Ukraine Latest: Lavrov Warns of Nuclear War; Biden Names Envoy
Read all the latest developments and updates from the Ukraine crisis here.
(Bloomberg) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned there’s a “serious” danger of nuclear conflict, as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington’s goal was to see Russia weakened so it can’t attempt a repeat of the war.
President Joe Biden named a career diplomat to be the U.S.’s new ambassador to Ukraine as his administration ramped up its military aid and diplomatic presence in the country that has been fighting invading Russian forces for about two months.
The United Nations has said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to visit Russia on Tuesday, where he will meet President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov in shuttle diplomacy seeking peace that would next take him to Ukraine for talks Wednesday with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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Key Developments
- U.S. Sees Russian Military Shortfalls After Austin, Blinken Trip
- Biden Weighs Adding Global Food Aid to Ukraine Funding Request
- Indonesia Pushed to Ask Ukraine to G-20 Summit Alongside Putin
- Military Spending Passes $2 Trillion as Europe Boosts Defenses
- The Long Shadow of Germany’s Top Putin Ally Is Hemming in Scholz
(All times CET)
Oil Gives Up Gains (5:38 a.m.)
Oil has now 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.
Biden Announces Choice for Ambassador (2:30 a.m.)
President Joe Biden announced he intended 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.”
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.
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.
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.”
U.S. Readying Longer-Term Aid Package, Psaki Says (9:35 p.m.)
The U.S. will soon propose an appropriations package for longer-term Ukraine aid, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. Details on the scale of the funding request will likely be announced later this week, she said.
Psaki also said “no one is safe” when it comes to people linked to Putin hoping to avoid sanctions. She added that the U.S. continues to review sanctions and that more are likely coming.
Poland Says Tanks Included in Weapons For Ukraine (8:17 p.m.)
Poland sent tanks to Ukraine as part of its support for the country, Premier Mateusz Morawiecki told Polsat TV in an interview. It wasn’t clear when the deliveries were made.
Morawiecki over the weekend said the government has provided about 7 billion zloty ($1.6 billion) in military aid for Ukraine.
ICC Prosecutor Confirms Role on Investigations Team (6:59 p.m.)
Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, said his office is joining an investigations team on “alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine,” alongside Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.
“The Ukraine situation, in particular, demands collective action so as to secure relevant evidence and ultimately ensure its effective use in criminal proceedings,” Khan said in a statement on the ICC website.
Germany Says Russian Expulsions Unjustified (6 p.m.)
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the 40 German diplomats being expelled by Russia “are not guilty of anything” and that by ordering them to leave, Moscow is “further harming itself.”
By contrast, the 40 members of the Russian missions who were expelled by Berlin three weeks ago “did not spend a day in diplomatic service during their stay in Germany,” she said in a statement. “Rather, these people have worked systematically against our freedom and against the cohesion in our society for years,” she said.
Sweden, Finland to Seek Joint NATO Bid (5:17 p.m.)
Swedish and Finnish policy makers have agreed to seek entry into the NATO defense bloc simultaneously in mid-May, according to media reports in both Nordic countries. The application is likely to be presented in the week starting May 16, to coincide with a state visit to Sweden that week by Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto, reports said.
U.S. Sees Major Depletion of Russian Forces (5:10 p.m.)
Russia is facing a significant depletion of its hardware and forces in Ukraine as the war drags on and Russian production lines confront shortages of components and parts, according to a senior U.S. State Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
Indonesian G-20 Host Pressed to Invite Ukraine (3:45 p.m.)
The U.S. is among nations pressing Indonesia to include Ukraine as a guest at the Group of 20 summit in November, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Frustrated at Jakarta’s refusal to withdraw an invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin despite his invasion of Ukraine, some G-7 members are now asking Indonesia to invite President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for at least some of the meeting.
Russian, U.S. Diplomats Meet in Moscow (3:40 p.m.)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan discussed “some bilateral issues,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.
Russia to Tighten Foreign Agents Rules (2:50 p.m.)
Russia will expand limits on people and institutions it determines to be “foreign agents” under a new law proposed in parliament that marks another step in Moscow’s tightening control over critics.
The measure would allow both individuals and groups or companies to be designated as foreign agents even if they don’t get funding from outside Russia. It would also ban them from teaching or other work with children. Russia has designated scores of independent groups, journalists and activists under the existing legislation, first passed a decade ago.
Ukraine Asks Guterres for Safe Corridor (2:38 p.m.)
Ukraine said it has asked the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to help secure a safe passage for civilians fleeing from Azovstal after failing to agree with Russia on a corridor Monday.
“In particular, we ask that representatives of the UN and the ICRC are present in the humanitarian convoys,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram. “We hope that the talks of the UN Secretary General with Russian representatives will be fruitful.”
Putin Denounces “Sanctions Aggression” (1:43 p.m.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced what he called “sanctions aggression” by the U.S. and its allies and called on officials to help business amid the pressure.
Putin also called for prosecutors to investigate crimes he alleged had been committed by nationalists in Ukraine. He accused Ukrainian security services, without providing evidence, of a plot to murder a prominent Russian television host that he said had been exposed by Russia’s Federal Security Service.
Eurojust Empowered to Probe War Crimes (1:33 p.m.)
The European Commission approved a proposal to reinforce the mandate of Eurojust, the European Union’s agency for judicial co-operation in criminal matters, so it can fully support the investigation of potential war crimes in Ukraine.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders was last month put in charge of coordinating the EU-wide response, including to see how Eurojust can support such a large-scale investigation. Legally, its mandate doesn’t extend to an operation “of this scale and crimes of this extent,” the commission said.
Russia Targets Railway Hubs, Ukraine Says (11 a.m.)
A fire broke out at Krasne railway station in the Lviv region following a Russian missile strike, the regional governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.
In the Vinnytsya region southwest of Kyiv, the cities of Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn -- both rail hubs -- were also targeted by Russian missiles, the regional governor, Serhiy Borzov, said on Telegram, adding that there were some deaths and injuries.
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