Ukraine-Russia war live: Press Putin to end war, Germany urges China’s Xi Jinping
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he urged Chinese president Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Mr Scholz told Mr Xi in a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that China’s word carries “weight in Russia.”
“I have therefore asked president Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Earlier, a Russian source said Moscow was ready to redeploy Wagner troops working in Africa to bolster its offensive in Ukraine.
The source claimed Russian authorities are preparing to redeploy unspecified detachments of the Africa Corps from Africa to Belgorod, Ukraine, according to US think tank Institute for the Study of War.
Key Points
Scholz urges China to help end war in Ukraine
Zelensky: Major power plant destroyed as Kyiv had zero missiles to protect it
Attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant put the world at risk, says IAEA
Vital US aid impacting Ukraine’s defence against Putin’s troops, think tank warns
Zelensky and his Ukrainian commanders discuss war strategy
Ukraine uses UK-made Strom Shadow missiles to strike target deep in occupied territory
09:38 , Matt Mathers
We’re pausing our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine for today.
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Airports in three Russian cities impose temporary restrictions for security reasons
09:13 , Matt Mathers
Airports in the Russian cities of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk and Nizhny Novgorod, located to the east of Moscow, imposed temporary restrictions on flights for security reasons, Russia’s aviation watchdog said on Wednesday.
By 10 am Moscow time flight operations resumed in Nizhny Novgorod, Rosaviatsia said.
50,000 Russian soldiers confirmed dead in Ukraine
08:46 , Matt Mathers
More than 50,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the Kremlin invaded its neighbour more than two years ago.
The number of deaths was nearly 25 per cent higher last year than in the first 12 months of the war, according to analysis by the BBC.
The corporation used graves, open-source information from official reports, newspapers and social media to confirm the deaths.
Scholz: I urged Xi Jinping to press Putin on ending war
08:31 , Matt Mathers
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he urged Chinese president Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Mr Scholz told Mr Xi in a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that China’s word carries “weight in Russia.”
“I have therefore asked president Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Italy seeks G7 message to end war in Ukraine
08:23 , Matt Mathers
Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, with soaring tensions in the Mideast and Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine topping the agenda.
Under Italy’s rotating stewardship, the G7 leaders are expected to issue a united call for Israel to exercise restraint after Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired toward the Jewish state.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, on Tuesday and urged Israel to not only de-escalate any reaction to Iran’s attack but to stave off a planned offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
"I reiterated this message and I believe that on the occasion of the G7 foreign ministers in Capri, tomorrow and Friday morning, a similar message will be sent," Tajani told state-run RAI.
With Israel’s war in Gaza in its sixth month, Tehran’s attack added a new element of urgency to the three-day meeting, with German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock making a last-minute visit to Israel before arriving on Capri on Wednesday evening.
"We will discuss how a further escalation with more and more violence can be prevented," she said.
"Because what matters now is to put a stop to Iran without encouraging further escalation," Baerbock said, in calling for new sanctions against Tehran.
Russian attack kills people in Ukraine’s Chernihiv, hits infrastructure, governor says
08:18 , Matt Mathers
A Russian missile attack killed and injured residents and damaged social infrastructure in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus said.
"The enemy hit with three missiles almost in the city centre. There are victims among civilians and many injured," Chaus said in a video as sirens blared in the background.
He said on the Telegram messaging app that emergency services and medics were working on the site of the strike in the historic city, about 150 km (93 miles) from the capital Kyiv.
No further details were immediately available. Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, on Wednesday reiterated Kyiv’s plea for more air defence.
In recent weeks Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, targeting the country’s power sector and other critical infrastructure.
ICYMI: Zelensky signs new army mobilization law
07:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill overhauling army mobilization rules, according to the parliamentary website.
The law will come into force a month after it is officially published.
It obliges men to update their draft data with the authorities, boosts payments to those who volunteer, and adds new punishment for draft dodging.
Conflict in Middle East risks another food and energy price surge, says IMF
06:26 , Arpan Rai
Escalation of conflict in the Middle East risks pushing up food and energy prices across the world, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The UN body also warned that the UK will eke out slower growth this year than previously thought and remain the second-worst performer in the G7 group of advanced economies.
The IMF said the global economy has had an “eventful” journey in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia’s war in Ukraine triggered a global energy and food crisis, and a surge in inflation, followed by central banks around the world hiking interest rates.
Read more here:
Conflict in Middle East ‘risks another food and energy price surge’ says IMF
ICYMI: Germany’s Scholz - I asked China’s Xi to pressure Russia to stop war
06:00 , Matt Mathers
German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said he had asked Chinese president Xi Jinping to exert influence over Russia to end the war in Ukraine, adding that both leaders rejected attacks on nuclear facilities.
Speaking on the final day of his trip to China, Scholz also said China had agreed to open up beef and apple imports from Germany and facilitate pork imports.
Speaking on economic issues, Scholz said Europe wanted to reduce risks, intensify existing contacts and build new ones.
Zelensky again compares Ukraine and Israel-Iran conflict: ‘Same ballistic missiles'
05:54 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky repeated his call for increased protection of airspace, comparing the two biggest armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
“In the last two days we have heard all kinds of things. About different conflicts – here in Europe and in the Middle East – different levels of threats, different airspace. Although the ‘Shahed’ drones and ballistics are the same… Different threats of escalation. But are human lives different, are people’s values different? No, they are not,” he said in his nightly address.
He added: “We value every life equally. We must do so. We must protect them from terror on the same level. Ukraine will request a meeting of the Ukraine – Nato Council to discuss the protection of the skies, the supply of anti-aircraft warfare, relevant systems and missiles. We are actively working now to ensure a productive first Global Peace Summit in June.”
