tonight at six... we're live in north—eastern ukraine, as presidents biden and putin give opposing views of the war here. addressing parliament, the russian leader blamed the west for the conflict. and he pulled moscow out of a key nuclear arms treaty. responsibility for fuelling the ukrainian conflict, for its escalation and for the growing number of victims lies fully with the west and, of course, with the regime in kyiv. meanwhile, president biden, in a speech in poland, said... the west support for ukraine will not waver. president putin's craven lust for land and power will fail, and the ukrainian people's love

for their country will prevail. we'll be hearing from steve rosenberg in moscow, sarah smith in warsaw, and jeremy bowen, who's in kyiv. also on the programme: it's just been announced that strike action by nurses in england is being paused. the royal college of nursing says it is starting talks with the government tomorrow over the long—running dispute. some supermarkets begin limiting the amount of fruit and veg you can buy because of problems with supplies. and the world's biggest trial of a four—day working week. it took place here, in the uk. it's popular, but does it work? and coming up on the bbc news channel — liverpool and real madrid meet again in the champions league with the premier league team hoping to change their recent form against the defending champions.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six, live from kharkiv, in north—east ukraine, just 20 miles from the russian border. which is that day. we have been hearing air—raid sirens sounding periodically through the afternoon and while we are in the downtown area, there are a few lights twinkling behind me, not as many as they would normally be because of course, people are trying to conserve energy in the middle of this war. this was the day that presidents putin and biden have given their competing views of the war in ukraine. in his state of the nation address, vladimir putin defended his full—scale invasion. he blamed the west for provoking the war and escalating it. and crucially, he also pulled russia

out of a key nuclear arms control treaty with the united states. meanwhile, president biden — who was in ukraine's capital yesterday — has made a major speech in poland, where he said... ukraine stands tall and free and the west —— the west's support would not waver. tonight, we will be reporting from poland, russia and here in ukraine. we'll hear from our north america editor, sarah smith, who's in warsaw with president biden. our international editor, jeremy bowen, is in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. but we start in moscow, with our russia editor, steve rosenberg. steve. thank you, clive. welcome of the two questions i am asked most often are, what is vladimir putin thinking, what is vladimir putin thinking, what is vladimir putin thinking, what is he planning next in the war in ukraine? today, when the russian president delivered his state of the nation address, he made it clear what he is not planning, and that is

compromise. the world according to vladimir putin feels like a parallel universe. who started the war in ukraine? not russia, he says. translation: responsibility for fuelling the ukrainian - conflict, for its escalation and for the growing number of victims lies fully with the west and, of course, with the regime in kyiv. i wish to repeat, they started the war, we are using force to stop it. but it was russia that invaded ukraine. western military aid has helped kyiv resist. it hasn't forced the kremlin, though, to de—escalate. today, president putin suspended russia's participation in the last—remaining nuclear arms control treaty with america — an agreement that limits nuclear arsenals and enabled missile inspections.

translation: we know that the west has directly helped kyiv _ to launch strikes on airbases where our strategic nuclear bombers are located. now they want to carry out inspections of our military sites. in light of today's confrontation, that is absurd. applause it's a bad sign. in order to avoid nuclear war, it's better to have a framework, but losing this framework, we are witnessing the real threat of a nuclear war. washington says the kremlin�*s decision to halt participation in the nuclear treaty is deeply unfortunate and irresponsible. the bbc wasn't allowed to attend the kremlin leader's big speech. journalists from what russia calls "unfriendly countries" were not sent an invitation. but after watching president putin on tv, this is what struck me most about him.

