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Vladimir Putin has blamed the West for starting the war in Ukraine and claimed Russia responded with force “in order to stop it”.

In a speech describing his aims as the first anniversary of the conflict nears, the Russian president said Ukraine was in talks with the West about weapons before Russia invaded its neighbour on 24 February last year.

Putin admits ‘very difficult time for Russia’ – Ukraine war latest

Mr Putin also announced that Russia was suspending its participation in a key nuclear treaty with the US which limits the two sides’ strategic nuclear arsenals.

“I would like to repeat, they started the war and we used force in order to stop it,” he said in his state of the nation address on Tuesday.

The Russian leader said Kyiv held talks with the West about weapons supplies before the “special military operation”, as Moscow calls it, began.

‘Playing a dirty game’

“I would like to emphasise when Russia tried to find a peaceful solution they were playing with the lives of people and they were playing a dirty game,” he said.

Mr Putin said Russia decided to “protect its people and history” by conducting a “special military operation step-by-step” – as he warned that Moscow will “continue to resolve the objectives that are before us”.

His speech came a day after US President Joe Biden made his first visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, as Washington pledged $500m worth of military aid to Kyiv.

Read more:
Revealed: Biden’s extraordinary journey to Ukraine
Sunak urged to send fighter jets to Ukraine immediately

Russian President Vladimir Putin walks to deliver his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia

Mr Putin announced that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty with the US, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can deploy.

Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, with close to 6,000 warheads, according to experts.

Mr Putin said Russia was not fully withdrawing from the treaty and said Moscow must stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the US does so.

What is the New START treaty?

The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can deploy.

Under the agreement, Moscow and Washington are committed to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and a maximum of 700 long-range missiles and bombers.

Each side can conduct up to 18 inspections of strategic nuclear weapons sites every year to ensure the other has not breached the treaty’s limits.

It was signed by then-US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in 2010 and came into force in 2011.

Both countries have agreed to extend the treaty through to 4 February 2026.

The US Department of State says the treaty enhances US national security by placing verifiable limits on all Russian-deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons.

It also allows both American and Russian inspectors to ensure that both sides are complying with the treaty.

Together, the US and Russia account for about 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads.

West ‘released genie from the bottle’

The Russian president took aim at the West and said they “released the genie from the bottle” in the 10 years prior to the war, by starting others.

He claimed Western countries were painting Russia as an enemy of the state to divert attention from the corruption and socio-economic problems in their own countries.

On weapons, Mr Putin also claimed the West was “in negotiations” over the “supply of heavy military equipment and planes and anti-aircraft missile systems” before the operation began.

While Russian forces have suffered three major battlefield reversals since the war began, it still controls around one-fifth of Ukraine.

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West ‘punished themselves’ with Russia sanctions

In his wide-ranging speech, the Russian president also claimed millions of people in the West are being “led to a real spiritual catastrophe”, as he criticised the “Anglican Church’s plan to consider the idea of a gender-neutral God”.

West ‘punishment themselves with sanctions’

The Russian president accused the West of collapsing its own energy sectors by sanctioning Russian-linked companies and individuals.

“All sanctions are just a means, but the objective is to force our citizens to suffer – this is their humanistic approach,” he said.

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He added that they have “not been successful” and that the government has spent 3bn roubles on measures to stabilise the Russian economy.

On Monday, Mr Biden added that alongside additional military aid for Ukraine, the US would announce additional sanctions against Russian elites.

Mr Biden said the Russian president was “dead wrong” to think the West’s support for Ukraine would not last as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the talks as “fruitful”.

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Date set for conclave to decide next pope – here’s how the secretive process works

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Date set for conclave to decide next pope - here's how the secretive process works

The conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor will begin on 7 May, the Vatican has announced.

Some 135 cardinal electors – those under the age of 80 – will take part and vote for the new pontiff.

The rituals of the event, held in the Sistine Chapel, are elaborate and date back centuries. So how does the process work?

When Pope Francis died, the Catholic Church entered a period known as “sede vacante”, meaning “empty seat”.

His ring and seal – used to dispatch papal documents – were broken to prevent anyone else from using them.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell – the Camerlengo, or chamberlain, who announced Francis’s death – became the interim chief of the Catholic Church.

