Bloomberg Politics
- Ukrainian Troops Risk Being Encircled in New Russian Offensive
- Assault combined with massive air and artillery bombardment
- Officials, analysts differ on whether lessons of Kyiv learned
Zelenskiy Says Russia Has Launched 'Battle for Donbas'
By Marc Champion ... @MarcChampion1
April 19, 2022, 3:26 PM EDT Updated onApril 20, 2022, 3:26 AM EDT
Russia has launched what Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed as a second phase of the war in Ukraine, and early indications are it could go better for Russia than the first.
After a ferocious night of artillery bombardment along a 300 mile (482 km) front line in the east, Russian forces took a pocket of territory including the city of Kreminna on Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian regional governor.
As a result they threaten to encircle an area at the top of the eastern front that, according to one military analyst, holds as much as 40% of Ukrainian troops in the region.
Columns of tanks and other armored vehicles were also seen heading north on the road from the southeastern port of Mariupol, the besieged city where the last group of defenders are still barricaded in the bunkers of a steel plant.
Mariupol’s Splintering Loyalties May Be Enough for Putin
“If we had access to all the weapons we need, which our partners have and which are comparable to the weapons used by the Russian Federation, we would have already ended this war,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address late on Tuesday. “Because the superiority of the Ukrainian military in tactics and wisdom is quite obvious.”
Already the different terrain, reinforcements and a more traditional combination of air and artillery power appear to have had some impact, with a sharp increase in bombing, missile strikes and artillery fire enabling the initial advance.
UKRAINE GETTY sub
Ukrainian soldiers ride an armored personnel carrier near the front line with Russian troops, in the Kharkiv region on April 18.Photographer: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images
With Russia stepping up its bombardment of transport infrastructure across the country, Ukraine’s ability to quickly deliver Western arms 1,350 kms from the Polish border will also be a challenge.
“If the Russians can encircle those troops they will try to bleed them dry of ammo and manpower just like in Mariupol,” said Osint Aggregator, the platform of a military analyst who collects so-called open source data on the conflict, in a Twitter thread. “The Russians have re-opened a southern axis in an attempt to start that encirclement.”
That was a view widely endorsed and celebrated on pro-Russia Twitter and Telegram channels on Tuesday. But whether Russian forces can succeed in the east where they failed in the north around Kyiv remains an open question, hotly debated among officials and military analysts.
Much of the discussion around timeline has focused on May 9, when Russia marks its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with an annual military parade, and whether President Vladimir Putin is seeking to be able to declare some sort of win at that point in Ukraine.
Russian Troops Risk Repeating Blunders If They Try for May 9 Win
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a meeting of cabinet ministers on Tuesday the war was now likely to drag on for months and Ukraine was in a “perilous” position, according to his spokesman, Max Blain.
Mass Graves And Other Russian Atrocities Unearthed In Towns Near Kyiv
The destroyed Komodor logistics park near Kyiv, on April 19.Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
Despite advantages in troop numbers and fire power, a security official told the cabinet that poor morale and an ongoing piecemeal approach suggested the new offensive would not be decisive, with Russian commanders repeating earlier mistakes, Blain said.
Some military analysts also pointed to the still relatively small number of Russian troops, estimated to be around 80,000, for the scale of the task.
“If this intelligence is right, that Russia has 76 BTGs in Ukraine, it has to be said it’s not a lot to launch a major offensive,” Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at Scotland’s St. Andrews University wrote in another Twitter thread. He was referring to a U.S. assessment that Russia had added another 11 Battalion Tactical Groups, each with about 800 troops when fully manned, to the eastern front, with a further 22 BTGs still being reconstituted.
By Tuesday, the Pentagon had upped that assessment to 13 new BTGs introduced, bringing the total to 78. Still, the rush to begin the offensive means that Russia has had to make a rolling start, while its tanks could again struggle to spread off-road for a wider assault, given the muddy conditions likely to continue into May.
The intensity of demands from Ukrainian commanders for nations to quickly deliver the kinds of heavy weaponry needed to resist suggests they are aware that on the more open battlefields of the east, Russia is in a better position to make use of its advantages in air power and long range artillery.
U.S. President Joe Biden held a phone call with key Ukraine allies on Tuesday, to boost provision of military and other assistance. A U.S. defense official said seven plane loads of U.S. military aid would land in the region within the next 24 hours.
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said in a separate briefing on Tuesday that allies have provided Ukraine with combat aircraft, a line they had been reluctant to cross, plus spare parts to get more of their existing fleet into the air. He didn’t specify what the planes were or which country had provided them.
Russia Is Against Use of Nuclear Bombs in Ukraine, Lavrov Says
At the same time, Russian forces also renewed heavy bombardment of Mykolayiv, the gateway to the key port of Odesa, and took a number of steps indicating their intent to keep gains already made in the south, beyond the Donbas region that Putin has declared independent and says he is liberating.
In Berdyansk, a sister port to Mariupol in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian emblems were removed from government buildings for replacement. In the Rozovsky district of Zaporizhzhia, a hall full of mainly elderly people voted by show of hands to join the neighboring, separatist Donetsk People’s Republic.
None of those moves suggest any victory Putin might declare on May 9 is likely to be one that Ukraine can accept and so end the war.
