Russia retakes unrecognisable village from Ukraine

Servicemen of Ukraine's 93rd Mechanised Brigade fire a French MO-120-RT heavy mortar at the Russian forces on the front line near the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. - Iryna Rybakova via AP

Russia claims to have recaptured the village of Andriivka in the eastern Donetsk region, where Kyiv’s forces are suffering manpower and ammunition shortages and struggling to repel attacks.

Andriivka is one of the few villages Ukraine wrested back in its lacklustre counteroffensive last summer. When it was liberated by Kyiv’s forces in September, local media described it as “unrecognisable” with the damage so severe that soldiers did not know where to plant the Ukrainian flag.

Moscow’s claim could not be immediately verified.

Russian forces were also advancing near Chasiv Yar and in Klishchiivka and Krasnohorivka in Donetsk, according to crowd sourced monitoring service DeepState.

Smoke billows from a fire at a printing house hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv - Global Images Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine

Kyrylo Sazonov, a Ukrainian soldier of the 41st Separate Mechanised Brigade told RFERL on Thursday that Russian troops were trying to advance near Chasiv Yar, but they have not yet entered the town.

Ukrainian forces are also reported to have withdrawn from Krynky, a small bridgehead on the Russian-held side of the Dnipro river. The unit, according to Telegram groups, has entrenched in a safer position on the left bank. One military blogger said that Moscow’s forces had suffered “many” casualties as Kyiv withdrew after launching cluster bombs.

Earlier, it was reported US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is backing a plan to allow US missiles donated to Ukraine to be fired into Russia.

An air defence unit from the 93rd Mechanised Brigade near the town of Bakhmut - Oleksandr Ratushniak/REUTERS

He is pushing for strict White House rules to be relaxed in the wake of a new invasion from the northern border, the New York Times reported.

Joe Biden has argued that US weapons used inside Russia would be seen as a major escalation in Moscow, while Britain has relaxed its rules in recent weeks.

But the US has come under pressure to adapt its policy, particularly after Russian troops and military equipment gathered openly on the border before launching its latest attack north of Kharkiv on May 10.

Volodymyr Zelensky has been arguing for weeks that the US must change its rules to save Ukraine from another major assault on Kyiv.

03:30 PM BST

Today’s live blog is now closed

That’s all for today, thanks for following along. Here is a summary of the most significant events of the day:

• The US Secretary of State is reportedly backing a plan to allow US missiles donated to Ukraine to be fired into Russia. Antony Blinken is pushing for strict White House rules to be relaxed following a visit to Kyiv last week in the wake of a new invasion from the northern border, the New York Times reported. 
• Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, issued another plea last night for upgraded defence systems to help Kyiv defend against guided bombs, which he said is now “the main instrument” being used in attacks. Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had made progress in developing electronic weaponry, “but in countering Russian bombs much remains to be done.” 
• Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, met with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Thursday and offered thousands more fighters to support Moscow’s forces in fighting Ukraine. 
• Mr Zelensky is reportedly planning on attending next month’s D-Day commemoration in France and the G7 meeting in Italy, to call on Nato to start downing Russian missiles over Ukraine.
• The Kremlin has said it will retaliate against Norway’s decision to further restrict entry to Russian tourists, effectively banning all of them, describing it as “discriminatory.” 
• Russia has detained the deputy head of the army’s general staff, Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, on suspicion of large-scale bribe-taking, local media reported today. It is the fourth arrest of a high-ranking defence figure in the space of a month, starting on April 23 when Timur Ivanov, the deputy defence minister, was placed in pre-trial detention for suspected bribe-taking. 
• High precision missiles on Sunday sank a Russian naval ship in a long-range attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, British military intelligence believes. The ministry of Defence on Thursday said that it was highly likely a combination of one-way attack drones and Atacms that destroyed the Karakurt class missile corvette “Tsiklon.”
• A Russian attack on a residential area in Kharkiv has killed at least seven and injured 11, local officials said. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, described the attacks as “brutal” and said Russia was “taking advantage” of Ukraine’s lack of air defence systems to launch fatal attacks on towns and cities at his country’s frontier.
• Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, has said Moscow will retaliate with strikes on British targets if British weapons are used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory. British targets “on Ukraine’s territory and beyond its borders” could be hit in such a scenario, she told reporters today. 
• The most intensive battles in Ukraine are now taking place in the east, where Russian forces are pressing on the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts in Donetsk region and Kupiansk in the east of the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s top commander said on Thursday. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Facebook that Moscow’s troops were also locked in street fighting in the town of Vovchansk and on the defensive near Lyptsi, two key battlegrounds in Kharkiv region’s north where Russia has opened a new front this month.

