Here are the latest updates on the war in Ukraine:
Reports of bombings around Kyiv and Chernihiv continued Wednesday, a day after Russia pledged to de-escalate its military operation in the area. The president of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia said on Wednesday that the region would take steps in the near future to become part of Russia. US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed additional US assistance, sanctions and peace talks between Kiev and Russia in an hour-long meeting on Wednesday, the two sides said. More than 4 million refugees have fled Ukraine, says UN agency Ukraine’s food crisis is worse than World War II, warns UN chief
5:50 p.m. ET
International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine says it is a victim of a misinformation campaign
Taras Logginov, head of the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency, stands in the basement used as a cover during air raid alerts Kyiv, Ukraine, March 30, 2022.ANTON SKYBA / The Globe and Mail The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency department says efforts to help those affected by the war with Russia have been hampered by a dispute surrounding his international counterpart and his role in the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been accused of being too cooperative with Moscow and has been criticized for considering opening an office in Rostov-on-Don, a town in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border, which some say could to be used to facilitate the deportation of Ukrainians. ICC President Peter Maurer has further angered critics by posing for a handshake with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following a recent meeting in Moscow. This week, a group of Ukrainian lawmakers called on the ICRC to reconsider its plans for the Russian office. More than 3,000 people, including representatives from dozens of Ukrainian humanitarian organizations, signed an open letter to Mr Maurer calling on his organization to do more to stop the evacuations and work more effectively with local volunteers. The Ukrainian-Canadian Congress has also sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trindade asking him to express concern about Rostov-on-Don’s office and to question how donations are being made to the Canadian Red Cross in Ukraine. ICRC officials say the allegations are baseless – that the Red Cross will never evacuate people against their will. The organization said it works with all parties in conflict zones to help those in need and always remains neutral. – Paul Waldiein Lviv 5:25 p.m. ET
Zelensky says talks with Russia are continuing without concrete results
“Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are continuing” but at the moment there are only words, nothing concrete, “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised speech on Wednesday. Zelensky also said that Ukrainian forces were preparing for new attacks by Russia in the Donbas region. – Reuters 5:10 p.m. ET
White House condemns Trump’s request for Putin to provide information on Hunter Biden amid Ukraine war
The White House on Wednesday criticized Donald Trump’s request to Russian President Vladimir Putin to release potentially damaging information about the son of US President Joe Biden, calling the move particularly bad weather as the war in Ukraine rages. Journalists asked White House spokeswoman Kate Bendingfield about the former president’s comments on the “Just the News” television program, which raised unfounded questions about Hunter Biden’s former business dealings in Russia. Trump said: “I think Putin would know the answer to that. “I think he has to release it.” The comments came as Western nations sought to persuade Putin to end his five-week offensive in Ukraine, the largest European war since World War II. Russia calls its actions there a “special military operation.” “What kind of American, let alone a former president, thinks it’s the right time to get into a plan with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin?” “There is only one, and that is Donald Trump,” said Bedingfield. – Reuters 4:45 p.m. ET
US warns India and others of sharp rise in Russian oil imports
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi welcomes the President of Russia Vladimir Putin before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, December 6, 2021. ADNAN ABIDI / Reuters A significant increase in Russian oil imports from India could put New Delhi at “great risk” as the United States prepares to speed up sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, a senior US government official has said. . While current US sanctions against Russia do not prevent other countries from buying Russian oil, the warning raises expectations that Washington will try to restrict other countries’ markets to normal levels. The US official’s comments come in the wake of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s two-day visit to New Delhi and during the ongoing visit of US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh. Refineries in India, the world’s third-largest importer and consumer of oil, have been buying Russian oil through spot tenders since the war broke out on February 24, taking advantage of big discounts as other buyers retreat. India has bought at least 13 million barrels of Russian oil since February 24, compared to nearly 16 million barrels in 2021 total. “The United States has no objection to India buying Russian oil on the condition that it buy it at a discount, without a significant increase from previous years,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “An increase is allowed,” said the source, who did not provide further details. – Reuters 4:00 p.m. ET
The Pentagon says Russian troops are being repositioned
In a more specific description of Russian forces moving away from Kyiv, the Pentagon says “less than 20 percent” of Russian troops in the Ukrainian capital are beginning to be “repositioned.” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby did not provide a specific number of troops on Wednesday. He said those who had begun to move away from Kyiv had grown up near the Hostomel airport northwest of Kiev. Kirby said it appeared Russia was withdrawing troops from Kyiv to refuel and reorganize them for use elsewhere in Ukraine – not to send them back to Russia. Moscow officials said earlier this week that they were significantly reducing military operations in the Kiev region as a gesture to advance peace talks. However, Ukrainian and US officials have expressed skepticism about Russia’s intentions. – The Associated Press 3:15 p.m. ET
The recovery of the Russian ruble raises questions about the impact of sanctions
The ruble is no longer rubble. The Russian ruble by Wednesday had recovered from the fall it needed as US and European allies moved to bury the Russian economy under thousands of new sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has resorted to extreme economic measures to ease Western sanctions. While the West has imposed unprecedented levels of sanctions on the Russian economy, Russia’s central bank has raised interest rates to 20 percent and the Kremlin has imposed stricter capital controls on those wishing to exchange their rubles for dollars or euros. It is a monetary defense that Putin may not be able to withstand, as long-term sanctions are straining the Russian economy. But the ruble’s recovery could be a sign that sanctions in their current form are not working as vigorously as Ukraine’s allies expected when it comes to forcing Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine. The ruble traded at about $ 85 per US dollar, about where it was before Russia launched its invasion a month ago. The ruble had fallen to about $ 150 a barrel on March 7 when news broke that the Biden government would ban imports of Russian oil and gas from the United States. – Reuters 2:45 p.m. ET
Chechen leader Kadyrov says Russia will not make any concessions to Ukraine, contradicts Kremlin
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian province of Chechnya, gestures to about 10,000 soldiers in the regional capital of Chechnya, Grozny, Russia, March 29, 2022. The Associated Press Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, said on Wednesday that Moscow would not make any concessions in its war in Ukraine, deviating from the official line and implying that the Kremlin negotiator himself was wrong. Kadyrov, who has Chechen forces fighting in Ukraine as part of a Russian military operation, told the Telegram that President Vladimir Putin would not just stop what he had started there. He was speaking after Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, said after talks with Ukraine on Tuesday that Moscow was taking steps to de-escalate the conflict, including reducing military activity around Kyiv. “We will not make any concessions, it was ήταν Medinsky who made a mistake, he made a wrong statement… And if you think (Putin) will give up what started exactly as it is presented to us today, that is not true,” Kadyrov said. . Kadyrov, who rose to power in the predominantly Muslim southern Russian region of Chechnya in the aftermath of two violent wars following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has often described himself as “Putin’s foot soldier.” Moscow has channeled huge sums of money to rebuild the region under him. Although he wields enormous power and is one of the country’s most important regional leaders, his statements contradicting Medinsky by name were very unusual on such a sensitive issue as the war. – Reuters 2:25 p.m. ET
Biden, Zelensky discuss sanctions, aid, talks with Russia
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed additional US aid Wednesday …
