President Biden has arrived for urgent talks in Brussels with NATO, the Group of Seven leaders and the European Council as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its second month.
In a flurry of meetings Thursday, Biden and major allies are expected to announce plans to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and new sanctions — even as divisions emerge about how to deter Moscow in the conflict. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Biden will also discuss “potential contingencies” in the event of a Russian cyberattack or escalations such as chemical weapons.
On the battlefield, Moscow’s advance has stalled around the capital, Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces deploy guerrilla-style tactics. While pouring new energy into an offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces appear to have switched to the defensive near Kyiv, according to U.S. and U.K. assessments — though Ukrainian officials have at times painted an overly rosy view of their own success in counterattacks.
UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
Seven humanitarian corridors agreed for Thursday, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says
“Seven humanitarian corridors have been agreed on” between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a daily video update, among them areas near the capital, Kyiv, and in the eastern Donetsk region.
The corridors include one that would take people northwest from close to the besieged port city of Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhzhia. For people fleeing in their own vehicles, Vereshchuk said there would be gasoline supplies upon arrival in Berdyansk, a city about 50 miles southwest of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. Food and medicine will also be handed out, she added.
In an update this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 100,000 people were still living in Mariupol under worsening humanitarian conditions and fearing for their lives under “constant shelling.” Before the conflict, Mariupol had an estimated population of about 441,000.
Zelensky also said a humanitarian convoy on its way to the strategic city was “captured by the occupiers” on an agreed route near the region of Manhush, west of Mariupol. He said bus drivers and employees of the State Emergency Service “were taken prisoner.”
Vereshchuk said Thursday that little progress has been made. “We are waiting for the promised release of our drivers and rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Manhush,” she said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Kirill Timoshenko also confirmed in a Telegram post that the humanitarian exit routes, mainly in the Donetsk region, would continue to operate Thursday.
U.K. prepares to send Ukraine 6,000 missiles, says Russia has suffered huge losses
LONDON — Britain’s Defense Ministry says that Russia could struggle to fill its ranks and that Moscow has “almost certainly suffered thousands of casualties” during its invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia is likely now looking to mobilise its reservist and conscript manpower, as well as private military companies and foreign mercenaries, to replace these considerable losses,” the ministry said in an intelligence update Thursday morning.
The report comes as Britain is preparing to send another 6,000 missiles to Ukraine as part of an extended military aid package that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will formally announce at the NATO emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
The United Kingdom has already provided Ukraine with more than 4,000 missiles, meaning the new weaponry will bring the total to about 10,000, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported.
Johnson is also expected to announce approximately $5.4 million in funding to support the BBC’s Ukrainian- and Russian-language services following Russia’s crackdown on independent news coverage.
Russia partially reopens stock market with heavy restrictions; U.S. calls it a ‘charade’
Almost a month after closing its stock exchange when its invasion of Ukraine triggered market turmoil, Russia partially reopened the exchange Thursday, with limited trading and foreign shareholders prohibited from selling their shares.
Short selling is banned and heavy restrictions on trading are in place to prevent massive share sell-offs. Trading is permitted in only 33 of the 50 companies that are part of the country’s benchmark MOEX index, according to the country’s central bank — among them Russian national airline Aeroflot, state-owned gas producer Gazprom and oil company Rosneft.
Russian shares plunged almost 33 percent the day after the country’s leadership decided to invade Ukraine, making record losses. Since then, Russia’s economy has been bruised by sweeping economic sanctions and damaged by the withdrawal of hundreds of global companies.
The reopening was dismissed Thursday by Daleep Singh, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for international economics.
“What we’re seeing is a charade: a Potemkin market opening,” Singh said in a statement. He accused Russia’s government of pouring resources into “artificially propping up the shares of companies” that trade.
“This is not a real market and not a sustainable model — which only underscores Russia’s isolation from the global financial system,” Singh said. “The United States and our allies and partners will continue taking action to further isolate Russia from the international economic order as long it continues its brutal war against Ukraine.”
On Wednesday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin retaliated against Western sanctions, announcing that “unfriendly countries” — including all European Union members and the United States — would have to pay for their natural gas supplies in rubles. The ruble has plummeted against major international currencies since the start of the invasion.
Tyler Pager contributed to this report.
Russia’s sales of oil and gas are blunting the impact of sanctions
Even as Western sanctions start to hit the Russian economy, the nation’s oil and gas exports are softening the blow, helping blunt the ruble’s fall and giving the Kremlin continued resources to wage its war in Ukraine.
The ruble lost half of its value against the dollar right after sanctions hit but has since partly rebounded, thanks to energy export revenue and currency controls adopted by Russia’s central bank.
