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Two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war is largely at a stalemate but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s troops face acute shortages of ammunition.

Ukraine’s cities still come under regular Russian bombardment, thousands of lives have been lost and many more displaced across Europe.

Around 300,000 Ukrainians have applied for visas to come to the UK alone. Many more are in Poland and Germany.

Tom Cheshire speaks to international correspondent John Sparks in Kharkiv about what life is like on the ground in Ukraine now and how Ukrainians are ready to continue the fight for their country.

And we hear from Anfisa Vlasova who fled Kharkiv after the invasion to come to the UK on what life has been like here and how she and her fellow Ukrainian refugees feel about returning to their homeland.

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Senior producer: Annie Joyce
Assistant producer: Iona Brunker
Editor: Wendy Parker

Lord David Cameron has warned the UN about the consequences of withdrawing support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The foreign secretary was speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of the invasion.

It comes as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition, with European countries struggling to find enough stocks to send to Kyiv, and American military aid worth $60bn (£47bn) stalled over political differences in Congress.

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Lord Cameron said: “Two years on, I recognise some want to rethink. There is a sense of fatigue, there are other problems, a compromise might seem attractive.

“But this is wrong.

“We must recognise the cost of giving up.

“Putin has said there will be no peace until Russia‘s goals are achieved, and in his recent interview, he studiously avoided confirming he was satisfied with the land seized from Ukraine at present.

“This is not a man seeking compromise – rather, this is a neo-imperialist bully who believes that might is right.”

He added that, if Putin were to “eke out some kind of win, the rest of the world would suffer too”.

The Tory peer started his speech by saying he warned about the dangers of Vladimir Putin in 2008, when he was leader of the opposition, and Russian troops entered South Ossetia in Georgia.

And he spoke of how he was prime minister in 2014 when Putin’s “little green men” entered Crimea.

“I said that if we did not stand up to Putin, he would be back for more,” the foreign secretary told the UN.

“Now, having tried and failed to conquer all of Ukraine, the lesson of this history is clear. If we do not stand up to Putin, he will be back for more.”

He added that he believes the world “has started properly to wake up to Putin’s menace”.

Lord Cameron went on to criticise the Russian leader’s “ahistorical claim” Ukraine’s existence “is anti-Russian”.

“A claim which runs contrary to the principle of self-determination – one of the foundations of the United Nations.”

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The foreign secretary criticised the Russian claims that Western nations are “somehow out to dismember Russia” – a “central lie” in the conflict as he and other leaders spent years trying to build relationships with Moscow.

“We did that because we profoundly believe that a secure, stable Russia, at peace with its neighbours, is in our interests and the world’s,” he said.

“It is a tragedy that Putin prefers to hark back to the ninth century to justify aggression rather than taking up this offer of a different path.”

The secretary went on to explain why he believes “we must stay strong”.

A “win” in Ukraine for Putin “would not end there”.

“Putin could easily apply his distortions of history elsewhere, such as Moldova or the Baltic States, and others will be emboldened to turn to fighting when it suits them,” Lord Cameron said.

“No country with a large, aggressive neighbour would be safe.”

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Lord Cameron ended his speech by saying: “So yes, we should stand by Ukraine – but not just for Ukraine, not just for Europe, but for the world and a simple principle.

“The security of borders, the sanctity of nations, the principle of self-determination.

“Ukraine’s fight is our fight the world’s fight, and the world must stay strong.”

The German parliament has approved controversial plans to legalise the personal use of cannabis.

The measure was passed by Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, on Friday.

From 1 April, adults will be able to buy up to 25 grams (one ounce) of the drug a day, or up to 50 grams (two ounces) per month for recreational use.

The figure will be capped at 30 grams a month for under-21s.

Users will also be able to grow up to three plants each for private consumption.

Germany’s upper house, which represents 16 state governments, could in principle delay the legislation, though it does not formally require the chamber’s approval.

Bavaria’s conservative state government has also said it would examine whether legal action could be taken to halt the law.

The plans, part of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s social reform programme, passed by 407 votes to 226 on Friday.

The measures were previously scheduled to become law at the start of the year, but got held up following resistance from some lawmakers in Mr Scholz’s ruling three-party coalition.

Health minister Karl Lauterbach said: “We have two goals: to crack down on the black market and improved protection of children and young people.”

He said that Germany’s current laws had failed, as usage is growing and the country is facing increasing problems from contaminated or overly-concentrated batches. An estimated 4.5 million Germans use the drug.

Mr Lauterbach added: “Whatever we do, we can’t carry on like this. You can stick your head in the sand… but we won’t solve a single problem that way.”

The minister said research suggested the best approach to managing the drug was to remove its social taboos and ensure users are informed about the risks.

However, Conservative lawmaker Tino Sorge, a member of Germany’s centre-right opposition, attacked the plans.

The Christian Democrat legislator said: “You are asserting in all seriousness that, by legalising more drugs, we will contain drug use among young people.

“That is the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard.”

The measures also allow German residents aged 18 and over to join non-profit “cannabis clubs,” with a maximum of 500 members each, which can grow the drug for their members’ personal use only from 1 July.

Under the new legislation, dealers caught selling to children or youths could be jailed for up to two years.

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Advertising and sponsorships featuring the drug will also be banned, along with smoking it near schools, playgrounds and sports facilities.

The plans are less radical than the government’s original proposals, to allow cannabis to be sold to adults at licensed outlets, which were watered down following discussions with the EU.

Germany becomes the ninth country to legalise recreational use of the drug, while many more allow its medical use as a painkiller.