Image source, EPA

The war with Russia would have been prevented if Ukraine had been a member of the Nato alliance, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

"If Ukraine had been part of Nato before the war, there would have been no war," he told students at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, while speaking via a videolink.

Zelensky also said his country was "ready" to conduct negotiations "as long as it is not too late", CNN reported, external.

He added: “With each new Bucha, with each new Mariupol, with each new city where there are dozens of dead people, cases of rape, with each new atrocity, the desire and the possibility to negotiate disappears, as well as the possibility of resolving this issue in a diplomatic manner."

Russia has had a long-standing opposition to Nato expansion and to Ukraine joining the alliance, and has accused Nato of launching an active military build-up on territories adjacent to Russia.

Russia has demanded a formal apology from Poland, and threatened future reprisals, for a protest on Monday in which an ambassador was doused with what appeared to be red paint in a Warsaw cemetery.

Moscow's ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreyev, was surrounded by people protesting against Russia's invasion of Ukraine as he went to lay flowers at a ceremony for Soviet soldiers killed in the Second World War.

A decision on further steps will be taken "depending on Warsaw's reaction to our demands", the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

A Russian soldier will stand trial for committing an alleged war crime in Ukraine, for the first time since the war began on 24 February, according to Ukraine's prosecutor-general.

Iryna Venediktova said the man, who is currently in custody, is accused of killing an unarmed civilian in the Sumy region of Ukraine.

It followed a police investigation into the Russian military for "violating the laws and customs of war" and for "premeditated murder".

Her office said the soldier was in custody. He has not commented.

Separately, last month, Venediktova launched a hunt for 10 Russian soldiers accused of war crimes in Bucha - the town outside of the capital Kyiv where civilians were tortured, raped and murdered.

As we reported earlier, pro-Kremlin authorities in Kherson, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March, will ask Vladimir Putin to make the region part of Russia, according to the Russian news agency Tass.

Kherson's Ukrainian-elected mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev - who was deposed after the Russian takeover - has now responded.

"I know for sure that the people of Kherson see themselves exclusively as part of Ukraine," he said in a statement on Facebook. "No one has the right to quietly make such a fateful decision for them."

He appealed for immediate intervention from Ukraine's presidential office, asking for an official statement confirming that Ukraine is fighting for Kherson and "appreciates each of its inhabitants who did not leave the city to be torn to pieces".

He said in the city there are currently residents representing more than 114 nationalities, with women, children and elderly people among them, who "have not left their homes due to the lack of safe green corridors".

Image source, .

Image source, Reuters/Press service of Azov Regiment

We're now turning to the situation at the Azovstal steelworks, the last part of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol not under Russian control.

A pro-Russian separatist leader says that, according to his information, there are now no civilians left there.

"Consequently, our units' hands are no longer tied," Tass news agency quoted Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, as saying.

His forces have taken part in the assault on Mariupol.

Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russian forces were bombarding the steel works, demanding the surrender of its defenders from the Azov battalion.

On Tuesday an aide to the city's Ukrainian mayor said at least 100 civilians were still holed up at the plant.

But Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told AFP news agency this was not correct, and all women, children and elderly people had been evacuated from Azovstal as part of a humanitarian mission coordinated by the United Nations and the Red Cross.

Ukraine officials say more than 1,000 fighters, many of them injured, are stuck in the steel plant, many sheltering in the maze of Soviet-era bunkers and tunnels underground.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Malu Cursino
BBC Live News Reporter

Image source, Maxar / Getty Images

Battles have been raging on Ukraine's Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, which you may remember was where 13 Ukrainian soldiers defiantly refused to surrender to Russian forces, telling a warship to "go to hell".

Russian forces are occupying the island but have not managed to seize total control of it and continue to come under attack - notably from Ukraine's drones.

However, if Russia were to achieve full control of the 662 metre-wide (0.4 miles) island it would be a "big game changer" for their military capabilities, Jonathan Bentham, naval analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, tells the BBC.

He said that if Russia were able to get S-400 air missile systems onto Snake Island, for example, then it would have "a real long-range anti-air capability in the north-west of the Black Sea".

Bentham said this would give Russia significant offensive and defensive capabilities, as it would be able to foresee air threats sooner and would have easier access to Ukraine's key south-eastern port cities, such as Odesa.