his special military operation has not gone at all according to plan, but regret, there was no hint of that, and no sign at all that putin is looking for an off ramp. instead of compromise, he favours confrontation. applause and this audience loved it. mind you, the president here was preaching to the converted. all main russian tv channels carried the speech live. from these images alone, you'd never know things had gone badly wrong for russia on the battlefield. translation: russia will respond to any challenge we face, - because we are one country, one people. we believe in ourselves, in our strength. truth is on our side. after one year of war, the kremlin is still managing to persuade most russians to believe that. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

our russia editor, steve rosenberg, with the view just our russia editor, steve rosenberg, with the viewjust over the border about 20 miles from here. america has rejected president putin's claims as "absurd". president biden delivered his own speech in poland this afternoon, he said the west's support for ukraine would never waver. 0ur north america editor sarah smith has been travelling with the president and she joins us from warsaw. the president hasjust she joins us from warsaw. the president has just finished making a remarkably impassioned speech where he condemned russian atrocities and is declared ukraine would never be a victory for russia and he says what happens there over the next five years will shape all of our lives for decades to come. in front of the blue and yellow ukrainian colours,

president biden came here to project american might and to pledge to use it to protect ukraine, democracy and freedom. ~ , ., ., , , freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said — freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said he _ freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said he came _ freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said he came to _ freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said he came to the - freedom. when president volodymyr zelensky said he came to the united | zelensky said he came to the united states in december, quote, he said, the struggle will define the world and what our children and grandchildren, how they live, and then their children and grandchildren. he wasn't only speaking about the children and grandchildren of ukraine, he was speaking about all of our children and grandchildren, yours and mine. ukraine will never be a victim for russia, never. applause 0ne applause one year after the bombs began to fall, russian tanks rolled into ukraine. ~ . , , ukraine. ukraine is still independent _ ukraine. ukraine is still independent and - ukraine. ukraine is still independent and free. | ukraine. ukraine is still. independent and free. this ukraine. ukraine is still- independent and free. this is a direct appeal — independent and free. this is a direct appeal to _ independent and free. this is a direct appeal to nato _ independent and free. this is a direct appealto nato allies, i independent and free. this is a direct appealto nato allies, asj direct appeal to nato allies, as well as to the american people, to

keep up their commitment to ukraine, evenif keep up their commitment to ukraine, even if this conflict could last for years to come. refuting vladimir putin's assertion that the us provoked this war, he spoke directly to the russian people. the provoked this war, he spoke directly to the russian people.— to the russian people. the united states and the _ to the russian people. the united states and the nations _ to the russian people. the united states and the nations of - to the russian people. the united states and the nations of europe i to the russian people. the united i states and the nations of europe do not look to control or destroy russia, the west was not plotting to attack russia as putin said today. and millions of russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbours are not the enemy. earlier today, their neighbours are not the enemy. earliertoday, mr their neighbours are not the enemy. earlier today, mr biden met polish president andrzej duda. this display of solidarity is to demonstrate america's guaranty of poland's security and its promise to defend every inch of nato territory. but they want more than that. poland backs ukraine's demands for f—i6 fighterjets, the us is not ready to

send planes yet, but that could change. send planes yet, but that could chance. �* ~ , , ., , change. and we will keep standing up for these same _ change. and we will keep standing up for these same things. _ change. and we will keep standing up for these same things. no _ change. and we will keep standing up for these same things. no matter- for these same things. no matter what. for these same things. no matter what- with _ for these same things. no matter what. with public _ for these same things. no matter what. with public support - for these same things. no matter what. with public support for the | what. with public support for the war slipping what. with public support for the warslipping in what. with public support for the war slipping in america, the president made a direct appeal to americans fundamental values and the need to fight for them.— need to fight for them. freedom. stand with _ need to fight for them. freedom. stand with us. _ need to fight for them. freedom. stand with us. we _ need to fight for them. freedom. stand with us. we will— need to fight for them. freedom. stand with us. we will stand - need to fight for them. freedom. stand with us. we will stand with | stand with us. we will stand with you. let's move forward with faith and conviction and an abiding commitment to be allies, not of darkness, but of light. lot of oppression, but of liberation. not of captivity but, yes, of freedom. and god bless you all, may god protect our troops and may god bless the heroes of ukraine.— the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations _ the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations of _ the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations of a _ the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations of a weak - the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations of a weak and i putin's expectations of a weak and divided west have been met with a firm and divided front against his will, president biden�*s biggest challenge now is to keep his allies as committed as he is for as long as

