this is bbc news. i'm ben brown live in lviv as ukraine is re—occupying some towns east of the capital according to the uk's ministry of defence. president biden has arrived in poland — he's been telling us troops that they're fighting for the freedom of generations still to come. what's at stake is what are your kids and grandkids going to look like in terms of their freedom? his visit comes as a senior russian defence official signals what could be a major shift in its military focus east towards the disputed donbas region.

also ahead... the united nations warns of "enforced disappearances" of people living in russian controlled parts of ukraine. and the operation to evacuate children with cancer from a war zone — we follow the journey of some of ukraine's most vulnerable patients. welcome from lviv in western ukraine. as the war here grinds on into its second month, ukrainian forces are continuing to counter the russian invasion — seizing back lost control around the capital, kyiv.

as we've known for some time now, the war is not going to president putin's plan. the concern is what the russian president might do next, if he feels backed into a corner. there are fears he could even use chemical weapons. in a show of strength and unity between nato members, president biden has arrived for talks in poland. air force one landed in rzeszow in the south—east of the country, around an hourfrom the border with ukraine. he was greeted by the polish foreign minister and the us ambassador to poland before holding talks with the polish president. mr biden has also been meeting some of the 10,000 us troops stationed in south—eastern poland, and spoke of the importance of their presence in eastern europe. you're in the midst of a fight between democracies and oligarchs. xijinping — who i've spent more time with, they tell me, than any other world leader — points out to me he believes in china that democracies can't

succeed in the 21st century. the reason is things are moving so fast, change is happening so quickly that democracies require consensus and we can't put together consensus as quickly as autocrats can. so what's at stake, notjust in what we're doing here in ukraine, to try and help the ukrainian people and keep the massacre from continuing, but beyond that what's at stake is what are your kids and grandkids going to look like in terms of their freedom? that is president biden. 0ur correspondent danjohnson is in south—eastern poland from where he joins us now. just tell us what the president is doing today exactly, and what is the significance symbolically of this visit to poland today? it is significance symbolically of this visit to poland today? it is hugely significant. _ visit to poland today? it is hugely significant, hugely _ visit to poland today? it is hugely significant, hugely symbolic - visit to poland today? it is hugely significant, hugely symbolic that l significant, hugely symbolic that air force one, the us president, the

united states flag has been planted firmly on the ground here very close to the ukrainian border today. the president has met us troops who are stationed here, about 10,000 of them now in poland, close to the border with ukraine, but he has also met some of the volunteers, the humanitarian aid workers who have been on the front line of the refugee crisis that has resulted from the conflict in ukraine. poland is the country that has taken more refugees than any other, 2.2 million have crossed the border since the invasion began. so president biden saw some of that work in action and spoke to some of the ukrainian refugees. but he is also meeting with the polish president andrzej duda. although air force one is just taxiing away here from the airport, it's about to take off but it is only flying to the capital warsaw where those talks will continue. the

two presidents in discussion about what they can do to support ukraine, to bolster the resistance and the defence of that country, to deal with the refugee crisis that has resulted from the russian military action in ukraine. and also to reassure people in this country and in other countries in eastern europe because there has been concern about what has been happening just over the border. notjust the pressure that has been put on cities, authorities and services here because of the amount of people fleeing the war, but also genuine concern about the possibility of russian attacks either accidentally or deliberately spilling over the border and affecting people here. i have spoken to polish people in the last couple of weeks who have been genuinely scared that they may get embroiled in this conflict and that is partly because of the history that this country has endured, the trauma it's been through in the past and the fact that although a

generation has lived here without war, people are always aware it is something they have been through in the past and something that is coming closer to them now so i think president biden is here to make a firm statement that he is in solidarity and support notjust firm statement that he is in solidarity and support not just with ukrainians but also the polish and other eastern european nations. this country is already increasing its defence spending, it is going up from 2.2% to 3% of gdp. we have seen more people volunteering for the polish territorial defence force, that gives you some idea of the sorts of concerns that people have in the population here because the conflict is so close to them. i think that is air force one just taking off from rzeszow airport. the talks between president biden and president duda will continue into the evening. president duda will continue into the evening-— president duda will continue into the evening. thank you very much

