Ukraine Latest: USA gives Sweden, Finland security guarantees
(Bloomberg) – Finland and Sweden receive security guarantees from the United States if they are threatened by Russia if they apply to join NATO, Sweden’s foreign minister said after meetings in Washington.
Russian forces have been hampered by supply lines and moral problems in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, the Pentagon chief spokesman said. More than 300 civilians have been evacuated from war-torn Mariupol in a new “safe passage operation”, according to Osnat Lubrani, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson will meet with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in London, where they are expected to discuss a plan to support Asian nations in diversifying away from Russian oil and gas.
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Important developments
- The EU is pushing Russia hard, sweeping in oil, banking, companies
- The oil will stop before OPEC + meets after a strong ban on the Russian EU
- “I do not want to sell to an oligarch”: A CEO on leaving Russia
- The United States gives Sweden and Finland security promises on the way to NATO
- Brazil’s Lula says that Zelenskiy, Biden shares the blame for the war
All times CET:
The ECB’s Panetta says Europe’s economy is “de facto stagnating” (08:19)
With war on the threshold and high energy prices, Fabio Panetta, Member of the Board of Governors of the European Central Bank, said that economic expansion in the euro area has almost stopped.
“The big economies are suffering – GDP growth has slowed in Spain, stayed in France and declined in Italy,” Panetta told La Stampa in an interview published on Thursday. “In Germany, growth momentum is low and has weakened since the end of February, which is the point when everything changed.”
Shell wins highest in decade despite Russia fee (08:17)
Oil superintendent Shell Plc reported its highest quarterly profit in more than a decade, as the company was driven up by high oil and gas prices despite incurring an accounting fee of $ 3.9 billion on its planned departure from Russia.
The majors, with the exception of Chevron Corp., have written off a total of $ 37 billion as they sever ties with the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine.
Separately, BMW AG said that the quarterly profit increased by 12% even when the war in Ukraine and the Covid locks in China disrupted the car manufacturer’s supply chain.
US gives security promises to Sweden, Finland (08:08)
Sweden and Finland will start winning assurances of assistance if they are threatened by Russia during the intervening period between an expected application to join the NATO defense alliance and a possible entry into the bloc.
The Nordic countries, which began to seriously consider joining NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have worried about an uncertain “gray period” before full membership unlocks their security guarantees.
The United States is “ready to provide various forms of security guarantees” to both countries, said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde after talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Oil progress before OPEC + meets after stepping up EU EU ban (06:12)
Oil stabilized ahead of an OPEC + meeting on supply after increasing at EU level for a gradual ban on Russian crude oil.
The EU plans to ban Russian oil for the next six months and refined fuels by the end of the year, to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. The bloc is also targeting insurance companies in a move that could dramatically impair Moscow’s ability to transport oil around the world.
US sends cyber team to Lithuania over threat of Russian hacking (04:15)
The United States rushed cyber forces to Lithuania to help defend itself against online threats that have increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an army general said on Wednesday.
“Our deployment in Lithuania was directly related to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine,” Major General Joe Hartman, who leads the US Cyber National Mission Force, told reporters at a roundtable interview in Nashville.
Britain to provide support for “most vulnerable” (01:55)
Britain will provide 45 million pounds to help Ukrainians most in need because of the war, the British government announced on Thursday. Foreign Minister Liz Truss said in a statement that the aid would support “the most vulnerable in Ukraine, especially women and children, who are at increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation.”
The money will be directed to UN agencies and other aid organizations working in Ukraine.
Britain, Japan discuss plans to help Asia diversify from Russian oil (01:15)
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson will meet with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in London here and they are expected to discuss a plan to support Asian nations to find energy supplies to diversify away from Russian oil and gas. Both leaders will also, in principle, agree to a new military pact for joint cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Bilateral meetings are expected to focus on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and how international alliances can continue to exert maximum pressure on President Putin’s regime while supporting Ukraine and other European countries affected by the barbaric invasion,” the British government said in a statement. .
300 more civilians evacuated from Mariupol (12:15)
More than 300 civilians have been evacuated from war-torn Mariupol in a new “safe passage operation”, according to Osnat Lubrani, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.
“Many came with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, and we will now support them during this difficult time, including with much-needed psychological support,” Lubrani said in a statement on Wednesday.
The civilians in this latest evacuation came from Mariupol and other cities and are “getting help in Zaporizhzhia”, Lubrani added.
Russian troops trapped in Ukraine, says Pentagon (22:09)
Russian troops have not made the kind of progress in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine “that they have wanted to make,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday, referring to problems with supply lines and morale.
“We do not think they have solved their logistics and maintenance problems,” he said, adding that Russian troops are “cautious” about getting too far ahead of their supply lines. Kirby also said that their missile attack had been outside the target but that the United States did not know if it was related to technical problems, Ukrainian defense or “incompetence” on the part of the Russians.
Russia announces humanitarian corridors from Mariupol (20:47)
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would offer safe passage for civilians still trapped in Azovstal’s steel plant in Mariupol on May 5 to 7, Tass reported.
The humanitarian corridors will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the three days, the ministry said. The civilians can choose whether they want to go to Russia or Ukrainian-controlled areas, according to Interfax.
Russia has taken control of almost all of Mariupol after a brutal week-long siege. The remaining defenders endure in the giant industrial plant, where hundreds of civilians had taken refuge and began to be evacuated last weekend.
US military announces weapons training for Ukrainians (18:23)
The United States is training Ukrainians on new weapons systems, including artillery and drones, in Grafenwoer, Germany, according to Brigadier General Joseph Hilbert, commander of the 7th Army’s training command in Europe. He told reporters that a first group of Ukrainian trainees is back in the fight in Ukraine, and that a second group of about 50 to 60 is now being instructed.
“They understand how to use it and use it as efficiently as they can on their own and in accordance with their own tactics and doctrine,” Hilbert said of the new equipment. “The soldiers we receive here are absolutely motivated, incredibly professional.”
The United States has had no problem getting the small groups of Ukrainians back into Germany and back, according to Hilbert and Lieutenant Colonel Todd Hopkins, who also oversee the training. Officials acknowledged challenges, including providing instructions through translators.
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