Cardinals hold their hats during a mass presided by [German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger] in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican April 18, 2005. Cardinals will meet later today in the Sistine chapel for the start of the papal conclave.
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Pic: Reuters

The conclave

Cardinals travel to Rome from all over the world and stay until a new pope is chosen.

Of the 252 current ones, there are 135 cardinal electors: 53 from Europe; 23 from Asia; 20 from North America; 18 from Africa; 17 from South America; and four from Oceania.

Italy has the most cardinals who can vote, with 17, while the US has 10 and Brazil has seven. The UK has three.

Shadows of tourists are cast across a papal crest dedicated to Pope Pius XII on the floor of Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 11, 2013. Roman Catholic Cardinals will begin a conclave on Tuesday to elect the Church's 266th pontiff and a successor to Pope Benedict, who abdicated unexpectedly last month. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION TRAVEL)
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A papal crest dedicated to Pope Pius XII. Pic: Reuters

Once the conclave begins, the cardinals will not emerge from the Vatican until a new pope has been chosen. The word “conclave” comes from Latin, meaning “with key” – a reference to the isolation in which the cardinals are kept.

While holding voting sessions in the Sistine Chapel, they sleep in the Casa Santa Marta – a guesthouse inside the Vatican’s grounds.

The longest conclave lasted almost three years, between 1268 and 1271. Several have lasted only one day. The one which elected Pope John Paul in 1978 lasted less than three days. Cardinals chose Pope Francis in around two days.

While the conclave is ongoing, cardinals are unable to communicate with the outside world. No telephones, internet use or newspapers are allowed.

Except for the first day, when only one ballot is held, the cardinals hold two daily votes until one candidate has a majority of two-thirds plus one. They are sworn to secrecy about the voting.

White smoke?

So how do we know if a decision has been reached? Yes, this is the black smoke, white smoke part.

If the cardinals have not reached a majority, the cards and the tally sheets are placed in a stove and burned with an additive to produce black smoke, showing the outside world that a pope has not yet been chosen.

A statue of an angel is silhouetted in front of black smoke rising from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel. A statue of an angel is silhouetted in front of black smoke rising from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, indicating no decision has been made after the first vote for the election of a new pope, April 18, 2005. The 115 eligible cardinals began the papal conclave on Monday evening to elect a new pope following the death of Pope John Paul II. REUTERS/Max Rossi
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No pope yet… black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel. Pic: Reuters

Watching for the tell-tale smoke arising from the top of the Sistine Chapel is a tradition, with Catholics crowding into St Peter’s Square for the spectacle.

If no result has been reached after three days, the sessions are suspended for a day to allow for prayer and discussion. More ballots are held until a two-thirds majority is reached.

When enough cardinals have agreed on a candidate, he is asked if he accepts the papacy and by which name he wishes to be known.

The ballots are burned as before, but with an additive to produce white smoke.

A Papal white skull cap and burgundy shoes are displayed in the Gammarelli's tailor shop window in Rome, April 14, 2005. Cardinals start choosing a new Pope next week, but the successor to John Paul will be all sewn up well before the secret conclave opens. Because the tailor Filippo Gammarelli has no clue as to who the new pope will be, the firm has made three versions of the same silk and wool outfit, in small, medium and large, to clothe the most lean or corpulent cardinal. Picture taken Apri
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A Papal white skull cap. Pic: Reuters

New pope proclaimed

The new pope then dons his new papal vestments – tailors keep large, medium and small sizes ready – and sits on a throne in the Sistine Chapel to receive the other cardinals who file up to pay homage and swear obedience to the church’s new leader.

The senior cardinal deacon then steps out on to the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square and announces in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope) and reveals the cardinal’s name and the name he has chosen.

Read more:
Francis was a champion of the deprived – obituary
Pictures of Pope Francis’s tomb released

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The new pope then appears on the balcony to deliver his first public pontifical greeting and bless the crowds in St Peter’s Square.

A few days later, he celebrates a mass that marks the beginning of his papal ministry.

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Canada might be the second election Trump wins in six months

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Canada might be the second election Trump wins in six months

When Canada goes to the polls today, it might be the second election Donald Trump wins in six months.

The US president has transformed Canada’s political landscape, and the “Trump effect” looks like it will be the difference between winners and losers.

Tariffs, and his threat to annexe the country as the 51st state, have provoked a surge in Canadian nationalism, and it’s made a favourite of the candidate styled anti-Trump.

