The US ambassador to Russia visited detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Russian prison, more than 2 1/2 weeks since his arrest on spying charges, the US Embassy in Moscow said.
(Bloomberg) — The US ambassador to Russia visited detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Russian prison, more than 2 1/2 weeks since his arrest on spying charges, the US Embassy in Moscow said.
Vladimir Putin praised ties between the Russian and Chinese armed forces, while Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu told the Kremlin leader that Beijing is willing to “further strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries.”
Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Japan s vowed to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” in its fight against Russian forces.
Key Developments
- G-7 to Back Ukraine Indefinitely, Seeks Stability With China
- Brazil’s Foreign Minister Criticizes Russia Sanctions
- Ukraine Grain Snarled Again With Blockages Now on Two Fronts
- Lula, Russia’s Lavrov to Discuss Ukraine in Visit to Brazil
- China Tensions High on Agenda as G-7 Diplomats Meet in Japan
- Russian Oil Gets Switched at Sea Between Tankers Near Cape Verde
(All times CET)
G-7 Pledges to Support Ukraine Indefinitely (5:50 a.m.)
In a communique released Tuesday after top G-7 diplomats met in Japan, the bloc condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms.” The nations reiterated support for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace plan, while assailing Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
“We recommit today to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes and to providing sustained security, economic, and institutional support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression,” the ministers said.
Brazil’s Foreign Minister Complains About Sanctions (1:32 a.m.)
Economic sanctions placed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine are taking an unnecessary toll on nations that aren’t involved in the conflict, Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Monday.
“Aside from not having the approval of the United Nations Security Council, [sanctions] have a negative impact on economies around the world,” Vieira said in a statement to the press after he and Lavrov met in Brasilia.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet with Lavrov later Monday afternoon, as he presses on with an elusive strategy to have Brazil and other emerging-market nations involved in a plan to stop the war in Ukraine. Brazil is among the nations that have not participated in sanctions imposed on Russia since its February 2022 invasion, when Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, also opposed them.
US Commits a Prosecutor to Pursuit of War Crime Evidence (7:06 p.m)
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department “will detail an experienced prosecutor” to work in the Hague with a seven-nation Ukraine Joint Investigative Team that’s “investigating core international crimes committed in Ukraine.”
Garland spoke at the Justice Department in Washington alongside visiting Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. Garland said their offices were working together “to investigate specific crimes committed by Russian forces, including unlawful attacks directed at civilians.”
Zelenskiy Urges Solid Decisions on Weapons From Allies (6:13 p.m.)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he expects a meeting this week of allied defense secretaries to produce solid decisions on his country’s “rather ambitious” battlefield plans.
Zelenskiy said in his regular evening address that he’s already had initial talks ahead of the meeting of Ukraine’s allies at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
US Ambassador Visits WSJ Reporter Gershkovich in Russian Prison (4:20 p.m.)
Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, visited Gershkovich more than 2 1/2 weeks after his arrest, the US Embassy in Moscow said. The Biden administration had complained that Russia was violating diplomatic norms by refusing to provide Gershkovich with consular access.
Gershkovich, 31, was detained in Yekaterinburg, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of Moscow, by Federal Security Service agents. Charged with spying, which carries a 20-year penalty, he’s now being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. The Kremlin says he was caught “red handed,” but has provided no evidence. The Wall Street Journal denies the allegations.
Russia Seeks to Limit Ruble Hit Amid Exodus of Foreign Firms (1:50 p.m.)
Russia is seeking a way to curb the impact of a foreign investor exodus on the ruble, which has fallen to a one-year low. A series of asset sales by firms from countries opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have helped weaken the ruble by 9% against the dollar this year.
In reaction, the Bank of Russia and the government are developing a mechanism to set a limit for hard-currency purchases by foreign companies exiting Russia, the Finance Ministry said. The cap can be floating and depend on the situation on the market, the ministry’s press service said in its response to questions from Bloomberg News.
Ukraine Says Russia Blocked Grain Ship Inspections Today (1:45 p.m.)
For the second time in the nine months that the Ukraine grain initiative has been in effect, not a single vessel has been inspected, according to a Ukrainian government statement. Since April 10, Russia, as a part of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, has unilaterally stopped registering vessels that Ukrainian ports submit to form an inspection plan.
“Meanwhile, the Russians form their own inspection plan by choosing the vessels from the queue at their discretion, which completely contradicts the terms of the initiative and is unacceptable for Ukraine,” the government said. Ukraine has called on the UN and Turkey to ensure that “all parties in the JCC comply with the procedures that have worked for 9 months.”
G-7 Nuclear Powers Aim to Remove Russia From Uranium Market (1:20 p.m.)
Nuclear powers within the G-7 pledged to end Russia’s dominance over global atomic-fuel markets, potentially cutting off a critical source of geopolitical currency for Putin more than a year after his invasion of Ukraine.
Canada, France, Japan, the UK and US committed on Sunday to jointly dislodge Russia from global nuclear supply chains. Even amid Western sanctions over the war, the Kremlin’s state-owned nuclear giant, Rosatom Corp., has remained the world’s biggest exporter of reactors and fuel.
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