03:05 PM BST

Pictured: Families of prisoners of war hold rally in Kyiv

A woman holds a placard reading 'My love, I wait for you!' as relatives and friends of Ukrainian marines held prisoners by Russia hold a rally at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 May 2024 - SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Relatives and friends of Ukrainian marines held prisoners by Russia hold a rally at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 May 2024 - SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

02:46 PM BST

Russia says main power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant goes down, no safety threats

Russia said on Thursday that the main power line supplying the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine had gone down, but that there was no threat to safety and the plant was being supplied via a backup line.

The six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia plant, held by Russia and located close to the front line of the conflict in Ukraine, are not in operation but it relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident.

The Russian management said on their official channel on the Telegram app that the reasons for the outage, which had not caused any change in the radiation level, were being investigated.

It said the main 750 kilovolt (kV) “Dniprovska” power line went down at 13.31 local (1031 GMT), while the 330 kV “Ferosplavnaya” line was supplying power to the plant now.

The main “Dniprovska” power line also went down for almost five hours on March 22, highlighting what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said were “ever present dangers to nuclear safety and security” from the Russia-Ukraine war.

01:53 PM BST

Ukraine’s foreign minister blasts ‘heinous’ Kharkiv attack, pleas for seven Patriot systems

01:48 PM BST

Putin decree outlines Russian response to any US seizure of frozen assets

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, signed a decree today preparing a response to any US seizure of frozen Russian assets.

It will identify US property, including securities, that could be used as compensation for losses sustained as a result of any seizures.

G7 negotiators have been discussing for weeks how to best exploit some $300 billion worth of frozen Russian financial assets. Today Janet Yellen, the US treasury secretary, urged G7 ministers  to work on “more ambitious options” to use the assets.

While Russia’s ability to retaliate like-for-like has been damaged by lacking foreign investments, economists have suggested that Moscow could go after private investors’ cash instead.

01:37 PM BST

Pictured: Ukraine marks Day of Heroes

A woman visits the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine as Ukrainians mark Day of Heroes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 23, 2024. - REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

01:30 PM BST

Ukrainian army chief reports most fierce fighting in east

The most intensive battles in Ukraine are now taking place in the east, where Russian forces are pressing on the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts in Donetsk region and Kupiansk in the east of the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s top commander said on Thursday.

Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Facebook that Moscow’s troops were also locked in street fighting in the town of Vovchansk and on the defensive near Lyptsi, two key battlegrounds in Kharkiv region’s north where Russia has opened a new front this month.

01:01 PM BST

Telegraph X space live: Is Biden about to allow US weapons to hit Russia?

12:55 PM BST

Artillery attack in Zaporizhzhia kills elderly man, governor says

A Russian artillery attack in Zaporizhzhia killed a 74-year-old man, according to the regional governor.

“The Russians attacked Mala Tokmachka with artillery. They killed an elderly man who was in his yard,” Ivan Fedorov, the region’s governor said today.

“The house and nearby structures were destroyed by the blast wave and debris.”

12:44 PM BST

Kyiv Independent reporter says five explosions hit Kharkiv city centre earlier

12:21 PM BST

Moscow repeats warning it will strike British targets if UK weapons used to hit Russia

Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, has said Moscow will retaliate with strikes on British targets if British weapons are used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory.

British targets “on Ukraine’s territory and beyond its borders” could be hit in such a scenario, she told reporters today.

Moscow has already made the same warning earlier this month after David Cameron, the foreign secretary, said Ukraine had a right to use weapons provided by London to hit targets inside Russia.

Russia reacted with outrage and named it as one of the reasons why it has opted to hold exercises this month to simulate the launch of tactical nuclear missiles.

12:08 PM BST

Attack that hit Kharkiv’s ‘purely civilian’ printwork kills six

The death toll from today’s Russian attack on Kharkiv has risen to six, local authorities said.

At least 11 other people were injured.

The attack damaged transport and municipal infrastructure and destroyed a printing house, causing a fire, the mayor of Kharkiv and the region’s governor said.

Smoke poured from one of the printwork buildings and the smell of burning wood filled the air as rescuers hauled bodies in plastic bags out of the building, a Reuters correspondent on the scene reported.

