Emre Temel
BBC Turkish

Image source, Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to cash in on Turkey's renewed strategic importance for the West after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is trying to force Finland and especially Sweden to comply with his demands.

First, he wants Sweden and Finland to publicly denounce not only the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but also its affiliates before being allowed to join Nato.

PKK has been designated as a terrorist organization by the UK, US and the European Union. However, most Nato members have supported and even armed its Syrian offshoot, the People's Protection Units, the YPG, in the fight against Islamic State.

The Turkish government insists that Sweden and Finland must also do more to clamp down on PKK sympathizers it says are active in their countries.

Turkey also wants Sweden and Finland to put an end to arms-export restrictions they imposed on Ankara, along with several other Nato members, after its 2019 incursion into Syria to push the YPG back from the frontier.

In addition to these conditions, Turkey also wants to be re-included in the F-35 advanced aircraft program, from which it was barred after it bought S-400 missile-defense systems from Russia. It also has a request to the US to purchase F-16s warplanes and upgrade kits for its existing fleet.

We should also bear in mind that the presidential and general elections will be held in Turkey in just over a year and Erdogan can use this crisis to galvanise the nationalist vote.

Image source, EPA

A former British military commander has suggested the war could reach a “stalemate” in the coming months – but that it’s hard to predict what would happen afterwards.

General Sir Richard Barrons, who led the UK's Joint Forces Command, said the conflict had not yet reached a lull because the Russians were still making steady progress in the east.

But he said the advance could come to “some culmination” in the spring or summer, for example with the potential capture of the city of Kramatorsk.

“What we don’t know is whether that [would be] the end of it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He suggested there could then be a ceasefire, with Ukraine ceding territory – “unconscionable” to many – or a pause in hostilities until defending forces had built the firepower to “seriously think about taking territory back”.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, eastern Ukrainian cities are coming under intense bombardment from Russian forces.

Here's some more detail from the Ukrainian armed forces' morning update:

• Russia's attack on Lyman has been stepped up using artillery and air support
• Artillery fire on Severodonetsk was also said to be continuing
• In Avdiivka, both army positions and civilian infrastructure have come under fire
• Unsuccessful offensives on Bakhmut and the village of Pasika have resulted in losses for Moscow
• Russia has intensified its use of aircraft to support ground troops - as its precision missiles start to run low
• Ukraine claimed it had repelled nine Russian attacks in eastern regions in the previous 24 hours

It was not possible for the BBC to independently verify the claims.

Image source, .

Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from Kyiv

When their dogs started digging insistently at a spot in the woods, villagers in Zavalivka called in the authorities.

A Ukrainian military team were soon at the scene in white protective suits, carefully removing the topsoil.

They uncovered a man's body, face down with his legs oddly twisted beneath him. It was clear from his uniform that he was a Russian soldier.

Weeks after they failed to seize Ukraine's capital, the remains of Russian troops are still being discovered in and around the villages they passed through or occupied near the capital, Kyiv. But Ukraine says Russia shows little interest in getting them back.

But the delay in collecting bodies isn't unique to Moscow.

Neither side in this war is open about the number of casualties suffered. We've spoken to several Ukrainian families who say their own government has been less than helpful in recovering the remains of Ukrainian soldiers from the battlefield.

Read more about what's happening to the war dead.

Image source, Reuters

Russia has called for the lifting of sanctions that were imposed over its invasion of Ukraine as part of a "comprehensive approach" aimed at averting a global food crisis.

Ukraine is one of the world's top grain exporters but it has built up vast stockpiles that it is unable to send abroad due to a Russian blockade of its ports.

The Kremlin's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Russia was ready to provide a humanitarian corridor that would allow ships a safe route out of Ukraine - if sanctions were lifted and Kyiv de-mined nearby waters.

Yesterday, the European Union accused Russia of using food supplies as a weapon with global repercussions.

Earlier, the UK's Ministry of Defence said food prices worldwide would keep going up while the impasse continued.

Image source, EPA

Ukraine's President Zelensky has said the West is lacking unity over the issue of weapons provisions and other support for his country.

"Unity is about weapons. My question is, is there this unity in practice? I can't see it," he said, speaking by videolink at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Germany - Europe's biggest economy - has struggled to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine during the conflict, though this was not explicitly mentioned by Zelensky.

