Kremlin tries to build antiwar coalition in Germany, documents show
BERLIN — When 13,000 demonstrators gathered at the Brandenburg Gate on Feb. 25 to call for an end to weapons supplies to Ukraine, the protest was led by Sahra Wagenknecht, a member of parliament for Germany’s far-left Die Linke party and a firebrand with national ambitions.
Among the crowd in Berlin was Jürgen Elsässer, editor of a far-right-wing magazine, and dozens of members of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Elsässer’s Compact magazine had recently declared on its cover that Wagenknecht was: “The best chancellor — a candidate for the left and the right.”
The coming together of political opposites in Berlin under the banner of peace had been percolating for months. But marrying Germany’s extremes is an explicit Kremlin goal, according to a trove of sensitive Russian documents largely dated from July to November that were obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by The Post.
Read the full story here.
BERLIN — When 13,000 demonstrators gathered at the Brandenburg Gate on Feb. 25 to call for an end to weapons supplies to Ukraine, the protest was led by Sahra Wagenknecht, a member of parliament for Germany’s far-left Die Linke party and a firebrand with national ambitions.
Among the crowd in Berlin was Jürgen Elsässer, editor of a far-right-wing magazine, and dozens of members of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Elsässer’s Compact magazine had recently declared on its cover that Wagenknecht was: “The best chancellor — a candidate for the left and the right.”
The coming together of political opposites in Berlin under the banner of peace had been percolating for months. But marrying Germany’s extremes is an explicit Kremlin goal, according to a trove of sensitive Russian documents largely dated from July to November that were obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by The Post.
Read the full story here.
How Brad Paisley became the most outspoken country star to support Ukraine
Most country singers avoid any topic that could bring them backlash. Brad Paisley has never been one of those country singers.
In recent months, Paisley has become the most outspoken Nashville star in support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion last year, culminating when he joined a bipartisan delegation of senators — Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — for a trip to Kyiv and in-person meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During a news conference in St. Michael’s Square, Paisley broke out his guitar and played “Same Here,” his new song that features a spoken-word cameo from Zelensky, and sang the chorus of John Denver’s “Country Roads.”
“All of the things I’ve done in the last few months have been — well, every single one ... is kind of an impossible thing to have happened,” Paisley said in a phone interview. “And they’re all happening.”
Read the full story here.
Most country singers avoid any topic that could bring them backlash. Brad Paisley has never been one of those country singers.
In recent months, Paisley has become the most outspoken Nashville star in support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion last year, culminating when he joined a bipartisan delegation of senators — Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — for a trip to Kyiv and in-person meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During a news conference in St. Michael’s Square, Paisley broke out his guitar and played “Same Here,” his new song that features a spoken-word cameo from Zelensky, and sang the chorus of John Denver’s “Country Roads.”
“All of the things I’ve done in the last few months have been — well, every single one ... is kind of an impossible thing to have happened,” Paisley said in a phone interview. “And they’re all happening.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- More than 20 German diplomats will be expelled, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported Saturday, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
- The German Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Russian diplomatic staffers were on their way out of Frankfurt. “
- Nine new mechanized Ukrainian brigades are ready for combat, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters after the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a gathering of U.S. allies and partners interested in providing aid to Kyiv.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed faith that Ukraine would retake more territory.
- Authorities in Belgorod, Russia, removed an explosive device that had prompted evacuations Saturday, according to Mayor Valentin Demidov’s Telegram page.
More live updates here.
- More than 20 German diplomats will be expelled, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported Saturday, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
- The German Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Russian diplomatic staffers were on their way out of Frankfurt. “
- Nine new mechanized Ukrainian brigades are ready for combat, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters after the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a gathering of U.S. allies and partners interested in providing aid to Kyiv.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed faith that Ukraine would retake more territory.
- Authorities in Belgorod, Russia, removed an explosive device that had prompted evacuations Saturday, according to Mayor Valentin Demidov’s Telegram page.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia told its citizens to avoid travel to Canada due to alleged incidents of discrimination and physical attacks. It did not substantiate the accusations.
- Authorities in the Russian city of Belgorod removed an explosive device from a residential area. The city evacuated the area on Saturday, but people have since returned home, Mayor Valentin Demidov wrote.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new measures targeting 322 companies and numerous other entities. The blacklist includes Russian weapons manufacturers and those who help Russia circumvent punitive measures.
More live updates here.
- Russia told its citizens to avoid travel to Canada due to alleged incidents of discrimination and physical attacks. It did not substantiate the accusations.