it takes. sarah smith, bbc news, warsaw. let's talk more now with our international editor, jeremy bowen, who's in the capital, kyiv. jeremy. inevitably, competing views about how this war started, why this conflict is going on for president putin and president biden. from your perspective, and you have covered this war right through the last year, how would you sum up how it is going now and where it could be going now and where it could be going in the next few weeks and months? ~ ., months? well, thanks, clive. if you look at it from _ months? well, thanks, clive. if you look at it from the _ months? well, thanks, clive. if you look at it from the perspective - months? well, thanks, clive. if you look at it from the perspective of i look at it from the perspective of sitting in britain, a lot of the emphasis has been on things like energy bills, food prices, that kind of an effect. but it is a lot more than that. what looks like the strategic relative safety uncertainty in europe has been upendedin uncertainty in europe has been upended in the last year. and if as the americans say as possible the chinese start shipping arms to the

russians, then the conflict gets much more global implications. and thatis much more global implications. and that is of course now very worrying indeed. yes, as you said, there are very different views on display. quite ideologicalfrom both sides. freedom for the americans, self—preservation and fighting the aggressive west from the russian point of view. and i think that if you look at the way the war is right now, firstly, don't expect it to end anytime soon. i would be very surprised if we were not here in some way talking about it maybe even a year from now. some way talking about it maybe even a yearfrom now. there is no room for negotiations. both sides believe that the only way ahead on this the only way that they can prevail, the only way that they can prevail, the only way that they can prevail, the only way even they might be able to survive is by beating their enemy. so that means on the battlefields, it means more killing, it means as well an immense commitment from both sides to keep this thing going. and

here in ukraine, bottom line, they want war winning weapons. because what they don't want is a continued stalemate which they believe might actually benefit the russians. fik. actually benefit the russians. ok. jerem , actually benefit the russians. ok. jeremy. thank— actually benefit the russians. ok. jeremy, thank you. _ actually benefit the russians. 0k. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen, our international editor at life in the capital, kyiv. that is it from us here. and the team in kharkiv, in the north east. it is back to you, sophie, in the studio, for the rest of the day's news. clive, thank you very much. it has been announced the royal college of nursing is pausing strike action in england because talks are starting tomorrow with the government in this long—running dispute over pay and conditions. thousands of nurses were set to walk out over the next few weeks in a major escalation of strike action in the nhs. 0ur health editor hugh pym is with me. a huge sigh of relief in patients and staff, but there is a long way to go. patients and staff, but there is a long way to 90-— patients and staff, but there is a

long way to go. well, that's right. that bein: long way to go. well, that's right. that being said, _ long way to go. well, that's right. that being said, the planned - long way to go. well, that's right. that being said, the planned 48 i that being said, the planned 48 hours strike in england by the rcn next week would have been the most widespread and disruptive so far and there were a lot of fears amongst nhs managers about how that would affect patients. that has now been called off and the reason is we learned in a joint statement an hour orso learned in a joint statement an hour or so ago from the government and the royal college of nursing that they were about to start intensive talks over what would aim to be a fair and reasonable pay settlement. now, that sounds quite anodyne, but you can assume the royal college of nursing wouldn't have agreed to these talks and called off the strikes if they hadn't felt assured the government was prepared to talk about pay in this financial year potentially adding to the 4% already awarded, that has been a sticking point up until now. let's hear no what pat cullen of the rcn had to say a short time ago.— say a short time ago. well, very leased say a short time ago. well, very pleased to _ say a short time ago. well, very pleased to say _ say a short time ago. well, very pleased to say that _ say a short time ago. well, very pleased to say that the - say a short time ago. well, very - pleased to say that the government has agreed to enter into a period of intensive _ has agreed to enter into a period of intensive talks with the royal college — intensive talks with the royal college of nursing. and i am confident that we will be able to