Russian attack risk against Nato if US allows Ukraine defeat in war, says think-tank
05:23 , Arpan Rai
The risks of a Russian attack against Nato in the near future would rise dramatically if the US allows Russia to defeat Ukraine now, the US-based think-tank The Institute for the Study of War said in its latest analysis on the cost of letting Russia win in its invasion of Ukraine.
“The United States thus has only two real choices today. It can quickly resume providing military aid to let Ukraine stabilize the front lines near the current locations. Or it can let the Russians defeat the Ukrainian military and drive toward the NATO borders from the Black Sea to central Poland. There is no third option,” the ISW said.
It added: “The risks of a Russian attack against NATO in the near future would rise dramatically if the US allows Russia to defeat Ukraine now, and the challenge of defending the Baltic States in particular could become almost insurmountable. These long-term risks and costs far outweigh the short-term price of resuming assistance to Ukraine.”
The ISW added that the US lawmakers are debating about providing additional military assistance to Ukraine based in part on the assumption that the war will remain stalemated regardless of US actions.
“That assumption is false. The Russians are breaking out of positional warfare and beginning to restore maneuver to the battlefield because of the delays in the provision of US military assistance to Ukraine. Ukraine cannot hold the present lines now without the rapid resumption of US assistance, particularly air defense and artillery that only the US can provide rapidly and at scale,” the ISW said.
ICYMI: Russian blogger Ivleeva accused of ‘discrediting’ Russian army - court
05:00 , Matt Mathers
Russian blogger Anastasia Ivleeva, the organiser of a “Nearly Naked” party that caused a major scandal, has been charged with discrediting the Russian army, according to the Moscow court service.
Ivleeva has been charged with an administrative offence, which could lead to a fine, and the hearing has been set for 25 April, the court service said.
Zelensky signs new mobilisation bill to boost conscription in Ukraine
04:46 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has signed into law a bill to overhaul Ukraine’s army mobilisation rules as Kyiv tries to generate fresh manpower to rotate its exhausted troops fighting Russian invaders.
The law obliges Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years of age to update their personal data with the military authorities, allowing draft offices to see more easily who can be called up in any given region.
Military-age men will be legally required at all times to carry the registration document they are given by the draft office. Draft officers will be allowed to ask to see the document in the street.
The legislation also abolishes mandatory conscription for Ukrainian men aged 18 or older, and replaces it with basic military training for all men starting from September 2025.
One new provision allows people who have been convicted and given a suspended sentence to serve in the army. Convicts are currently banned from any type of military service.
After being mobilised, all men must undergo compulsory training before being sent to a combat area.
The legislation bans people from driving vehicles if they do not abide by the mobilisation rules. An earlier draft had proposed tough punishments such as asset freezes for such people, but that was cut after a public outcry. A separate bill proposing fines for draft dodgers passed its first reading today.
Zelensky thanks German chancellor for diplomacy in China
04:31 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked German chancellor Olaf Scholz for his diplomatic efforts in Beijing to resolve Kyiv’s 25-month-old war with Russia and said China could play a role in securing peace.
Ukraine has deployed considerable effort to secure the backing of China, which has close ties with Russia, for a peace summit due to take place in Switzerland in June. Russia is not invited to the gathering and has dismissed any such meeting as meaningless without Moscow’s participation.
Mr Scholz spent more than three hours yesterday with Chinese president Xi Jinping and said he asked him “to exert pressure on Russia so that (president Vladimir) Putin finally calls off his insane campaign, withdraws his troops and ends this terrible war”.
But Mr Xi appeared to dismiss the meeting in Switzerland, saying efforts towards a peaceful resolution should be recognised by both sides and include equal participation by all parties.
“I would like to specially thank Olaf, the Chancellor of Germany, for his leadership and appropriate international communication,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
“For the signals we have heard from Beijing. China can indeed help restore a just peace for Ukraine and stability in international relations.”
Mr Zelensky said the meeting in Switzerland “offers a real chance for all of us to ensure that the UN Charter and its goals and principles truly come into effect.”
Ukraine PM calls for more investment in war-torn country in US visit
04:04 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine prime minister Denys Shmyhal drumming up calls for investment and business in the war-torn Ukraine as he kicked off a United States visit with multiple stops in Chicago.
He spoke to Chicago-area business leaders before a joint news conference with Penny Pritzker, the U.S. special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, and her brother, Illinois governor JB Pritzker.
“We would warmly welcome the participation of Illinois companies in projects related to the recovery of Ukraine,” Mr Shmyhal told reporters, calling it the country’s “most difficult time” in recent history.
Shmyhal’s trip comes comes as Congress is considering an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies.
He cited World Bank estimates of $486bn needed for recovery over the next decade. For example, more than 250,000 residential buildings that have been damaged or destroyed since Russia invaded in 2022, he said.
Ukraine prime minister calls for more investment in war-torn country during Chicago stop of US visit
ICYMI: Ukraine says it downs all nine drones launched by Russia
04:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all nine drones launched in a Russian attack, the air force said on Tuesday.
The aerial weapons were destroyed over several eastern and southern regions, Ukraine’s air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
ICYMI: Russia has so far lost 455,340 troops in war - Ukraine
03:00 , Matt Mathers
Russia has lost 455,340 troops in Ukraine since invading the country in February 2022, Ukraine has said.
Some 920 of those casualties occurred in the past day, according to a report by Ukraine’s general staff of the Armed Forces.
