The Chinese government denied unspecified reports in western media that the country exported drones to aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as groundless – and accused the US of engaging in the spread of “fake information.”
(Bloomberg) — The Chinese government denied unspecified reports in western media that the country exported drones to aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as groundless – and accused the US of engaging in the spread of “fake information.”
Senior Russian officials meanwhile privately raised concerns some 10 months ago about the risks of becoming too dependent on Chinese technologies after US and European Union sanctions shut off access to alternative suppliers, according to a Russian government paper.
Russia may have been using civilian ships to prepare sabotage by gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, according to an investigative report by public broadcasters in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The Kremlin denied the report.
Key Developments
- Russian Memo Said War Leaves Moscow Too Reliant on Chinese Tech
- Ukraine’s Key Black Sea Crop Exports Resume After Latest Halt
- China Is Boosting Imports of Ukrainian Corn Through Black Sea
- Ryanair CEO Sees Ukraine Aviation Opportunity Once War Ends
(All times CET)
US Defense Chief ‘Fully Anticipates’ Sweden in NATO (2:20 p.m.)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he “fully anticipates” Sweden will be a member of NATO in time for a summit of the alliance’s leaders in Vilnius in mid-July and encouraged Turkey and Hungary to ratify the bid as soon as possible.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson near Stockholm, Austin said he wouldn’t predict when Turkey would ratify the nation’s bid to join the alliance, but added: “I’m sure these countries will reach that decision and I feel confident they’ll reach it before July.”
Zelenskiy Visits Troops Near in Northwest Border Region (1:58 p.m.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukraine’s northwestern Volyn region to inspect troops stationed near the border with Poland and Belarus, according to the president’s website. He thanked personnel for protecting the nation’s frontier.
The visit followed a trip to the eastern city of Avdiyivka in the embattled Donetsk region, on the frontline of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Ukraine’s Black Sea Crop Exports Resume After Latest Halt (1:50 p.m.)
Ukraine’s Black Sea crop shipments resumed on Wednesday, following another brief halt that sparked fresh worries about future cargoes from the key exporter.
Inspections of vessels under a safe-passage corridor are again taking place after a two-day stoppage, according to Ukraine and the joint coordination center which oversees the checks. Kyiv has blamed the disruption to the initiative — which has been crucial for bringing down global food-commodity costs from records reached after Russia’s invasion — on Moscow. Wheat futures declined.
Read More: Ukraine’s Black Sea Crop Exports Resume After Latest Halt
EU to Examine Grain Trade Rules After Ukraine Import Bans (1:26 p.m.)
The EU will take preventive measures under appropriate trade rules for wheat, corn, sunflower and rapeseed to address the situation, after several EU countries banned imports of grain from Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is offering three proposals to address the situation, a spokesperson. The bloc has already provided a support package of €56 million ($61 million) for most affected farmers — and is now preparing a second package of €100 million for five nations.
China Denies It Sold Drones to Help Russia’s Military Effort (1:24 p.m.)
The Commerce Ministry issued the denial as groundless and fake, according to a statement, and defended Beijing’s “strict control” of drone exports to prevent the hardware from being used in conflicts. China will strengthen export controls for drones, the statement said, urging other nations to join in preventing unmanned aircraft from being deployed in Ukraine.
Bank of Cyprus to Close Accounts of 4,000 Russian Customers (12:24 p.m.)
Bank of Cyprus Holding Plc will close all accounts held by Russians who are not resident in a European Union country. The action applies to some 4,000 clients and “follows the suspension of Russia’s membership by the Financial Action Task Force and the designation of Russia as a non-cooperative tax jurisdiction by the European Union,” the bank said in a statement.
Total deposits at the eastern Mediterranean island’s largest lender stood at €19 billion ($21 billion) on Dec. 31. Of that, about 3% was from Russian or Belarusian clients, according to the lender.
China Is Boosting Imports of Ukrainian Corn Through Black Sea (12:06 p.m.)
China, the biggest corn importer, is buying more of the grain from Ukraine, even as Beijing strengthens its strategic relationship with Russia.
About 1.5 million tons of corn left Ukrainian ports bound for China under the Black Sea Grain Initiative in March and so far in April, according to data from the Joint Coordination Centre for the agreement. That brings the amount since the start of the year to more than 3 million tons. By comparison, shipments were about 1.7 million tons from September to December, the data show.
Estonia Hosts World’s Largest Cyber War Games (11:50 a.m.)
Over 3,000 participants from locations in 38 nations will practice defending a fictional country from simulated cyber attacks at a NATO-affiliated exercise based in Tallinn this week. The annual Locked Shields exercise will involve thousands of attacks on mock critical infrastructure systems, such as banks and power plants.
“Ukraine has strong digital competences, and that has meant that their state can keep delivering essential digital services even in wartime,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a statement.
Bulgaria Joins Ban on Ukrainian Food Imports, Allows Transit (9 a.m.)
Prime Minister Galab Donev said that after the introduction of corridors for Ukrainian grains, “significant volumes of foods remained in the country and disrupted basic production-trade chains.” He added: “Bulgaria remains in solidarity with Ukraine but the bankruptcies of its agricultural producers will by no means contribute to its cause.”
Hungary has banned imports of Ukrainian grains and selected agricultural products until July 1, while allowing cargo to pass through the country. Several eastern European countries have voiced concerns that Ukrainian agricultural supplies piling up in local warehouses are hurting their domestic markets.
Russia Mapping Nordic Infrastructure Using Civilian Ships: Report (9:05 a.m.)
The investigative report identified some 50 vessels that could be part of a Russian program to gather intelligence on wind farms, gas pipelines and cables for electricity and data traffic.
While most of the ships have been identified using data from the AIS tracking system, others such as the research vessel Admiral Vladimirsky have been traveling with AIS transceivers switched off. When a team from Denmark’s public broadcaster, DR, approached the ship, which has passed several offshore wind farms in Denmark and the UK, men armed with machine guns appeared on board.
Norway’s NRK also identifies a Russian fishing vessel that has sailed slowly past US nuclear submarines when they have surfaced in Norwegian waters on at least four occasions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the report as “groundless,” according to Tass.
Russian Memo Said War Leaves Moscow Too Reliant on Chinese Tech (8:15 a.m.)
A previously unreported assessment from inside Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media suggests that some senior officials are worried that Chinese companies such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. could come to dominate the Russian market and may pose a risk to the country’s information security and networks.
European officials familiar with the document said it suggests that Russia has backed itself into a corner since it struggles to produce advanced technology domestically and has been cut off from other foreign markets following the invasion of Ukraine. The report, drafted in the summer of 2022, highlights chips, network devices and electronics as areas of particular vulnerability.
Ten Civilians Injured, One Killed in Kherson Region by Russian Strikes (8:10 a.m.)
The Kherson region came under Russian artillery and drone strikes 79 times in the past 24 hours, and 350 rounds of ammunition were fired, killing one civilian and injuring ten, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram. Russian forces fired at residential areas, a local market and an educational building in the city of Kherson.
Ukrainian defenses downed ten out of 12 drones sent by Russia to the Odesa region overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.
(Corrects headline in second item to say Zelenskiy visit was in northwestern Ukraine.)
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