German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is depicting the decision as evidence of his “prudence” ahead of a key election.

US President Joe Biden has, for the first time, authorised Ukrainian forces to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory.

Ukrainian defence forces have inflicted a record number of Russian losses over the past day – 1,950 in terms of personnel killed and wounded – and they also destroyed 81 Russian armoured vehicles.