reach _ confident that we will be able to reach agreement about a fair pay deal for— reach agreement about a fair pay deal for our nursing staff.- deal for our nursing staff. so the auestion deal for our nursing staff. so the question remains, _ deal for our nursing staff. so the question remains, how- deal for our nursing staff. so the question remains, how long - deal for our nursing staff. so the question remains, how long will| deal for our nursing staff. so the l question remains, how long will it take to reach some sort of deal, is that even possible? talks start tomorrow. and what about the other health unions, including the british medical association and planned junior doctors strikes for next month. ., ~ , ., junior doctors strikes for next month. ~ " , ., , junior doctors strikes for next month. ., ~ i. , . some supermarkets have started limiting the amount of fruit and vegetables that you can buy. asda has already put in place measures to stop customers buying more than three items of fresh produce like cucumbers, broccoli or packets of tomatoes. from tomorrow, morrisons will be doing the same — but limiting customers to no more than two. it's all because of shortages following poor harvests in europe and north africa. asda says it expects supply to improve over the next days and weeks. 0ur rural affairs correspondent claire marshall reports. asda and morrisons say they've had problems getting hold of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other salad and vegetable crops and their producing limits on what you can buy. the reason? extreme weather across the key producer region

of southern spain and north africa. this is morocco. snowstorms have led the government to hand out emergency aid to thousands of families. retailers are saying the limits will be temporary, which means there is no reason to panic buy. where we are anticipating maybe two or three weeks of disruption, it's really weather—related, so once the weather improves and the products like tomatoes ripen a little bit quicker than they have been today, and also it makes moving the product a little bit easier, we've had some problems with flooding, we expect it really to change. but should there be shortages in the uk? at the national farmers' union conference in birmingham, there's been criticism of the government's record on food security. the rhetoric of successive governments that we are a wealthy country, we canjust import our food must be exposed as naive in the extreme, in a rapidly

changing and challenging world. the farming minister mark spencer, though, told us that some empty shelves can be seen as an opportunity. there has been some shortages. now, that actually is an opportunity for uk producers, if they can makel those figures stack up, to produce more food. here domestically. we want to try and support them in doing that. - the shelves in the dairy aisle of one major uk supermarket got filled with milk created by abi reader's cows. but business is hard. climate change, the war in ukraine, the lack of labour, the price of fertiliser and the rising cost of the feed to these animals eat are all having an impact. there are empty sheds out there that should be growing fruit and veg. there are empty sheds that should have poultry in them to produce eggs. and this food just isn't coming through the system. a chill wind being felt by those living and working

in the countryside, just so many pressures. if the outlook doesn't improve, then the rural landscape could change forever. the fact is that there are a growing number of hungry mouths and it's becoming more expensive and difficult to feed them. claire marshall, bbc news. the time is 18:18. our top story this evening: the us president says ukraine will never be a victory for russia, on the same day president putin delivers a fiercely anti—western address seeking to justify his invasion of the country. and come out, welsh rugby players say they will not take... part in the six nations unless a contract dispute is resolved. and on bbc london: coming up on sportsday on the bbc news channel — england reach the semifinals in the women's t—20 world cup in record—breaking style and they will avoid australia in the last four, too, after a big win over pakistan.

more people have been killed after another earthquake hit southern turkey and syria yesterday. rescuers are back searching for people trapped under rubble after the 6.4 magnitude tremor struck near the turkish city of antakya close to the border with syria, just two weeks after massive quakes that have killed more than 47,000 people, injured tens of thousands more and left many homeless. 0ur correspondent anna foster reports. there seems no end to the agony. today, fresh images of loss and grief. millions of people desperately trying to heal have been traumatised again. for many, the first thought was protecting their families. they gathered up everything that was precious to them and ran. this volleyball court was set up as a relief centre after the first earthquake, and by yesterday it was almost deserted.

