Russia says it will suspend fire to allow civilians to leave 4 Ukrainian cities
A view of a damaged building following shelling in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, on March 3, 2022.
Sergey Bobok | AFP | Getty Images
On Monday, Moscow said it would stop shelling four Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, to ensure the evacuation of civilians.
Evacuation attempts were halted over the weekend after Russian forces were accused of violating the ceasefire in the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.
Russian state news agencies reported on Monday that the final ceasefire would begin at 10:00 Moscow time (9:00 am Ukraine time, 2:00 am ET) in the cities of Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy.
Russian humanitarian personnel in Ukraine said the decision was the result of the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in the country and “a personal request from French President Emmanuel Macron.” [for a cease-fire] Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
The Russian government said it had informed the UN, the Red Cross and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe of its ceasefire plans.
Over the weekend, evacuations from Mariupol were cut short both Saturday and Sunday as Ukrainian officials said Russian forces continued to attack both the city and the planned route away from it.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Ukrainian authorities said about 400 civilians fleeing Volnovakha came under fire from Russia on Sunday, despite promises of a safe exit.
— Chloe Taylor
Economist Steven Roach says Xi Jinping is the only person who now has “leverage” on Putin
China has so far said it will not participate in sanctions against Russia and also abstained from voting at the UN to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine.
— Weizhen Tang
Putin’s “endgame” is to “cut off the head” of the Ukrainian government, says emeritus professor
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “endgame” in Russia’s war against Ukraine is to “replace the Zelensky government” with someone he “chooses”, said Graham Gill, professor emeritus at the University of Sydney.
What Putin “really wants is to cut off the head” of the Ukrainian government and set up his own government, he said Monday on CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia.
US and European officials have begun discussing the possibility of a government-in-exile led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he and his aides are forced to leave Ukraine and set up a new government while in Poland.
However, if Russia manages to take over Ukraine, it would prefer not to be led by Zelensky, as he proved to be “an effective opposition figurehead to the Russians during their invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Zelenskiy reportedly escaped three assassination attempts by Russian-backed special forces, but could “expect more to come,” Gill said.
“It is not surprising that there were assassination attempts on Zelensky,” he added.
— Charmaine Jacob
Heightened Security Concerns in the Baltic States Following Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Steve Sedgwick of CNBC reports from Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital and largest city, where he explains the region’s geography and history, and why he is so concerned about the recent Russian military aggression and invasion of Ukraine.
Trilateral negotiations are underway to send fighter jets to Ukraine
Poland, Ukraine and the US are negotiating a deal that would allow Ukraine to get more MiG fighter jets.
NBC News reported that the deal would include Poland’s transfer of MiG fighters to Ukraine, and the United States, in turn, would replace Polish fighters with American F-16s.
Two Polish MiG-29s at Malbork Air Base, Poland, in this August 2021 file photo.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Neither Ukraine nor Russia have established air superiority in their 11-day war, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent request for fighter jets during a phone call with 300 members of Congress on Saturday.
Ukrainian pilots are not trained to fly American-made combat aircraft. However, both Poland and Ukraine operate MiGs – aircraft designed and built in Russia – leftovers from the Soviet Union.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said over the weekend that combat aircraft and air defense systems are his country’s “biggest demand” as Ukraine faces nearly 200,000 Russian troops and their equipment.
The F-16 is manufactured by General Dynamics, a division of Lockheed Martin.
— Ted Kemp
No-fly zone over Ukraine raises risk of war between US and Russia, military analyst says
According to Ted Galen Carpenter, senior fellow for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, a no-fly zone over Ukraine would “significantly increase” the risk of war between the US and Russia.
“It is absolutely essential that the United States resist Zelenskiy’s call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine,” he told CNBC’s Street Signs Asia on Monday.
The President of Ukraine has repeatedly asked NATO to establish a no-fly zone over his country, but the US and its allies have so far rejected this request. Creating a no-fly zone would mean the alliance would have to shoot down Russian aircraft over Ukraine.
“It would greatly increase the danger of war between the United States and Russia, and at this point we are talking about a war with nuclear consequences,” Carpenter said.
“I don’t think anyone in the United States thinks Ukraine’s security is worth the risk,” he added.
Earlier, Putin said that he would consider the declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine by a third party as “participation of this country in hostilities.”
— Abigail Ng
US House of Representatives ‘studies strict law’ to ban Russian oil
In a letter to fellow Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the US House of Representatives is “exploring strong laws” to ban Russian oil imports.
The legislation “isolates Russia even more from the global economy,” she wrote.
“Our bill bans the import of Russian oil and energy into the United States, cancels normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, and takes the first step towards denying Russia access to the World Trade Organization. We also authorize the executive branch to raise tariffs on Russian imports,” she said.
This week, the House of Representatives will vote on aid to Ukraine totaling $10 billion in humanitarian, military and economic support.
— Ted Kemp
U.S. crude oil jumps above $125 a barrel due to possible Western ban on Russian oil
The Chemtrans Cancale crude oil tanker anchors offshore awaiting mooring at the Port of the Everglades on April 20, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Joe Radle | Getty Images
US crude jumped above $125 a barrel in early trading on Sunday evening as the market continued to react to supply disruptions caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine and the possibility that the US and its allies and partners could impose a ban on Russian oil and natural gas.
Futures for West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the benchmark for U.S. crude, rose 8%, at one point topping $130 a barrel, hitting its highest level since mid-2008. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded 9% higher at $128.60, also the highest price since 2008.
“Oil is rising on the prospect of a total embargo on Russian oil and petroleum products,” said John Kilduff, founding partner of Again Capital. “Already high gasoline prices will continue to rise sharply. Prices in some states will go up to $5 pretty quickly.”
— Tanaya Macheel