Good evening. On his first trip to Kyiv since the war began, Joe Biden hit out at Vladimir Putin and pledged more military funding for Ukraine. In this newsletter, we also have updates from Lancashire after police confirmed that the body found in the River Wyre has been identified as Nicola Bulley.
Evening briefing: Today’s essential headlines
Nicola Bulley | The body found in the River Wyre on Sunday has been identified as Nicola Bulley, police have confirmed. Lancashire Constabulary held a press conference after spending weeks searching for the missing mother-of-two. Ms Bulley’s body was found less than a mile from where she vanished on January 27 while walking her dog on a riverside footpath just outside the tiny village of St Michael’s on Wyre.
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Joe Biden makes his first trip to Ukraine
About this time last year, Vladimir Putin would have been planning his own trip to Kyiv to celebrate the successes of his invasion of Ukraine. The Russian president launched his “special military operation” to topple the government of his neighbour over what he feared was a former Soviet country veering dangerously towards the West, Nato and the European Union.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the conflict, the secretive pilgrimage made to Kyiv by Joe Biden sought to demonstrate that Russia has already lost the war and Ukraine is closer to its Western allies than ever before. “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Mr Biden, wearing a yellow and blue tie, said while standing alongside Volodymyr Zelensky at the presidential palace.
Joe Barnes writes that when the US president stepped out in front of St Michael’s, the golden-domed cathedral in central Kyiv, wearing Top Gun-style Aviator sunglasses, he looked every part the wartime leader Putin dreamt of when he hatched plans for the invasion. However, the surprise visit holds much more significance than just a simple message of defeat to the Russian leader.
The US president arrived in Kyiv at 8am local time, meeting Mr Zelensky and his wife, Olena, at the presidential office at Mariinsky Palace.
Story continues
Colin Freeman, reporting from Kyiv, writes that Mr Biden laid flowers with Mr Zelensky at a war memorial and announced a half-billion dollar package of extra military funding for Ukraine, declaring America was “here to stay”.
In joint remarks alongside Mr Zelensky, the US president said the new half-billion dollar military package would include more artillery, Javelin anti-tank missiles and Howitzers. “When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Mr Biden said. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”
The visit went ahead despite concerns that the US president could be at risk in travelling to Kyiv, where Air Force One cannot travel because the airspace is closed.
According to reports, US officials originally suggested that he meet Mr Zelensky either in the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border, or on the border itself. Mr Biden is said to have overridden the concerns, saying that he felt a visit to Ukraine was already long overdue, and that stopping short of Kyiv would not be seen as a sufficient gesture of support.
Russia warned ‘hours’ ahead
To avoid any chance of conflict, Washington warned Russia “hours” ahead of Mr Biden’s surprise visit. Jake Sullivan, a National Security Advisor, said: “We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be travelling to Kyiv. We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.”
Russian state media were quick to suggest the visit was evidence in support of the Kremlin’s claim that the battle in Ukraine is a proxy war between Nato and Moscow.
However, Joe Barnes writes that the visit demonstrates how Putin is losing his battle to quash the spirit of Ukrainians with his long-range bombardments – here is a piece on five things Mr Biden’s visit to Kyiv shows ahead of war’s first anniversary.
Zelensky censures Macron
Ukraine’s president had harsh words for a leader of another ally, however, after Emmanuel Macron said Russia should not be “crushed”. Mr Zelensky accused his French counterpart of “wasting” his time trying to end the war through diplomacy and not a military victory for Kyiv.
It came after Mr Macron talked down the prospect of a “total defeat of Russia”, in comments that echoed his suggestion that Putin should not be humiliated over the invasion. “It would be a useless dialogue, Macron is wasting his time,” Mr Zelensky said in an interview with three Italian newspapers.
Comment and analysis
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Brian Moore | Time for rugby to face up to some harsh truths
World news: Finland’s PM speaks out on video ‘frenzy’
Finns can vote their prime minister out of office because of leaked videos of her partying “if they want”, Sanna Marin has said. The political leader dubbed “coolest prime minister in the world” by German tabloid Bild, said she was “still dancing” and drinking, despite a “frenzy” over the footage that forced her to deny taking illegal drugs last year. James Crisp reports that ahead of closely fought elections in April, Ms Marin said she “didn’t care” about “unwritten rules” for women and how they should behave.
Interview of the day
‘I was stabbed after a match – but that did not stop me refereeing’
Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli will take charge of the Six Nations game between Scotland and France in Paris this Sunday
Read the interview
Sport news: Why Chelsea haven’t sacked Potter yet
It is a question supporters and pundits have been struggling to answer since the embarrassing defeat to Southampton – why haven’t Chelsea sacked Graham Potter yet? The Southampton loss meant that Chelsea have won just twice in their past 14 Premier League games, which would have been terminal for just about every manager under the previous owner Roman Abramovich. Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali remain supportive of Potter and here, Telegraph Sport exclusively outlines just why Potter is still in a job.
Editor’s choice
War | Interactive guide to the weapons on the ground in Ukraine
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Business news: Energy bills forecast to plunge by £800
The average household annual energy bill will plunge by more than £800 from July as gas prices continue to fall, a year after Russia first invaded Ukraine. The price cap is forecast to fall to £2,165 from July, down from the £3,000 faced from April under the Government’s energy price guarantee, according to Investec. It comes as European natural gas prices have fallen to their lowest levels in 18 months after a mild winter meant storage levels have remained high across the continent.
Reports from Ukraine: One year on from the invasion
Ukraine’s firefighters on the frontline: ‘If you’re not scared, you’re stupid’ | The men of the nation’s State Emergency Service dare to tread where paramedics do not, pulling survivors from horrific situations.
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And finally… for this evening’s downtime
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