Russia Ukraine war live: World leaders in Kyiv for anniversary of war as Zelensky vows ‘we will win’ against Putin

He said: “Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression”.

Charles added he is “greatly encouraged” by the efforts of the UK and its allies in supporting Ukraine “at this time of such great suffering and need”.

Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken defiantly on the two-year anniversary of Russia’s war with Ukraine as he said they “cannot destroy our dream”.

The Ukrainian president spoke from Hostomel, the site of the first major battle of the war.

He said two years ago they “met hostile landing with fire here”, but two years later “we welcome our friends and partners here”.

“You can burn the plane, but you cannot destroy our dream. The dream with which each one of us has been falling asleep and waking up for 730 days,” he added.

Vladimir Putin is likely to have something “fundamentally wrong” with his health and may be suffering from Parkinson’s disease, a former head of MI6 has been told.

Sir Richard Dearlove, who headed the British intelligence service between 1999 and 2004, said his sources in Europe believe Mr Putin’s health is deteriorating.

He said one suggestion is that the Russian president is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, one of the symptoms of which can be delusions.

Rishi Sunak has joined other world leaders in reaffirming support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, vowing to back Kyiv “until they prevail”.

The Prime Minister said “tyranny will never triumph” as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops defend the country against an emboldened Russia.

The UK has pledged to invest £245 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine and £8.5 million in humanitarian funding as the conflict enters its third year.

Johnson said on X: “On this grim second anniversary of Putin’s invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine.

“With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putin’s forces – provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need.”

Western leaders have descended on Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to the capital by train along with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person.

Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening on a residential building, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors.

The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and western aid hangs in the balance.

“More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” Ms von der Leyen wrote on social media after she arrived in Kyiv.

Guy Walters joins a squad of postmen, IT workers and drivers being turned into frontline soldiers to find out why Operation Interflex – which has prepared more than 30,000 ordinary citizens to fight Putin – could be the training model for our own citizen army:

With a silent signal from their leader, they enter the building. Far from bursting in, screaming and yelling like something from a hackneyed war film, the soldiers infiltrate silently and gracefully.

Ukraine attacked a steel plant belonging to Russia‘s Novolipetsk RAO with drones overnight in a joint operation by the GUR military intelligence agency and SBU security service, a Ukrainian source said on Saturday.

The source told Reuters the attack had caused a major fire at the plant and staff had been evacuated.

“Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones. Therefore, it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine,” the source said, without specifying the location of the plant.

While the Kremlin is reported to have believed its “special military operation” would bring the capital Kyiv under Russia’s grip in just 10 days, the extraordinary show of defiance by Ukrainians willing to defy one of the world’s largest armies to fight for their country’s existence has instead seen the war now enter its third year.