indeed, the evening. thank you very much indeed. dan _ the evening. thank you very much indeed, dan johnson _ the evening. thank you very much indeed, dan johnson with - the evening. thank you very much indeed, dan johnson with the - the evening. thank you very much l indeed, dan johnson with the latest indeed, danjohnson with the latest from poland. in what could signify a major shift in strategy, a top russian general has suggested moscow's initial goals in ukraine have mostly been achieved, and it will now focus on the eastern regions. sergey rudskoy, of the armed forces�* general staff, said his forces would focus on the main goal of liberating the donbas. 0ur security correspondent, frank gardner, analyses the russian assault so far after a month of fighting — and what the russian options are now. well, we are now into the second month of this russian invasion of ukraine and much of the battle picture hasn't really changed that much, but the majority of the fighting is taking place in the east of the country, around here — lu ha nsk and donetsk. and this is where russian forces are making some progress. they're pushing back the regular ukrainian army units. we don't hear very much about that part of the war. there isn't a lot of

reporting coming from it. a lot of the destruction has been around the port of mauripol here. russian forces have now reached the centre of that city, but there are around 100,000—plus civilians still trapped in it. and some of the defenders there are some of the most die—hard ukrainian defenders who are going to fight they're refusing to surrender, they're not prepared to be captured and they're going to fight to the death. the reason why that's so important is for russia to link up its forces from crimea here all the way through to their pro—kremlin separatist republic allies in the east, which would give them a land corridor. what they also want to do is try to take the port of 0desa over there, and that's why they're moving westwards towards the port, towards the town of mykolaiv. now, 0desa is busy defending itself. it's tying down quite a large number of ukrainian troops in preparing for any kind of russian assault. finally, in the north, up here, kyiv is pretty much a stalemate.

the ukrainians have managed to retake some small areas such as the town of makariv where the ukrainian flag has been seen flying there. and they've been able to push back russian artillery at least 15, 20, in some cases 35 kilometres from the city. otherwise, the picture hasn't changed a great deal from a week ago. so the big question is where does all of this leave president putin, because this is very much his war. he did not even share the intimate plans of it with many of his associates. those plans included capturing the capital kyiv early on, forcing the resignation of the government and putting in place a new government that would be sympathetic to moscow. that clearly hasn't happened. ukraine has defied the odds. it's held on. now there's a fear in western capitals that, in order to break the stalemate that much of this invasion has ground down to, that russia is going to try something really dramatic and escalatory — such as using

chemical or biological weapons. there's no proof so far that russia is planning to do it but that's the fear in the west. that is frank gardner. let's get more now on the breaking news in the last couple of hours coming from a senior russian commander talking about how the russian campaign is now going to focus very much in the east on the donbas region. we talked to our diplomatic correspondent paul adams. does this suggest they will give up on taking control of the capital, kyiv, and other parts of ukraine? i capital, kyiv, and other parts of ukraine? ~ , ., , ukraine? i think it is way too early to conclude _ ukraine? i think it is way too early to conclude anything _ ukraine? i think it is way too early to conclude anything quite - ukraine? i think it is way too early to conclude anything quite so - ukraine? i think it is way too early. to conclude anything quite so broad as that. clearly as you just heard, the effort around kyiv seems to be stalled. there are reports of russians digging defensive positions suggesting they are prepared to wait it out for a while. what this