- Authorities in the Russian city of Belgorod removed an explosive device from a residential area. The city evacuated the area on Saturday, but people have since returned home, Mayor Valentin Demidov wrote.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new measures targeting 322 companies and numerous other entities. The blacklist includes Russian weapons manufacturers and those who help Russia circumvent punitive measures.
More live updates here.
An intellectual battle rages: Is the U.S. in a proxy war with Russia?
Three days before the Feb. 24 anniversary of his Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin outlined what he had learned during a year of war. With its ever-increasing supply of sophisticated weapons, Putin said, the West was now using Ukraine as a “testing range” for its plans to destroy Russia.
Its goal was “to spark a war in Europe, and to eliminate competitors by using a proxy force,” he said in a presidential address. “They plan to finish us once and for all.”
Putin has come a long way since the morning of the invasion, when he outlined a brief “special military operation” that would permanently rescue breakaway regions of Ukraine — Crimea and part of the eastern Donbas region — from the “humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime” during the previous eight years of low-level conflict.
Read the full story here.
Three days before the Feb. 24 anniversary of his Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin outlined what he had learned during a year of war. With its ever-increasing supply of sophisticated weapons, Putin said, the West was now using Ukraine as a “testing range” for its plans to destroy Russia.
Its goal was “to spark a war in Europe, and to eliminate competitors by using a proxy force,” he said in a presidential address. “They plan to finish us once and for all.”
Putin has come a long way since the morning of the invasion, when he outlined a brief “special military operation” that would permanently rescue breakaway regions of Ukraine — Crimea and part of the eastern Donbas region — from the “humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime” during the previous eight years of low-level conflict.
Read the full story here.
In Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops cling to western edge of a destroyed city
BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Moving between apartment blocks, small teams of Ukrainian and Russian ground forces are battling for control of Bakhmut’s western edge.
“We can attack and repel them for a day or two, or they can advance, and we have to retreat again,” said a 35-year old Ukrainian junior sergeant responsible for holding a position in a high-rise building just a few yards from the front line. Like others in this report, he spoke on condition that he only be identified by his rank and call sign “Bandit” in keeping with military protocol.
For months, Ukraine and Russia have flooded Bakhmut with reinforcements and carted away thousands of dead and wounded in what has become the longest, bloodiest battle of the war. Now, after eight months of Ukraine steadily ceding territory, the fight is closing in on just a few square miles of the city’s west.
Read more here.
BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Moving between apartment blocks, small teams of Ukrainian and Russian ground forces are battling for control of Bakhmut’s western edge.
“We can attack and repel them for a day or two, or they can advance, and we have to retreat again,” said a 35-year old Ukrainian junior sergeant responsible for holding a position in a high-rise building just a few yards from the front line. Like others in this report, he spoke on condition that he only be identified by his rank and call sign “Bandit” in keeping with military protocol.
For months, Ukraine and Russia have flooded Bakhmut with reinforcements and carted away thousands of dead and wounded in what has become the longest, bloodiest battle of the war. Now, after eight months of Ukraine steadily ceding territory, the fight is closing in on just a few square miles of the city’s west.
Read more here.
Analysis: Brazil’s Lula reaches out to China and Russia, stoking U.S. unease
In hindsight, it may have been a high-water mark in the relationship between the administrations in Washington and Brasília. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on President Biden in the White House in February. The visit came weeks after far-right protesters in the Brazilian capital had stormed the major institutions of the country’s federal democracy in an angry challenge to Lula’s election as president. Their failed insurrection in some ways mirrored the experience of the U.S. two years prior and loomed over the meetings between the two leaders.
A joint statement from Biden and Lula affirmed their pledge “to work together to strengthen democratic institutions” and “continue to reject extremism and violence.” On a number of other fronts, they seemed to be in happy ideological agreement as left-leaning leaders of the Western hemisphere’s largest democracies.
Read the full story here.
In hindsight, it may have been a high-water mark in the relationship between the administrations in Washington and Brasília. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on President Biden in the White House in February. The visit came weeks after far-right protesters in the Brazilian capital had stormed the major institutions of the country’s federal democracy in an angry challenge to Lula’s election as president. Their failed insurrection in some ways mirrored the experience of the U.S. two years prior and loomed over the meetings between the two leaders.
A joint statement from Biden and Lula affirmed their pledge “to work together to strengthen democratic institutions” and “continue to reject extremism and violence.” On a number of other fronts, they seemed to be in happy ideological agreement as left-leaning leaders of the Western hemisphere’s largest democracies.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Latvia summoned China’s chargé d’affaires in Riga to explain the “unacceptable comments” by Lu Shaye on French television, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said, adding that the move was coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.
