president biden, speaking in poland, said ukraine stands strong and free, and the west's support will not waiver. president putin's craven lust for land and power will fail, and the ukrainian people's love for their country will prevail. meanwhile, vladimir putin told the russian parliament that the west was to blame for the war... 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. we'll have reports and

analysis from moscow, warsaw, kyiv, and beijing, on china's potential role in the war. and the other main stories on tonight's programme... nurses in england suspend next week's 48 hour strike action to restart pay talks with the government. supply problems with fruit and veg — now some supermarkets are limiting the amount you can buy. and liverpool are trounced by real madrid in the champions league. and coming up on the bbc news channel... leeds united have their man — at last... former watford boss javi gracia takes charge, following the sacking ofjesse marsch — with the club currently in the relegation zone.

good evening, live from kharkiv in north east ukraine just 20 miles from the russian border, just over there. air raid sirens have been going off, and we are within the range of long—range missiles from russia. behind me is the city but you cannot see it because we are in curfew and also people are trying to conserve energy in the middle of this war. this is the day that presidents putin and biden have given their competing views of the war in ukraine. president biden, who was in ukraine's capital kyiv yesterday, made a major speech in poland where he said the west's support for ukraine "will not waiver". and that the country stands tall and proud.

in his state of the nation address, vladimir putin defended his full—scale invasion, blamimg the west for provoking the war, and he announced he's suspending russian participation in last major nuclear arms control agreement with the us. we'll have analysis tonight from our editors and experts in moscow, in warsaw, kyiv, and from beijing on the role china has to play. we start with our russia editor steve rosenberg, on the first big speech of the day, from president putin. 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 provides for missile inspections. no longer topical, says the kremlin. 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

support here, but unpicking that treaty risks a nuclear arms race. 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. today vladimir putin was addressing the political elite, mps, senators, regional governors, and tomorrow he is expected to take part in a giant highly choreographed rally at a

sports stadium where 200,000 people will attend, we are told, and the aim of the kremlin is to show that the president is popular and that his special operation is popular as well. ,, his special operation is popular as well, ,, ., , , his special operation is popular as well. ,, , , a, , . ., well. steve rosenberg, in moscow there. the us has rejected president putin's claims as "absurd". president biden delivered his own speech in poland this afternoon, where he described the war as a battle for democracy. 0ur north america editor sarah smith has been travelling with the president — and reports now from warsaw. 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. when russia invaded, it wasn't just ukraine being tested, the whole world faced a test for the ages.

europe was being tested, america was being tested, nato was being tested, all democracies are being tested and the questions we faced were as simple as they were profound. would we respond or would we look the other way? we know the answer, we did respond, we would be strong, we would be united, and the world would not look the other way. and ukraine — ukraine will never be a victory for russia. never. cheering this is a direct appeal to nato allies — as well as to the american people — to 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 united states and the nations of europe do not seek

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, mr biden met polish president andrzej duda. this display of solidarity is to demonstrate america's guarantee 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—16fighterjets. the us is not ready to send planes yet, but that could change. and we will keep standing up for these same things, no matter 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. freedom. stand with us.

we will stand with you. let us move forward with faith and conviction and an abiding commitment to be allies, not of darkness, but of light. not of oppression, but of liberation. not of captivity but, yes, of freedom. may god bless you all, may god protect our troops, and may god bless the heroes of ukraine. proud that mr putin's expectations of a weak and divided west have been met with a firm, united front against his war, president biden�*s biggest task now is trying to keep his allies as committed as he is, for as long as it takes. joe biden declared that ukraine will never be a victory for russia, as he said that the decisions made over the next five years will shape our lives over decades to come, and he believes that this battle in ukraine