But given the small size of the island and its rocky terrain, Bentham said resupplying it would not be easy for Russia.

He added that unless Russia or Ukraine were able to cement their positions on the island with sophisticated anti-air weaponry, their forces would remain vulnerable to attack, leading to a potential back-and-forth control between the two nations.

Read more here.

Image source, EPA

Finland is 99.9% likely to join Nato, a former prime minister of the country tells the BBC.

Alexander Stubb, who was PM from 2014-15, says the Finnish president will announce Finland's intention to join tomorrow, followed by an announcement from the government over the weekend, and a joint statement from Finland and Sweden early next week.

He says there is "overwhelming support" in Finland for joining the alliance, citing a poll from Tuesday which showed 76% in favour and 12% against - a big swing from pre-invasion figures.

"The only person we can thank is Putin, he's the reason we're joining," he says.

He says Finland is "not at all" worried about Russia's threat of "a military-technical response" if it becomes a member.

"They've always been like that," he says, adding that when Iceland, Denmark and Norway joined in 1949 "the rhetoric was similar".

He warns, however, that during the "grey zone" of the membership application process - until Nato security guarantees come into effect - there may be Russian intimidation, cyber attacks and disinformation.

But he says Finland and Sweden have some of the largest armies in Europe, and that their leaders have been collecting security assurances from the US, UK, Germany and France.

"We feel very safe in this situation, not really worried about it at all," he says.

Image source, Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Reuters

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Swedish counterpart have said relations with Vladimir Putin could never be normalised following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Johnson met Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson earlier to sign a new security commitment between the UK and Sweden.

A spokesman for Johnson said afterwards both leaders had "underlined that relations with Putin could never be normalised", according to Reuters.

The spokesman also said the leaders agreed aftershocks from Putin's invasion had "fundamentally changed international security architecture", the news agency reports.

At a press conference, British PM Boris Johnson and Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson announce the two countries have agreed to support each other in times of crisis.

The reciprocal agreement will include the provision of military resources.

Gas prices in Europe could rise after Ukraine's latest movepublished at 14:39 British Summer Time 11 May 2022

14:39 BST 11 May 2022

Michael Race
Business reporter, BBC News

European countries that rely heavily on Russian gas will be paying close attention to the latest move by Ukraine, which says it will suspend the flow of natural gas through some of its pipeline network that transports a third of the fuel delivered to the continent.

Although the impact on the actual amount of gas delivered is still to be determined, the signs are that prices could rise as a result, Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec, tells me.

He says the implications of tightened supplies pushing up prices come as Europe tries to refill reserves through summer, ahead of next winter.

The European Union has been focusing for weeks on how to wean itself off Russian energy, with some member states divided on the right strategy. The bloc has pledged to reduce gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022, but has urged countries to build up their reserves.

Image source, Frank Augstein/Reuters

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to visit Finland next, where he's expected to outline a similar security declaration to the one just announced between the UK and Sweden.

In a statement issued before his news conference in Sweden, Johnson said the UK would support Sweden and Finland if they came under attack. Both nations are considering whether to join the Nato defence alliance, with a decision expected within days.

Russia has previously warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato, saying "the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation".

Steve Rosenberg
Reporting from Moscow

Let's turn now to what Russian newspapers have been saying since Vladimir Putin delivered his Victory Day speech on Monday, in which he likened Russia’s offensive in Ukraine to the Soviet war against Nazi Germany.

“Our soldiers and officers are saving the world from Nazism, just like our grandfathers and our great grandfathers once did,” declares the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.

The pro-Kremlin press continues to promote the false Kremlin narrative that Russia sent its troops into Ukraine to fight Nazis, who are supposedly being backed by the West.

“Hitler’s former allies are now arming Ukraine,” writes Komsomolskaya Pravda. “The whole of Europe armed Hitler, just like it’s arming Zelensky. The economic power of Europe worked for the German fascists. Today it’s working for Ukrainian Nazis.”

The language is extraordinary. But the objective is clear.

The Russian authorities want the Russian public to think of President Zelensky - Ukraine’s Jewish President - as a Hitler-like figure to justify the Kremlin’s military operation.

What will be Vladimir Putin’s next move in Ukraine? Moskovsky Komsomolets concludes:

“He’s not about to retreat. He’s prepared for a long, protracted fight. He doesn’t care how long it takes."