Read this next: Kremlin Insiders Alarmed Over Growing Toll of Putin’s War in Ukraine
Russia-Ukraine Latest News: April 26, 2022
Politics
Ukraine Latest: Austin Hosts Talks on Boosting Kyiv’s Military
Christine Lambrecht, second left, and Lloyd Austin, fourth left, at Ramstein air base in Germany, on April 26.Photographer: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
April 26, 2022, 2:57 AM EDTUpdated onApril 26, 2022, 6:02 AM EDT
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is hosting talks with officials from more than 40 countries at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss ways of boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine, which has been fighting invading Russian forces for more than two months.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier suggested negotiations with the U.S. could be useful, as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres continues diplomatic efforts to end the war with a trip to Moscow.
Guterres is meeting with Lavrov and later President Vladimir Putin as he seeks progress in brokering a solution to the conflict ahead of a visit to Ukraine Wednesday. There was intense fighting overnight in four regions across the south and east of the country, according to Ukraine’s military authorities, while trouble also flared in the nearby breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova.
U.S. Will Push Back on Putin’s Aspirations: White House
WATCH: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the U.S. will do everything it can to push back on President Vladimir Putin’s aspirations.Source: Bloomberg
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- Russia Warns of ‘Real’ Nuclear War Risk as Ukraine Talks Go On
- Moscow-Backed Transnistria Region Says Military Unit Attacked
- Biden Weighs Adding Global Food Aid to Ukraine Funding Request
U.S. Sees Russian Military Shortfalls After Austin, Blinken Trip
Long Shadow of Germany’s Top Putin Ally Is Hemming in Scholz
(All times CET)
Poland Says Won’t Pay for Gas in Rubles (12 p.m.)
Poland won’t pay for Russian gas deliveries in rubles, Piotr Naimski, the official in charge of strategic energy infrastructure, told reporters in Katowice.
Read more: EU Suggests Companies Should Keep Paying for Russia Gas in Euros
Poland is prepared for various scenarios when it comes to Russian gas, and is ready to cut supplies at any moment if such a decision is made, Naimski said. The European Union has suggested that companies could keep paying for Russian gas in euros, saying that Moscow’s decree calling for payment in rubles would violate sanctions.
UN Projects Up to 8.3 Million Refugees (11:30 a.m.)
As many as 8.3 million refugees are expected to flee Ukraine by the end of this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
More than 5.2 million people have fled since Russia attacked on Feb. 24, a spokesperson for the agency said at a briefing in Geneva. The UN agency initially projected Russia’s invasion could create 4 million refugees. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs doubled its appeal for aid to $2.25 billion due to the “worsening situation.”
Transnistria Says Military Unit Attacked (11:15 a.m.)
Authorities in the breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova reported an attack on a military unit Tuesday, hours after a pair of antennas broadcasting Russian radio were blown up, the latest episodes in a spike of violence reported in the Moscow-backed enclave in as many days.
relates to Ukraine Latest: Austin Hosts Talks on Boosting Kyiv’s Military
Destroyed radio towers in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region on April 26.Source: Transnistria Interior Ministry
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu called a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council in Chisinau Tuesday to discuss the incidents. Self-declared Transnistria, which borders Ukraine, also called a meeting of its Security Council, Russia’s Tass news service reported.
Poland Sanctions Russian Firms, Individuals (10:30 a.m.)
Poland imposed sanctions on 35 Russian companies and 15 businessmen in an attempt to undermine funding for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said at a news conference in Warsaw.
The sanctions, which include asset freezes and entry bans, target Polish units of Russia’s largest companies and their owners such as Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Fridman and Eugene Kaspersky. The list may be expanded, Kaminski said.
Ukraine’s Allies Can Do More, Austin Says (10:10.m.)
Austin opened the meeting of top defense officials from more than 40 countries in Ramstein saying the aim is to establish a common understanding of Ukraine’s near-term defense needs. He added that NATO members and other allies can further strengthen coordination to help Kyiv repel Russian attacks in the east and south of the country.
“We can do more through our defense industrial bases to continue to help Ukraine defend itself even more capably,” Austin said. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov is attending the talks.
Germany to Send 50 Anti-Aircraft Tanks (10 a.m.)
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government will approve delivery of 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine in Germany’s first step to supply heavy weapons to counter Russia’s invasion.
Read more: Germany to Send Anti-Aircraft Tanks to Ukraine in Policy Shift
In remarks prepared for the Ramstein meeting, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany will also increase military assistance to 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) to pay for weapons that Ukraine orders from German defense contractors.
Oil Gives Up Gains (5:38 a.m.)
Oil has given up most of the gains since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February following a tumultuous period of trading. The war has led to the U.S. and U.K. banning Russian crude imports, while the European Union is considering similar measures as the conflict continues.
Oil has been whipsawed by China's lockdowns and the war in Ukraine
Biden Announces Choice for Ambassador (2:30 a.m.)
President Joe Biden announced he intends to nominate Bridget Brink as ambassador to Ukraine. Brink is a veteran diplomat who, according to a White House statement, “spent her twenty-five-year career in the Foreign Service focused on advancing U.S. policy in Europe and Eurasia.”