indicates is that perhaps a growing realisation in moscow that its pre—war planning, which was for a lightning attack on ukraine along multiple fronts simply has not worked, and that may be what they need to be doing is concentrating on one objective at a time. clearly the objective of what they describe as liberating the donbas, that is securing those two separatist held areas in the east and extending the boundaries of that territory and linking that with this land corridor along the sea of azov to the crimean peninsula. those are really the kind of core primary war objectives and perhaps now we will see them concentrating on those objectives while pausing elsewhere. find concentrating on those ob'ectives while pausing elsewhere._ while pausing elsewhere. and in terms of those _ while pausing elsewhere. and in terms of those more _ while pausing elsewhere. and in terms of those more limited - terms of those more limited objectives, if that is what they are, how close do you think the russian military are to realising those objectives?—

russian military are to realising those objectives? russian military are to realising those ob'ectives? a, ,., ., , ., those objectives? mariupol remains a roblem for those objectives? mariupol remains a problem for them _ those objectives? mariupol remains a problem for them in _ those objectives? mariupol remains a problem for them in the _ those objectives? mariupol remains a problem for them in the south. - problem for them in the south. without the port of mariupol, that land corridor between crimea and the donbas is tenuous to say the least, so that is one issue they have to resolve. the other is that in the east, facing those separatist republics are some of ukraine's best forces. they have been stationed there throughout, they have been battle hardened, they are on the front lines for the past eight years during that campaign in the donbas. and so it has been widely believed by western officials that isolating and surrounding and cutting off those ukrainian forces is a major objective of the russian military, and without achieving that objective, perhaps none of the rest of it can really be achieved. what we seem to have been hearing from moscow today is an awareness that it is those forces that they need to be concentrating on now. we are told

that an additional ten russian battle groups are being directed to that front, and that that will be the concentration, the effort they will concentrate on for the time being. i think this is really the message from this. one objective at a time. message from this. one ob'ective at a time. , , ., ., ., a time. very interesting, good to talk to yom _ a time. very interesting, good to talk to you. thank _ a time. very interesting, good to talk to you. thank you _ a time. very interesting, good to talk to you. thank you so - a time. very interesting, good to talk to you. thank you so much. | a time. very interesting, good to - talk to you. thank you so much. paul adams, our diplomatic correspondent. and certainly ukrainian forces appear to be buoyed up by their apparent success according to intelligence in counteracting successfully and recapturing some towns and lost territory up to 20 miles east of the capital. that is the latest from here in western ukraine. i will hand you back to the studio in london. ben brown and the team in lviv, thank you very much indeed.

the siege of the southern ukrainian city of mariupol has entered its second month. yet, the people of the city have held out — despite a lack of food, water and electricity. in one of the grimmest moments of the conflict so far, authorities there say they believe around 300 people may have died when russia bombed the local theatre last week, where civilians were taking shelter including many children. officials say their assessment is based on witness accounts — it can't be independently verified. 0ur correspondent wyre davies reports from behind the front lines in southern ukraine. sir kay scans the endless flatlands of southern ukraine. the rich fertile farmland that russia wants for itself. the 62—year—old former fire engine driver never envisaged taking up arms against the might of moscow, but he knows full well what the russian army is capable of doing. translation: ~ �* doing. translation: �* , doing. translation: , translation: we can't see mariupol but we know — translation: we can't see mariupol but we know what _ translation: we can't see mariupol but we know what is _ translation: we can't see mariupol but we know what is happening - translation: we can't see mariupol but we know what is happening there | but we know what is happening there and we must not let that happen here. these people know we are here

for them. , ., here. these people know we are here for them. , . ., , for them. these are the last ukrainian — for them. these are the last ukrainian defensive - for them. these are the last ukrainian defensive lines . for them. these are the last ukrainian defensive lines in| for them. these are the last. ukrainian defensive lines in the south before the front line a couple of kilometres away, and all the while russia continues to bomb the city of mariupol just while russia continues to bomb the city of mariupoljust down the road. the big question here is what does russia do next? here they say they are armed and ready. towns and villages across the region are targets for russian artillery. the bombs are getting close. nowhere in the south is really safe. but there are few words to describe the horrors inflicted on mariupol and the hundred thousand people trapped inside the city. a catastrophic landscape shredded by russian artillery. starving emerging from shelters queueing for food.