Step forward, Mark Carney: Former governor of the Bank of England, now Canadian prime minister.

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‘Canada will win’

His ruling Liberal party had been written off as an electoral contender. Canadians had turned their back on the party after a decade in power under Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

The opposition Conservative Party, under the effective leadership of Pierre Poilievre, grew to a 25-point lead in the polls on the promise of change on the economy, crime and a chronic housing crisis.

However, his conservative politics are more aligned with the neighbour in the White House and, in Canada right now, it’s not a good look.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the election

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida in Keene, Ontario. Pic: Reuters
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Pierre Poilievre led the Conservatives to a 25-point lead before Trudeau stepped down. Pic: Reuters

In a stunning reversal of fortune, the Conservative Party’s lead vanished within weeks, as Canadians turned to Carney as the choice to take on Trump.

If he wins, the swing from Conservative to Liberal will be the biggest swing in the polls in recent democratic history.

Carney, 60, is the former governor of the Bank of Canada, as well as England. He replaced Mr Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and Canadian prime minister after his predecessor stepped down last month.

Polls indicate that Canadians see Carney as a stronger choice to negotiate with Donald Trump. He is a veteran of economic turmoil, having dealt with the 2008 financial crisis and Brexit.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and liberal Leader Mark Carney shake hands after the English-language federal leaders' debate in Montreal. Pic: Reuters
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Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney after an English-language leaders’ debate in Montreal. Pic: Reuters

At a weekend news conference, Sky News asked the Canadian prime minister what lessons he’d learned from Brexit that could be applied to his dealings with Donald Trump.

He replied: “The lessons of Brexit are beginning to be applied. When you break off, or substantially rupture, trading relationships with your major trading partners, including the most important trading partner of the United States, you end up with slower growth, higher inflation, higher interest rates, volatility, weaker currency, a weaker economy.

“We’re in the early stages of that in the United States, and that’s one of the important things here. With respect to influencing the president, with respect to the dynamics of a negotiation, America’s going to get weaker as time goes on, we’re going to get stronger.”

Canada’s vote is as close as it gets to a single-issue election.

Carney’s position as favourite is reinforced consistently by the opinion polls, although the gap narrowed as election day approached.

It could yet be tight.

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Trump ‘very disappointed’ in Russian strikes on Ukraine and calls for Putin to ‘sit down and sign a deal’

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Trump 'very disappointed' in Russian strikes on Ukraine and calls for Putin to 'sit down and sign a deal'

Donald Trump has said he’s “very disappointed” with Russia as he continues to push for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.

On Saturday, the US president met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican for their first face-to-face meeting since their explosive White House summit.

The Ukrainian president said the meeting ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral could end up being “historic.” Hours later, Mr Trump questioned Vladimir Putin’s appetite for peace in a Truth Social post.

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From Saturday: Trump meets Zelenskyy at funeral

Speaking before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump again said the meeting went well, and that the Ukrainian leader was “calmer”.

“I think he understands the picture, I think he wants to make a deal,” he said, before turning to Mr Putin and Russia.

“I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal,” the US president said, adding he was “very disappointed that they did the bombing of those places (including Kyiv, where nine people were killed in a Russian airstrike on Friday) after discussions”.

However, Mr Trump said he thinks Mr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea, which the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly said he would refuse to do.

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He added that “we’ll see what happens in the next few days” and said “don’t talk to me about Crimea, talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea”.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, while Barack Obama was president.

Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Sky’s US partner network NBC News that a peace deal to end the war was “closer in general than they’ve been any time in the last three years, but it’s still not there”.

“If this was an easy war to end, it would have been ended by someone else a long time ago,” he added on the Meet the Press show.

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It comes after North Korea confirmed it had deployed troops to fight for Russia, months after Ukraine and Western officials said its forces were in Europe.

State media outlet KCNA reported North Korean soldiers made an “important contribution” to expelling Ukrainian forces from Russian territory, likely to be the Kursk region.

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KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un made the decision to deploy troops to Russia and notified Moscow, and quoted him as saying: “They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland.”

It also quoted the country’s ruling Workers’ Party as saying the end of the battle to liberate Kursk showed the “highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship” between North Korea and Russia.

Last June, Mr Kim and Mr Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty after a state visit – his first to the country in 24 years.

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From June 2024: Putin drives Kim around in luxury limo during state visit

The North Korean leader promised at the time “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine”.

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