Ukraine war: UK holds minute's silence marking anniversary of Russia's invasion
A year of Ukraine's extraordinary resistance to Vladimir Putin's all-out assault that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced has been marked with a minute's silence.
Rishi Sunak was joined outside No 10 by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv's ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK for the national pause on Friday morning.
The King issued a message praising the "remarkable courage and resilience" of the people of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian recruits training in the UK were joined by UK, Canadian and Lithuanian military instructors for a sunset commemoration service.
The Last Post was played as the troops fell silent.
Western officials estimate 100,000 Ukrainian service personnel have been killed or injured in the conflict, with Russia believed to have suffered almost double.
The UN human rights office said at least 8,000 civilians have died in Ukraine and more than 13 million people have been made refugees or displaced inside the country.
With no end in sight for the war, Mr Sunak is urging his fellow world leaders to "move faster" in arming Ukraine's troops as the battle against Vladimir Putin's forces continues.
"For Ukraine to win this war – and to accelerate that day – they must gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield," he will tell G7 leaders.
"That is what it will take to shift Putin's mindset. This must be our priority now.
"Instead of an incremental approach, we need to move faster on artillery, armour, and air defence," Mr Sunak is to tell world leaders in a virtual meeting.
"The coming weeks will be difficult for Ukraine, but they will also be difficult for Russia. They are overreaching once again. So now is the time to support Ukraine's plan to re-arm, regroup, and push forward."
On Friday, Mr Zelensky vowed Ukraine will do everything in its power to defeat the invasion before another anniversary can be marked.
"It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery. A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity," he said in a national address.
"The year of invincibility. The furious year of invincibility. Its main result is that we endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year."
Britain will be training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard jets but allies have been reluctant to release the modern warplanes requested by the Ukrainian President.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said backfilling allies with the UK's jets to free up their own would be a quicker way to bolster Kyiv's defences than providing them with British Typhoons.
Mr Wallace told Times Radio, "the other quick way that Ukraine can benefit from fighter jets is for those countries in Europe that have Russian Soviet fighter jets – MiG 29s or Su-24s – if they wish to donate we can use our fighter jets to backfill and provide security for them as a result".
"They are already configured to fight in a Nato way, where of course Ukraine isn't," he said.
Mr Wallace said the Russian army was suffering "huge losses" on the battlefield for territorial gain measured "in metres not miles" and will sacrifice a growing number of troops to satisfy Mr Putin's demands.
"It will move effectively to a meat-grinder approach where it just keeps sacrificing its own soldiers for the vanity of the Kremlin," he told Times Radio.
Britain also announced a new package of sanctions, imposing an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the internationally co-ordinated new package of sanctions and warned the failing Russian President will "probably threaten nuclear use".
Export bans have been extended to include hundreds of goods, including aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex.
The UK also sanctioned senior executives at the Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as bosses at Russia’s two largest defence companies and four banks.
Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: "We have committed to ensure that Putin fails in his attempt to invade Ukraine and as that realisation of his failure dawns on him, he will use every trick in the book.
"He will threaten escalation and he will probably threaten nuclear use. What we have to say to the Russian people is that there is not and has never been a threat to Russia itself.
"This is a purely defensive posture. No one else is talking about this kind of escalation and there is no threat to Russia itself."
In Ukraine, soldiers are braced for a Russian spring offensive. But Mr Putin's original plan of taking the country in only a matter of days failed, with a vast amount of the current fighting centring around the battle for the east of Ukraine.
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister when the war began and when few believed Ukraine could hold out against Russia, has become a vocal advocate of the need to send jet fighters to the Ukrainians.
"Now is the time to give President Zelensky the tools the Ukrainians need to finish the job," he said.
"The last year has taught us that sooner or later, the West gives the Ukrainians what they need. And if that is the choice – sooner or later – let’s make it sooner, for the sake of Ukraine and the world.
"A swift Ukrainian victory is the humane, compassionate and economically sensible outcome."
The UK remains a prominent supporter of Kyiv, with the Government announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.
But fears remain that the war could continue for at least another year, even as Ukraine insists that further support and weaponry can help bring the conflict to a conclusion.
Mr Sunak is expected to urge allies to supply longer-range weapons to Kyiv, while also repeating his offer of British support to countries able to provide planes.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the country's support "is as firm and unstinting today as it was on that dark day one year ago".
"As we mark this solemn anniversary and look ahead to the coming months, we must do the same. Regardless of what other political disagreements we may have, we stand in lockstep with the Government on this issue," he said.
"No-one should ever have to face the hardship and loss that the Ukrainian people have over the last year. Their fight for democracy, freedom and liberty in the face of tyranny is also our fight. Standing with our Nato allies, we will ensure Putin's defeat and Ukraine’s victory."
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