new footage of too from last week's's theatre attack in which 300 people died, according to ukrainian officials. there is no shortage of volunteers and reservists wanting to avenge what is happening in mariupol. translation: n, , mariupol. translation: , ., mariupol. translation: ., , translation: many of our fighters come from places _ translation: many of our fighters come from places that _ translation: many of our fighters come from places that are - translation: many of our fighters come from places that are currentlyj come from places that are currently under russian occupation. all of them have parents, wives and families there so each one of us is determined to win back our land as soon as possible. but determined to win back our land as soon as possible.— soon as possible. but there is a reason these _ soon as possible. but there is a reason these men _ soon as possible. but there is a reason these men are - soon as possible. but there is a reason these men are drainingl reason these men are draining underground in an undisclosed location. one thing they have learned in the last month is that the sky is full of russian drones trying to spot their every move. several military training facilities are reported to have been hit by russian fire. the road to mariupol is fraught with dangers, but it is a

road and a destination pivotal to how this war pans out. the united nations says ukrainians are being arbitrarily detained and subjected to enforced disappearances in russian—controlled areas. at least 36 cases of civilian detentions were verified by the un, with families often denied any information about the fate of those being held. among them are a number of ukrainian journalists and emergency workers. matilda bogner is the head of the un's human rights monitoring mission in ukraine. shejoins me now from western ukraine. thank you for speaking to us. what do we know about the disappearances the un has been able to verify? thank you for talking to us about this important issue. we have been documenting cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of several different

groups of people in ukraine. we are starting to see different patterns developing since the armed attack by the russian federation has taken place. what we have seen is that in areas that have been taken over by russian forces, they have specifically targeted two different groups of people. one our local officials, so you will have heard of the arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances of mayors and other local officials that have been taken. we have documented 22 cases of local government officials. out of local government officials. out of those cases, at least 13 have since been released, but the others remain disappeared. we have also been documenting the cases of journalists and local civic activists. 15 of whom have been arbitrarily detained and enforced lee disappeared. out of those, we

have now some information that eight of those have since been released. it's obviously a terrifying move for them and their families. it's obviously a terrifying move for them and theirfamilies. do it's obviously a terrifying move for them and their families. do we know why some people are then released? it is hard to say exactly what the motivation is behind who they release and who they don't release. we understand that they are being targeted for their apparent pro—ukrainian views and this is probably a way to try to control those who want to publicly express their support for ukraine. but we are not sure exactly why some are released and others are not. find are not sure exactly why some are released and others are not. and do ou have released and others are not. and do you have any _ released and others are not. and do you have any idea _ released and others are not. and do you have any idea whether - released and others are not. and do you have any idea whether people . released and others are not. and do i you have any idea whether people are being held in ukraine or taken to russia, or whether they are all even alive? ma; russia, or whether they are all even alive? ~ , , ., , russia, or whether they are all even alive? g , . , ., , alive? my understanding is that they have been held _ alive? my understanding is that they have been held in _ alive? my understanding is that they have been held in areas _

alive? my understanding is that they have been held in areas close - alive? my understanding is that they have been held in areas close to - have been held in areas close to where they have been detained. we have no information that these people have been taken to russia. obviously those who remain disappeared, we don't know their fate and that is one of the awful aspects of enforced disappearances, is that there is no information. relatives can spend all their time looking for those that they love who have been disappeared, and until they appear again, they have no idea what has happened. 1anthem they appear again, they have no idea what has happened.— what has happened. when you talk about mayors _ what has happened. when you talk about mayors and _ what has happened. when you talk about mayors and journalists, - what has happened. when you talk about mayors and journalists, civil| about mayors and journalists, civil society activists, obviously there are so many of those throughout the country. any idea again why some are targeted or is itjust a question of who the russians can trace? certainly this is only in areas where the russian federation has taken full control, so in areas where hostilities are more active,