Image source, EPA/Christine Olsson/TT

If you're just joining us, or need a recap, here are some of today's main developments:

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed a security pact with Sweden, which pledges mutual military support between both countries if either's attacked
• Boris Johnson is expected to make similar commitments when he visits Finland later, as Sweden and Finland both consider whether to join Nato
• Russia has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato, arguing the move wouldn't bring stability to Europe
• Russian media say pro-Kremlin authorities in Russian-occupied Kherson will ask President Putin for the region to become part of Russia, but a Kremlin spokesman says it is for the people to decide

• Ukraine says it's halting a key Russian gas pipeline to Europe

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

Turning away from the UK and Sweden for a moment, Russia's foreign minister says the country has enough buyers for its oil and gas outside of Western countries, as EU countries try to reduce their reliance on Russian energy.

Sergei Lavrov said: "Let the West pay more than it used to pay to the Russian Federation, and let it explain to its population why they should become poorer."

Lavrov was speaking at a news conference after talks with his counterpart in Muscat, Oman.

As we've been reporting, the EU has proposed a total ban on oil imports as part of toughening its sanctions.

It has already pledged to reduce gas imports by two-thirds by the end of the year, and plans to phase out crude oil over six months and refined products within months.

UK guarantees could be crucial in coming monthspublished at 13:15 British Summer Time 11 May 2022

13:15 BST 11 May 2022

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

The mutual security assurances that Boris Johnson is offering Sweden and Finland show how the shape of European defence is changing. Both countries are considering applying to join Nato. And Britain is offering them military support.

This is not some kind of legal and automatic security guarantee like that which Nato members give each other. Instead, it is a political declaration that the UK and Sweden will come to the aid of each other’s armed forces if either were attacked.

The prime minister insists this is a long term commitment, not a short-term stop gap. But Britain’s support could be crucial in coming months if Sweden and Finland apply to join Nato. This is because there could be a tricky period between application and accession, potentially lasting some months, when neither country yet enjoys the full security guarantee that the Western alliance can offer.

Asked what happens if Sweden needs help in the "grey zone" after it applies to join Nato but before it is accepted, Johnson says there's a "separate conversation going on" about Sweden's Nato membership and joining the alliance is "a matter for Sweden".

Sweden is yet to announce whether it has decided to apply for Nato membership or not.

Johnson says the UK will "support whatever of course of action Sweden decides to embark upon" regarding membership.

He also says that "in the event of a disaster or an attack upon Sweden, the UK would come to the assistance of Sweden with whatever Sweden requested".

Swedish PM Andersson says the pact could include military support in times of crisis.

Johnson also says it's important that Sweden is giving the same support to the UK in the declaration they have just signed - describing the pact as an important "paving stone for developing relations in the future".

The press conference ends.

Image source, Pool

The Swedish prime minister says Russia has said it will "respond" if Sweden decides to apply to join Nato - but exactly how is unclear.

"The tensions in this part of Europe has increased in the last years given Russia's aggression towards Ukraine," Magdalena Andersson says.

Asked about what support the UK would provide if Sweden was attacked during the Nato joining process, Boris Johnson says: "The declaration makes it clear, it's upon request of Sweden [that] the UK will of course provide assistance."

"What matters primarily is what Sweden decides to request," he adds.

The BBC's James Landale asks Boris Johnson to spell out exactly what the UK would do if Russia attacked Sweden.

Johnson responds by saying that if there was an attack on either of the two liberal democracies then they would come to each other's assistance.

He also says the pact could mean intelligence sharing, or doing joint military exercises together.

"It will allow us to share more intelligence, bolster military exercises and further joint development of technology," he says.

"This is an agreement that enshrines the values that both Sweden and the UK hold."

He says he is pleased to sign the declaration "that brings our two countries even closer together".

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson says it is a sad irony that EU leaders are being forced to discuss the best way to fortify shared defences against the empty conceit of a 21st Century tyrant.

"When Europe celebrated VE day in 1945, a victory partly ensured by heroism of Russian people, we hoped peace on our continent would endure," he says.

Putin's bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation has put an end to that hope, he says, and made a new reality that we face together.

If either country should come under attack, the UK and Sweden will assist each other in a variety of ways, Swedish leader Magdalena Andersson has said in her opening remarks.

She hands over to Boris Johnson.