Newspaper headlines: 'War at Nato's door' as Putin has 'West in sights'
- Published
Most papers are preoccupied with the Russian missile attack on a military base close to Ukraine's border with Poland.
"Putin's deadly warning to the West," is the Daily Mail's front-page headline. The paper has seen a British intelligence report that says the strike was designed to illustrate Russia's willingness to escalate, should the West continue sending supplies to Ukraine.
Unconfirmed reports in the Times say the site has been used as a storage depot for anti-tank weapons and surface-to-air missiles, sent to bolster Ukraine's forces.
Fighters from the base returning to Poland after the attack had British, American and Irish accents, according to the Daily Telegraph, external. One describes the bombardment as being like hell on earth.
Several of the papers pick up on claims that Russia has dropped phosphorus bombs on a town in eastern Ukraine, in violation of the Geneva conventions.
The Daily Mirror says the chemical can burn to the bone, with agony lasting for months. Local officials quoted in the Telegraph say the weapons are causing indescribable suffering.
There's a distressing account in the Guardian of alleged atrocities, external by Russian soldiers, in villages near Kyiv.
Witnesses who have fled to the capital describe house-to-house searches and killings, with phones and laptops being confiscated.
A woman says she saw her husband beaten and shot dead in the street after he approached Russian forces with his hands raised. He had to be buried in the garden, she goes on to say, because the Russians wouldn't allow them to use a graveyard.
The Financial Times, external and the Washington Post, external are among papers to say they've been told by US officials that Russia has requested military equipment from China.
There are no details on what Moscow has requested but the papers quote senior White House figures as warning Beijing not to try to circumvent sanctions.
An expert in Chinese defence policy tells the Post that while Russia has sold arms to China, this has never been reciprocated. Any change would be a "watershed moment."
Energy policy
The Times reports that Downing Street is backing plans, external for a big expansion in solar-power generation, and for the building of another new nuclear power plant.
It's part of Boris Johnson's new energy strategy in light of the conflict in Ukraine, the paper explains.
Under the proposals, to be announced this week, people would be given incentives to install solar panels at home.
Plans to build a nuclear power plant on Anglesey, which collapsed in 2020, would also be revived. A source tells the Times: "It's just the Treasury that needs to be convinced".
The Sun looks ahead to Boris Johnson's trip to Saudi Arabia this week, describing it as perhaps the most important foreign visit of his Premiership so far.
The paper says allies - not least the United States - will be hoping the Prime Minister can convince the kingdom to massively boost oil production, curbing inflation here, and easing the world's reliance on Russian oil.
The Sun notes what it calls the Saudis' "hideous war in Yemen", external - and that they will want something in return. But it says such is the price of diplomacy at a time of world tension.