we have not documented these cases. but exactly why they choose one or another, we are not sure, but they have been targeting those who are more vocal about their opinions in terms of supporting ukraine. find more vocal about their opinions in terms of supporting ukraine. and is it havin: a terms of supporting ukraine. and is it having a chilling _ terms of supporting ukraine. and is it having a chilling effect? - terms of supporting ukraine. and is it having a chilling effect? are - it having a chilling effect? are people starting to think about not speaking out as much or being more careful about what they say and how they operate?— they operate? certainly a pattern that we have _ they operate? certainly a pattern that we have been _ they operate? certainly a pattern that we have been documenting l they operate? certainly a pattern | that we have been documenting is that we have been documenting is that people in these areas that have been taken over by russian forces are more and more afraid to talk to us and to talk to others about the situations they are facing. so this certainly does have a chilling effect. it does make the population less willing to talk to people outside of those areas. matilda

boner, outside of those areas. matilda bogner. head _ outside of those areas. matilda bogner, head of _ outside of those areas. matilda bogner, head of the _ outside of those areas. matilda bogner, head of the un - outside of those areas. matilda - bogner, head of the un monitoring mission there, thank you so much for joining us live in ukraine.— joining us live in ukraine. thank ou. ukrainian refugees escaping to the uk are facing difficulties getting visas under the government's homes for ukraine scheme according to charities. mark and heather easton are trying to help the woman who gave birth to their daughter as a surrogate mother. they are locked in a bureaucratic battle to help her and her family come to the uk. phil mackie has been to meet them. in december, mark and heather easton arrived in kyiv to await the birth of their daughter, and to meet their surrogate, vita. by the time sophie was born injanuary, they knew a russian invasion could be imminent. after a frantic few weeks, they got sophie an emergency passport, and they came home to rugby, less than a fortnight before the tanks rolled in. after eight years of trying and six

failed ivf treatments, mark and heather finally have the baby daughter they've longed for. now, they're desperate to help vita and her family escape the war. we just think she's wonderful. she gave us sophie. she basically saved me. i was in an immense amount of grief from infertility, and she has put a smile on my face, and we'rejust trying to save her, basically. she doesn't know anybody else really outside of ukraine. she's never been there, has she? she's never left ukraine. so, we're her lifeline to say, come here and we'll help you. when we said goodbye in ukraine to vita, i says to her, i says, "oh, this isn't goodbye", you know, just saying it like that, you know. this isn't goodbye. we're always going to be friends, sort of thing. and here we are. that's going to go - outside the tumble dryer. there's a little shed built for it. the eastons are trying to raise money to help vita and her family when they get there, and there's already been a lot of generosity. steve walsh, who lives just five minutes away, has offered to host them

in his ground floor flat. so, yes, it wasn't - meant for three people. however, needs must. vita, her husband, andrei, her son nazar, and their dog, muzzy, who wasn't interested in appearing on screen, are currently staying in a hotel in brussels, waiting for their paperwork. we managed to talk to her on a video call, with the help of a ukrainian translator, who i called on my phone. vita told us that her hometown is being bombed every day. that's why she decided to leave. she's grateful, and is really looking forward to coming here. yeah, it's really great to see you, vita, and nazar and andrei. and i presume muzzy is there somewhere. we can't wait to have you, and hopefully, fingers crossed, a few more days or, come on, government, let you in. the eastons know that vita and her family are safe, but wish the government would speed the application process up.

