China will send a special envoy to Kyiv on Monday, marking the first high-level visit from the Chinese government since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine almost 15 months ago.
(Bloomberg) — China will send a special envoy to Kyiv on Monday, marking the first high-level visit from the Chinese government since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine almost 15 months ago.
China’s envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, will also visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia on the trip, the foreign ministry said on Friday. He was appointed last month after Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first call to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy since the start of the war.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Stockholm on Friday will discuss the situation in Ukraine as well as how the war is affecting the bloc’s ties to China. China’s relationship with the EU will be “critically affected” if Beijing does not push Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, according to a draft paper by the EU’s foreign policy arm seen by Bloomberg that will be discussed at the meeting. Ukraine’s foreign minister will also attend.
Key Developments
- China to Send Special Envoy to Ukraine, Russia From Monday
- Erdogan’s Rival Accuses Russians of Meddling in Turkish Vote
- How an Aging Armada and Mystery Traders Keep Russian Oil Afloat
- South Africa Probes US Claim That It Supplied Arms to Russia
- Ministers Urge Stronger Line on Europe-China Relations
- Ukraine Crop-Deal Talks End With Pact Extension Still in Doubt
(All times CET)
Zelenskiy Will Not Address ‘Nonpolitical’ Eurovision Song Content (1 p.m.)
Ukraine’s president will not address to the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, England, after organizers rejected a request by Volodymyr Zelenskiy to speak to the popular event by video, the Associated Press reported.
The European Broadcasting Union, the assembly of national public broadcasters that runs the annual contest, said letting Zelenskiy participate would breach “the nonpolitical nature of the event.”
A spokesman denied that Zelenskiy had asked to speak to the event, the AP reported. Ukraine’s entrant won the 2022 contest which normally would mean Kyiv would hold this year’s competition. The UK stepped in to host on Ukraine’s behalf.
Germany to Place Leopard Tank Order Worth Up to $3.2 Billion (12:52 p.m.)
Berlin is poised to order 18 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to replace units sent to Ukraine, with an option for 105 more, at a total cost of around €2.9 billion ($3.2 billion).
The budget committee in Germany’s lower house of parliament is expected to approve the initial order — worth about €525 million — by the end of this month, said people familiar with the plan.
The order is the latest in a broader push to modernize Germany’s armed forces triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Read more: Germany to Place Leopard Tank Order Worth Up to $3.2 Billion
Ukraine Needs to Be in EU and NATO for Peace, Estonia Says (12:14 p.m.)
The only way for a lasting peace is to end the grey zones in Europe and for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told a press conference in Tallinn on Friday.
Ukraine needs a positive message on its future at the NATO summit in July, she said. The EU must move ahead with transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for reconstruction, Kallas said. The Estonian leader also called for moving ahead with a special tribunal for judging Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine Pushed Russians Back in Some Areas: Zelenskiy (12:14 p.m.)
Ukrainian troops led by Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi stopped Russian units, and even pushed them back in some areas, Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian president didn’t elaborate on the scope or location of the advance. Syrskyi, who is leading Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut, earlier reported his troops pushing Russians back near the city.
Turkey Sounds Optimistic Note on Grain Deal (10 a.m.)
Talks between Russia, Ukraine, UN and Turkey to extend Ukraine’s grain-export deal are headed toward a resolution, state news agency Anadolu reported, citing Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
The upbeat comment comes despite Russia’s insistence that the deal will end from May 18 unless its demands for progress toward removing obstacles on its own food and fertilizer shipments are met.
Pope Could Meet With Zelenskiy This Weekend (9:48 a.m.)
Pope Francis could meet with Zelenskiy this weekend, according to the Associated Press, citing a Vatican official. The pontiff has called for an end to the war and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainians.
Zelenskiy was also expected in Germany starting Saturday evening. Italian media, citing sources they didn’t identify, reported Thursday that he might be in Rome earlier that day to meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the pope. Ukraine’s president could also meet with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, according to the ANSA news agency.
A meeting with the pontiff “is a possibility,” the Vatican official told the AP on the condition of anonymity.
Russia Says Grain Deal to End If No Guarantees by May 18: Tass (9:48 a.m.)
The Black Sea initiative that’s allowed Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain and other foodstuffs will end unless Russia receives guarantees by May 18 that its demands will be met, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said after talks in Istanbul, according to Tass.
Russia is against constant extensions of the Black Sea grain deal and insists that agreements with the Russian side, which center on Moscow’s own grain and fertilizer shipments, haven’t been fulfilled.
No decision has been made on a new meeting about the deal at the deputy minister level after this week’s discussions.
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