According to the report, Moscow has also lost 7,189 tanks, 13,809 armored fighting vehicles, 15,563 vehicles and fuel tanks, 11,609 artillery systems, 1,046 multiple launch rocket systems, 759 air defense systems, 347 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,277 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.
ICYMI: On a China visit, the German chancellor says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens global security
02:00 , Matt Mathers
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leader Xi Jinping who hosted him in Beijing on Tuesday that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens global security, in an apparent call for China to apply greater pressure on its neighbor and close strategic partner to resolve the conflict.
Scholz also told Xi at their meeting that the use of nuclear weapons in the 2-year-old war should not even be threatened, German media reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine.
Full report:
On a China visit, the German chancellor says Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens global security
ICYMI: Thousands without power as strong winds and heavy rain damage energy infrastructure
01:00 , Matt Mathers
Strong winds and heavy rain left thousands of people in Ukraine without power on Tuesday.
The adverse weather damaged electrical infrastructure, leaving four regions without power supply.
“Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said.
In Dnipropetrovsk, the worst affected area in central Ukraine, over 15,000 people in 96 towns and villages were cut off.
DTEK, one of the main energy providers, said its engineers had worked “all night and in the morning” to restore power to the region.
ICYMI: Kremlin dismisses France’s call for Olympic truce
Wednesday 17 April 2024 00:01 , Matt Mathers
The Kremlin reacted coolly on Tuesday to French president Emmanuel Macron’s call for a truce in international conflicts during the Paris Olympics, saying Ukraine might use it as an opportunity to regroup and rearm.
Suspending armed conflicts under an “Olympic truce” is a longstanding tradition of the Games, and Macron said in an interview on Monday that he would work towards achieving one when Paris hosts the Olympics from 26 July to 11 August.
Asked about Macron’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that both president Vladimir Putin and the Russian military had “noticed that, as a rule, the Kyiv regime uses such ideas, such initiatives to try to regroup, to try to rearm, and so on and so forth. This, of course, significantly complicates the process of considering such initiatives.”
ICYMI: Poland should be part of several air defence systems, says PM
Tuesday 16 April 2024 23:00 , Matt Mathers
Poland will cooperate with the European Sky Shield Initiative air defence umbrella and it makes sense for the country to be part of several air defence systems, prime minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is a common air defence scheme set up by Germany in 2022 to boost European air defence.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Andrzej Duda said Poland hadn’t given any thought to joining what he described as a “German business project”.
ICYMI: 15 Ukrainian civilians injured in Russian airstrike in Kherson
Tuesday 16 April 2024 22:00 , Matt Mathers
Some 15 Ukrainian civilians have been injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Beryslav in the Kherson Oblast region.
The region’s prosecutor’s office said the 15 suffered concussions following a strike that damaged residential buildings, shops, a pharmacy and other buildings at around 11:30 local time.
All 15 received medical treatment at the scene.
Moscow to ‘redeploy Wagner troops’ to Ukraine
Tuesday 16 April 2024 21:52 , Alexander Butler
Moscow is set to redeploy Wagner troops working in Africa to bolster its offensive in Ukraine, according to a Russian insider source.
The source claimed Russian authorities are preparing to redeploy unspecified detachments of the Africa Corps from Africa to Belgorod, Ukraine, according to US think tank Institute for the Study of War.
ICYMI: Ukrainians granted sanctuary in Britain sent to live with suspected gangsters
Tuesday 16 April 2024 21:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukrainian refugees fleeing the horrors of war to find sanctuary in British homes were sent to live with suspected gangsters under the government’s flagship Homes for Ukraine scheme, The Independent can reveal.
People with suspected links to serious or organised crime were among those approved as hosts under the scheme, which was set up in 2022 to encourage warm-hearted homeowners to lend a spare room to those fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Full report:
Ukrainians granted sanctuary in Britain sent to live with suspected gangsters
US defence chief speaks with Chinese counterpart, Pentagon says
Tuesday 16 April 2024 20:00 , Matt Mathers
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with China’s defense minister on Tuesday, the first engagement the two have had in over a year as the two countries seek to restore military ties.
The phone call comes as US president Joe Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping have sought to manage tensions and after the two leaders last year resumed direct military talks.
In a readout after the call, the Pentagon said Austin "underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea."
An escalating diplomatic dispute and recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a US treaty ally, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.
The Pentagon said the two also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea, and Washington’s commitment to the one China policy.
ICYMI: Ukrainian weapons manufacturing fuelling economic progress, says minister
Tuesday 16 April 2024 19:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukrainian weapons has fuelled both military and economic progress in the country, a senior minister has said.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industries said the country’s military-industrial complex grew Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 1.5% in 2023.
This a significant proportion of the total 5 per cent GDP growth last year.
Mr Kamyshin said he was confident that figure would double to 3% of GDP growth this year. But he warned Ukraine’s government could not afford to buy up all its domestic weapons’ production.
Ukraine was in discussions with international allies about the purchase of weapons for Ukraine from domestic manufacturers to cover the financial shortfall, he said.
“I am convinced that we will start purchases from Ukrainian manufacturers with foreign funds in the new future,” the minister said.
ICYMI: Russia paying Asian migrants to fight against Ukraine, say British intelligence update
Tuesday 16 April 2024 18:00 , Matt Mathers
Russia is employing foreign nationals to fight against Ukraine, according to the latest British intelligence update by the Ministry of Defence.
The Russian Armed Forces have advertised roles in neighbouring countries, such as Armenia and Kazakhstan, as well as migrants from India and Nepal.