thank you very much. | thank you, thank you. bye-bye. bye. bye. just frustrated with the government, basically that they're making them dot the is and cross the t's, rather than just letting them come in and then process them here. i think they've been through enough. they don't need this to be dragged out. baby sophie doesn't realise yet how much drama has been packed into her first seven weeks. phil mackie, bbc news, rugby. just to bring you the latest breaking lines on the ukrainian situation. reuters reporting that the turkish president has discussed the turkish president has discussed the latest situation in the war and has staged talks with president zelensky in a phone call. that has come from the turkish presidency, and also it's been reported from the ukrainian side that they are saying no one is going to surrender

mariupol. there have been differing accounts on the progress of talks but they are the latest lines coming into us. you are watching bbc news. hello there. the weather story's certainly been dominated by the beautiful spring sunshine and warmth just lately, hasn't it? but all that is set to change over the next few days. i've taken york as an example, but we are going to start to see the temperature trend from above average temperatures to below average temperatures for the time of year through the middle part of the week. so, you really will notice the difference. hopefully you can get out and enjoy the spring sunshine over the weekend. there'll be plenty of it on saturday. as you can see, some of us will see sunshine from dawn till dusk, with some thicker cloud in the far north of scotland, maybe the odd spot or two of light rain into the northern isles. there will be a little bit more of a brisk breeze, particularly running down through channel coasts, but also coming in off the north sea. so, here, those temperatures may be a little bit subdued in comparison to the last few days.

sheltered western areas will see the best of the warmth, highs of 18 degrees. and don't forget, when you're off to bed saturday night into the early hours of sunday morning, we put the clocks forward. yes, it's the start of british summer time on sunday. so, we lose an hour in bed, but hopefully we'll gain some daylight hours. as you can see, the high pressure is still with us. there could be a little bit of stubborn cloud drifting in off the north sea, though, on sunday, and that could be a bit of a nuisance across england and wales. a level of uncertainty how far west that cloud is going to feed in, but it could just suppress the temperatures a little bit here. so, the best of any warmth and sunshine is likely to be further west. underneath that cloud, we're likely to see temperatures down a degree or so in comparison to of late. but the high pressure still stays with us. we have got this little front on monday starting to move in from the far north—east, and that's just going to enhance the risk of some showers. so, first thing on monday, there's perhaps a greater chance of seeing more low cloud, some stubborn mist and fog in the morning.

a few showers across north wales and northern england as well. to the north of that, it's going to start to turn a little bit cooler, 6—11 degrees. to the south of that, with some sunshine, we still keep some warmth. but the trend for this cooler feel arrives really from tuesday onwards as the wind direction changes and it drives that colder air a little bit further south. so, as you can see, from tuesday into wednesday, starting to get noticeably cooler with some outbreaks of rain at times. take care.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm geeta guru—murthy. our top stories — a senior russian defence official signals what could be a major shift in moscow's military focus, east towards the disputed donbas region. western officials see this as an admission of failure so far. president biden has arrived in poland. he's been telling us troops stationed not far from the ukraine border that they're fighting for the freedom of generations still to come. what's at stake is what are your kids and grandkids going to look like in terms of their freedom? and the united states and european union announce a major deal on liquified natural gas in an attempt to reduce europe's reliance on russian energy supplies.

more on all of those stories for a moment but first a little break from ukraine and all the other news worldwide. sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here is lizzie. good afternoon. it's day two of the final and decisive test between england and west indies in grenada. after a turgid opening hour, england's bowlers seem to have found the key to the dangers of the pitch which caused their batting collapse the day before. theyjust scraped to 20k in their first innings. in reply, west indies are 78—3. in reply, west indies are 95—6. ben stokes with the breakthrough wicket of captain kraigg brathwaite. craig overton and saqib mahmood with the other wickets so far. chris woakes with three now.