but when people felt the ground shake under their feet again last night, they fled back here, looking for a place of safety. felice and her sister are homeless now. holding her nephews tight, she doesn't know what's next. translation: i'm concerned for our future. _ i'm afraid for our children. i don't want them to be orphans. mentally, i'm upside down. i hope good things will happen. we are in a miserable situation, running here and there with so little belongings with us. in north—west syria, this baby has already lost her parents. she was born in the rubble as her mother died — rescuers cutting the umbilical cord. thousands of people offered to give her a new home. now her aunt and uncle have adopted her to raise alongside their own daughter. translation: this girl means so much to us i

because there's no—one left of her family besides this baby. she'll be a memory for me, for her aunt, and for all our relatives in the village. cousins, now sisters. a final memory of the lost mother whose name she now bears. anna foster, bbc news, adana. the media watchdog, 0fcom, says it's written to itv and sky news after complaints were made about their contact with nicola bulley�*s relatives. her family said the broadcasters contacted them despite their appeal for privacy, following the discovery of a body which was later confirmed to be the 45—year—old. 0fcom says it's "extremely concerned" and has asked them "to explain their actions". the snp leadership candidate kate forbes has insisted her campaign can survive after losing the support of several colleagues because of her comments on gay marriage. ms forbes said she would have voted against legalising same—sex unions had she been an msp when it was decided in 2014.

she says her view was in line with her christian faith. a bbc investigation has found a quarter of england's grammar schools have hardly any pupils from the poorest families. that's despite most of the schools changing their admission policies in the last few years to give pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds a better chance of getting a place. here's our education editor branwen jeffreys. going to be looking at hundredths today, on curves... grammar schools — known for high academic standards, also a reputation for being full of posh kids. but not this one in birmingham. it sets aside a quarter of places for disadvantaged pupils. these sixth—formers believe it's made a difference for them. i think it's important having grammar schools notjust be a privilege of those who it's traditionally been a privilege of, so the middle and upper classes. and i think it's important having those wider demographics, because we all have something to offer the world. i certainly think i do. my siblings tell me that the level of support

that they get from their teacher is completely different to what i get. so why has a group of grammar schools pushed through this change? we represent more fairly the society and the communities that we serve, | and that's what grammar schools should be about. they should be an academic elite, that's why they're there — - but they shouldn't be a social elite. i so you get a comparable area to compare the schools to... for this investigation, i worked with one of our data analysts, wesley. grammar schools have been getting bigger. i mean, the demographics of these areas are going to be vastly different from those rural areas in buckinghamshire, to places like walsall, and you're not going to be able to compare those areas very easily. we looked at them within their local communities, comparing it with our research from seven years ago. grammar schools in england told us they were trying to change, to become more open to the brightest children from the poorest backgrounds. so we've been back to check, delving into how they do their admissions and whether

it's making a difference. while many are trying to change, the impact is patchy. so does it matter when there are so few? you hear this argument a lot when people talk about grammar schools — there's only 163 of them, why does it matter? the impact that grammar schools have in selective areas is detrimental to those that don't get in. so they're less likely to go to university. they're less likely to earn as much as adults. grammar school areas increase inequality compared to comprehensive areas that look very similar in other ways. # it's like a story of love # can you hear me? # a few grammar schools have changed a lot. many more are making an effort to shake off that posh reputation. the debate about their wider impact is far from over. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. wales play england in the six

nations tournament on saturday but they have delayed naming their team because the players are threatening to go on strike in an ongoing dispute with rugby bosses about the contracts. 0ur wales correspondent is in cardiff. is there much likely to go ahead? this is in cardiff. is there much likely to go ahead?— is in cardiff. is there much likely to go ahead? as you mentioned, warren gatland _ to go ahead? as you mentioned, warren gatland did _ to go ahead? as you mentioned, warren gatland did postpone - to go ahead? as you mentioned, warren gatland did postpone his| to go ahead? as you mentioned, - warren gatland did postpone his team announcement today so that he could give more time for the players to have negotiations with the union about this pay dispute but make no bones about it, welsh rugby is in turmoil and chaos. if you're remember at the start of the year, allegations within the union led to the ceo having to step down. the first team can't seem to win a game and of course these contract disputes mean that the welsh players have said they will not take to the field on saturday against england unless the dispute is resolved in the next 24 hours. at the heart of the next 24 hours. at the heart of the dispute is this new pay offer, it will be lower but 80% of it will be set, 20% will be