Recruits are reportedly being paid around £2,000 a month.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 15 April 2024.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/EwBELWpRTX #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/0GPGaFG8ms— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 15, 2024
Poland should be part of several air defence systems, says PM
Tuesday 16 April 2024 17:00 , Matt Mathers
Poland will cooperate with the European Sky Shield Initiative air defence umbrella and it makes sense for the country to be part of several air defence systems, prime minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is a common air defence scheme set up by Germany in 2022 to boost European air defence.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Andrzej Duda said Poland hadn’t given any thought to joining what he described as a "German business project".
Under an onslaught of Russian troops and drones, Ukraine’s troops say they are ‘screwed’ without US weapons
Tuesday 16 April 2024 16:30 , Matt Mathers
Askold Krushelnycky travels from Kramatorsk to Chasiv Yar in Ukraine’s eastern frontline and hears from soldiers who say they cannot hold on much longer as they run out of ammunition. Even if their own drone attacks are so far keeping the waves of assaults at bay for now.
Full report:
Ukraine’s frontline troops say they are ‘screwed’ without US weapons
37,000 Ukrainians missing - ombudsman
Tuesday 16 April 2024 16:10 , Matt Mathers
Some 37,000 Ukrainians have been registered missing since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the chief ombudsman has said.
The figure includes civilians, children, and military personnel. About 1,700 people have been illegally detained by Russia, Dmytro Lubinets said, speaking at an event in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Mr Lubinets added that his office was doing everything it could to return the missing and abducted civilians, the Kyiv independent reported.
"Based on an initiative of our office, Ukraine has established an international platform for the release of civilians illegally detained by Russia," he said.
US ambassador to Japan says boosting arms industry ties is key to a stronger security alliance
Tuesday 16 April 2024 15:50 , Matt Mathers
The US ambassador to Japan urged Tokyo on Tuesday to take a greater role in developing, producing and supplying weapons “to enhance our collective security” amid conflict in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere.
Ambassador Rahm Emanuel visited a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ F-35 fighter jet factory and stressed the importance of stronger defense industry cooperation between the allies. The United States alone can no longer supply all democracies, he said.
Full report:
The US ambassador to Japan says boosting arms industry ties is key to a stronger security alliance
Russia arrests man over car bombing of double agent in Moscow
Tuesday 16 April 2024 15:30 , Matt Mathers
Russia’s FSB security service said on Tuesday it had detained a man it claimed had tried to kill an ex-employee of Ukraine’s main security service in Moscow last week with a car bomb on Kyiv’s orders.
A powerful explosion ripped through a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado belonging to Vasily Prozorov, a former Lieutenant-Colonel in Ukraine’s SBU security service, on 12 April, leaving Prozorov with wounds to his legs and arms.
Prozorov, who now lives in Russia, had told Russian state news agency RIA how he used his SBU position in Ukraine to pass sensitive information to Russian intelligence agencies from 2014 onwards for ideological reasons.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on Tuesday.
Editorial: The Homes for Ukraine scheme is bold and right but must be better run
Tuesday 16 April 2024 15:10 , Matt Mathers
One of the good decisions made by Michael Gove, who as housing and communities secretary was responsible for the Homes for Ukraine scheme when it was set up two years ago, was to allow the project to be driven from the bottom up.
The scheme was an expression of solidarity from the British people to the Ukrainian people, and the role of the British government, as Mr Gove saw it, was to enable and support it – but mainly to get out of the way.
Read the full editorial below:
Editorial: The Homes for Ukraine scheme is bold and right but must be better run
ICYMI: US citizen who was arrested in Moscow on drug charges appears in court
Tuesday 16 April 2024 14:45 , Matt Mathers
A US citizen arrested on drug charges in Moscow amid soaring Russia-US tensions over Ukraine appeared in court on Monday.
Robert Woodland Romanov is facing charges of trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs as part of an organized group — a criminal offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
He was remanded into custody in January, and the trial began in the Ostankino District Court in late March. A new court hearing is scheduled for next week.
Full report:
US citizen who was arrested in Moscow on drug charges appears in court
15 Ukrainian civilians injured in Russian airstrike in Kherson
Tuesday 16 April 2024 14:29 , Matt Mathers
Some 15 Ukrainian civilians have been injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Beryslav in the Kherson Oblast region.
The region’s prosecutor’s office said the 15 suffered concussions following a strike that damaged residential buildings, shops, a pharmacy and other buildings at around 11:30 local time.
All 15 received medical treatment at the scene.
Zelensky signs new army mobilization law
Tuesday 16 April 2024 14:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill overhauling army mobilization rules, according to the parliamentary website.
The law will come into force a month after it is officially published.
It obliges men to update their draft data with the authorities, boosts payments to those who volunteer, and adds new punishment for draft dodging.
Germany’s Scholz: I asked China’s Xi to pressure Russia to stop war
Tuesday 16 April 2024 13:45 , Matt Mathers
German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said he had asked Chinese president Xi Jinping to exert influence over Russia to end the war in Ukraine, adding that both leaders rejected attacks on nuclear facilities.
Speaking on the final day of his trip to China, Scholz also said China had agreed to open up beef and apple imports from Germany and facilitate pork imports.
Speaking on economic issues, Scholz said Europe wanted to reduce risks, intensify existing contacts and build new ones.
Russian blogger Ivleeva accused of ‘discrediting’ Russian army - court
Tuesday 16 April 2024 13:30 , Matt Mathers
Russian blogger Anastasia Ivleeva, the organiser of a "Nearly Naked" party that caused a major scandal, has been charged with discrediting the Russian army, according to the Moscow court service.
Ivleeva has been charged with an administrative offence, which could lead to a fine, and the hearing has been set for 25 April, the court service said.