“This is a purely civilian site, it is a printworks that prints books,” regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko told reporters at the scene. Tymoshko said two missiles had hit the printworks’ premises, with one landing nearby.

Oleksandr Filchakov, head of the Kharkiv region prosecutors office, said about 50 people had been in the printworks when it was hit. Kharkiv is a hub of Ukraine’s publishing industry, which has kept working despite power outages and intensifying Russian strikes.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, described the attacks as “brutal” and said Russia was “taking advantage” of Ukraine’s lack of air defence systems to launch fatal attacks on towns and cities at his country’s frontier.

This handout photograph posted on the Telegram account of Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba on May 23, 2024, shows law enforcement officers working at the site of a missile attack in Kharkiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - Handout / Telegram / @oleksiykuleba / AFP

Medical staff carrying an injured person on a stretcher following a missile attack in Kharkiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian strikes on the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv killed at least five people, regional authorities said on May 23, 2024 - Handout / Telegram / @oleksiykuleba / AFP

11:52 AM BST

Russia appears to advance near Chasiv Yar, claims to have captured Andriivka

Russia said Thursday it had captured the village of Andriivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Kyiv’s forces are suffering manpower and ammunition shortages and struggling to hold off Russian attacks.

“Units of the Southern grouping of troops liberated the settlement of Andriivka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The Telegraph could not immediately verify the claim.

According to the crowd-sourced DeepState monitoring service, Russian forces have advanced near Chasiv Yar and in Klishchiivka and Krasnohorivka in Donetsk.

Kyrylo Sazonov, a soldier of the 41st Separate Mechanised Brigade deployed in the area, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty today that Russian troops are trying to advance near Chasiv Yar, but they have not entered the town.

Russian soldiers have tactical advances, which means that once they capture a position, they can be knocked out of it “at any minute,” Sazonov is quoted as saying in the Kyiv Independent.

“These advances of 50 metres forward, 50 metres back mean nothing. We also enter their territory, and they enter ours,” he said.

“It is really important for us that they (Russia) do not enter the town. They have already said several times that they are in Chasiv Yar, that it is surrounded. We are preventing them from entering the town. In the town, their numerical superiority will be much more noticeable than it is now.”

11:39 AM BST

Ukraine ‘almost certainly’ sank Russian ship ‘Tsiklon’ using ATACMS, UK says

High precision missiles sank a Russian naval ship in a long-range attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, British military intelligence believes.

The ministry of Defence on Thursday said that it was highly likely a combination of one-way attack drones and Atacms that destroyed the Karakurt class missile corvette “Tsiklon.”

Atacms are US-supplied missile systems were finally sent by the US to Ukraine secretly this year, after months of Kyiv pleading with Washington officials.

The Tsiklon ship was sunk on Sunday. The Ukrainian Navy reported on the same day as the attack that its defence forces had destroyed the 266-M Kovrovets, a Russian Black Sea Fleet minesweeper.

“Although this is unlikely to significantly change the impact the Russian Navy is having on Ukrainian operations, it does highlight a continued danger to Russian forces operating in the Crimea and Black Sea region and continued Ukrainian success when conducting coordinated strikes,” the MoD said.

11:36 AM BST

US urges G7 to have ‘more ambitious’ plans for frozen Russian assets

Janet Yellen, the US treasury secretary, today urged a G7 ministers meeting in Italy to work on “more ambitious options” to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

“We support the EU’s decision to utilise the windfall profits from these assets, but we must also continue our collective work on more ambitious options, considering all relevant risks and acting together,” she told a press conference ahead of a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers in Stresa.

11:10 AM BST

Romania sets conditions for sending Ukraine a Patriot system

As Romania continues to debate sending a Patriot system to Ukraine, its president has said that it must receive something in return.

Klaus Iohannis, the Romanian president, is quoted as saying in local media: “Even if Romania finally makes some concessions, it must receive something in return. Otherwise, nothing will happen.”

He reportedly stressed that this issue will not be discussed in public, but instead privately with military experts and the Supreme Council of National Defence, who must approve the issue.

The president has repeatedly stressed that sending the Patriot to Kyiv cannot affect the country’s air defences.

Although Romania only has one battery in operation, Mr Iohannis has previously said the discussions concerned another battery that is nearly operational.

10:48 AM BST

Russia detains fourth top defence figure for bribe-taking

Russia has detained the deputy head of the army’s general staff, Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, on suspicion of large-scale bribe-taking, local media reported today.