performance—based and it is that variable aspect that every player is resolutely against. this is £10 million on the line and if it doesn't go ahead it's a big loss to the welsh rugby union and to the game as a whole in wales.- the welsh rugby union and to the game as a whole in wales. do you fancy working a four day week? it's definitely a very popular idea. but the question has always been does it damage the companies you work for? well, the biggest trial in the world has just taken place here in the uk — to see what impact fewer days for staff has on the way businesses perform. so does a four day week have a future? our business correspondent, emma simpson, has been finding out. hello there, you're through to citizens' advice. they're at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis. i mean, that money is in your account with the supplier. they've never been busier, but they're also doing something radical. this 200—strong team in gateshead are getting full pay and an extra day off a week. ijust feel like a completely different person, _

to be honest. i feel like i've got - more time on a weekend, because i've got that i day through the week. bethany is a team manager on her day off. after the pandemic, she was up for trying something new. hello. hi, bethany. hello, otis. when they introduced the four—day week, i because we'd been through so much change and we're just adapted to it, | i was like, well, i'm sure we'll be able to manage it. - and i did feel like i i'd won the lottery! so did faye. she bakes cakes with her free time. i found thatjust having that one extra day off per week gives me so much more time to recover and recuperate after having such an emotionally draining and demanding job. it would take a lot for me to look for a job elsewhere now. they're not the only ones feeling the benefit — out of the 61 firms that took part in the trial, 39% of employees surveyed said they were less stressed, there was a 65% reduction in sick days, and companies who provided data said

revenues stayed broadly the same. uk workers do some of the longest hours in europe. the results of this trial suggest that doing fewer hours can be more productive. it hasn't been easy, though, for the firms involved. this four—day week is still a long way before becoming mainstream. here, they're sticking with the trial for now. the boss needs to make sure the benefits do outweigh the costs. we really want it to be a success, of course we do, but it has to stack up for the business. we are a charity at the end of the day, so all of the things that we want around increased flexibility, to be able to have extended opening hours, improvements in customer service, they need to be there as well. and they are in the majority of the places where we have piloted this in our business, but they're not everywhere yet. we've been wedded to the traditional five—day week for so long. time for a change?

this trial suggests there's another way of working for those able and willing to take the plunge. emma simpson, bbc news, gateshead. and finally it's pancake day today. and to mark shrove tuesday traditional pancake races have been taking place across the uk. the market town of 0lney in buckinghamshire claims to hold the oldest annual pancake race in the world, dating back to 1445. 0nly women compete in this race because it's said to have started after a woman — who was late for church — ran to the shrove tuesday service still carrying a frying pan in her hand. in bradford on avon in wiltshire there were plenty of pancakes and runners in fancy dress — though some made it harder for themselves than others. and this was the scene inside worcester cathedral — where cathedral choristers and staff take it very seriously — racing through the medieval cloisters — and even adding obstacles along the way.

the princess of wales was at it too — fortunately she wasn't in a race to toss her pancake. it took her quite some time to unstick it from the frying pan. but she got there eventually. i'm not sure her kids would have been too impressed with that pancake though. doesn't look terribly appetising! but full marks for perseverance. she did better than i would have done. i will say it will be a toss up whether we get much rain in the next 24 hours. it has been very dry this month across many central and eastern parts of england. earlier todayit eastern parts of england. earlier today it was a very colourful scene with some sunshine. but the weather is changing probably briefly. a band of cloud coming from the

atlantic, head of atmore cloud moving up from northern