US house speaker says spending bills, including sanctions, to come Tuesday
Tuesday 16 April 2024 13:09 , Matt Mathers
US house speaker Mike Johnson said spending legislation will be released later on Tuesday, as the house prepares to vote on four separate measures providing aid to Israel and Ukraine.
One of the bills will also include additional sanctions on Russia and Iran, Johnson told Fox News in an interview, and lawmakers are trying to include provisions to secure the US border.
ICYMI: Ukraine says it downs all nine drones launched by Russia
Tuesday 16 April 2024 13:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all nine drones launched in a Russian attack, the air force said on Tuesday.
The aerial weapons were destroyed over several eastern and southern regions, Ukraine’s air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
ICYMI: Russia has so far lost 455,340 troops in war - Ukraine
Tuesday 16 April 2024 12:40 , Matt Mathers
Russia has lost 455,340 troops in Ukraine since invading the country in February 2022, Ukraine has said.
Some 920 of those casualties occurred in the past day, according to a report by Ukraine’s general staff of the Armed Forces.
According to the report, Moscow has also lost 7,189 tanks, 13,809 armored fighting vehicles, 15,563 vehicles and fuel tanks, 11,609 artillery systems, 1,046 multiple launch rocket systems, 759 air defense systems, 347 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,277 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.
ICYMI: Three Ukrainians killed in past 24 hours
Tuesday 16 April 2024 12:20 , Matt Mathers
Three people have been killed and eight others injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, regional authorities have said.
Two men, aged 63 and 65, were reportedly killed, while two other men, aged 38 and 65, and two women, aged 63 and 66, were injured in an attack on Kharkiv Oblast, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
An attack on the city of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast killed one person and injured two other, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Russian troops also reportedly attacked the Bakhmut, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk districts, damaging 11 buildings, including three high-rise buildings, an infrastructure facility and an administrative building.
In full: On a China visit, the German chancellor says Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens global security
Tuesday 16 April 2024 11:48 , Matt Mathers
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leader Xi Jinping who hosted him in Beijing on Tuesday that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens global security, in an apparent call for China to apply greater pressure on its neighbor and close strategic partner to resolve the conflict.
Scholz also told Xi at their meeting that the use of nuclear weapons in the 2-year-old war should not even be threatened, German media reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine.
Full report:
On a China visit, the German chancellor says Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens global security
ICYMI: The US and UK restrict the trade of Russian-origin metals
Tuesday 16 April 2024 11:30 , Matt Mathers
The US and UK will begin restricting the trade of new Russian-origin metals — including aluminum, copper and nickel — on global metal exchanges and in derivatives trading.
The announcement is meant to follow up on the Group of Seven nations’ commitment in February “to reduce Russia’s revenues from metals” as its invasion into Ukraine has dragged on for more than two years.
Full report:
The US and UK restrict the trade of Russian-origin metals
Thousands without power as strong winds and heavy rain damage energy infrastructure
Tuesday 16 April 2024 11:20 , Matt Mathers
Strong winds and heavy rain have left thousands of people in Ukraine without power on Tuesday.
The adverse weather damaged electrical infrastructure, leaving four regions without power supply.
“Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said.
In Dnipropetrovsk, the worst affected area in central Ukraine, over 15,000 people in 96 towns and villages were cut off.
DTEK, one of the main energy providers, said its engineers had worked “all night and in the morning” to restore power to the region.
Ukraine’s ability to strike deep into Russian territory spooks military - MoD
Tuesday 16 April 2024 11:05 , Matt Mathers
Read the Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence update on the war in Ukraine below:
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 16 April 2024.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/EwBELWpRTX #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/gZAEVfsz5q— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 16, 2024
Kremlin dismisses France’s call for Olympic truce
Tuesday 16 April 2024 10:50 , Matt Mathers
The Kremlin reacted coolly on Tuesday to French president Emmanuel Macron’s call for a truce in international conflicts during the Paris Olympics, saying Ukraine might use it as an opportunity to regroup and rearm.
Suspending armed conflicts under an "Olympic truce" is a longstanding tradition of the Games, and Macron said in an interview on Monday that he would work towards achieving one when Paris hosts the Olympics from 26 July to 11 August.
Asked about Macron’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that both president Vladimir Putin and the Russian military had "noticed that, as a rule, the Kyiv regime uses such ideas, such initiatives to try to regroup, to try to rearm, and so on and so forth. This, of course, significantly complicates the process of considering such initiatives."
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens global security - German chancellor
Tuesday 16 April 2024 10:30 , Matt Mathers
Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leader Xi Jinping who hosted him in Beijing on Tuesday that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens global security.
It was an apparent call for China to apply greater pressure on its neighbour and close strategic partner to resolve the conflict.
Mr Scholz also told Mr Xi at their meeting that the use of nuclear weapons in the two-year-old war should not even be threatened, German media reported.
Russian president Vladimir Putin warned last month that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine.
Mr Scholz told Mr Xi that Germany’s "core interests" were impacted by the war against Ukraine, which has threatened to spread into a regional conflict and has disrupted energy and global food supplies and other trade.
Russia’s actions "violate a principle of the United Nations Charter and the principle of the inviolability of national borders," Mr Scholz was quoted as saying by German media.
China has refused to criticise the invasion and has maintained ties with Russia. While China says it is not sending military aid to Moscow, it has provided it with an economic lifeline to help it cope with sanctions from the West.
US slaps sanctions on Belarus firms and individuals linked to Russian war machine
Tuesday 16 April 2024 10:20 , Matt Mathers
The US has imposed sanctions on 12 Belarus businesses and 10 individuals with links to Russia’s war machine.