It is the fourth arrest of a high-ranking defence figure in the space of a month, starting on April 23 when Timur Ivanov, the deputy defence minister, was placed in pre-trial detention for suspected bribe-taking.

Since then, Lieutenant-General Yuri Kuznetsov, head of personnel at the defence ministry, and Major-General Ivan Popov, former commander of Russia’s 58th army, have also been arrested.

The scandal is the biggest to hit the Russian government in years.

This photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, shows Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian military general staff, posing for an official photo in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. - Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP

10:41 AM BST

Moscow will retaliate against Norwegian decision to ban Russian tourists, Kremlin says

The Kremlin has said it will retaliate against Norway’s decision to further restrict entry to Russian tourists, effectively banning all of them, describing it as “discriminatory.”

Emilie Enger Mehl, Norway’s justice minister, said in a statement this morning: “The decision to tighten the entry rules is in line with the Norwegian approach of standing by allies and partners in reaction to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Russian citizens whose purpose is tourism and other non-essential travel will be rejected upon entry across the external border. Exceptions may be granted in cases such as visits to close family residing in Norway, the ministry said.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, told a news briefing: “Of course, such decisions cannot go unanswered. Of course, the decision is purely discriminatory.”

“We do not accept such decisions. We regret that the Norwegian leadership has chosen this way of worsening our bilateral relations, which have already been of poor quality recently, and not on our initiative.”

10:26 AM BST

Death toll from strikes in Kharkiv today rises to four

The death toll in Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv rose to four, with two more people missing, the regional governor said.

Russian troops conducted at least 15 strikes on the city on Thursday morning, he added on Telegram.

10:17 AM BST

Zelensky to ask Nato to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, like the US and UK did for Israel

Volodmyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, is reportedly planning on attending next month’s D-Day commemoration in France and the G7 meeting in Italy, to call on Nato to start downing Russian missiles over Ukraine.

The trips are being scheduled after Mr Zelensky cancelled his foreign travel plans following Russia’s offensive in Kharkiv.

The two people familiar with the planning, who briefed Politico, said that the president’s plans could still change.

Mr Zelensky, the sources reportedly said, will also use the trips to push for more military support from the West and demand that US and European countries seize Russian assets to help fund Ukraine’s fight.

10:01 AM BST

Pictured: the aftermath of an attack in residential Kharkiv

The aftermath of a hover bomb attack on the residential district of Oleksyvka, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine - 22 May 2024 - Nicolas Cleuet/Le Pictorium via ZUMA Press/Shutterstock

09:50 AM BST

Ukraine strikes Russia and occupied east, killing two, authorities say

Ukraine launched a drone at a village in Russia’s Belgorod border region and shelled the occupied city of Gorlivka in its east on Thursday, killing two people, local authorities claimed.

The Kremlin often accuses Kyiv of indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Ukraine denies this, arguing it only bombs military targets responsible for deadly strikes on its own civilians.

“An aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicle” crashed into a house in the village of Krasny Vostok in the Belgorod region, destroying the building’s first floor, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

“To our great grief, there was a victim - the body of a woman was found under the rubble,” he said.

Separately, Ukraine shelled the Russian-held city of Gorlivka in the eastern Donetsk region, killing a civilian in a car, the city’s Russian-installed administration claimed.

09:32 AM BST

One killed, six wounded in strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, mayor says

A Russian attack on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv damaged civilian infrastructure and injured at least five people, the regional governor said on Thursday.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces struck Kharkiv around 10 times. The attack also targeted the town of Zolochiv in the Kharkiv region, injuring at least two people.

Igor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, later said: “Another strike hit a private enterprise. According to preliminary information, there is one dead, six wounded, and the whereabouts of three more cannot be established due to a large fire.”

09:20 AM BST

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko on Kharkiv: ‘We fight and we pray’

09:18 AM BST

Russia claims to have shot down 35 rockets; blasts in Belgorod and Kherson

The Russian defence ministry claims it shot down three Olkha and 32 Vampire rockets, as well as three drones, in the southern region of Belgorod.

A series of blasts could be heard in Belgorod this morning following a missile attack warning, the RIA news agency reported.

Battlefield reports from other side cannot be independently verified.

In the Ukrainian city of Kherson this morning, the regional governor said that Moscow’s forces were shelling.

