Russia’s war on Ukraine latest: Battle around Bakhmut goes on in the mud

(Reuters) – Russian forces are trying to close their circle around the small mining city of Bakhmut, while rain and an early spring thaw turned eastern Ukraine’s battlefields to mud which could hamper both sides as they push for an initiative.

Diplomacy

* Kremlin spokesman Peskov says Russia will not resume participation in New START nuclear arms talks until Washington listens to Moscow’s position, Izvestia reported.

* Peskov says NATO as a single bloc no longer Russia’s conditional opponent but enemy -Izvestia.

* U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen paid a surprise visit to Kyiv to reaffirm U.S. support and economic aid to help Ukraine’s war campaign.

* Foreign ministers from around the world meet in New Delhi this week in the shadow of the war and U.S.-China tensions; host India hopes issues such as climate change and Third World debt are not overlooked.

* China has “very clearly” taken Russia’s side in the Ukraine war by providing diplomatic, political and economic support, the U.S. State Department said.

* The Kremlin said a Chinese peace plan that urges both sides to agree to a gradual winding down of forces and warns against the use of nuclear weapons, should be analysed in detail, taking the interests of all sides into account.

Human rights

* The U.N. rights chief condemned Russia’s “senseless” invasion of Ukraine at the start of a Human Rights Council session at which countries want to strengthen scrutiny of allegations that Moscow has committed war crimes, which it denies.

Fighting

* The military situation is becoming increasingly difficult around Bakhmut, the focal point of Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine, President Zelenskiy said.

* Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Bakhmut, also shooting down four HIMARS missiles and five drones launched by Ukrainian forces.

* Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.

Economy

* Russian banks and politicians have played down the latest foreign sanctions on Russian lenders, promising speedy solutions to any problems with clients’ foreign currency dealings.

* Central Asian airlines are seizing opportunities from Russia’s closed airspace, with airline traffic into the region booming in the year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, executives and analysts said.

Anniversary

* TIMELINE- Major developments since Russia’s invasion

* Ukraine’s Zelenskiy has defied Putin against the odds

* Putin, secure in power, has set the stage for long war

* A year on, Ukraine and its government have not just survived. They’ve fought back

* Toughened by war’s scars, Kyiv presses on

* Graphics of a year of war in the markets: How the dollar, energy and food prices swirled

* Russian economy holds up but the road back to prosperity may be long

* Moscow’s decades-old gas ties with Europe lie in ruins

* Top brands pull out of Russia, but goods easy to find

* Can U.S. support for Ukraine last?

* External backers pour billions into Ukraine

* How has China stood by ‘no limits’ partner Russia?

* A year into war, older refugees running out of hope

* Life and death in Mariupol – a survivor’s tale of war

* Family mourns Bucha victim who became symbol of war

Podcast

Learn more about the Ukraine war. Listen to a special episode of the Reuters World News Podcast.

(Compiled by Reuters editors)