The Department of the Treasury said the sanctions included six revenue-generating state-owned enterprises and one entity and five individuals involved in facilitating transactions for a US-designated major Belarusian defense sector enterprise.
Five entities and five individuals involved in a global arms network doing business with a US-designated Belarusian defence firm were also sanctioned.
“The authoritarian Lukashenka regime continues to rely on revenue from its SOEs to fund its violent suppression of its citizens and to circumvent US sanctions,” Brian E Nelson, under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
“We will continue to leverage our broad suite of tools to target Belarus’s extensive illicit facilitation networks and hold the regime accountable for its complicity in, and profiteering from, Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine.”
Ukraine ran out of missiles to protect power plant destroyed by Russia - Zelensky
Tuesday 16 April 2024 10:07 , Matt Mathers
Russia was able to destroy a thermal power plant in Kyiv Oblast because Ukraine ran out of missiles to protect it, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Ukrainian president made the comment in an interview with PBS NewsHour published on Wednesday.
“Why? Because there were zero missiles,” the Ukraine president told the outlet. “We have run out of all the missiles that protected the Trypillia TPP.”
Moscow forces destroyed the Trypillia thermal power plant during strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on 11 April.
Russia has so far lost 455,340 troops in war - Ukraine
Tuesday 16 April 2024 09:45 , Matt Mathers
Russia has lost 455,340 troops in Ukraine since invading the country in February 2022, Ukraine has said.
Some 920 of those casualties occurred in the past day, according to a report by Ukraine’s general staff of the Armed Forces.
According to the report, Moscow has also lost 7,189 tanks, 13,809 armored fighting vehicles, 15,563 vehicles and fuel tanks, 11,609 artillery systems, 1,046 multiple launch rocket systems, 759 air defense systems, 347 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,277 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.
Three Ukrainians killed in past 24 hours
Tuesday 16 April 2024 09:31 , Matt Mathers
Three people have been killed and eight others injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, regional authorities have said.
Two men, aged 63 and 65, were reportedly killed, while two other men, aged 38 and 65, and two women, aged 63 and 66, were injured in an attack on Kharkiv Oblast, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
An attack on the city of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast killed one person and injured two other, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Russian troops also reportedly attacked the Bakhmut, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk districts, damaging 11 buildings, including three high-rise buildings, an infrastructure facility and an administrative building.
ICYMI: House passes legislation to punish Iran after weekend drone attack on Israel
Tuesday 16 April 2024 09:15 , Matt Mathers
The House of Representatives passed a series of Iran-related bills on Monday evening with wide bipartisan support, a response to the attack on Saturday evening by Iranian forces against targets in Israel.
Among the legislation passed on Monday were bills aimed at expanding sanctions over Chinese firms that do business with Iran’s petroleum sector and provisions to direct US representatives at the IMF to oppose financial assistance to Iran. Another bill directed the president to submit reports to Congress on Iranian holdings and assets in the United States financial system.
Full report:
House passes legislation to punish Iran after weekend drone attack on Israel
In pictures: Nato’s operation Steadfast Defender 24
Tuesday 16 April 2024 09:05 , Matt Mathers
Pictures posted by Britain’s Ministry of Defence show troops taking part in Nato’s operation Steadfast Defender 24.
Steadfast Defender 24 is Nato’s largest military exercise since the Cold War, involving 90,000 troops from all 32 allies.
The operation takes place from January to May 2024 and aims to demonstrate “Nato’s ability to defend every inch of its territory, and the commitment by Nato allies to protect each other from any threat.”
📸 A round-up of imagery from the past few weeks on Exercise Steadfast Defender.
👉 Exercise Steadfast Defender is the largest NATO exercise for over a decade and will take place across many months pic.twitter.com/Iq8zaFSGlo— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 15, 2024
ICYMI: More civilians die in Ukraine as a think tank warns delays in US aid will hamper Kyiv's forces
Tuesday 16 April 2024 08:54 , Matt Mathers
More civilians died across Ukraine Sunday as analysts warned that delays in U.S. military assistance would see Kyiv struggle to fight off Russian offensives.
One man was Sunday killed after a Russian drone hit the truck he was driving in the Sumy region, the local prosecutor’s office said.
Full report:
More civilians die in Ukraine as a think tank warns delays in US aid will hamper Kyiv's forces
Ukraine man’s torture case against Russians seeks justice in Argentina
Tuesday 16 April 2024 08:45 , Matt Mathers
A Ukrainian man who alleges he was tortured by Russian occupying forces has filed a legal complaint halfway around the world in Argentina, an unusual bid to seek accountability for alleged war crimes at a time when prosecutors in Kyiv are overwhelmed.
In the filing, reported for the first time, the man accuses one named person, two identified by their call signs or military insignia, and others who are unnamed of using electrocution and unlawful imprisonment as forms of torture in mid to late 2022, the complaint seen by Reuters shows.
The man, who asked not to be identified by Reuters because of fears for his family who are still in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, filed the complaint with the Federal Court in Buenos Aires on Monday against the people who he says tortured him, the officials who ran the detention center in southern Ukraine where he says he was held, and his superior at work who he accuses of facilitating the abuse.
"I was detained at work. Then they tortured me. They used electric shocks," he told Reuters in an interview in a Buenos Aires apartment ahead of the filing.
"It was incredibly painful, so I lost consciousness. I was lucky to survive. Many people are still there."
Reuters was unable to independently confirm specifics of the victim’s account.
The Russian defense ministry on Monday declined to comment. Moscow denies committing war crimes in Ukraine and has dismissed previous International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrants as part of a biased Western campaign to discredit Russia.
