Images: Reuters Berita 24 English - In a battle that could determine the success or failure of Moscow's primary campaign in the industri...
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| Images: Reuters |
DIPLOMACY
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged for negotiations with Moscow to free wheat exports stuck in Ukraine due to a Russian naval blockade.
* According to a Kremlin spokeswoman, Russia has not yet seen an Italian peace plan for Ukraine, but intends to obtain it through diplomatic channels.
* France's Europe minister stated that Ukraine will eventually join the European Union.
FIGHTING
* With Russia's military operation now in its most active phase, battles in eastern Ukraine could determine the country's fate, according to a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
* According to RIA news agency, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated Moscow was purposefully slowing down its offensive in Ukraine to allow civilians to flee.
* Russia's defense ministry claimed its forces hit an armaments storage in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine that was storing shells for M777 howitzers made in the United States.
The report could not be independently verified by Reuters.
ECONOMY
* NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Western countries should not sacrifice security for economic gain, pointing to arguments over the use of Chinese technology in 5G networks and the Nord Stream 2 project for Russian gas.
* Russia, like it does in the energy sector, is exploiting food supply as a weapon with global ramifications, according to EU's von der Leyen.
* Britain's transport minister said the government is in talks with Ukraine about how to help get food out of the country.
* According to a presidential adviser, Ukraine is considering issuing debt receipts guaranteed by frozen Russian assets to collect funding for reconstruction.
* Analyst APK-Inform boosted its grain yield and export projections for Ukraine in 2022/23 due to a better-than-expected winter harvest.
QUOTES
* "This is a ridiculous war that your Putin initiated," jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said via video link from a correctional colony before a Moscow appeals court. "This war was founded on deception."
* "The invasion may have been the start of the Third World War, and our civilisation may not survive it," said George Soros, a billionaire banker.
"The greatest, and possibly only, way to save our culture is for Putin to be defeated as quickly as possible. The bottom line is this:"
