Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since the Kremlin’s invasion began 14 months ago.
(Bloomberg) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since the Kremlin’s invasion began 14 months ago.
Russia put two companies owned by Fortum Oyj, the Finnish state-controlled utility, and German utility Uniper SE under temporary state administration in response to asset freezes by the US and its allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday night signed a decree, allowing the government to introduce temporary state control over property or securities owned by companies or individuals from the so-called unfriendly states.
Key Developments
- Russia Seizes Fortum, Uniper Plants in Response to Asset Freezes
- Russia Steps Up Tactical-Nuclear Threats With Belarus Training
- Poland and Hungary Plan to Extend Import Ban on Ukrainian Grain
(All times CET)
China to Send Representative to Ukraine, Xi Says (1:17 p.m.)
Xi told Zelenskiy during a phone call that the war can only be resolved through negotiations, according to China’s state TV, which cited the Chinese leader as saying his nation would send a representative to Ukraine. Zelenskiy tweeted that the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China would give a “powerful impetus” to relations.
China recently put forward a 12-point cease-fire proposal that was dismissed by Kyiv’s allies as being a one-sided deal that would benefit the Kremlin, while French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to enlist Beijing’s help to intervene in Ukraine.
Putin Critic Navalny Risks Decades in Jail, Spokeswoman Says (1:05 p.m.)
Russian prosecutors are pursuing new cases accusing jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny of “extremism” and “terrorism,” charges that carry sentences of up to 30 years and 35 years respectively, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter.
A Moscow court today gave Navalny until May 5 to familiarize himself with 196 volumes of case material alleging “extremism,” the state-run Tass news service reported. Navalny said via video link before the closed hearing that prosecutors were also preparing a “terrorism” case against him.
Putin’s most high-profile critic is already serving a nine-year sentence after he returned to Moscow in January 2021 from treatment abroad for a poisoning in Russia that he and the West blamed on the Kremlin.
Russia Steps Up Tactical-Nuclear Threats (11:17 a.m.)
Russia trained troops from Belarus on tactical nuclear warheads for Iskander short-range missiles, taking a step toward following through on its threat to deploy the weapons on the territory of its ally.
Putin last month announced plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus for the first time. As its invasion of Ukraine has struggled, Russia has repeatedly suggested it may use nuclear weapons, drawing criticism from the US and its allies, as well as China and India, which have generally been more supportive of Russia in the conflict.
Poland to Open Repair Hub for Leopard Battle Tanks in May (11:17 a.m.)
Poland will open a repair hub next week for German-made Leopard tanks returning from the Ukrainian battlefield, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.
The decision follows a letter signed by Poland, Germany and Ukraine laying out the preliminary financial scheme for the creation of a service hub.
Garland Meets With Chief Justice (7:13 a.m.)
US Attorney General Merrick Garland met in Washington Tuesday with Vsevolod Kniaziev, the chief justice of Ukraine.
The two men discussed “the challenges posed by wartime conditions” in running a justice system, and “expanding access to justice, especially in those areas most affected by the war,” according to a Justice Department account of their encounter.
Sweden Expels Five Russian Diplomats (7:13 a.m.)
Sweden expelled five diplomatic staff members from the Russian embassy, broadcaster SVT reported. The ambassador was summoned by Swedish authorities.
“Their activities on our territory have been incompatible with their status as diplomats,” said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom in an interview.
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