ICYMI: Ukraine uses UK Storm Shadow missile to hit target deep in occupied territory
Tuesday 16 April 2024 08:29 , Matt Mathers
Ukraine used British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles to hit a Russian military headquarters deep inside the occupied city of Luhansk in country’s east.
A military source told Sky News the missile was launched from a Ukrainian aircraft and hit a command base for Russian ground troops on Saturday.
“This strike furthers Ukraine’s campaign to liberate the Luhansk region from the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion and ensure that Russia is not able to advance further into Ukraine,” the source said.
Ukraine says it downs all nine drones launched by Russia
Tuesday 16 April 2024 08:05 , Matt Mathers
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all nine drones launched in a Russian attack, the air force said on Tuesday.
The aerial weapons were destroyed over several eastern and southern regions, Ukraine’s air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
House Speaker Mike Johnson pushes towards a vote on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan
Tuesday 16 April 2024 08:00 , Arpan Rai
The House has yet to take up supplemental funding legislation for Israel and Ukraine passed by the Senate in February.
Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans at their conference meeting on Monday that he would split the legislation into multiple parts, allowing both the portions dealing with Israel and Ukraine’s militaries to stand alone.
MrJohnson is pushing toward action this week on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, unveiling an elaborate plan yesterday to break the package into separate votes to squeeze through the House’s political divides on foreign policy.Facing an outright rebellion from conservatives fiercely opposed to aiding Ukraine, the Republican speaker’s move on the foreign aid package was a potentially watershed moment, the first significant action on the bill after more than two months of delay. But Johnson’s intention to hold four separate votes on parts of the package also left it open to being significantly altered from the $95bn aid package the Senate passed in February.It’s unclear if the House could end up with a package that is similar to the Senate’s bill or something significantly different, which could complicate the months-long, painstaking effort to get Congress to approve military funding for Ukraine.“We will let the House work its will,” Johnson told reporters.
Ukraine Russia trade blames over attacks on Zaporizhzhia
Tuesday 16 April 2024 07:39 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine and its allies again blamed Russia for dangers at the site of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Monday, with the US saying, “Russia does not care about these risks” amid reports of attack on the facility.
“If it did, it would not continue to forcibly control the plant,” US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council.
Russia, for its part, said Ukraine was to blame for the attacks.
“The IAEA’s report does not pinpoint which side is behind the attacks,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “We know full well who it is.”
“Over the last few months, such attacks not only resumed,” the official said, “they significantly intensified.”
Zaporizhzhia sits in Russian-controlled territory in southeastern Ukraine and has six nuclear reactors.
Fears of a nuclear catastrophe have been at the forefront since Russian troops occupied the plant shortly after invading in February 2022.
Continued fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces — as well as the tense supply situation at the plant — have raised the specter of a disaster.
Ukraine says it downs all nine Russian drones overnight
Tuesday 16 April 2024 07:07 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all nine drones launched in a Russian attack, the air force said today.
The aerial weapons were destroyed over several eastern and southern regions, Ukraine’s air force said on the Telegram channel.
The USA will continue to support Ukraine, says secretary of state
Tuesday 16 April 2024 06:30 , Holly Evans
The US secretary of state has assured Ukraine and its allies surrounding the Black Sea they could depend on his country’s support to make the region more secure.
Anthony Blinken emphasised the importance of investing in the region’s security to ensure peace and freedom across Europe.
Addressing the attendees of the Second Black Sea Security Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, he said: “Putin believed that Ukraine’s neighbours in the region would be divided, but he was wrong.
“The United States will continue to support Ukraine both so it can defend itself today and stand on its feet.”
Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, in 2014, and it has served as a key hub supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine border the Black Sea.
Cameron explains why Ukraine cannot get UK’s assistance in downing missiles and drones
Tuesday 16 April 2024 05:58 , Arpan Rai
David Cameron has said Ukraine cannot get assistance from the UK in shooting down drones and missiles, like Israel did over the weekend, over fears of a direct war with Russia.
“I think the difficulty with what you suggest is if you want to avoid an escalation in terms of a wider European war, I think the one thing you do need to avoid is NATO troops directly engaging Russian troops. That would be a danger of escalation,” the foreign secretary said in an interview with LBC.
Lord Camerom was answering a question on why the Royal Air Force could not shoot down drones over Ukraine.
He added that jets are not always the ideal option to down missiles and drones since air defence systems work better, which the West has shared with Ukraine.
The foreign secretary added that Ukraine has a significant need for air defence systems, especially the Patriot air defence missile system, which the UK cannot provide.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme is bold and right but must be better run
Tuesday 16 April 2024 05:30 , Holly Evans
One of the good decisions made by Michael Gove, who as housing and communities secretary was responsible for the Homes for Ukraine scheme when it was set up two years ago, was to allow the project to be driven from the bottom up.
The scheme was an expression of solidarity from the British people to the Ukrainian people, and the role of the British government, as Mr Gove saw it, was to enable and support it – but mainly to get out of the way.
It was, and remains, an overwhelming success. More than 180,000 visas have been issued to Ukrainian refugees through the sponsorship route. The problems with the scheme, exclusively reported by The Independent, in no way undermine the policy in principle – on the contrary, they argue for improved safeguards in order to ensure continuing high levels of public support for it.
Read the full article here:
Editorial: The Homes for Ukraine scheme is bold and right but must be better run
Vital US aid impacting Ukraine’s defence against Putin’s troops, think tank warns
Tuesday 16 April 2024 05:23 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s defence will be “catastrophically difficult” without western military assistance, a US-based think-tank monitoring the war has said.
