LIVE UPDATES: UK Officers Worked in Ukraine's Kramatorsk 12 Days Before Russian Operation - Source

UK officers were working in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, where a headquarters of the Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) is located, and along with employees of the Canadian private military company (PMC) GardaWorld were engaged in synchronizing intelligence data gathered by NATO and the Ukrainian troops, Russian security sources told Sputnik, citing sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"According to the information received from sources in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a group of officers of the UK Ministry of Defense was already deployed to the territory of Ukraine long before the start of the hostilities. Thus, from February 11-14, accompanied by PMC GardaWorld, UK commanders were carrying out activities to synchronize technical intelligence data received by NATO intelligence with the headquarters of the ATO group in Kramatorsk, where options for conducting military operations against the Russian armed forces were being considered," the source said.

The source stressed that these were officers of the active reserve: military personnel working under cover.

Moscow's position on Kiev joining the European Union has now changed and is similar to Russia's stance on Ukraine's accession to NATO, Deputy Envoy to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Thursday.

"[At Istanbul talks] we were not worrying about the situation but it changed after Mr. [EU Commissioner] Josep Borrell’s statement that this war should be won on the battleground. I think our position on Ukraine joining the European Union is now more similar to NATO," he said.

Russia will present new evidence of US military biological activities in Ukraine at a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, deputy envoy to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said.

"We demanded an open meeting of the UN Security Council to present new evidence on military biological programs carried out at the US biolabs in Ukraine. The meeting is scheduled for 10 am NY time tomorrow, 13 May," Polyanskiy wrote on his Telegram channel.

Russian air defenсe systems shot down two missiles of Ukrainian forces over the northern outskirts of Kherson, a Russian security source said.

"According to preliminary data, Russian air defence shot down two missiles with a cluster warhead on the northern outskirts of Kherson," the source said.

Earlier, a Sputnik correspondent reported that a series of loud explosions were heard in the centre of the city.

Strong explosions are heard in the center of Kherson, presumably, Ukrainian nationalists are shelling the city, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Explosions have been heard in the city center for several minutes, first there was a series of explosions, more than six.

The United States is willing to start incentivizing its allies and partners to move away from using Russian-made military equipment amid concerns about spare parts and technical assistance while offering US weapons instead, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Jessica Lewis said on Thursday.

“We will encourage partners to diversify their equipment inventories away from Russian systems. This could include support for select partners providing equipment to Ukraine and other incentives to donate additional systems. It could also include strategically timed grant assistance to support procurements of US platforms instead of Russian systems,” Lewis said in a prepared testimony for the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Lewis said she sees the current period of international relations as an opportunity for the United States to procure its military equipment in place of the Russian weapons.

At the same time, Lewis said it is imperative to ensure that any potentially emerging global military capability gaps as a result of moving away from Russian equipment are not filled by China.

To accelerate the process, the United States intends to use funding to incentivize select countries’ diversification of equipment inventories away from Russian systems, Lewis added.

On 24 February, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk requested help to defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Ministry of Defence said the operation is solely targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure.

In response, the United States and its allies implemented comprehensive sanctions against Russia and supplied Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons, including a range of Soviet-made equipment.

Habeck added that the stages of Ukraine’s accession to the EU should be "achievable", while "it is impossible to make false promises that will not be kept."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin on 14 May and US-EU trade talks in Paris on 15 May, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Germany and France 14-16 May to attend the informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Berlin, Germany, and join the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting in Paris-Saclay, France," Price said.

In Berlin on 14 May, Blinken will discuss with NATO allies their "unified response" to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and the upcoming leaders’ summit in Madrid.

"Allies will also adopt a new NATO Strategic Concept to guide the Alliance’s work over the next decade," Price said.

On 15 May, Blinken will visit Paris for a US-EU trade meeting. He will be joined by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

"They will meet with EU leaders to discuss how democratic approaches to trade, technology, and innovation can serve as a force for greater prosperity. The Secretary, accompanied by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez, will also meet with business and civil society stakeholders to hear their views on the TTC’s past and future work," the spokesman added.