Zelenskiy urges west to speed up arms support to head off Russia offensive

The west needs to hurry up its support for Ukraine as Vladimir Putin will gain a military advantage unless arms deliveries and further sanctions arrive soon, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said in a video address to world leaders at a security conference in Munich in the face of mounting fears that Russia is planning a new offensive.

His address came just days before the anniversary on 24 February of Moscow sending its forces into the country and unleashing the biggest war in Europe since the 1940s.

Zelenskiy accepted Russia was trying to mount an offensive, mainly in the south, partly by attacking civilian and energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, he said, neighbouring Belarus would make a mistake of historic proportions if it joined in the Russian offensive, and claimed surveys showed 80% of the country did not wish to join the war.

More than 100 world leaders and diplomats, including the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, are attending the Munich security conference, and from the opening speeches it was clear Europe is now expecting a prolonged conflict requiring further expense and sanctions.

The world leaders at Munich will go through a lightning round of bilateral meetings, including talks between Harris and the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak. It is the second year in a row that the US vice-president has been given the chance to showcase her international diplomatic skills at the Munich conference, which used to be a natural venue for the president, Joe Biden, when he was chair of the Senate foreign affairs committee. European leaders will be using the weekend to speak to the newly elected Republican leadership of the House of Representatives.

It is expected that G7 foreign ministers will also meet on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday to discuss next steps in Ukraine and how to address the future of the Iran nuclear deal. Biden is due in Poland on Monday.