The ruble is still down 30 percent from its prewar levels, and the economy is suffering in other ways. Russian banks are blocked from carrying out many transactions, global shipping companies have stopped delivering many goods to Russian ports, and a spate of Western corporate departures has threatened thousands of jobs. Some economists estimate Russia’s GDP will contract by 15% this year.
But Russia’s energy exports are clearly blunting some of the pain, sparking new calls for a full Western embargo of Russian oil and gas. President Biden, who has already announced that the United States will stop buying Russian energy, is set to discuss oil and gas with European allies in Brussels on Thursday.
Biden and Europeans to announce major plan to redirect gas to Europe
BRUSSELS — President Biden is expected to announce a major initiative with Europe to direct shipments of liquefied natural gas to Europe during his visit to Brussels this week, part of a broader effort to help reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the plan.
The announcement, a dramatic effort to deprive Russia of leverage as it continues to batter Ukraine, would mark an unusual move to reorder the world’s energy flow — a shift that could have an impact long after the war is over. It comes as European officials have asked the United States to do more to help them cut their reliance on Russia for oil and natural gas.
Biden is also expected to use his stop in Brussels on Thursday and Friday — where he is meeting with NATO, the Group of Seven and the European Council — to announce additional sanctions against Moscow, including some targeting Russian lawmakers, as well as a crackdown on evasions of the current sanctions.
On Friday morning, President Biden will host European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a bilateral meeting at the U.S. Mission in Brussels, Belgium.
U.N. Security Council votes down Russian resolution on humanitarian crisis
A Russian resolution addressing the humanitarian situation in Ukraine failed to pass the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, with Russia and China voting in favor and the remainder of the council’s 15 members abstaining. The draft called for protection of noncombatants and for access to be given to humanitarian workers.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, criticized the abstentions and said the absence of a Security Council resolution related to conditions for civilians in Ukraine “significantly complicates” aid activities on the ground. He also repeated Russian accusations that Kyiv has positioned weapons near hospitals and schools. He did not provide evidence to support his claim.
China’s representative, Zhang Jun, called for restraint in Ukraine and for a “balanced, effective and sustainable global and regional security architecture.”
British U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said London abstained because the resolution did not acknowledge Russia’s role in starting the conflict.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield condemned Russia’s resolution. “Once again, Russia is attempting to use this council to provide cover for its brutal actions,” she said. “It really is unconscionable that Russia would have the audacity to put forward a resolution asking the international community to solve a humanitarian crisis that Russia alone created.”
Ashish Pradhan, senior U.N. analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Russia was attempting to distract from its actions in Ukraine. “It fits into their approach of flooding the zone at the U.N. with a lot of noise,” he said.
A parallel Ukrainian-led resolution — which pins blame on Russia — and another sponsored by South Africa are being debated in the U.N. General Assembly.
Zelensky marks one month of war and calls for a global protest of the Russian invasion
As Russia’s invasion of his country reached the one-month mark, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the world from outside a government building, a soldier keeping watch in the background.
Zelensky, who has become a venerated figure inside Ukraine and out, called for a global protest on Thursday, urging people everywhere to take to the streets and denounce Russian aggression.
“Make yourself visible and heard,” he said in English during the multilingual video address. “Say that people matter, freedom matters. Peace matters. Ukraine matters.”
Understanding the weapons that have drawn the world’s attention since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Russian officials claimed Wednesday to have fired long-range naval cruise missiles into Ukraine. If confirmed, that would add to the roster of weapons Russia has used in its invasion — some new or cutting-edge — that have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
Some Western experts worry that Moscow, amid pressure to escalate in the face of mounting losses, could go even further, using chemical weapons or even tactical nuclear weapons.
But Ukraine has weapons, too, many of which its Western allies have supplied. Antitank weapons, including the Javelin missile sent by the United States, have become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Not only have drones made by Turkey hit Russian targets but footage of the strikes has become a win on the social media battlefield.
Here are some of the weapons that are in use, or that experts fear could have a role in the conflict.
Russian forces using civilians as ‘living shield,’ Melitopol mayor says
Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov has accused Russian troops occupying his southern Ukrainian city of committing atrocities, including turning a neighborhood into a military site for launching missiles against other parts of Ukraine.
Fedorov, in a video posted to his social media accounts Wednesday, said Kremlin forces are using civilians as “hostages and a living shield in the war times,” as attacks launched from Melitopol could be met with counterstrikes. He added that teachers have been forced to incorporate Russian-language materials into the curriculum and that residents are routinely intimidated by Russian soldiers. The Washington Post could not independently verify these claims.
The city is also “on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Fedorov, who was briefly detained by Russian soldiers before being released in a prisoner swap.