england are searching for their first series win in the caribbean for 18 years. at the women's cricket world cup, australia continue to dominate, this time with victory over bangladesh keeping their 100% record in the group stage. the aussies were given a scare, though. chasing 136 to win, they lost their first three wickets for just 26 runs, but beth mooney and annabel sutherland combined for 76 to lead their team to a five—wicket victory. as group winners, they'll meet the fourth—placed team in the quarterfinals. now, he called it the biggest disappointment of his career, but roberto mancini was relucatnt to discuss his future as italy manager after his side's shock world cup qualifying exit to north macedonia last night. just eight months after winning the european championship, italy were beaten 1—0 in their playoff semifinal. veteran defender giorgio chiellini said they were "crushed", but he admitted they'd been poor throughout qualifying. to huge delight for the victors. these were the scenes in skopje, the capital of north macedonia, as fans celebrated. they have one more hurdle

to overcome, a play—off final against portugal, as they bid to reach the world cup for the first time. for the italians, it's a case of history of repeating itself after they also failed to get to the last world cup in russia. come the 2026 finals, assuming they make it, the azzurri and their fans will have been without world cup football for 12 years. here's conor clancy, editor in chief of forza italian football. there is disappointment, but not the same shock here as seems to be being felt outside of italy. because they are the european champions cup, but they are italy. they make things couple get it for themselves. when they are supposed to be good, they are very much not and we have unfortunately seen that again this year. elsewhere in the playoffs, wales are one match away from a first world cup in 64 years. captain gareth bale was the driving force in their 2—1 win over austria in cardiff, scoring both wales goals.

they still have a final against scotland or ukraine to come. elsewhere, portugal survived a scare to beat turkey 3—1 to set up that play—off final with north macedonia. turkey missed a late penalty with the score at 2—1. and substitute robin quaison scored the winner for sweden in extra time against the czech republic as they won their semifinal 1—0. meanwhile, the england manager gareth southgate says he doesn't see the benefit of boycotting this year's world cup in qatar. but he did confirm that his team are having their own conversations in the camp about what they might be able to do. there is power with us being able to do things together or even with other the european nations or whatever that might look like. there are conversations going on in the background so he will be run us that we are pushing thanks to one side.

frankly we're talking more about it than many other things, so i agreed. i think the players have got a good voice and we should allow them to come up with their ideas and if we can support that and help shape that, then we should also do that. lewis hamilton says it should be "easy" for saudi arabia to make changes to improve human rights. second practice this week has been delayed due to a fire near the city ofjetta. the country's record on human rights is in the spotlight on the eve of the second saudi arabian grand prix. the mercedes driver said it was "mind—blowing" to hear some of the stories about abuses in saudi arabia. the regime has been accused of using events such as the grand prix to "sports wash" its reputation. you can find out what happened in practice and the reason for that delay to second practice on the website but that is it for me for now. thank you very much indeed. the british prime minister boris

johnson has had a frank discussion with the president of china about the situation in ukraine, this according to downing street. the call came after... our political correspondent had the latest. it happened this morning, as we understand it. it's the first time since november, i think, that the two men have spoken. some reports say it lasted 50 minutes, others an hour, so around that sort of length of time. and as you said, as we're told from downing street, it was a frank and candid conversation. some of the bits we do know they spoke about were, for example, the prime minister again expressing his sympathy with the victims of the flight that crashed in china last week. president xi asking the prime minister to convey his best wishes to the queen on herjubilee. beyond that, we're told they discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, which did include the situation in ukraine. as if they were discussing, for example, the possibility of sanctions on china if china were to aid russia. we're told that wasn't planned to be in the conversation, but we're told

that the prime minister put forward the uk's position on ukraine and his belief that pressure should be put on president putin to withdraw his troops. helen, it's obviously been a very busy couple of days on the diplomatic front. borisjohnson meeting other eu leaders and president biden but then excluded from that final meeting, it seems. there's been a lot of concern about any sort of chemical weapon use. has there been some briefing on those concerns? well, obviously we know that diplomatic efforts continue throughout this. borisjohnson has said what they want is to isolate russia and we've certainly seen him upping the pressure on china in recent days to do that. we've seen other world leaders do that, too. at the weekend, borisjohnson spoke about it being a considerable dilemma for countries who wanted to continue to stand apart from this. he specifically referenced china, saying, "i think in beijing