He was also quoted saying the European Union's inability to agree a sixth package of sanctions targeting Russian fuel exports further signalled a lack of unity.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here's a look at some of the main developments so far:

• The eastern region of Donbas has come under increasingly heavy attack, as Russian forces try to capture those parts of the eastern Luhansk region they do not yet control
• Russian troops are currently trying to encircle the twin cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk.
• The region's governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Severodonetsk was being destroyed and that Russian troops were close enough to use mortars, in addition to rockets, artillery and bombs dropped from planes

• Ukrainian authorities say two areas of the major southern city of Zaporizhzhia were struck by Russian missiles early this morning. At least one person has died and three others wounded
• Representatives of Sweden and Finland are meeting Turkish officials today for talks about their applications to join Nato. They need the support of all 30 Nato members, but Turkey has so far objected to their bids

• The UK government has approved the £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea by a consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly

More now on what’s happening in Severodonetsk, where attacks by Russian forces are increasing according to Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai.

“The city is being destroyed round-the-clock," he told Ukrainian TV. "They are dropping bombs from planes… using Grad and Smerch [multiple launch rocket systems], and artillery.”

Hayday says “Russian troops have approached close enough to shell it with mortars" and says “the situation in the city is very difficult," and indicated that the next few days were critical.

Writing on Telegram this morning, Haidai also accused Russian forces of targeting the Azot factory where civilians are hiding in bomb shelters.

He said six people died and eight were wounded, with most of the incidents taking place near bomb shelters.

Image source, .

Russia's blockade of key ports on the Black Sea means significant supplies of grain are still unable to be exported, according to the latest analysis by the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD).

One city, Odesa, has seen no significant merchant shipping activity since the start of the war, and Ukrainian attempts to make exports by land are highly unlikely to substitute for the lost shipping capacity, they said.

The situation has put pressure on global food prices, and the ongoing disruption to commercial shipping is expected to further increase the price of many staple products, the MoD added.

Ukraine is one of the world's top grain producers.

Jeremy Bowen
Reporting from the Donbas region

Image source, Getty Images

The Ukrainian army is under its greatest strain since those first chaotic weeks of the war when people thought the Russians were going to drive into Kyiv.

The Russians have now pulled out of the area around the capital where they lost the battle, as well as other areas in the north – and of course Ukrainian troops surrendered in Mariupol. So now the Russians can concentrate on the eastern Donbas area.

And what they’re doing is encircling a couple of quite big towns – Severodonetsk is the biggest one of them.

It’s only a small area in terms of this enormous country. But it’s symbolically, politically important in terms of the progress of the war.

And it seems very much as if these Western weapons – the big American howitzers and so on – have not reached this area as yet.

The Russians are bringing a great deal of force to bear, and it’s working.

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

Representatives of Sweden and Finland are meeting Turkish officials today for talks about their applications to join Nato.

The two countries lodged their bids to join the Western military alliance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. First, they need the support of all 30 Nato members.

But Turkey has objected to their bids. President Erdogan has accused both of sheltering supporters of the Kurdish separatist PKK militant group.

Sweden and Finland imposed sanctions on Ankara in 2019 after a military incursion into Syria, where some Kurdish militants are active.

Some analysts believe Turkey may be objecting in a bid to seek concessions from other Nato members.

The Finnish foreign minister said he hoped both sides could clear up their differences.

Image source, .

Ukrainian authorities say two areas of the major southern city of Zaporizhzhia were struck by Russian missiles early this morning, leaving one person dead and three others wounded.

Four missiles were reportedly fired just after 05:00 local time (03:00 BST) and one was intercepted, in what is being seen as the biggest attack on the city. The regional administration says a shopping centre and at least 62 homes were damaged in the strike.

Much of Russia's offensive is centred on eastern Ukraine, but Russian forces are in control of part of the big Zaporizhzhia region, including the big nuclear power station on the southern bank of the Dnipro river.

Ukrainian officials say Russia has gathered three of its battalion tactical groups at Vasylivka around 50km (30 miles) south of Zaporizhzhia but it is not yet clear whether they plan to launch an offensive on the city.

Image source, .

Image source, PA Images

The sale of Chelsea Football Club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is going ahead.

The club is to be bought for £4.25bn by a consortium led by US investor Todd Boehly.