Melitopol, one of the first Ukrainian cities to fall in the war, has been under Russian control for nearly four weeks. The presence of Moscow’s troops and their attempts to take over local governance have sparked opposition and outrage among its 150,000 or so residents.
Zina Pozen contributed to this report.
Analysis: Experts split on whether it’s okay for Ukrainians to hack Russia
Experts are closely divided on whether Ukrainian civilians are justified in launching offensive hacks against Russian invaders.
About 47 percent of experts polled by say such hacks are justified under the extraordinary circumstances of the invasion. About 53 percent say they’re not.
The poll of our Network experts group comes as thousands of Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians have banded together in an “IT Army” claiming to conduct cyber operations that blocked access to Russian government and media websites — operations known as “denial of service attacks,” which are illegal nearly everywhere.
In Makariv, reality doesn’t match government boasts of victory over Russian forces
MAKARIV, Ukraine — At first glance, the Ukrainian government’s report that its forces had pushed Russians out of this town seemed true: Armed Ukrainian soldiers stood guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to this rural enclave west of Kyiv, seemingly in full control.
Since Tuesday, top Ukrainian government officials have touted what they called a key victory in their month-long war against invading Russians. They said Makariv, a gateway for Russian forces to potentially surround and seize Kyiv, had been liberated from Russian forces — and that Ukraine’s flag was now flying victoriously over the town’s center.
Media around the world reported the news as the latest indication that Ukrainian forces were waging skillful counterattacks and defeating the Russians in vital locations.
But as a team of Washington Post journalists passed through the checkpoint on Wednesday, Ukrainian soldiers ordered them to quickly leave the town, warning of incoming Russian rockets or artillery. Minutes later, reporters heard the sound of shells falling. Black plumes of smoke rose over the houses. Soon more blasts followed.
Makariv remains a contested front line.
‘Amazingly brave’ Russian journalist at least fifth reporter to die covering Ukraine
A correspondent with a Russian news outlet was killed while reporting on shelling in Kyiv, her outlet said, marking at least the fifth journalist to die covering the war in Ukraine.
Oksana Baulina died while filming the destruction from Russian shelling of a district within the Ukrainian capital, the Insider, an independent Russian news site, confirmed Wednesday, leading to an outpouring from other journalists who spoke of Baulina’s persistence and selflessness.
Baulina was “an amazingly brave Russian journalist,” tweeted Christo Grozev, an investigative reporter at Bellingcat, adding that she was “killed by her own country’s army shelling civilian areas in the Podol district in Kyiv.”
Evidence points to Russian war crimes in Ukraine, U.S. says
U.S. intelligence agencies see concrete evidence of war crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday, as President Biden arrived in Europe to rally NATO support for ramping up economic and military pressure against Moscow.
Russia launched fresh missile strikes against residential neighborhoods in Kyiv and other key cities as the war reached the four-week mark, while Ukrainian troops pressed ahead with a counteroffensive that liberated parts of Makariv, a strategic suburb west of the capital that came under attack by Russian forces three weeks ago.
The counterattack dealt a blow to Moscow’s efforts to encircle Kyiv. But journalists visiting the enclave witnessed savage shelling and said Russian occupiers continued to hold parts of the town. Russian troops have suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, including between 7,000 to 15,000 deaths since start of the invasion, according to a new estimate by a senior NATO military official.
Biden arrives in Brussels for third overseas journey in office
President Biden landed Wednesday in Brussels, the first stop on a European trip meant to bolster the NATO alliance amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden was received at the airport by the prime minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo. This is Biden’s third overseas trip since taking office. The president will attend a NATO summit, a Group of Seven meeting and a session with heads of state from the European Union while in Brussels. He will then travel to Poland, a visit that will include a meeting with President Andrzej Duda on Saturday.
During the trip, the president is set to pledge more aid to address human suffering amid a growing refugee crisis. Biden is also expected to announce a new package of sanctions on Russia as well as new efforts to crack down on those looking to evade current sanctions.
“For the past few months, the West has been united,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. “The president is traveling to Europe to ensure that we stay united, to cement our collective resolve, to send a powerful message that we are prepared and committed to this for as long as it takes.”
Speaking to reporters during the flight, Sullivan said new sanctions against political leaders and oligarchs would be announced Thursday but did not give details. He also said leaders would discuss China.
Sullivan said Biden would speak Friday about the energy issues of Europe, which is more reliant on Russian oil and gas than the United States, before heading to Poland. The European Commission has presented a plan to dramatically cut Russian gas imports this year in response to the war.
Asked as he left the White House about his message to world leaders, Biden said he will “say it when I get there.” He was also asked about the possibility of Russia engaging in chemical warfare in Ukraine, and said, “I think it’s a real threat.”