- An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Lu’s comments resembled Russian “propaganda.”
- The United States has not issued visas to journalists who planned to cover Lavrov’s trip, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Sunday on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- Latvia summoned China’s chargé d’affaires in Riga to explain the “unacceptable comments” by Lu Shaye on French television, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said, adding that the move was coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.
- An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Lu’s comments resembled Russian “propaganda.”
- The United States has not issued visas to journalists who planned to cover Lavrov’s trip, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Sunday on Telegram.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine spurred a steep increase in the defense expenditure of Western and Central European countries, with spending exceeding that of 1989, when the Cold War was drawing to a close, according to a new report.
- Russia accused the U.S. of violating its obligations by not issuing visas to journalists planning to cover Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to the United Nations in New York, which began Monday.
- The Kremlin could end the Black Sea grain deal, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian grain, if the Group of Seven industrialized nations imposes a blanket ban on exports to Russia, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday.
- Ukraine has probably set up military positions on the eastern side of the strategically important Dnieper River in the Kherson region, the Institute for the Study of War said.
More live updates here.
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine spurred a steep increase in the defense expenditure of Western and Central European countries, with spending exceeding that of 1989, when the Cold War was drawing to a close, according to a new report.
- Russia accused the U.S. of violating its obligations by not issuing visas to journalists planning to cover Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to the United Nations in New York, which began Monday.
- The Kremlin could end the Black Sea grain deal, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian grain, if the Group of Seven industrialized nations imposes a blanket ban on exports to Russia, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday.
- Ukraine has probably set up military positions on the eastern side of the strategically important Dnieper River in the Kherson region, the Institute for the Study of War said.
More live updates here.
Exclusive: At U.S. behest, Ukraine held off anniversary attacks on Russia
In February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow.
Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence directorate, the HUR, instructed one of his officers “to get ready for mass strikes on 24 February … with everything the HUR had,” according to a classified report from the U.S. National Security Agency. Officials even mused about a sea-based strike using TNT in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
Back in Washington, officials were secretly monitoring the Ukrainians’ plans. The White House had long worried that attacks inside Russia could provoke an aggressive response from the Kremlin.
On Feb. 22, two days before the anniversary, the CIA circulated a new classified report: The HUR “had agreed, at Washington’s request, to postpone strikes” on Moscow.
Read the full story here.
In February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow.
Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence directorate, the HUR, instructed one of his officers “to get ready for mass strikes on 24 February … with everything the HUR had,” according to a classified report from the U.S. National Security Agency. Officials even mused about a sea-based strike using TNT in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
Back in Washington, officials were secretly monitoring the Ukrainians’ plans. The White House had long worried that attacks inside Russia could provoke an aggressive response from the Kremlin.
On Feb. 22, two days before the anniversary, the CIA circulated a new classified report: The HUR “had agreed, at Washington’s request, to postpone strikes” on Moscow.
Read the full story here.
Russian mercenaries closely linked with Sudan’s warring generals
Over recent years, Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group has established close ties with Sudan’s security forces and sought to exploit these connections to advance Moscow’s economic and military interests, including lucrative gold mining concessions and arms deals.
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Inside Sudan, Wagner has previously provided equipment and training to the security forces, advised government leaders and conducted information operations, according to a leaked U.S. intelligence document seen by The Washington Post.
But the outbreak of intense fighting last weekend between forces led by rival Sudanese generals, which has rocked the country and killed at least 400 people, has presented Moscow and its Kremlin-backed mercenaries with an urgent dilemma. They have a great deal to lose if they back the wrong side.
Read the full story here.
Over recent years, Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group has established close ties with Sudan’s security forces and sought to exploit these connections to advance Moscow’s economic and military interests, including lucrative gold mining concessions and arms deals.
Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Inside Sudan, Wagner has previously provided equipment and training to the security forces, advised government leaders and conducted information operations, according to a leaked U.S. intelligence document seen by The Washington Post.
But the outbreak of intense fighting last weekend between forces led by rival Sudanese generals, which has rocked the country and killed at least 400 people, has presented Moscow and its Kremlin-backed mercenaries with an urgent dilemma. They have a great deal to lose if they back the wrong side.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its worldwide impact helped push global defense spending to a record high last year, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
In February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow — an effort Washington worked to head off, according to leaked documents, The Post reports.
- European countries including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania condemned comments by the Chinese ambassador to France, in which he questioned the legitimacy of former Soviet states.