“Ukrainian officials continue to warn that US security assistance is vital to Ukrainian forces’ ability to defend against current and future Russian offensive operations forecasted to begin in late spring and summer,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said yesterday.
It cited Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov who said that Ukrainian forces are preparing to repel a future Russian major offensive expected in late May or the beginning of June but noted that this will be “catastrophically difficult” without Western military assistance.
“ISW continues to assess that Russian forces are currently capitalising on Ukrainian material shortages resulting from the lack of US security assistance to make marginal tactical advances but that future Russian assaults may be able to achieve more significant and threatening gains, particularly west of Bakhmut, should the US continue to withhold assistance to Ukraine,” the think tank said.
Zelensky compares Ukraine war with Middle East conflict
Tuesday 16 April 2024 04:53 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has lauded what he described as “unity” in helping Israel defend against Iranian air attacks last weekend as he called on Kyiv's allies to show the same unity they displayed in helping Israel fend off Iranian drone and missile attacks.
He pointed out the help Israel received from the US, the UK and other nations despite not being a Nato nation.
“Israel is not a member of Nato... and no one was drawn into the war,” he said.
“They simply helped save lives. Shaheds (drones) in the skies of Ukraine sound just like in the skies of the Middle East. Ballistics strike the same everywhere if not shot down,” Mr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president, pleading for more western aid and assistance, has called for “political will”, especially from the United States, where an aid package remains blocked in Congress.
In what has continued to drag on since November last year, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to decide this week on how to handle president Joe Biden’s request for billions of dollars in security assistance for Ukraine and other US allies.
More civilians die in Ukraine as a think tank warns delays in US aid will hamper Kyiv's forces
Tuesday 16 April 2024 04:30 , Holly Evans
More civilians died across Ukraine on Sunday as analysts warned that delays in U.S. military assistance would see Kyiv struggle to fight off Russian offensives.
One man was killed after a Russian drone hit the truck he was driving in the Sumy region, the local prosecutor’s office said.
Officials in the Kharkiv region also said that they had retrieved the bodies of a 61-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man killed by a Russian strike the previous day. Ten Russian Shahed-type drones were shot down over the Kharkiv region overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force.
Read the full article:
More civilians die in Ukraine as a think tank warns delays in US aid will hamper Kyiv's forces
Zelensky and his Ukrainian commanders discuss war strategy, ammunition supplies
Tuesday 16 April 2024 04:29 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky met Ukrainian commanders as he considered action on the frontline of the 25-month-old war against Russia and the acquisition of weaponry from Kyiv’s allies.
The Ukrainian president, speaking in his nightly address, mentioned the meeting and said there are three sectors where Ukraine’s forces face difficult situations in standing against Russian onslaughts: Chasiv Yar, west of the destroyed Russian-held town of Bakhmut in the east and Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, further west and north.
Mr Zelensky said reports were presented on supplying arms and electronic warfare systems and ways to protect infrastructure hit for weeks by Russian missile and drone attacks.
The leaders also discussed intelligence reports on new Russian offensives that he has predicted will also soon take place.
“This is about what we must prepare for – all forms of enemy action,” Mr Zelensky said. “It is clear that the madness in the Kremlin is still strong and the occupiers will try to intensify their advances. We will respond.”
Russian forces have made small advances in recent weeks, securing control of villages in eastern Donetsk region since recapturing the key town of Avdiivka in February.
IAEA warns that attacks on a nuclear plant in Russian-controlled Ukraine put the world at risk
Tuesday 16 April 2024 04:10 , Arpan Rai
Russia and Ukraine traded blame before the United Nations Security Council for the attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said have put the world “dangerously close to a nuclear accident.”
Without attributing blame, IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency has been able to confirm three attacks against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since 7 April.
“These reckless attacks must cease immediately,” he told the Security Council. “Though, fortunately, they have not led to a radiological incident this time, they significantly increase the risk … where nuclear safety is already compromised.”
IAEA warns that attacks on a nuclear plant in Russian-controlled Ukraine put the world at risk
Ukraine's foreign minister says Israel's response to an Iranian aerial attack shows what Kyiv needs
Tuesday 16 April 2024 03:30 , Holly Evans
The success of Israel and its allies in largely thwarting a massive Iranian missile and drone attack shows what Ukraine could achieve against Russian aerial barrages if it had more support from its partners, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday.
A recent Russian aerial campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other targets has wrought extensive damage, and Ukrainian officials have pleaded with the country’s Western allies to provide more air defense systems as the war stretches into its third year.
Israel’s defense system, with assistance from the U.S. and Britain — countries that are also supporting Ukraine’s war effort — is credited with preventing serious damage or casualties in Sunday’s attack by Iran using more than 300 drones and missiles.
Read the full article here:
Ukraine's foreign minister says Israel's response to an Iranian aerial attack shows what Kyiv needs
Iran’s strikes have changed the conversation on Ukraine and Israel aid in Congress
Tuesday 16 April 2024 02:30 , Holly Evans
On Monday, both Democrats and Republicans gathered to condemn the weekend’s new development in the Middle East: a sizable drone and missile attack launched by Iran against Israeli targets.
Saturday’s attack by Iran refreshed the importance of the geopolitical consequences of Israel’s war in Gaza for Washington and led to a flurry of activity in the lower chamber, where Republican leaders have teed up a series of bills and resolutions in response.
The first pieces of legislation are set to pass the chamber Monday evening. They deal with a range of issues, including directing US representatives at both the IMF and World Bank to oppose financial assistance to Iran and tightening sanctions against Chinese firms known to do business with Iran’s energy sector.
Read the full article here:
Iran’s strikes have changed the conversation on Ukraine and Israel in Congress