The UK government said it had issued a licence permitting the sale, because it was satisfied this would "not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual".

Abramovich was among the Russian oligarchs sanctioned after the invasion of Ukraine.

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Getty Images

This is the way the war looks set to play out.

Village by village, town by town, Russian forces bombard, encircle, then overwhelm with sheer force of numbers.

The governor of the Luhansk region said the Russians were approaching their positions from all sides.

Sergei Haidai wrote on social media that the shelling was "increasing more and more. The Russian army has decided to completely destroy Severodonetsk."

Encircling that city – the last Ukrainian holdout on the east bank of a crucial river – seems to be the current strategy.

But in the way of Russian troops remain some of the most determined and battle-hardened forces in the Ukrainian army.

The supply lines to Severodonetsk remain open, but only just.

It may only be a matter of time before the city’s defenders are cut off – with no way out for the soldiers, or the civilians who remain trapped with them.

The eastern region of Donbas has been under increasingly heavy attack, as Ukrainian defence officials warn the Russian offensive is now entering its most intense stages. Russian forces are seeking to take control of Severodonetsk, Lyschansk, and Rubizhne in order to place the whole of the Luhansk area under Russian occupation, according to the UK's defence ministry. Here are some of the scenes and faces from the Donbas region from the last 48 hours.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

The US is cutting off another financial route for Russia to pay its international debts, a move that could push the country closer to default.

The US Treasury Department said it would end a waiver that had allowed US bondholders to accept payments, tightening sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.

While the new rules only apply to people in the US, they will make it difficult for Russia to make payments elsewhere given the role of US banks in the global financial system.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

US billionaire George Soros has warned that "civilisation may not survive" the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying it may have marked "the beginning of the Third World War".

Speaking at a dinner last night on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the investor and philanthropist said the war has shaken Europe to its core.

He urged the world to "use all our resources to bring the war to an early end," adding "the best and perhaps only way to preserve our civilisation is to defeat Putin as soon as possible".

Europe was also in a stronger position than it thought, with regards to its dependence on Russian gas, he added.

Putin had put gas in storage instead of exporting it to Europe, creating a shortage. But Russia will run out of storage space by July and would have no choice but to sell to Europe, which is its only market, Soros pointed out.

"I think Putin has been very clever in sort of blackmailing Europe, threatening to cut off the gas, but actually his case is much less strong than he pretends," he said.

The EU is trying to cut its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by two-thirds by the end of the year.

But efforts to ban Russian imports have been stymied due to hesitation from Germany. Hungary has also opposed a Russian oil ban.

The West has accused the Russian military of holding food supplies hostage for millions around the world.

War has blocked Ukraine's main ports on the Black Sea, severely impacting food supply chains around the world. The country is a major exporter of wheat, but now millions of tonnes of grain are stuck - impacting the countries that can least afford it.

Russia denies it is weaponising food supplies, claiming that Ukraine's attempts to mine the Black Sea and sanctions are to blame - as the BBC's Ros Atkins explains in this video.

Image source, President's Office of Ukraine

Welcome back to our live coverage.

In the last few hours, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called the situation unfolding in the eastern Donbas region "extremely difficult", and argued that a regular supply of weapons to Ukraine was the best strategy to maintain global stability.

Speaking during his nightly address on Tuesday evening, external, Zelensky said "the [full] strength of the Russian army was thrown [in Donbas] to attack".

"Lyman, Popasna, Severodonetsk, Slovyansk - the occupiers want to destroy everything there," he said, referring to a cluster of cities located in eastern Ukraine.

"Therefore, the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine - MLRS, tanks, anti-ship and other weapons - is the best investment in maintaining stability in the world and preventing many severe crises that Russia is still planning or has already provoked," he added.

Zelensky's comments come as Ukrainian defence officials warn Russia's war in eastern Ukraine is now in its most intense stages, and could potentially determine the fate of the embattled country.

This is Tessa Wong and Zubaidah Abdul Jalil in Singapore, stay with us as we continue bringing you the latest updates.

That's it from us in London for now - our writers today were George Wright, Sofia Ferreira Santos, Sam Hancock, Emily McGarvey, Dulcie Lee and Emma Owen.

The editors were Claudia Allen, Jeremy Gahagan and Owen Amos.