On Twitter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Brink “an excellent choice to lead our diplomatic mission as we continue standing with the Ukrainian people, and we will move quickly to confirm her.”
Zelenskiy: Russia Won’t Win the War in Ukraine
Play1:16
WATCH: Zelenskiy said Russia will not be able to win the war.Source: Bloomberg
Biden Weighs Adding Global Food Aid (1:02 a.m.)
The Biden administration is weighing swift action to ramp up global food assistance amid rising concern that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is stoking a hunger crisis in many poorer nations, according to people familiar with the discussions. White House spokespeople declined immediate comment.
Read more: Biden Weighs Adding Global Food Aid to Ukraine Funding Request
The war has disrupted exports of wheat, corn, sunflower oil and other foods from Russia and Ukraine, and growing alarm about how to deal with rapidly rising food costs and insecurity is driving bipartisan support in Congress for providing as much as $5 billion in aid.
U.K. to Remove Tariffs on All Ukraine Imports (12:29 a.m.)
The U.K. said it would remove tariffs on imports covered by its trade agreement with Ukraine, following a pledge made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his visit to Kyiv this month. The measure will boost Ukraine’s exports of products including barley and poultry, the Department for International Trade said on its website.
The department also announced further bans on exports to Russia, covering “products and technology” that could be used for repressive purposes, such as interception and monitoring equipment.
Lavrov Warns of ‘Serious’ Risk of Nuclear Conflict (11:15 p.m.)
In an interview with Russia’s Channel 1 TV, Lavrov warned of the risk of nuclear war even though the world’s atomic powers made a joint declaration in January that such a conflict is unacceptable. “The danger is serious, the danger is real, and shouldn’t be underestimated,” the foreign minister said.
Russia’s Lavrov Warns of ‘Serious’ Nuclear War Risk
Play2:42
WATCH: Lavrov warned of the risk of nuclear war, even as he signaled a willingness by the Kremlin to engage in talks with the U.S.Source: Bloomberg
Lavrov said that talks with Ukraine’s negotiating team would continue even though many in Russia believe that the Kyiv government’s position is set in Washington and other Western capitals. He said it could be useful to hold talks with the U.S., “but we don’t see any interest from their side in contacts regarding Ukraine or other issues.”
READ OUR QUICKTAKE EXPLAINERS:
- Why Mariupol and the Donbas Region Matter to Putin: QuickTake
- What’s Genocide? Does the War in Ukraine Count?: QuickTake
- How War and Sanctions Have Sparked Ruble Volatility: QuickTake
— With assistance by Iain Rogers
Up Next
War in Ukraine: Switchblade Drone Maker in Direct Talks With Kyiv Over Sales
Politics
Switchblade Drone Maker in Direct Talks With Ukraine Over Sales
AeroVironment CEO wants Pentagon help with supply chain issues
Demand for drones has surged as Russian invasion drags on
A Switchblade 300 10C drone Photographer: Cpl. Alexis Moradian/U.S. Marine Corps
By Anthony Capaccio
@ACapaccio
April 22, 2022, 5:07 PM EDT
The maker of the Switchblade dive-bombing drone the U.S. is sending Ukraine to fight Russia is in direct talks with the government in Kyiv over the possibility of additional sales, but it wants Pentagon help overcoming supply chain problems, according to its chief executive officer.
“It’s been a very, very effective tool,” AeroVironment Inc. CEO Wahid Nawabi said in an interview Friday about the two types of drones being shipped to Ukraine. He added that the company is “actively pursuing more sales to the U.S. military” as well as Ukraine.
But the Simi Valley, California-based company wants the Pentagon to give it a designation -- known as “DO” -- for future Switchblade and other systems that will give it a higher priority in the supply-chain for critical components like microprocessors, he said.
“Supply-chain is a bottleneck,” Nawabi added.
“We need the parts” and “a DO rating is going to help us a lot,” in providing thousands more Switchblades, he said. The highest Pentagon rating is known as DX, but that’s granted only in rare cases, such as in nuclear weapons systems and fortified tactical vehicles known as MRAPs.
U.S. Fast-Tracked ‘Phoenix Ghost’ Drone Going to Ukraine
Demand for drones has surged as the Ukraine war heads into its third month, with Russian forces regrouping to focus on the east and south of the country. That follows Moscow’s failure to capture Kyiv and other major cities, with Russian forces often getting bogged down in urban warfare.
The Pentagon on Thursday said it had fast-tracked dozens of “Phoenix Ghost” drones built by AEVEX Aerospace to Ukraine as well.
Despite the surge in deliveries of the AeroVironment unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine, the Pentagon “has a decent quantity of our Switchblades in stock inventory and we stand ready to produce thousands and thousands more” at a dedicated West Coast factory, Nawabi said.
Initial deliveries to Ukraine were of AeroVironment’s series-300 Switchblades. They are 3.3-pound (2 kilogram) drones designed to attack personnel and light vehicles. They can fly about six miles (10 kilometers) and loiter over a target roughly 15 minutes, according to a fact sheet produced by AeroVironment.
Also headed to Ukraine are newer 50-pound anti-armor model Series-600 versions that can fly more than 24 miles and hover over a target for 40 minutes before attacking with an anti-armor warhead. The drone operator uses a tablet-based touchscreen fire-control system with the option to pilot the loitering missile manually.
