Russia attacks chemical plant in Donbas – follow live

The Biden administration plans to sell Ukraine four MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can be armed with Hellfire missiles for battlefield use against Russia, sources say.

The sale could still be blocked by Congress, the sources told Reuters, adding that there was also a risk of a last-minute policy reversal that could scuttle the plan, which has been under review at the Pentagon for several weeks.

Ukraine has been using several types of smaller shorter-range unmanned aerial systems against Russian forces.

But the Gray Eagle represents a leap in technology because it can fly up to 30 or more hours depending on its mission and can gather huge amounts of data for intelligence purposes.

Gray Eagles, the army’s version of the more widely known Predator drone, can also carry up to eight powerful Hellfire missiles.

The sale is significant because it puts an advanced reusable US system capable of multiple deep strikes on the battlefield against Russia for the first time.

The Biden administration intends to notify Congress of the potential sale in the coming days with a public announcement expected after that, an official said.

Boris Johnson is asking the US to agree a plan for the UK to send advanced, medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine within a few weeks, according to website Politico.

The prime minister spoke to Joe Biden about the transfer of the US-made M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems on Wednesday morning, it was reported.

This would be followed by a discussion between Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday morning, the person familiar with the schedule said. The US must officially approve the move due to export regulations.

It follows President Biden’s announcement that he is sending similar weapons.

Russia’s foreign minister has claimed a decision by the US to supply advanced rocket systems and munitions to Ukraine could widen the war and increase the risk of direct confrontation between Moscow and Washington.

It came after Joe Biden announced that the US would supply Kyiv with four multiple rocket launcher systems. Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:

Germany has joined the US in pledging to equip Ukraine with some of the advanced weapons it has long requested for shooting down aircraft and knocking out artillery. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the surface-to-air IRIS-T SLM missiles it will send are the most modern air defence system the country has.

They can operate at longer ranges than the Cold War-era anti-aircraft equipment it previously provided.

Germany’s promise would mark the first delivery of long-range air defence weapons to Ukraine since the start of the war.

Earlier deliveries of portable, shoulder-fired air defence missiles have bolstered the Ukrainian military’s ability to take down helicopters and other low-flying aircraft but did not give it enough range to challenge Russia’s air superiority.

“With this, we will enable Ukraine to defend an entire city from Russian air attacks,” Mr Scholz said.

The radar systems will help locate enemy artillery.

Germany has come in for criticism, both at home and from allies abroad, that it isn’t doing enough.

Hungary is holding up the finalisation of the European Union’s sanctions package against Russia, insisting on the removal of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church from the list of sanctioned individuals, three diplomats say.

EU leaders agreed in principle earlier this week on a sixth sanctions package against Russia and government envoys were to turn that political agreement into a legal text today so it can enter into force.

Crucially, the package includes a decision to ban purchases of all sea-borne Russian oil and refined products six to eight months from the moment the package become law.

“Agreement is held up because Hungary is objecting to sanctions on Patriarch Kirill,” one EU diplomat said. Two others confirmed this.

Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the suggestion that Donald Trump could have stopped Russia from invading his country, saying “anybody could become the [US] president”, including those who did not like Ukraine and those who were empathetic to Vladimir Putin, writes Gino Spocchia:

Civilians are sheltering from Russian shelling under a chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, where attacks caused an acid cloud to erupt, the regional governor says.

And it is possible there are still stocks of dangerous chemicals there, according to Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai.

“There are civilians there in bomb shelters, there are quite a few of them, but it will not be a second Azovstal as that (plant) had a huge underground city, which isn’t there at Azot,” he told Reuters, referring to the prolonged siege of a steel plant in Mariupol.

The shipment of US weapons to Kyiv will also include M142 Himars, a type of multiple launch rocket system that represents the most powerful artillery dispatched to Volodymyr Zelensky’s resistance since the M777 Howitzers Washington provided in April.

Joe Sommerlad examines what they are:

Poland’s Prime Minister says his country is improving its transport infrastructure to ease the export of grain and other key products from neighbouring Ukraine, which has been severely restricted by the war.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland was working on expanding its transport infrastructure and the flow capacity to facilitate the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products to the world.

Poland is receiving EU funds for the purpose, Mr Morawiecki said.North African and Middle Eastern countries rely heavily on Ukraine grain and could face problems feeding their populations without it, he added.

He was in the town of Borodyanka, near Kyiv, that was heavily damaged by Russian shelling, to inaugurate container houses, provided by Poland, for people left homeless by the fighting.

Poland and Ukraine are also discussing Poland’s assistance in rebuilding Ukraine after the war, as well as stronger cooperation in defence, security and infrastructure.

American military hackers have “conducted offensive operations” in support of Ukraine, the head of US Cyber Command claims.

General Paul Nakasone confirmed for the first time that the US was conducting offensive hacking operations in support of Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion.

He told Sky News that he was concerned “every single day” about the risk of a Russian cyberattack targeting the US.

Speaking in Tallinn, Estonia, the general, who is also director of the National Security Agency, also said that separate “hunt forward” operations were allowing the US to search out foreign hackers and identify their tools before they were used against America.

General Nakasone said: “We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.”

The four-star general did not detail the activities, but explained how they were lawful, conducted with complete civilian oversight of the military and through policy decided at the Department of Defence.

“My job is to provide a series of options to the secretary of defence and the president, and so that’s what I do,” he said. He declined to describe those options.