will shape the global world order for a generation and that is the pitch he is making to his allies, to say they have to stay the course in ukraine. sarah smith, many thanks. travelling with president biden there. the chinese government has expressed concern that the conflict could escalate and spiral out of control. president xi is due to outline his country's plans for the conflict later this week. 0ur china correspondent is stephen mcdonell is in beijing. what's your assessment of china's role at the moment? china's foreign minister issued this rather ominous warning that beijing believes that the conflict in ukraine could spin out of control if certain countries keep pouring fuel on the fire. he did not mention the

us but that is who he is accusing of pouring on the fuel. the chinese government has accused washington of prolonging the conflict in ukraine, but it never says war or invasion unless it offends russia, but now washington says china could be doing this if it starts buying arms and ammunition for the russian bore effort. beijing says it is neutral —— war effort. researchers say they have been supplying this dual use equipment which can be used for fighterjets orjamming equipment. fighter jets or jamming equipment. president fighterjets orjamming equipment. president xi will make a speech later this week, calling for a negotiated peace in ukraine, apparently, but if the war keeps going and if vladimir putin is facing a humiliating defeat on the battlefield, it is unclear what the government here might consider doing. government here might consider doin, ., ,. .,

government here might consider doinu. . ,, , doing. fascinating. stephen mcdonell. _ doing. fascinating. stephen mcdonell, invasion, - doing. fascinating. stephen mcdonell, invasion, thanks| doing. fascinating. stephen. mcdonell, invasion, thanks for joining us. let's take stock now of where things stand tonight. let's take stock now this is the map of ukraine as of tonight — with the areas in red showing the parts under russian control. and land that has been held or regained by ukraine is in purple. 0ur international editor jeremy bowen is in kyiv tonight. as we approach the one—year anniversary on friday, a simple question, but a complex answer, i suspect, who is winning? it is question, but a complex answer, i suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid — suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid out _ suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid out right _ suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid out right now - suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid out right now and - suspect, who is winning? it is very starkly laid out right now and i - starkly laid out right now and i would say that you could say the ukrainians are winning because everybody expected them to fold in the first couple of weeks but they have not done that but despite the fact the russian army has been written off by its enemies, they

have said its logistics are rotten and the command is awful and the men are demoralised. thousands have been killed. but the fact is it is still fighting and it still grinding on and that will continue, i think, so people should not write russia off at all. is there a chance of negotiation? no. that is because both sides, the ukrainians and the russians believe the only way they can get through this is to beat the other. to win on the battlefield. so does that mean that might happen quite soon? not the way things are at the moment, certainly not. we might be here a yearfrom now, talking about the second anniversary of the fighting that is going on. they have starkly laid out their positions, the russians, very ideological idea that the west is out to get them, and president zelensky has said he wants every

inch of ukraine back. that is very stark. joe biden and the west have laid out their position as well, that they believe it is worth the sacrifices and the military commitment and the economic damage, to continue supporting ukraine, in the last thing the ukrainians themselves, what do they want? more weapons, better weapons, themselves, what do they want? more weapons, betterweapons, long—range weapons, better weapons, long—range missiles, weapons, betterweapons, long—range missiles, and those war planes, which even if they practically cannot get them quickly, is a commitment that they are after. indeed. jeremy bowen, thanks for joining us. there's much more from our team online, so do head there if you want more analysis context, and there's a special edition of ukrainecast on bbc sounds. but for now, from here in kharkiv, it's back to reeta in the studio. the royal college of nursing has called off next week's strike

action in england while it engages in what it calls "intensive talks" with the government on pay, terms and conditions. the union's members had planned a 48—hour walk—out, starting on the ist of march. the government said both sides are committed to finding a fair settlement. here's our health editor hugh pym. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! it was the first strike action of its kind in the history of the royal college of nursing. members joining picket lines at hospitals at different times in england, wales and northern ireland. the sticking point in england has been pay for the current financial year, with ministers at westminster insisting a wage award of around 4% could not be increased. the rcn response was to carry on with strikes. now the union seems to have been reassured that everything's back on the table. the finer detail has to be worked out, but i'm very assured by the prime minister's intervention, and we certainly will —