Ukraine Apologizes to Japan for Comparing Emperor Hirohito to Hitler on Twitter
Politics
Anger in Japan as Ukraine Links Emperor Hirohito to Adolf Hitler
Written by Isabel Reynolds ... @IsabelRTokyo
April 24, 2022, 11:01 PM EDT
An official Ukrainian government Twitter account issued an apology after showing a picture of Japan’s wartime Emperor Hirohito alongside Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in a social media video about the defeat of fascism.
“Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake,” read a message on the Ukrainian twitter feed. “We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.” An edited version of the video without Hirohito’s picture was appended to the post.
The tweet had circulated widely over the weekend and prompted an official protest from Japan. It also threatened to alienate some conservatives from the Ukrainian cause in a country that has been strongly supportive of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since the Russian invasion began.
Japan has joined its ally the U.S. and other leading democracies in sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and has broken with its pacifist tradition by sending non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine. It has also taken the unusual step of opening its doors to a few hundred refugees fleeing the war.
Japan Embraces Ukraine Refugees in Break From Past Conflicts
Masahisa Sato, the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s foreign policy panel, said Sunday on Twitter that he had urged the Foreign Ministry to protest to the Ukrainian government. He later added the ministry appeared to have done so, and the “problematic” video was removed.
While some Twitter users said they had lost interest in supporting Ukraine over the post, others said it would have been more appropriate to use a picture of Hideki Tojo, who was prime minister of Japan during most of World War II and later hanged as a convicted war criminal.
The Japanese public has backed a tough line to punish the Kremlin for the invasion. A poll carried out by the Nikkei newspaper April 22-24 found 42% of respondents said Japan’s sanctions against Russia should be made harsher, while 44% said current sanctions were appropriate. More than 62% of respondents said they approved of the government’s overall handling of the war.
Politics
Ukraine Latest: Zelenskiy Says Top U.S. Officials to Visit Kyiv
U.S. Defense Sec. Austin: We Want to See Russia Weakened
Zelenskiy Confirms Ukrainian Troops Remain in Mariupol
Bloomberg News
April 23, 2022, 2:53 AM EDTUpdated onApril 24, 2022, 2:31 AM EDT
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he’s preparing for a visit to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, and hailed accelerated weapons supplies he said could help Ukraine step up its counteroffensive.
Russia said it struck a “large consignment” of foreign weapons in Odesa on the Black Sea coast. The missile attack killed eight people and wounded 18, Zelenskiy said.
Turkey closed its airspace to Russian jets flying to Syria, a significant shift in policy aimed at increasing the cost of the war in Ukraine for President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy Press Conference
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the media in a Kyiv subway stationSource: Facebook
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- U.S. Envoys Blinken, Austin to Visit Ukraine, Zelenskiy Says
- Turkey Closes Its Airspace to Russian Jets Flying to Syria’s War
- Ukraine Needs Nations to Follow Up on Aid to Fill $5 Billion Gap
- German Minister Flags Stagflation Risk as Ukraine Strains Build
- Zelenskiy Warns on Russian Ambitions After General’s Comments
All times CET:
Germany to Borrow Extra 40 Billion Euros to Cushion War Blow (11:41 p.m.)
Germany will increase its borrowing plans this year to cushion the effect of the war in Ukraine, taking the total for net new debt to almost 140 billion euros, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The adjustment is needed to help finance measures to offset the economic impact of the war and surging energy prices on companies and consumers, said the people. The plan will be presented to the cabinet on Wednesday, and then onto parliament for approval.
Turkey Shuts Airspace to Russian Planes Carrying Troops to Syria (11:05 p.m.)
Turkey’s move, which includes civilian flights carrying troops, is the first such airspace ban since Russia intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2015 in support of President Bashar al-Assad. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin of his decision in a phone call, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was cited as saying by state broadcaster TRT.
Most Russian flights to Syria pass though Turkish airspace, though exact numbers of troops or materiel isn’t publicly disclosed. The move also signals Turkey’s solidarity with fellow NATO members and adds to Turkish pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy Says Austin, Blinken Will Visit (6:40 p.m.)
“We’ll be discussing the list of weapons we need and the pace of their delivery to Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said at a press conference in a Kyiv subway station. “I will emphasize again -- the last week, the signals, the messages, the tone on weapon supplies -- everything has improved.” Ukraine is waiting for the security situation to allow the U.S. president to visit, he said.
The U.S. National Security Council and the State Department did not immediately comment. The visits, if confirmed, would be the first by top American officials to Ukraine’s capital since the war began.
Zelenskiy Says Weapons Flow May Bolster Counteroffensive (6:40 p.m.)
Zelenskiy also said accelerated weapon supplies from the U.S. and European nations may enable Ukraine’s military to step its counteroffensive. “Particularly, we see a change in the speed of response from the U.S., and if this speed increases, we’ll be able to speed up de-occupation of our territory.”
The president said Ukraine’s military isn’t in a position to relieve forces and citizens trapped in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, which is encircled by Russian forces.
Russian Missiles Strike Odesa Residential Building (6:12 p.m.)
Russian missiles struck a residential building in Odesa, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. An unspecified military site was also hit, authorities said, adding the missiles were launched from long-range bombers.