- A discussion between France’s Foreign Ministry and Lu is expected Monday, after European lawmakers urged France’s foreign minister to declare the Chinese ambassador persona non grata over his remarks.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its worldwide impact helped push global defense spending to a record high last year, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
In February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow — an effort Washington worked to head off, according to leaked documents, The Post reports.
- European countries including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania condemned comments by the Chinese ambassador to France, in which he questioned the legitimacy of former Soviet states.
- A discussion between France’s Foreign Ministry and Lu is expected Monday, after European lawmakers urged France’s foreign minister to declare the Chinese ambassador persona non grata over his remarks.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s global leadership rating fell from 33 percent to 21 percent since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to a report published Tuesday by Gallup, which conducted surveys in 137 countries. “Approval of Russia dropped in virtually every region of the world,” the report said.
- In a speech Monday at the U.N. Security Council in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov squared off against the United States and its allies, warning that their aggression and bullying have brought the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
- At the same forum, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law.
- If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, central Europe “may well be next,” wrote the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s global leadership rating fell from 33 percent to 21 percent since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to a report published Tuesday by Gallup, which conducted surveys in 137 countries. “Approval of Russia dropped in virtually every region of the world,” the report said.
- In a speech Monday at the U.N. Security Council in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov squared off against the United States and its allies, warning that their aggression and bullying have brought the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
- At the same forum, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law.
- If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, central Europe “may well be next,” wrote the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
More live updates here.
Exclusive: Wagner Group surges in Africa as U.S. influence fades, leak reveals
The Wagner Group is moving aggressively to establish a “confederation” of anti-Western states in Africa as the Russian mercenaries foment instability while using their paramilitary and disinformation capabilities to bolster Moscow’s allies, according to leaked secret U.S. intelligence documents.
The rapid expansion of Russia’s influence in Africa has been a source of growing alarm to U.S. intelligence and military officials, prompting a push over the past year to find ways to hit Wagner’s network of bases and business fronts with strikes, sanctions and cyber operations, according to the documents.
At a time when Wagner leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has been preoccupied with Kremlin infighting over the paramilitary group’s deepening involvement in the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials depict Wagner’s expanding global footprint as a potential vulnerability.
Read the full story here.
The Wagner Group is moving aggressively to establish a “confederation” of anti-Western states in Africa as the Russian mercenaries foment instability while using their paramilitary and disinformation capabilities to bolster Moscow’s allies, according to leaked secret U.S. intelligence documents.
The rapid expansion of Russia’s influence in Africa has been a source of growing alarm to U.S. intelligence and military officials, prompting a push over the past year to find ways to hit Wagner’s network of bases and business fronts with strikes, sanctions and cyber operations, according to the documents.
At a time when Wagner leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has been preoccupied with Kremlin infighting over the paramilitary group’s deepening involvement in the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials depict Wagner’s expanding global footprint as a potential vulnerability.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s Lavrov spars with Western officials at U.N.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov squared off against the United States and its allies at the U.N. Security Council on Monday, warning that their aggression and bullying have brought the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
Russia, which this month holds the rotating council presidency, called the meeting on “Defense of the Principles of the U.N. Charter” in an apparent attempt to switch the global narrative from criticism of its invasion of Ukraine — which the West has said is a gross violation of international law — to charges that the United States is making all the rules at the expense of other nations.
The session was a prominent appearance for Lavrov, who appeared at U.N. headquarters in New York, his first visit to the United States since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began 14 months ago.
Read the full story here.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov squared off against the United States and its allies at the U.N. Security Council on Monday, warning that their aggression and bullying have brought the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
Russia, which this month holds the rotating council presidency, called the meeting on “Defense of the Principles of the U.N. Charter” in an apparent attempt to switch the global narrative from criticism of its invasion of Ukraine — which the West has said is a gross violation of international law — to charges that the United States is making all the rules at the expense of other nations.
The session was a prominent appearance for Lavrov, who appeared at U.N. headquarters in New York, his first visit to the United States since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began 14 months ago.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Approval of Russia’s global leadership abilities plummeted from 33 percent to 21 percent since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to “Rating World Leaders,” a report published Tuesday by Gallup, which conducted surveys in 137 countries.
- As Washington ramped up its military, financial and diplomatic support for Kyiv, approval of U.S. leadership rose dramatically among Ukrainians, up 29 percentage points from the previous year to reach 66 percent.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of bringing the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
- Paul Whelan’s sister demanded that the Kremlin free her brother.
- If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, Central Europe “may well be next,” wrote the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
- Sweden is expelling five Russian diplomats, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
More live updates here.