as we have always said — we will put our plans on the table, they can put their plans on the table, but i'm confident that we will come out with a fair pay settlement for our nursing staff. neither side will say what numbers will be discussed or what might be offered for the next financial year. in the meantime, nhs leaders are relieved that escalated strike action has been called off. it's welcome news, first and foremost because it averts next week's planned strike action which would have spelled major disruption for patient care. so, leaders across the nhs will be relieved this evening that talks will commence. the scottish government meanwhile has offered a 14% pay deal to health unions over two years. the rcn says it will recommend this to members. in wales, an offer around 7% this year is being considered by unions. the rcn isn't currently taking action in northern ireland.

there is some degree of optimism here at the royal college of nursing that this process might go some way towards resolving this bitter pay row, but other unions are frustrated at not being invited into the talks or being told what might be on offer. further strikes by ambulance staff are planned for march. unison is set to announce further action. a spokesperson said, "meeting one union alone will do nothing to solve the dispute." hugh pym, bbc news, at the royal college of nursing. the government had an unexpected surplus in its finances last month, helped by the highest income tax receipts from self—assessment since records began in 1999. it meant the treasury received nearly £5.5 billion more than it spent. 0ur economics editor faisal islam explains. there had been some gloomy predictions about the need for government borrowing but the tax take injanuary considerably exceeded expectations and what we have seen in recent years.

january, over here, is important as this is when people pay their tax returns and this shows people were injobs, paying more in income tax and national insurance, meaning the government had to borrow less money to fund public spending. these numbers also mainly reflect what was going on in the tax year ending last april but it is better news and it may also reflect more people being dragged into higher tax brackets. another closely watched piece of data is this, what is known as the purchasing managers index, usually a good early sign of whether the economy is growing or not. now, after the pandemic, as you can see, it has been pretty flat, when the economy has been falling, but it has popped up above 50 this morning — another indication that the downturn could be milder than expected, maybe because of falling petrol prices, and that should be the case for energy bills, as well, from summer.

it may be a sign of businesses thinking the worst may be over, but for the chancellor's team pondering his first full budget, they aren't getting carried away. they say there are many competing demands — mps who want tax cuts, public sectors wanting wages to keep pace with inflation, and households who think that energy bills should not be rising in just a few weeks' time. they stress it's early days. faisal islam there. 0ur political editor chris mason is in westminster. better economic news for the treasury. nurses suspending strike action. do you think the government are getting closer to making tay offers that public sector workers might accept? i offers that public sector workers might accept?— might accept? i think there is a more conciliatory _ might accept? i think there is a more conciliatory mood - might accept? i think there is a more conciliatory mood in - might accept? i think there is a more conciliatory mood in the i might accept? i think there is a i more conciliatory mood in the air but that doesn't mean that hey presto suddenly all the strikes will not happen. take for instance the strikes scheduled next week in the schools across chunks of england and wales. they are going to go ahead because the national education union

tonight has said no to going into talks substantially with the government. they don't like what they are being offered. the context here our discussion is beginning about the next financial year's pay settlements starting in april. the treasury is saying anything above 5% risks fuelling inflation. they reckon 3.5% is affordable but the independent pay review bodies that ministers are constantly saying they listen to and accept what they conclude are likely to come to a conclusion higher than 3.5%, maybe even around 5%, as inflation it would appear starts to fall. that's where we are, but unions are still saying, hang on a minute, you're picking and mixing as to who you calling to see ministers, they don't like that'll stop they point out that over several years many members have suffered real terms pay cuts. this might be a turning point but it's farfrom the this might be a turning point but it's far from the end.— it's far from the end. chris thank ou. --