Russia targeted a logistics terminal at a military airfield where a “large consignment” of weapons from the U.S. and European countries were stored, Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. Odesa, a key Black Sea port and Ukraine’s third-largest city, has seen sporadic shelling from Russia over the two-month war.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Click to watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s national address on FacebookSource: Facebook
Naftogaz CEO Says Some Gas Transit Via Ukraine at Risk (6:00 p.m.)
One-third of gas volumes shipped via Ukraine to Europe could be lost due to Russian forces in recently occupied territories, according to the head of state-owned Naftogaz Ukrainy.
Moscow’s troops are disrupting the operation of pumping stations, Chief Executive Officer Yuriy Vitrenko said on Twitter. Russia has continued to pay Kyiv to ship about a third of its supplies to Europe via Ukraine, despite the war.
West African Nations Struggle With Basics (5:17 p.m.)
Nations in West Africa have been hard-hit by the Russian war in Ukraine as they struggle to import basics like fertilizer and rice, finance ministers from the region said.
Gambia imports a large amount of its wheat and fertilizer from Ukraine, and has lost about 20% of its revenues trying to subsidize the price of fertilizer, Finance Minister Mambury Njie said during an online briefing hosted by the International Monetary Fund.
Liberia has started talks with rice importers in a bid to secure supplies, and Gambia is trying to become self sufficient in rice production. Malawi is also discouraging the excess use of cooking oil, and making plans to start producing more locally.
Top Kremlin Official Visited Donetsk, Tass Says (4:21 p.m.)
President Vladimir Putin’s First Deputy Chief of Staff visited Donetsk to meet with the leaders of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, Russia’s state-run Tass reported, citing a person it didn’t identify.
Sergei Kiriyenko, who curates domestic policy at the Kremlin, has already returned to Moscow, Tass said.
Curfews in Lviv, Elsewhere for Orthodox Easter (2:20 p.m.)
Regional governors, including from the far western Lviv region, urged people to stay at home as much as possible during the Orthodox Easter, citing information on possible Russian air strikes.
Curfews will typically run from 11 p.m. Saturday night until 5 a.m. Sunday. Lviv’s regional governor cited new intelligence for the directive. In Mykolaiv, a curfew was announced starting at 7 p.m.
Europe Must Sustain Sanctions Long-Term: Germany (2:05 p.m.)
Europe needs to be prepared to sustain sanctions against Russia “for months, maybe for many years, and with some probability, maybe permanently,” Germany’s finance minister said.
Christian Lindner said “the danger of stagflation is real” for Germany as it grapples with the potential for an embargo against Russian oil that many in Europe favor. “This is a danger of impoverishment for many people.”
His comments came a day after Germany’s central bank warned the nation is in danger of recession this year if an embargo on Russian coal, oil and gas leads to restrictions on power providers and industry.
Read more: Germany Faces Recession If Ukraine War Leads to Energy Ban
Potential Hit
Bundesbank estimates output losses German economy could face as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Source: Bundesbank
Note: Bundesbank predicts an additional hit in 2022 that could exceed 3% in case energy is rationed
Poland Plans Anti-Russia Media Campaign in Western Europe (12:52 p.m.)
Poland will rent out billboards in western Europe in a bid to strengthen public support for further sanctions against Russia.
The “Stop Russia Now” campaign, which will also extend to social media, will be a “scream from those, who were brutally murdered” across Ukraine, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in Warsaw. He singled out Germany, Italy, Austria and France as countries that can do more to support Ukraine.
Almost 3 million Ukrainians have crossed into Poland since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. In recent days more have returned. Poland’s border service showed 17,700 travelers cleared for entry on Friday, against 23,800 who left Poland for Ukraine.
Ukraine Says Fighting Continues in Mariupol (12:25 p.m.)
Russian forces resumed airstrikes in their latest attempt to dislodge Ukrainian fighters holed up at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Oleksiy Arestovych said in video statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia had captured the city, and ordered the steelworks sealed off -- but that the complex shouldn’t be stormed. There was “no need to get into those catacombs and crawl there under ground,” Putin said.
Even so, the U.K. Defense Ministry says heavy fighting continues. Some 2,000 Ukrainians troops and many civilians continue to shelter in the Azovstal complex. Civilian evacuations from the mostly destroyed city were scheduled to resume.
— With assistance by Ros Krasny
Politics
- U.S. Sees Russian Military Shortfalls After Austin, Blinken Trip
- Additional U.S. military aid announced after Zelenskiy meeting
- Official says Russia facing shortfalls in military hardware
U.S. Defense Sec. Austin: We Want to See Russia Weakened
WATCH: Austin, speaking in Kyiv, says that Washington wants to see Russian forces weakened.Source: Bloomberg
Written by Jordan Fabian @Jordanfabian and Peter Martin @PeterMartin_PCM ... With assistance by Derek Wallbank
April 25, 2022, 4:18 AM EDTUpdated onApril 25, 2022, 11:39 AM EDT
The U.S. announced additional aid for Ukraine as officials said Russia faces a major depletion of its military hardware and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington wants to see Russian forces ground down so they can’t attempt a repeat of the war.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv early on Monday during the highest-level U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago, Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken committed a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries. Some $322 million of that sum is earmarked for Ukraine, with the rest split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies.
The top Biden administration officials traveled to Kyiv from Poland Sunday on a train with blacked-out windows as Russian forces continued pounding the eastern part of the country.
With the war now entering a third month despite several rounds of international sanctions and waves of weapons supplied, Austin was asked about U.S. goals in the conflict. Washington wants Ukraine to remain a sovereign, democratic country, able to protect itself, and “we want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” he said.
Russia “has already lost a lot of military capability, and a lot of its troops quite frankly,” Austin said. “We want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.”
A senior State Department official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity after the trip, said the U.S. sees Russia facing a significant depletion of its hardware and forces as the war drags on. Russian production lines are increasingly confronting shortages of components and parts, according to the official, who didn’t say how the U.S. obtained that information.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, President Joe Biden said the trip by Blinken and Austin “went good,” without offering more details.
Blinken is likely to offer more details of the visit during days of congressional testimony starting Tuesday.
Austin and Blinken also announced that American diplomats will return to Ukraine starting next week, and will look into the feasibility of reopening the embassy in Kyiv in the coming weeks. In addition, Biden plans to formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, to be its next envoy in Ukraine, according to the U.S. official briefing reporters.
While the top U.S. officials were in Kyiv, Russian attacks continued overnight on the besieged city of Mariupol, while Kharkiv and the entire Luhansk region came under artillery fire, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
IMAGE relates to U.S. Sees Russian Military Shortfalls After Austin, Blinken Trip
Lloyd Austin, second left, and Antony Blinken, third left, meet with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, on April 24.Source: Ukrainian Presidency
Ukraine ‘Succeeding’
The visit by Blinken and Austin came as Russian forces are shifting after failing to take Kyiv or topple Zelenskiy’s government in the early weeks of the conflict launched by President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has pressured the U.S. and its allies to send more powerful weapons to repel Russia from the eastern Donbas region, where Russian troops are seeking to gain full control of Mariupol.
“When it comes to Russia’s war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding,” Blinken said. “We don’t know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene.”
Zelenskiy discussed matters including defense assistance, security guarantees, stepping up sanctions on Russia and further financial aid with Blinken and Austin, according to the president’s office. The senior State Department official who briefed reporters said that Zelenskiy seemed focused, grounded, and very detail-oriented during the meetings.
Austin said he and NATO counterparts will address the issue of what more can be done to provide “additional capability” to Ukraine when they meet at the Ramstein air base in Germany on Tuesday. “We will continue to do everything possible to ensure that you are successful,” he said in a video provided by Zelenskiy’s office.
Earlier: Biden Restocks Ukraine Arsenal With New Arms as Putin Widens War
Biden last week pledged an additional $1.3 billion in weaponry and economic aid, adding to an $800 million package that included heavy artillery for the first time, as well as additional helicopters. The latest aid shipments will include dozens of howitzers and attack drones.
The ongoing assistance to Ukraine is aimed at ensuring that the country has the strongest possible hand in any future negotiations with Russia, the senior State Department official said, adding that no serious negotiations are currently taking place.
Russia-Ukraine Latest News: April 24, 2022
Politics
Ukraine Latest: U.S. Vows to Step Up Weapons for Kyiv
Putin Claims the Sanctions on Russia Have Failed
Bloomberg News
April 24, 2022, 3:18 AM EDTUpdated onApril 25, 2022, 1:14 AM EDT
The U.S. pledged new weapons assistance and a stepped-up diplomatic presence as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv for the highest-level talks between the administration and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the country since Russia invaded.
The U.S. authorized a $165 million ammunition sale and the return of diplomats in the coming days. It comes as Russia shifts its forces to the east after failing to make ground around Kyiv in the north.
Air raid sirens were heard across most of Ukraine on Sunday evening and attacks continued on the Azovstal steel plant in the southeastern port city of Mariupol, where some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holding on.
Zelenskiy Press Conference
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the media in a Kyiv subway stationSource: Facebook
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- U.S. Sending Diplomats Back to Ukraine as Blinken, Austin Visit
- Ukraine’s Farmers Fight on the Front Line of Global Food Crisis
- Turkey Closes Airspace to Russian Jets Flying to Syria’s War
- German Minister Flags Stagflation Risk as Ukraine Strains Build
- Russia’s War Is Turbocharging the World’s Addiction to Coal
(All times CET)
Ukraine Apologizes to Japan over Twitter Post (7:11 a.m.)
An official Ukrainian government Twitter account issued an apology after showing a picture of Japan’s wartime Emperor Hirohito alongside Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in a social media video about the defeat of fascism.
Ukraine Apologizes to Japan for Linking Former Emperor to Hitler
The tweet had circulated widely over the weekend and prompted an official protest from Japan. It also threatened to alienate some conservatives from the Ukrainian cause in a country that has been strongly supportive of Zelenskiy since the Russian invasion began.
Blinken, Austin Meet Zelenskiy in Kyiv (5:55 a.m.)
The U.S. said it will start sending diplomats back to Ukraine and provide more military aid, as Blinken and Secretary Austin visited Kyiv on Sunday night.
American diplomats will return to Ukraine as early as this week, starting with day trips to the western city of Lviv and eventually resuming a presence in Kyiv, according to a senior State Department official. The U.S has also authorized up to $165 million for ammunition in addition to other funds to help Ukraine’s forces, especially on the eastern frontier.
On Monday morning in Washington, President Joe Biden plans to formally nominate Bridget Brink, now ambassador to Slovakia, as his next envoy in Ukraine, a State Department official said.
Read more: U.S. Sending Diplomats Back to Ukraine as Blinken, Austin Visit
Air Raid Alarms Sound Across Ukraine (6:45 p.m.)
Air raid sirens were heard across much of Ukraine early Sunday evening, from Lviv in the far west to Odesa on the Black Sea to Kharkiv in the north, according to a national alert system on Telegram.
The sirens typically warn residents of the potential for Russian air strikes. Authorities had warned Ukrainians of the possibility of stepped up strikes over the Orthodox Easter weekend.
Shmyhal Hails ‘Symbol’ of U.S. Officials’ Visit (5:38 p.m.)
The expected visit to Kyiv of Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin is a “very important political symbol,” Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday on CBS.
Shmyhal said Ukraine is having “negotiations with the United States, with all of our partners,” on its proposal that Kyiv could use frozen Russian assets as part of its recovery funds.
Ukraine Aide Says ‘Not a Good Idea’ for UN Chief to Meet Putin (3:55 p.m.)
Igor Zhovkva, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said it was “not a good idea” for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to meet Russia’s leader on Tuesday.
“We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and to talk to President Putin,” Zhovkva said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that he doubted the talks would “end up with any result.”
Guterres will travel to Kyiv after the Putin meeting. On Saturday, Zelenskiy said Guterres should “visit our towns where people were tortured and killed, and only after that find time for those esteemed in Moscow.”
No Civilian Corridor Out of Mariupol, Official Says (3:59 p.m.)
Ukraine was unable to evacuate civilians from Mariupol on Sunday without a cease-fire guarantee from Russia, deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks, adding, “We will continue trying tomorrow.”
Vereshchuk urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to demand in his planned meeting with Russian leaders on Tuesday that Moscow provide two evacuation corridors, one from the Azovstal steel plant and one from city of Mariupol itself.
Commander Says New Missile Can Carry Several Hypersonic Weapons (3:25 p.m.)
The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile test-fired on Wednesday can carry several hypersonic weapons, a senior Russian military officer said, according to the Associated Press.
General Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Russian military’s Strategic Missile Forces, described the weapon’s capabilities in televised remarks on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the “unique weapon” on state TV as a way to “reliably guarantee Russia’s security against outside threats” and force Moscow’s foes to “think again.”
Russia Says Test of New Sarmat ICBM ‘Successful’
Play0:54
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it successfully performed the first test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday from the Plesetsk launch facility in Northern Russia. Source: Bloomberg
Zelenskiy Speaks with Erdogan Before Diplomacy Round-Robin (2:40 p.m.)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said on Twitter. The evacuation of civilians from Mariupol was among the topics.
Turkey’s leader is set to host UN chief Antonio Guterres in Ankara on Monday. The UN chief meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, and later with Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
(An earlier version corrected the spelling of a Ukraine aide and the Ukraine president)
U.S., Allies Lobby to Get Ukraine to G-20 Summit Alongside Putin
Bloomberg Terminal
Politics
- U.S., Allies Lobby to Get Ukraine to G-20 Summit Alongside Putin
- Some nations wanted Russia to be excluded from the meeting
- U.S. among nations saying Ukraine should now come as guest
U.S. Pledges $700 Million in Additional Aid for Ukraine
ByAlberto Nardelli, @albertonardelli Yudith Ho, @yudithho and Jennifer Jacobs @JenniferJJacobs
April 25, 2022, 9:42 AM EDT
The U.S. is among nations pressing Indonesia to include Ukraine as a guest at the Group of 20 summit in November, frustrated at Jakarta’s refusal to withdraw an invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The shift in tactics shows the diplomatic wrangling confronting Indonesia as G-20 hosts this year, and the dilemma for member states including the U.S. given Putin’s war in Ukraine, now entering its third month. Russia is a member of the G-20, alongside countries like China and India, which have not joined sanctions on Moscow for its aggression.
The U.S. and some other Group of Seven members are now asking Jakarta, which has said it wants to “remain impartial” as rotating chair of the G-20, to extend an invitation for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to attend at least some of the meeting, according to officials familiar with the matter. A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
The host country traditionally invites a number of nations to join some aspects of the summit as observers, though they don’t tend to sit in on the formal discussions.
Including Zelenskiy would make it even more of a logistical and diplomatic nightmare for Indonesia if Putin decided to attend the summit on the tropical island of Bali in person. And it’s unclear if adding Ukraine would be enough to guarantee other leaders show up. At least some, including U.S. President Joe Biden, would not sit at the same table as Putin either way, the people said. It’s unclear whether or how Indonesia could engineer a summit to allow Putin and Biden to avoid crossing paths.
G-20 Wrestles With Response If Putin Shows Up at Bali Summit
The U.S. is among those supporting Russia’s removal from the G-20 entirely, though other countries including China oppose such a move. Russia was evicted from the smaller Group of Eight after Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
World Leaders Gather For G20 Summit In Brisbane
Vladimir Putin and other leaders pose for the annual G-20 family photograph in Brisbane, Australia in 2014.Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
It’s still possible some leaders simply opt to stay away entirely or send a lower-level delegation. Equally it’s unlikely the Russian president would take part in any events where Zelenskiy was also present.
So far Putin has declined to meet with Zelenskiy even as the Ukrainian leader says it’s the only way to end the war. Talks for a temporary cease-fire have struggled for traction and there’s been no discernible progress on a broader peace deal.
Biden already said last month that if Indonesia did not exclude Russia from the G-20 summit it should at least invite Ukraine to attend some meetings. One official familiar with the discussions said that message is now being reinforced behind closed doors.
Indonesia is still working out its position, according to another official, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential matters. The summit is months away and the government would prefer to wait and see. There’s been no decision yet on inviting Ukraine to the November summit, the person added.
Putin hasn’t decided yet whether to take part in the summit, according to another official with knowledge of the issue. The Russian leader is also waiting to see how the situation evolves through the next few months. It’s possible if he does attend he may only do so virtually.
Indonesian foreign ministry official and G-20 co-sherpa, Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
G-20 Role for 27-Year-Old Indonesia Singer Sparks Criticism
One concern is that inviting Zelenskiy means the entire summit becomes dominated by the conflict, an official said. That limits the scope for discussion on other matters including climate change and poverty. A diplomat from a G-7 country said the chances of the G-20 making any substantive progress on other issues were extremely limited and that such dim prospects were likely to extend to future summits.
The complexities were already on show at G-20 and International Monetary Fund gatherings in Washington last week attended by finance ministers and central bank chiefs. At several events, officials from countries including the U.S. walked out when a Russian attendee began speaking. There was no overall communique issued.
Afterward Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the protest against Russia’s participation was understandable, but added she’s confident that differences over the war won’t hinder G-20 cooperation.
“The G-20 continues as a premier forum for all of us to continue to discuss and talk about all of the issues,” she said. “I think we are going to be able to overcome the challenging tasks that we are facing today.”
Yellen-Led Walkout Shows Decline of Premier World Economic Club
Indonesia has already sent an invitation to Ukraine to speak at one of the gatherings this year about the impact of the war on the global economy and what the G-20 can do to support Ukraine’s economy in turn. Such a speech could happen potentially when finance chiefs meet in July, in Bali. It’s also possible a Ukrainian official could address one of the interim meetings by video conference.
G-7 nations are still working on a unified position on how they would handle a potential presence from Russia in November, according to people familiar with recent discussions. That includes the potential for the summit to end without a communique.
Still, some leaders are concerned about creating north-south splits within the G-20 and that outright boycotts could leave the stage to the Russian president.
Although G-7 nations including the U.S., U.K., France and Germany have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow, few other countries have joined those efforts –- and many governments in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East remain reluctant to do so.
The seven governments have been coordinating efforts to engage other G-20 members and beyond. One focus is on countering Russian disinformation operations that aim to blame western sanctions for rising food prices, the people said. The war has disrupted crucial supplies of crops like wheat from Ukraine.
The governments are also working to forge closer trade ties with members of the broader group, such as India, and trying to get others on board with their efforts to impede Moscow from circumventing sanctions.
Two people familiar with the conversations said in recent meetings of finance officials, developed countries used chunks of alloted time to condemn Russia before moving onto other matters. Developing countries mostly spoke only on the broader agenda.
— With assistance by Rieka Rahadiana
Russia-Ukraine Latest News: April 19, 2022
Politics
Ukraine Update: Mariupol on Brink; China Stands With Moscow
Zelenskiy: Situation in Mariupol Extremely Severe
Zelenskiy called for the international community to ramp up its supply of military aid, and the situation in Mariupol remains extremely severe.Source: Bloomberg
Bloomberg News
April 19, 2022, 3:05 AM EDTUpdated onApril 20, 2022, 1:35 AM EDT
Ukrainian defenders at a sprawling steel plant in the port city of Mariupol said they were outnumbered and appealed to world leaders for help as they faced what might be their last stand. Russia is demanding that they lay down their arms and surrender.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video on social media that the situation in Mariupol remained severe. “The Russian army is blocking any efforts to organize humanitarian corridors and save our people.”
Politics
- Long Shadow of Germany’s Top Putin Ally Is Hemming in Scholz
- Controversy over Gerhard Schroeder shows chancellor’s weakness
- Social Democrats are at odds over response to Ukraine invasion
Gerhard Schroeder, left, and Olaf Scholz in 2003.Photographer: Torsten Silz/DDP/Getty Images
ByMichael Nienaber @mcnienaber
April 25, 2022, 10:59 AM EDTUpdated onApril 26, 2022, 2:53 AM EDT
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is struggling to escape the shadow of his predecessor Gerhard Schroeder’s ties to Russia and that’s hampering efforts to help Ukraine.
Germany’s most-recent Social Democratic leader before Scholz, Schroeder, 78, has become a touchstone of controversy 17 years after losing power to Angela Merkel, revealing deeper issues at the heart of the left-leaning party.
U.S. to Send Howitzers to Ukraine ‘Very Soon’: Pentagon
WATCH: Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby says 18 U.S. Howitzers to bolster Ukraine’s defense will be transported “very soon.”Source: Bloomberg
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