Disappointed army leaders are urging the Russian president to abandon the term “special operation” used for the invasion and instead declare war, which will allow the Russians to mobilize en masse. When Russian tanks entered Ukraine in late February, Putin called it a “special operation” and even banned the Russian media from using the word “war,” thinking it would all be over in a few weeks. But more than two months later, the attack has stopped. See what happened overnight – and you can follow the latest updates on our live blog.
1. Ukraine warns that talks with Russia may collapse
Ukraine and Russia have blamed unstable talks for ending the war as Russia pounded areas in the east of the country and US politicians swore a huge new arms package to Kyiv. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the lifting of Western sanctions on Russia was part of a series of peace talks that he described as “difficult” but continued on a daily basis via video link.