you're starting to see some second thoughts." and of course, that is really what western leaders want, is for china not even to stay neutral but to come out and criticise president putin's actions. as we have been reporting, president biden has visited troops in ukraine. ben brown spoke to the mep and former polish foreign minsiter radek sikorski, what message president biden's visit to poland sends to russia. to recognition also that just as president putin was threatening ukraine before, so he is now threatening nato and poland in particular. and i think it's a signal to him not even to think about breaching nato borders. those american troops,

we now have about 10,000 in poland, are also a strong signal, all good and well. how worried do you think people in poland are by what's happening in ukraine and the russian invasion a month ago? well, we are particularly worried about this russian doctrine of escalate to de—escalate, which is what they exercise in their military manoeuvres. which involves using tactical nuclear weapons, and i think when president biden talks about chemical, it's actually code for weapons of mass destruction in general. we need to deter president putin from even thinking about it. is there solidarity, do you believe, in nato, in the western military alliance when it comes to helping ukraine in this war against russia, particularly when it comes to helping with weapons and supplies? we've heard president zelensky sate time and time again he needs more weapons, he needs more military support from nato. i think weapons are getting through, mostly through poland and romania.

nato is trying to steer a line between helping ukraine without being drawn into the war ourselves, and i think that is the correct approach. and let's just talk about this incredible influx of refugees into poland. more than 2 million people, and they have been welcomed with open arms there. i mean, it is a huge influx of people. what are your thoughts about the months and even the years ahead, what is going to happen to those people? they have mostly been received into polish homes, and our attitude is that since ukrainians are fighting for europe, for democracy, for freedom, they're fighting our fight. the least we can do is to take care of their women and children. there will be challenges, though. eventually they will have to leave

private homes and be provided with housing. you know, polish schools don't have a million spare seats. many of them are traumatised and unwell, so this is a strain on the public health service. we are showing our solidarity, but we also need some solidarity from other european countries. more than 3.5 million people have left ukraine since the war began, and millions more have been uprooted from their homes. for many, it's the country's trains that have delivered them from terrifying conditions to safety. our special correspondent fergal keane along with camera journalist nik millard have been travelling with some of the railway workers, and their report begins here, in the city of lviv. train horn honks. it's the sound of reassurance in a world of chaos. horn honks.

the rescue express... horn honks. ..rolling through the night... ..and the day, from lviv to the war zones of the east and back. keeping these trains running, running on time as they do, takes the work of so many people at all different levels on the railways. without them, it simply wouldn't have been possible to evacuate millions of people from the danger zone. many are railway veterans who started work in soviet times and are now rescuing people from their own hometowns. translation: it is really terrifying. i i'm from kharkiv, and my native city is being bombed. i can feel it and i can see yet,

but i cannot believe it. this is what people are fleeing. explosion. home is no longer safe. the war has displaced over 10 million... military band plays. ..and sent many fleeing onto trains heading west. dawn, and arrival at kyiv. this family are heading to lviv. translation: my heart is bleeding. i don't want to leave my home, but it's my duty to keep my children safe. when we will win the war, i'll take them back home.

grandad hugs his wife, but he must stay behind to care for an elderly relative. the women carry the burdens of exile. train whistle blows. the family reached lviv eight hours later. but they've already caught another rescue train, west to peace and exile. fergal keane, bbc news, lviv.

the us and the european union have announced a big deal today on natural gas in an attempt to break the russian hold on natural gas in europe. the deal will give the eu an additional 15 billion m3, around 10% of the gas it currently gets from russia, by the end of the year. one big energy provider that says it, too, will increase its gas production to help the world cope with less supplies from russia is canada. its natural resources minister, jonathan wilkinson, spoke to my colleague aaron heslehurst. he began by asking if there was a consensus amongst energy ministers around the world about weaning themselves off russian energy. i think there is a consensus. i think the only differences are around how fast can you actually get away from it. i think everybody is committed to doing that, and many of us are committing trying to help as much as we can in terms of displacing russian oil and gas.

but i there was also a consensus about the need to advance the energy