- Approval of Russia’s global leadership abilities plummeted from 33 percent to 21 percent since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to “Rating World Leaders,” a report published Tuesday by Gallup, which conducted surveys in 137 countries.
- As Washington ramped up its military, financial and diplomatic support for Kyiv, approval of U.S. leadership rose dramatically among Ukrainians, up 29 percentage points from the previous year to reach 66 percent.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of bringing the world to a “dangerous threshold.”
- Paul Whelan’s sister demanded that the Kremlin free her brother.
- If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, Central Europe “may well be next,” wrote the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
- Sweden is expelling five Russian diplomats, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Zelensky accused Russia of attacking a residential neighborhood and museum in Kupiansk, the latest deadly missile strike on a civilian target.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of causing the deadlock over the Black Sea grain deal. He also alluded to the possibility of a prisoner swap for two Americans, Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who are detained in Russia.
- President Putin signed a decree to place Russian assets from what he described as “unfriendly countries” under administrative receivership, the state media outlet Tass reported.
- A former Wagner Group commander who is seeking asylum in Norway has pleaded guilty to charges related to a fight outside a bar in the capital, Oslo.
More live updates here.
- President Zelensky accused Russia of attacking a residential neighborhood and museum in Kupiansk, the latest deadly missile strike on a civilian target.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of causing the deadlock over the Black Sea grain deal. He also alluded to the possibility of a prisoner swap for two Americans, Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who are detained in Russia.
- President Putin signed a decree to place Russian assets from what he described as “unfriendly countries” under administrative receivership, the state media outlet Tass reported.
- A former Wagner Group commander who is seeking asylum in Norway has pleaded guilty to charges related to a fight outside a bar in the capital, Oslo.
More live updates here.
China’s and Ukraine’s leaders spoke by phone for first time since Russia invaded Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since the war began, calling the phone call “long and meaningful” but giving few details. “I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelensky tweeted.
Last month, Xi made a grand state visit to Russia in a show of strength, highlighting Beijing’s bid for global leadership. It came shortly after an arrest warrant was issued from the International Criminal Court for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky, who has been visited by numerous world leaders in Kyiv, has said he has invited Xi to visit Ukraine.
Beijing has positioned itself as neutral in the conflict and recently released a 12-point proposal for ending the war.
More live updates here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since the war began, calling the phone call “long and meaningful” but giving few details. “I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelensky tweeted.
Last month, Xi made a grand state visit to Russia in a show of strength, highlighting Beijing’s bid for global leadership. It came shortly after an arrest warrant was issued from the International Criminal Court for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky, who has been visited by numerous world leaders in Kyiv, has said he has invited Xi to visit Ukraine.
Beijing has positioned itself as neutral in the conflict and recently released a 12-point proposal for ending the war.
More live updates here.
Ukrainian President Zelensky held ‘meaningful’ call with China’s Xi Jinping
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and China’s Xi Jinping spoke by phone Wednesday — their first conversation since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago and a signal that Beijing may be angling to play a mediatory role.
China will send a special representative to Ukraine and other countries to hold talks with all parties on resolving the “crisis,” Xi told Zelensky, according to the Chinese readout of the call.
“Amid the current rise of reasonable thinking and voices from all sides, we should seize the opportunity to build up favorable conditions for a political settlement of the crisis,” Xi told Zelensky, according to the Chinese summary.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and China’s Xi Jinping spoke by phone Wednesday — their first conversation since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago and a signal that Beijing may be angling to play a mediatory role.
China will send a special representative to Ukraine and other countries to hold talks with all parties on resolving the “crisis,” Xi told Zelensky, according to the Chinese readout of the call.
“Amid the current rise of reasonable thinking and voices from all sides, we should seize the opportunity to build up favorable conditions for a political settlement of the crisis,” Xi told Zelensky, according to the Chinese summary.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since the war began, calling the phone call “long and meaningful” but giving few details.
- German and British warplanes intercepted three Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, German air force officials tweeted Wednesday.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of causing a deadlock over the Black Sea grain deal.
- Lavrov also alluded to the possibility of a prisoner swap for two Americans, Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who are detained in Russia.
- Ukraine is working with the FBI to collect evidence of war crimes, FBI special agent Alex Kobzanets told a conference.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since the war began, calling the phone call “long and meaningful” but giving few details.
- German and British warplanes intercepted three Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, German air force officials tweeted Wednesday.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of causing a deadlock over the Black Sea grain deal.
- Lavrov also alluded to the possibility of a prisoner swap for two Americans, Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who are detained in Russia.
- Ukraine is working with the FBI to collect evidence of war crimes, FBI special agent Alex Kobzanets told a conference.
More live updates here.