Russia-Ukraine war updates: Zelenskyy in Poland for 'broad talks'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday is visiting Warsaw, for talks with top Polish officials and to meet Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

He told his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda he wants open borders between Poland and Ukraine.

"No borders in political, economic and - especially important - in historical terms," Zelensky stressed.

Duda awarded Zelensky Poland's highest honour, the Order of the White Eagle for deepening of Polish-Ukrainian relations,

Zelenskyy will also meet Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

"There will be long, broad talks, not only about the security situation, but also about economic and political support," the Polish

president's foreign affairs adviser Marcin Przydacz said ahead of Zelenskyy's arrival.

Later in the day, Zelenskyy and Duda will meet Ukrainian refugees who found safety in Poland at Warsaw's Royal Castle.

Both heads of state will give speeches there.

Since Russia launched its war in Ukraine, Poland has taken in over 1.6 million war refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The NATO member has been a close ally of Ukraine and played a big role in galvanizing Western military and political support for Kyiv.

"(The visit) should be taken as a sign of trust and of thanking Poland and Poles," said Przydacz said.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Wednesday, April 5:

Turkish and Russian foreign ministers to discuss grain deal

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will discuss the Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The Russian foreign minister was expected in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday. 

The United-Nations-backed deal that allows the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea was renewed last month.

The length of the extension of the pact, first reached in July 2022, had been a sticking point in the renewal process, with Russia wanting 60 days and Ukraine wanting 120 days.

Russia also said it might not renew the deal again if the guarantees for its own grain and fertilizer exports were not met.

IAEA chief holds Zaporizhzhia talks with Russian officials

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, held talks with Russian officials to discuss the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

He met the head of Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, and other officials in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania.

There have been persistent fears over the safety of the plant in Ukraine.

It has been under Russian control since March last year, and Ukraine and Russia have pointed fingers at one another over fighting near the installation. 

In a message posted on Twitter after the meeting, Grossi wrote it was "vital" to "protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Rosatom said in a statement the Russian side was "ready to work on" initiatives put forward by Grossi. 

Macron says China has a 'major role' in ensuring peace in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron said China had a "major role" to play in finding a path to peace in Ukraine.

He was speaking at a gathering of the French community in Beijing. 

Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are visiting China for three days.

The visit will focus on the Russian war in Ukraine and include difficult trade talks and climate-related issues.

Macron was expected to warn China against sending arms to Russia and ask the country to use its influence to help peace efforts.

They were expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Russian bank VTB lose billions due to sanctions

Russia's second-largest bank VTB reported a 612.6 billion rubles ($7.7 billion, €7 billion) loss for 2022 due to sanctions.

"In 2022, the VTB group faced unprecedented hardships and challenges... We were the first target for the maximum sanctions possible, which led to significant losses," the bank's chief financial officer Dmitry Pianov said.

The West blocked several major Russian banks' access to the international SWIFT payments system soon after Moscow invaded Ukraine last year.

VTB chief Andrei Kostin, an associate of President Vladimir Putin, was individually sanctioned by Britain and the United States.

The bank said it has since improved its situation and expects to return to profit this year.

Spanish Leopard tanks head for Ukraine later his month

Six Leopard 2A4 tanks that Spain had pledged to Ukraine would be delivered in the second half of April, Defense Minister Margarita Robles told 24H TV station.

She said the country's armed services were also in the process of getting another four tanks combat-ready and would likely send those to Ukraine too.

Several EU states have vowed to ship Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Last week,18 Leopard 2 battle tanks from Germany arrived in Kyiv. 

The United Kingdom has also delivered 14 British Challenger tanks, and the United States vowed to send 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks later in the year or early next year.

Germany demands sanctions for buying Russian uranium

Countries that buy uranium from Russia for their nuclear power plants should face sanctions, said German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on his way back from a two-day visit to Kyiv.

During his visit, Habeck was asked by Ukrainian officials why the purchase of Russian uranium had not yet been banned by the West.

"And I think there is no good answer to that," said the German minister to reporters.

He added that it only "seems reasonable" that countries which are still equipping their nuclear power plants with Russian uranium, will have to make adjustments.

He also insisted on a more consistent enforcement of the existing sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine.

"We have clear data that the existing sanctions are being circumvented via third countries," he said.

Habeck, Germany's vice chancellor, also pointed out that Berlin "must not become a party to the war. It is important that this boundary is always maintained."

Asked where he personally drew a red line, he said: "Having German troops in Ukraine."

Putin welcomes Belarusian President

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is scheduled to visit Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The leader will discuss the progress of their Russia-Belarus "Union State", said a statement from the Kremlin. 

The two countries are formally part of a political and economic union and have been discussing ways to move closer. 

On the second day the Belarusian strongman and Putin will speak on "current bilateral and international issues," said the statement. 

Putin, over the weekend announced that, on the bilateral agenda is a discussion on the stationing of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory near Poland's border. 

Other international matters will include the war in Ukraine and a reaction to Finland joining NATO.