chief of the General Staff Patrick Sanders said on Tuesday.
Mr Sanders, who became chief of the general staff this month, used his first speech to warn that the army must be ready to fight to "avert conflict", in what appeared to be an appeal for modernisation and possibly further defence spending.
"We don't know how the war in Ukraine will end. But in most scenarios Russia will be an even greater threat to European security after Ukraine than it was before."
He said the army should focus on boosting readiness so troops could be deployed quickly, and on urban combat and rebuilding stockpiles. He described the choice facing Britain as its "1937 moment" in what appeared to be a reference to when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler invaded Austria.
"We're not at war, but we must act rapidly so that we aren't drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion," he said.
Russia says missile hit on weapons depot in Kremenchuk shopping centre fire
Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday denied hitting a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk with missiles, saying it had struck a weapons depot and a subsequent explosion of ammunition had triggered a fire in the nearby mall.
At least 18 people were killed on Monday in what Kyiv said was a direct Russian missile strike against the busy shopping centre in Kremenchuk. The G7 called the hit a Russian war crime, while Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history,” accusing Russia of directly targeting civilians.
Moscow on Tuesday rejected those accounts, saying it had hit a legitimate military target in the city, and that the shopping centre was not in use.
“In Kremenchuk, Russian forces struck a weapons depot storing arms received from the United States and Europe with high-precision air-based weapons. As a result of the precision strike, Western-made weapons and ammunition concentrated in the warehouse ... were hit,” Moscow's defence ministry said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel.
“The detonation of stored ammunition for Western weapons caused a fire in a non-functioning shopping centre located next to the depot,” it added.
Russia fines foreign firms Twitch, Pinterest, UPS over data storage
A Moscow court said it had fined video streaming service Twitch, social network Pinterest and United Parcel Service in three of several cases expected on Tuesday over alleged refusal by foreign companies to store Russian citizens' personal data in Russia.
Moscow has clashed with Big Tech over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that has erupted into a full-on information battle since the invasion started.
Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor in late May opened administrative cases against Alphabet Inc's Google and six other foreign technology companies, including Amazon-owned Twitch, Pinterest and UPS , for alleged violations of personal data legislation.
The Moscow courts' press service said Twitch had been found guilty by the Tagansky District Court of violating Russian personal data legislation and fined 2 million roubles ($37,700). Pinterest was also fined 2 million roubles, news agencies reported, and UPS 1 million roubles.
Twitch, Pinterest and UPS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NEW: Russia places sanctions against First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley
Moscow has announced that is placing sanctions on the wife and daughter of US President Joe Biden.
The decision is part of a new package of sanctions announced by Russia on 25 American individuals.
Read the developing news below:
Russia sanctions First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley
The move was part of a new package of restrictions announced by Moscow
G7 leaders working to release Ukraine grain
G7 leaders are working on finding a way of letting Ukraine export its grain, British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.
“We're working on it, we're all working on it,” he said at the start of a five-way meeting with France's Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Mario Draghi, Germany's Olaf Scholz and the US's Joe Biden, when asked if they were going to get the grain out of Ukraine.
Ukraine's bulk grain exports are being hindered by a Russian blockade of its Black Sea ports, forcing exporters to use less efficient land routes.
Russia will be greater threat to European security post Ukraine, UK army chief says
Russia will likely be an even greater threat to European security after the war in Ukraine than it was before, the British army's chief of the general staff Patrick Sanders said on Tuesday.
“While Russia's conventional capability will be much reduced for a time at least, (Russian president Vladimir) Putin's declared intent recently to restore the lands of historic Russia makes any respite temporary and the threat will become even more acute,” Mr Sanders said in a speech.
“We don't know how the war in Ukraine will end. But in most scenarios Russia will be an even greater threat to European security after Ukraine than it was before.”
Watch: Video shows destruction of Ukraine mall after Russian strike
G7 leaders agree to study Russian energy price caps
G7 leaders have agreed to study placing price caps on imports of Russian oil and gas to try to limit Moscow's ability to fund its invasion of Ukraine, G7 officials said on Tuesday.
The European Union will explore with international partners ways to curb energy prices, including the feasibility of introducing temporary import price caps, a section of the final G7 communique seen by Reuters said. The officials said this meant both oil and gas.
The Group of Seven rich nations have been debating a global price cap for Russian energy to prevent Moscow profiting from its invasion of Ukraine, which has sharply raised oil and gas prices.
Russian oil export revenues climbed in May even though sanctions reduced its export volumes, the International Energy Agency said in its June monthly report.
G7 leaders are joined at German summit by presidents of the European Commission and Council
Technology minister Chris Philp told Sky News that a Russian attack on a shopping centre in Ukraine was “sickening and appalling”.
Russian missiles slammed into a shopping centre in Kremenchuk on Monday, prompting international condemnation.
Mr Philps likened it to an “act of terrorism”, as he pointed to UK efforts to support Ukraine in the war.
He was asked about comments by general Sir Patrick Sanders, the chief of the general staff, who has likened the current situation to the run up to the Second World War.
“I think that refers to the fact we need to do everything we can to support Ukraine.
“We don't want to see an escalation into a wider conflict. I think Russia would be literally insane to attempt to do that, because Nato is a far larger and far stronger bloc.”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace ‘asks Boris Johnson for 20% hike in military spending’
Defence secretary Ben Wallace is set to issue a call for a significant hike in government spending on the UK’s armed forces in the face of Russian aggression.
The senior cabinet minister has reportedly asked Boris Johnson to increase the country’s military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP – an additional 20 per cent a year.
In a letter, Mr Wallace urged him to call on fellow Nato leaders to raise their own spending from the current minimum target of 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent of national income, according to Talk TV.
Our political correspondent, Adam Forrest, has the full story below:
Ben Wallace ‘asks Boris Johnson for 20% hike in defence spending’
Cabinet minister wants PM to commit to increase, as western allies gather for crucial Nato summit
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