E-Paper
Russia tests ballistic missile; Zelensky denies seeing Kremlin document | Top updates
The United Kingdom is planning fresh penalties which are expected to come this week, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he had not seen or heard about the document that the Kremlin spoke about earlier in the day. The Kremlin said it had passed on a draft document to Kyiv containing “absolutely clear, elaborate wording” of its demands as part of peace talks and that it is now “waiting for a response" from the Ukrainian side.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned that Ukraine would not cede territory in any negotiations with Russia as Moscow intensifies its offensive in the east. “We won’t allow the Russian army to stay in the territories that have been occupied since February 24, these are absolute red lines,” Kuleba said via translator.
Top developments of the day:
>As the war entered day 56 on Wednesday, Russia said it had conducted a first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new addition to its nuclear arsenal which President Vladimir Putin said would give Moscow's enemies something to think about.
>A day after announcing the second phase of “operations” in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian official said the port city of Mariupol – where heavy fighting is underway – could fall into Russian hands within "hours", news agency AFP reported.
>The United Kingdom is planning fresh penalties which are expected to come this week, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. In the fresh sanctions, the UK is expected to target more Russian tycoons and their associates.
>More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine, the United Nations refugee agency said. Among its neighbours Poland has accepted more than 2.8 million people, Romania 757,047, Hungary 471,080, Moldova 426,964 and Slovakia 342,813. Russia took in 549,805 people and Belarus 23,759, the UNHCR said.
>Russia’s state oil-producing giant Rosneft PJSC surprised traders in Europe and Asia with offers to sell large amounts of crude quickly, as well as setting out significant changes to the payment process for some cargoes. There has been a growing pressure in Europe to ban Russian oil imports, creating a potential impetus to get purchases finalized before any such step is taken.
(With inputs from Bloomberg, AFP, Reuters)
