Ukraine Update: Zelenskiy to Address UN Body; China Holds Talks
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he may address both United Nations Security Council and Spain’s Parliament today.
(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, while a call between top diplomats from Ukraine and China could pave the way for his first talks with President Xi Jinping since Russia’s invasion more than a month ago.
The U.S. said it might impose further sanctions this week on Moscow, as the world’s attention focused on allegations that Russian troops executed civilians in Bucha and other towns. Russia denies its forces killed civilians.
The U.S. Treasury also ratcheted up pressure on President Vladimir Putin by halting dollar debt payments from Russian government accounts at U.S. financial institutions.
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Key Developments
- Biden Floats Putin War Crimes Trial, More Sanctions on Russia
- Treasury Cuts Off Russian Reserves in the U.S. as War Drags On
- Horrors of Bucha Push Europe Toward New Sanctions on Russia
- Russian Superyachts Worth Over $2 Billion Are Detained in Europe
- Russia’s War Is Redrawing the $120 Billion Global Grain Trade
- U.S. Switchblade Drones for Ukraine Will Include Tank Killers
All times CET:
Japan Minister Brings 20 Ukrainian Evacuees (5:45 a.m.)
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi returned from Poland with some 20 Ukrainians who fled the fighting in their country, in an unprecedented move that highlights the special treatment being offered to those fleeing Russia’s invasion.
Prior to the arrival, Japan had already accepted almost 400 refugees from Ukraine in about a month. While that’s a tiny fraction of the millions who have fled, it’s more refugees than Japan has allowed in from the rest of the world over the past seven years.
Call Signals Xi May Speak With Zelenskiy (5:36 a.m.)
A call between top diplomats from Beijing and Kyiv sends a fresh signal that President Xi Jinping could soon speak with Ukraine’s president for the first time since Russia launched its assault of its neighbor.
China has come under pressure from the U.S. and others to take a clear line against the invasion, as its diplomats and state media play down civilian casualties and cast Putin as a victim of NATO expansion. While Xi has spoken to key players in the dispute including Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, he has yet to have a conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Read the story: China-Ukraine Call Signals Xi May Finally Speak With Zelenskiy
U.S. Treasury Cuts Off Russian Reserves (4:27 a.m.)
The U.S. Treasury Department has halted dollar debt payments from Russian government accounts at U.S. banks, increasing pressure on Moscow to find alternative funding sources to pay bond investors.
The move was designed to force Russia into choosing among three unappealing options -- draining dollar reserves held in its own country, spending new revenue, or going into default, said a spokesperson for the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control who discussed details of the decision on condition of anonymity.
Read the story: Treasury Stops Russia From Paying Debt Through Its U.S. Accounts
Crude Rises Amid Tension Over Russia (4:44 a.m.)
Stocks in Asia wavered Tuesday and crude oil climbed, as investors evaluated the prospect of tougher sanctions against Russia for alleged atrocities during the war in Ukraine.
Oil advanced on renewed fears about supply disruptions due to the war. The European Union is working on new Russian sanctions, while the U.S. said it might impose further penalties this week.
Poland, U.S. Set to Sign Deal for Tanks (2:40 a.m.)
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski is to sign an agreement on Tuesday with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak to buy 250 upgraded M1A2 tanks, ammunition, support and recovery vehicles, GPS receivers and other equipment that the State Department estimated in February could be worth as much as $6 billion, according to two officials.
An official familiar with the Polish government’s offer said the package was worth close to $4.7 billion. The U.S. Congress cleared the sale in early March. The first tanks are expected for delivery in 2025.
U.S. Switchblade Drones Will Include Tank Killers (2:40 a.m.)
The Pentagon plans to order and send to Ukraine 10 of the newest model Switchblade drones armed with tank-busting warheads in addition to previously announced deliveries of a less powerful version, according to two people familiar with the decision.
The new Switchblade-600 weapons are part of $300 million in lethal military assistance announced by the Pentagon Friday night that will be contracted directly from industry instead of drawn from existing stocks, according to the people, who asked not to identified discussing the plan.
Read the story: U.S. Switchblade Drones for Ukraine Will Include Tank Killers
Zelenskiy to Address UN Security Council (1:30 a.m.)
Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said he would speak to the UN Security Council on Tuesday. He also plans to deliver an address to the Spanish Parliament. The U.N. speech is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. New York time.
The Ukrainian president has already spoken virtually to the U.S. Congress, France’s National Assembly, the Japanese Diet and the U.K. House of Commons.
In his nightly video address he referred to the killings of civilians in Bucha, and said the death toll in Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, and other towns “may be even bigger.” Ukraine’s military meanwhile said Russian troops are concentrating on an offensive operation to “encircle Ukrainian troops and to seize Kharkiv.”
U.S. Readies New Sanctions Against Russia (9:34 p.m.)
The U.S. plans to announce new sanctions against Russia this week and is talking to European allies about new ways to put economic pressure on Russia, including those relating to energy.
“Yes, this week, we will have additional economic pressure elements to announce,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at the White House.
U.S. Says Ukraine War Not a Genocide (9:30 p.m.)
Sullivan explained why Biden hasn’t characterized the Ukrainian war as a genocide amid brutal assaults on civilians.
“We have seen atrocities. We have seen war crimes. We have not yet seen a level of systematic deprivation of life of the Ukrainian people to rise to level of genocide,” Sullivan said. “But again that’s something we will continue to monitor. There is not a mechanic formula for this.”
France Joins Germany in Expelling Diplomats (7:45 p.m.)
France has expelled 35 Russian diplomats following alleged atrocities committed against civilians in Bucha, two French foreign ministry officials said. The officials under diplomatic status were holding activities “contrary to our security interests,” according to a statement.
Earlier, Germany said it’s expelling 40 staff members of the Russian embassy in Berlin with suspected links to spy agencies. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow will respond to the expulsions, Interfax reported.
Ukraine Needs Urgent Help on Mines (5:30 p.m.)
International assistance is urgently needed to help strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to deal with the threat of explosive ordnance and mines, Henrik Villadsen, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s project coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement.
“Many civilians couldn’t leave the areas of armed violence and now have to survive in an extremely dangerous environment,” he said. “As military fronts are moving, displaced people feel tempted to return to affected areas they consider to be safe. Mines and unexploded and abandoned ordnance are now a widespread threat to all of them.”
Biden Says Putin Is ‘Brutal’ (5:10 p.m.)
Joe Biden said Putin could face additional sanctions as the U.S. president condemned alleged atrocities committed against civilians in Ukraine.
“This guy is brutal and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous, and everyone’s seen it,” Biden told reporters in his first comments since pictures emerged of dead civilians in mass graves and in the streets of towns newly liberated by Ukrainian forces. “He should be held accountable.”
Biden repeated his assertion that the Russian president is a “war criminal,” and said the evidence could lead to him being tried for war crimes.
Pentagon Says Kyiv Still at Risk (5:05 p.m.)
Ukraine’s capital remains at risk of strikes from Russian forces even as Moscow shifts more of its troops toward the eastern parts of the country, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters.
About one-third of the approximately 20 battalion tactical groups Russia deployed around Kyiv remain, with the rest in Belarus or heading that way, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive issues. Russian jets are flying about 200 sorties a day over Ukraine, even as the share of missile strikes has been declining, the official said.
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