“Explosions can be heard in the areas adjacent to the (Dnipro) river,” governor Roman Mrochko said.

09:06 AM BST

Sumy faced Russian attacks across 10 areas yesterday

Russia carried out attacks in 10 areas of the Sumy border region yesterday, local authorities said.

Moscow’s forces used artillery, drones and mortar shelling against the communities of Mykolaivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Esman, Shalyhyne, Putyvl, Znob-Novhorodske, Hlukhiv and Seredyna-Buda, the regional administration said.

No casualties were reported.

The town of Velyka Pysarivka, which is quickly trying to evacuate, recorded 71 explosions.

An attack the day before on energy facilities saw more than 500,000 consumers lose power.

08:55 AM BST

US house speaker also appears to back use of US weapons on Russia

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, appeared to back a relaxation on the Biden administration’s stiff ban on the use of American weapons being used to strike Russia.

Responding to a question last night from Voice of America, Mr Johnson said the US should “allow Ukraine to prosecute the war in the way they see fit.”

”[Ukraine needs] to be able to fight back. And I think us trying to micromanage the effort there is not a good policy for us,” he added.

The New York Times reported last night that Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, is pushing inside the White House for a relaxation of the ban. The plan is in its “formative” phase and it is not clear how many of Biden’s inner circle are on board, the Times reported.

08:42 AM BST

The latest photos from Kharkiv as Russia’s assault rages on

Local resident reacts at a site of a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine May 22, 2024. - REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

08:30 AM BST

US contradicts Shapps claim that China and Russia are ‘working together’ on war in Ukraine

The US has questioned a claim by the UK that Russia and China are working together on combat equipment to be used in Ukraine.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said on Wednesday that the two countries were “collaborating” on lethal aid for Moscow to use in its war against Kyiv.

He told a defence conference in London: “An axis of authoritarian states led by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have escalated and fuelled conflicts and tensions.

“They have increasingly been working together,” he said. “And today I can reveal that we have evidence that Russia and China are collaborating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine.”

However, the claim was quickly disputed by Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser.

Asked about Mr Shapps’ speech at the daily White House press briefing, Mr Sullivan replied: “We have not seen that to date. I look forward to speaking with the UK to make sure that we have a common operating picture.”

Read more here.

08:13 AM BST

Chechen leader offers Moscow thousands more troops

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, met with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Thursday and offered thousands more fighters to support Moscow’s forces in fighting Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of “well trained and equipped fighters from the reserves” are prepared to fight for Russia if given the order, Kadyrov said, posting a photo of himself and the Russian leader in the Kremlin.

A total of 43,500 troops had already served in Ukraine, including 18,000 volunteers, he said.

“I also transmitted the wishes of our people and invited our national leader to come visit the Chechen Republic,” Kadyrov wrote.

08:00 AM BST

Zelensky makes further plea for defences against Russian guided bombs

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, issued another plea last night for upgraded defence systems to help Kyiv defend against guided bombs, which he said is now “the main instrument” being used in attacks.

Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had made progress in developing electronic weaponry, “but in countering Russian bombs much remains to be done.”

“There can be no alternative. Ukraine needs systems and tactics that will allow us to protect our positions, our cities and our communities from these bombs,” he said.

“This is now practically the main instrument of Russian terror and in the occupiers’ advances.”

07:48 AM BST

Good morning

Hello and welcome to The Telegraph’s live blog on the war in Ukraine. Follow along as we bring you all of the latest developments.

First up this morning:

Blinken backs plan to allow US missiles to be fired into Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, prior to their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. - Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP

The US Secretary of State is reportedly backing a plan to allow US missiles donated to Ukraine to be fired into Russia.

Antony Blinken is pushing for strict White House rules to be relaxed following a visit to Kyiv last week in the wake of a new invasion from the northern border, the New York Times reported.

Joe Biden has argued that US weapons used inside Russia would be seen as a major escalation in Moscow. Britain has relaxed its rules in recent weeks.

But the US has come under pressure to adapt its policy, particularly after Russian troops and military equipment gathered openly on the border before launching its latest attack north of Kharkiv on May 10.

Volodymyr Zelensky has been arguing for weeks that the US must change its rules to save Ukraine from another major assault on Kyiv.

“This is part of our defense,” Mr. Zelensky told The New York Times. “How can we protect ourselves from these attacks? This is the only way.”

The State Department plan is reported to be in its “formative” phase and it is not clear how many of Biden’s inner circle agree with it.

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