European states reacted angrily to remarks by China’s ambassador to France questioning the independence of former Soviet states, which have tainted Beijing’s bid to be seen as a credible peace broker following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — European states reacted angrily to remarks by China’s ambassador to France questioning the independence of former Soviet states, which have tainted Beijing’s bid to be seen as a credible peace broker following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
General Mark Milley, America’s top uniformed military officer, says there’s “no silver bullet” the US and its allies can give to Ukraine to ensure it defeats Russia. Milley spoke Friday alongside US defense chief Lloyd Austin, who said Ukraine’s most pressing need is for ground-based air defenses. The pair held a meeting of military donors to Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Russia will expel “more than 20” German diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to what Moscow called a recent “massive expulsion” of Russian diplomats from Germany, its foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
Key Developments
- Anger as Chinese Diplomat Says Ex-Soviet States Not Sovereign
- Russia Accidentally Bombs Own City Near Ukraine, Injuring Three
- Russia’s Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Discuss OPEC+ Cooperation
- Russian Arms Sales to India Stall Due to Fears Over US Sanctions
- Nord Stream Mystery Brings Infrastructure Fears to Surface
(All times CET)
Russia’s ‘Real Men’ Recruitment Drive Likely to Fall Short, UK Says (9 a.m.)
A new drive by Russia for recruits — now appearing on social media sites, on billboards and on TV — is likely to fall short of attracting the reported target of 400,000 volunteers, the UK defense ministry said.
“The new adverts appeal to potential recruits’ masculine pride, appealing for ‘real men’, as well as highlighting the financial benefits of joining up,” the ministry said in a Twitter thread. “The authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any new, overt, mandatory mobilization for as long as possible to minimize domestic dissent.”
A day earlier, the UK said Russia had scrapped certain “patriotic” remembrance events on what were termed safety grounds, saying “the authorities were highly likely concerned that participants would highlight the scope of recent Russian losses.”
Anger as Chinese Diplomat Says Ex-Soviet States Not Sovereign (8 a.m.)
European states reacted with fury to remarks by China’s ambassador to France questioning the sovereign of former Soviet states. The firestorm threatens to overshadow China’s attempts to portray itself as a peacemaker in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Lu Shaye said in an interview on French network LCI that some “ex-Soviet Union countries” don’t have effective status under international law. “There is no international agreement to realize their status as a sovereign nation,” he said.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia announced plans to summon the top Chinese diplomats in their nations to explain the comments. All three are former members of the Soviet bloc, which collapsed in 1991.
Ukraine Sets New Sanctions on Russia (7 a.m.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed several decrees on further sanctions against Russian defence industry, targeting individuals and legal entities that help to circumvent anti-Russian sanctions. The list includes citizens of Russia, Switzerland and Iran, according to decrees.
“This time, 322 companies were added to the sanction lists – manufacturers of weapons, components, etc,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
“The tougher the sanctions regime against Russia,” the faster “the end of the aggression will be,” he said.
EU Set to Propose Banning Many Goods From Transiting Via Russia (4:30 p.m.)
The European Union is set to propose a ban on many goods transiting through Russia as the bloc attempts to tighten the screws on the enforcement of sanctions imposed over the past year.
The transit ban would extend to numerous technologies and other goods, including several types of vehicles, but not all items would be barred from traveling via Russia en route to third countries, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Read more: EU Set to Propose Banning Many Goods From Transiting Via Russia
Russia to Expel ‘More Than 20’ German Diplomats (2 p.m.)
Russia will cut staff limits for German diplomatic missions and expel “more than 20” diplomats in a tit-for-tat move following what Moscow called the recent “massive expulsion” of Russian diplomats from Germany, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the defense ministry’s TV channel, Zvezda. Germany’s Bild tabloid put the number of expulsions at 34 out of about 90.
“Russia has decided on the ‘mirror’ expulsion of German diplomats from Russia, as well as on significantly limiting the maximum number of employees of German diplomatic missions in our country,” the ministry said earlier in a statement.
According to the statement, Germany’s ambassador, Geza Andreas von Geyr, was informed about the plan on April 5. Over 20 Russians were expelled in Berlin’s recent action, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported.
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