it's far from the end. chris thank yom -- chris— it's far from the end. chris thank you. -- chris mason, _ it's far from the end. chris thank you. -- chris mason, thank- it's far from the end. chris thank you. -- chris mason, thank you. j some of the uk's best—known supermarkets have begun limiting the sale of some fruit and vegetables because of shortages. morrisons says shoppers will be restricted to two items of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and peppers from tomorrow. asda says people can buy three items of the same foods, as well as broccoli, cauliflower and bags of salad. a combination of bad weather and transport problems in africa and europe are being blamed, raising concerns about the uk's food security, as claire marshall reports. asda and morrisons say they've had problems getting hold of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other salad and vegetable crops, and are putting some 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's no reason to panic—buy. more produce is grown here during

the summer months but according to the summer months but according to the british retail consortium we import around 95% of tomatoes and 95% of lettuces between december and march. we 9596 of lettuces between december and march. ~ , . , ., , march. we expect this to be short-term _ march. we expect this to be short-term disruption - march. we expect this to be short-term disruption due l march. we expect this to be | short-term disruption due to march. we expect this to be - short-term disruption due to bad short—term disruption due to bad weather at the moment but genuine supply is really good from these parts of europe and north africa so people don't need to be worried. a little bit frustrating at the moment but it will soon pass. 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 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 make 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 get 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 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. there's 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.

emergency teams in southern turkey have been carrying out more searches of the rubble after another earthquake yesterday, just two weeks after two massive quakes devastated the region. buildings weakened by those first tremors finally collapsed. the 6.4 magnitude quake struck near the turkish city of antakya, close to the border with syria. from there, our correspondent anna foster sent this report. 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're in a miserable situation, running here and there, with so little belongings with us. in north—west syria, afraa has already lost her parents and sisters. 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 baby daughter. translation: she will lack for nothing. - i'll never spare a penny raising her. she's as dear to me as my children are. even more. cousins, now sisters.

a final memory of the lost mother whose name she now bears. anna foster, bbc news, adana. now a look at some other stories making the news today. a romanian court has confirmed the social media influencer andrew tate and his brother tristan will remain in custody for a further 30 days. the two men have been held for almost two months while police investigate allegations of human trafficking and rape, which they deny. 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 — a view she says is in line with her christian faith. and in rugby, wales have delayed

naming their team to take on england in the six nations on saturday. the game in cardiff remains in doubt as players threaten to strike in an ongoing dispute with welsh rugby bosses over contracts. the head coach, warren gatland, says he's confident the match will go ahead. in football — it's been a bruising night at anfield. real madrid thrashed liverpool 5—2 in the first leg of champions league last 16. andy swiss was watching. here we go again — nine months after losing in the final, liverpool were out for real revenge. but could they get it? well, just watch this. commentator: fantastic ball... first, darwin nunez sparked anfield euphoria with a moment of fantasy football, and soon it was 2—0 thanks to a goalkeeping howler. mo salah the scorer, but one thibaut courtois would rather probably rather forget. the drama had barely begun, though, as real madrid brilliantly hit back through viniciusjunior before

he then levelled things up after another goalkeeping gaffe. alisson�*s blunder making it 2—2 and it was only half—time. but after it, guess what? first, real took the lead through eder militao. before two goals from karim benzema completed a quite staggering turnaround. 5—2 to real madrid, on a night where liverpool's dream start turned into a nightmare. what an incredible game, but for liverpool fans, that won't be much consolation. they now have a mountain to climb in the second leg in madrid if they are to keep their champions league hopes alive. studio: andy swiss, thank you. and finally, it's shrove tuesday, and 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 mas.

0nly women compete in this race and that is 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. and this was the scene inside worcester cathedral, where cathedral choristers and staff took it very seriously — racing racing through the medieval cloisters and even adding obstacles along the way. the princess of wales was at it too. luckily for her she wasn't in a race to toss her pancake as it took her quite some time to unstick it from the frying pan. but she got there eventually. i'm not sure what her family would have made of that particular pancake, though. i don't think i would have done any better. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett.