UKRAINE WRAP | Germany is the second biggest arms supplier to Ukraine, defence minister says

March 29 2022 - 21:55

US liaising with Ukrainian forces in Poland, Pentagon says

The Pentagon said US troops in Poland were "liaising" with Ukrainian forces as they hand over weapons to them, but it was not training "in the classic sense.

"Pentagon spokesman John Kirby did not provide details on what exactly the interactions entail.

Kirby added that additional aircraft, including 10 F-18 jets, and more than 200 personnel would be headed to eastern Europe, including Lithuania.

-Reuters

March 29 2022 - 19:49

Germany is the second biggest arms supplier to Ukraine, defence minister says

Berlin is the second biggest arms supplier to Ukraine at the moment, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Tuesday, responding to criticism her country was not delivering enough weapons to Kyiv.

"With regard to Ukraine, Germany has become the second biggest arms supplier in the meantime, I believe," Lambrecht said at an event of the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, without giving details.

-Reuters

March 29 2022 - 17:30

Russia has repeatedly fired hypersonic missiles at Ukraine targets - U.S. general

Russia has repeatedly fired hypersonic missiles at Ukrainian military targets, the top U.S. military commander in Europe, Air Force General Tod Wolters, told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

"Most of those strikes have been designated at specific military targets," Wolters said.

Russia announced on March 19 that it used hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine's western Ivano-Frankivsk region.

-Reuters

March 29 2022 - 15:30

Ukraine proposes Moscow drop any opposition to it joining EU -official

Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Tuesday that Kyiv's proposals to Moscow at talks in Istanbul included one that Russia would not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union.

He made the comment in footage broadcast on state television after talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. 

-Reuters

March 29 2022 - 13:54

ANALYSIS-As sanctions 'weaponise' US dollar, some Treasury buyers could fall back

US sanctions against Russia should hasten a move by some countries to reduce their reliance on the US dollar, which could also soften demand for Treasuries just as the Federal Reserve, the largest holder of US debt, looks to cut its bond holdings.

The US and other Western nations have imposed widespread economic sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, which have effectively cut off Russia's central bank, sovereign wealth fund, banks, and certain individuals from entering into US dollar transactions.

The dollar is the world's top reserve currency. Analysts say using it as a financial weapon is likely to accelerate a move already under way by many countries to diversify investments into alternative currencies.

March 29 2022 - 13:06

Kremlin says Abramovich acting as go-between in Ukraine talks

Billionaire Roman Abramovich is not an official member of the Russian team negotiating with Ukraine, but is present at the talks in Turkey to "enable certain contacts" between the two sides, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Abramovich who is sanctioned by the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine due to his ties with President Vladimir Putin, was present on Tuesday at the first direct peace talks in more than two weeks in Istanbul.

"Roman Abramovich is involved in enabling certain contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian sides," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call.

"He is not an official member of the delegation... but nevertheless he is also present today in Istanbul from our side," he said.

"In order to carry out contacts between the two sides, you need to get approval from both sides, and in the case of Abramovich, this approval is there from both sides," he added.

The Kremlin, which has said Abramovich also played an early role in peace talks, dismissed reports that he had been poisoned, saying they were untrue and part of an "information war".

According to the Wall Street Journal and the investigative outlet Bellingcat, which cited people familiar with the matter, Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials have also poured cold water on the reports.

Peskov told reporters that it would become clear either on Tuesday or Wednesday if the peace talks were promising.

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 12:58

Nato allies split on whether they should talk to Russia’s Putin

As Nato allies discuss the terms of any potential peace deal to be struck between Russia and Ukraine, signs of strategic splits are emerging within their ranks. 

With the war in its second month, a series of dilemmas are coming into sharp focus over which conditions could be deemed acceptable by Ukraine for any accord, especially regarding the security guarantees alliance members might be able to offer Kyiv. 

There are also divergences over what further weapons to send to Ukraine, and on the question of whether talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin is helpful, according to people familiar with discussions that have taken place in the past week between leaders on both sides of the Atlantic and documents seen by Bloomberg.

March 29 2022 - 12:51

IAEA chief in Ukraine to offer nuclear safety assistance

 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is in Ukraine for talks with senior government officials about ensuring the safety and security of its nuclear facilities, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

"This conflict is already causing unimaginable human suffering and destruction," said Grossi in a statement. "The IAEA's expertise and capabilities are needed to prevent it from also leading to a nuclear accident."

Grossi will also visit one of Ukraine's nuclear power plants this week.

He is expected to hold a news conference when he returns to Vienna later this week. Reuters

March 29 2022 - 12:48

Russian supply chains next in line for sanctions — US Treasury's Adeyemo

The US and its allies plan new sanctions on more sectors of Russia's economy that are critical to sustaining its invasion of Ukraine, including supply chains, deputy US treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo said on Tuesday.

Adeyemo, speaking in London on a European trip to consult with allies on strengthening and enforcing sanctions to punish Russia, said the broadening of those efforts was aimed at undermining “the Kremlin's ability to operate its war machine”.

“In addition to sanctioning companies in sectors that enable the Kremlin's malign activities, we also plan to take actions to disrupt their critical supply chains,” Adeyemo told an event at the think-tank Chatham House.

March 29 2022 - 12:35

Biden to broach Russia's war in Ukraine with Singapore PM

US President Joe Biden plans to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's role in the Indo-Pacific with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore at the White House on Tuesday, a senior administration official said.

Lee, who will later meet US Vice President Kamala Harris, will join Biden in an Oval Office meeting before the leaders make a joint statement, the White House said.

Speaking on a briefing call, the official, who declined to be identified, said the US was very pleased with Singapore's decision to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last month.

March 29 2022 - 12:26

Russia keeping Eurobond payment commitments, says finance ministry

The Russian finance ministry said on Tuesday it has fully paid a coupon on the country’s Eurobond due in 2035, its third payout since unprecedented Western sanctions called Moscow’s ability to service foreign currency debt into question.

The ministry said it had channelled $102m (about R1.5bn) for the coupon payout on the Eurobond to Russia’s National Settlement Depository (NSD).

“The Russian finance ministry has fully executed its obligations to service sovereign securities of the Russian Federation in accordance with the Eurobond prospectus,” the ministry said, without giving details on whether the payment had been sent to Euroclear or processed further to foreign Eurobond holders.

March 29 2022 - 11:30

Ukraine says negotiators discuss security guarantees, ceasefire to solve humanitarian issues

Security guarantees and organising a ceasefire to resolve humanitarian problems were being discussed at talks in Turkey between Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

"Intensive consultations are underway right now on some important issues, the most important of which is agreement on international security guarantees for Ukraine, because with this agreement we will be able to end the war as Ukraine needs," said political adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on national television.

"The second issue is a ceasefire to solve all the humanitarian problems that have accumulated," he said.

He said another problem was the "escalation of the war" including what he said, without giving details, was the "violation of the rules of war".

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 11:17

UN says helps up to 900,000 people in Ukraine, more needed

UN aid agencies have managed to help up to 900,000 people in Ukraine so far, but they must be guaranteed safe passage by the warring parties to be able to do more, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"That's good but it's far from enough," Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a briefing, calling for safe passage for aid workers and convoys.

Separately, Jarno Habicht, the representative for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Ukraine, said 72 people had been killed and 40 people injured in 74 attacks on health care facilities so far in the conflict. 

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 10:57

Emirates airlines will continue to fly to Russia until told not to by owners -president

Emirates airlines will continue to fly to Russia until its owners tell them not to, President Tim Clark said on Tuesday.

"As long as the state, our owner, requires us to fly there, we will continue," he said."

There are lots of reasons why we fly, we carry humanitarian goods in our holds. We've got NGOs travelling in and out of Russia. We've got the diplomatic community going in and out of Russia...so all we're doing is being an enabler, facilitator, without taking a political position on this for the time being," Clark added.

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 08:30

'I kept saying bring Brent': Inside the moment bullets struck journalist Brent Renaud

CNN's Anderson Cooper visits photojournalist Juan Arredondo in a New York hospital, as the photographer recounts the moment he and award-winning filmmaker Brent Renaud came under fire while covering the war in Ukraine.

March 29 2022 - 08:06

UK military intelligence says Russia still poses significant threat to Kyiv

Russia poses significant threat to Kyiv through their strike capability even though Ukrainian forces continue localised counter attacks to the north west of the city, British military intelligence said on Tuesday.

Russian forces have maintained their offensive on Mariupol with continuous heavy shelling of the city, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. "However the centre of the city remains under Ukrainian control."

Elsewhere, Russian forces are maintaining blocking positions while attempting to reorganise and reset their forces, it added. 

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 07:05

Air raid sirens wail as Ukraine hopes for ceasefire from peace talks

 Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine before dawn on Tuesday as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepared to meet in Turkey for face-to-face talks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty.

Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of a breakthrough at the meeting later on Tuesday, the first direct talks between the two sides in more than two weeks, even though Russia's invasion appeared to have stalled on several fronts.

More than a month into the war, the biggest attack on a European nation since World War Two, more than 3.8 million people have fled abroad, thousands have been killed and injured, and Russia's economy has been pummelled by sanctions.

Reuters

March 29 2022 - 06:30

'No apologies': Biden defends comment on Putin

After sparking a global controversy, U.S. President Joe Biden defended his recent remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power but said it did not reflect a policy change.

March 29 2022 - 06:00

Civilian deaths mount ahead of Russia-Ukraine talks

Ukraine said it was hoping that the first face-to-face peace talks with Russia in over two weeks could lead to a ceasefire