The latest news on the war between Russia and Ukraine | Wilnesh News

Russian President Vladimir Putin said late on Tuesday that he would consider making his first trip to China in his new term as president won in weekend elections.

On Tuesday, Reuters exclusively reported that Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin chief’s first trip abroad during his new presidential term.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov asked Putin to choose Beijing as the location for his visit at a meeting with parliamentary factions on Tuesday.

TASS quoted Zyuganov as saying: “I hope your first visit will be to the East, not the West. Comrade Xi Jinping is waiting for your arrival and he loves our country very much.”

Putin promised to consider the trip.

“I definitely will — no jokes — “Think about what you just said,” Putin responded with a smile, TASS reported.

Western governments on Monday unanimously condemned Putin’s landslide victory in a weekend election, calling it unfair and undemocratic, but China and North Korea congratulated the veteran Russian leader for extending his rule by six years.

— Holly Elliot

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Tuesday that Ukraine’s survival was at risk amid an ongoing funding impasse in the U.S. Congress. He said providing additional aid to Ukraine was a matter of “honor” for the United States.

“Today, Ukraine’s survival is at risk and the security of the United States is at risk. They don’t have a day to waste. We don’t have a day to waste,” Austin told a news conference after the Security Council meeting. .The Ukrainian Defense Contact Group held a meeting on Tuesday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, attended by representatives from Ukraine and about 50 allied countries.

“I leave here today determined to ensure the unimpeded flow of U.S. security assistance and munitions. This is about Ukraine’s survival and sovereignty. This is about American honor and security. Make no mistake, Putin is watching. The world is watching. “We’re watching, history is watching,” Austin said. “

Poland’s foreign minister called on the United States to take action in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, warning that Ukraine’s success in its war with Russia now bears on U.S. credibility.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told CNBC on Tuesday: “If the US supplementary agreement is adopted, we will not be at a disadvantage and I once again call on Speaker Johnson to put it to a vote. Let democracy go smoothly It’s natural.”

— Holly Elliot

France said on Tuesday that it had recently Comment Sergey Nareshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said any French troops sent to Ukraine to help fight Russia would become a “priority target” for the Russian military, which was an “irresponsible” provocation.

“We consider this provocation irresponsible,” a French armed forces official said, adding that the remarks were another example of Russian “disinformation.”

— Reuters

Poland’s foreign minister told CNBC on Tuesday that a legal agreement to transfer income from Russian assets to Ukraine could be finalized this week.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia’s central bank reserves $300 billion Frozen by the G7 and its partners in March 2022.

Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with CNBC: “Some people say that after the war, the assets of the Russian Central Bank should be handed over to Ukraine to rebuild Ukraine, so I want to say how to better use these assets to Protecting Ukrainian citizen infrastructure from destruction.” Steve Sedgwick.

Sikorsky said Russia had been told it would not accept the funds because it would be needed for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

“The only question is whether we provide this money to Ukraine after the war or when she needs it most, which is now,” he added.

This week, European foreign ministers decided to “hand over principal income to Ukraine,” the foreign minister said.

There has been controversy over the legality and procedures for using the Russian Central Bank to freeze proceeds from assets held by Euroclear Bank, the Belgian central securities depository provider.

Earlier on Tuesday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said proposal The issue of using profits from frozen assets to fund military aid to Ukraine will be brought to EU member states this week. He said the assets could bring in about 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) in annual profits.

——Sophie Kidlin

Putin’s reelection to a fifth term over the weekend was one of the least surprising political events so far this year, but it raises questions about what we can expect from the strongman’s next six years in office.

With key factors to watch including the war in Ukraine, domestic economic reforms and a possible government reshuffle as Putin tightens his grip on power, analysts have their say on what we can expect.

Read more about this story here: War, reform and possible successors?Here’s what we can see from Putin’s six years in power

— Holly Elliot

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told CNBC on Tuesday that the Russian economy could be in “serious trouble” if the war in Ukraine continues for another year or two.

“I think if Ukraine can hold on for a year or two, the Russian economy will be in serious trouble, and then President Putin will probably do something about that aggression,” he told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick. Different decisions.”

Sikorsky added that Russia has spent about half of its reserve budget.

“If you put your economy into a state of crisis or war, your GDP goes up because you produce more shells and tanks and all that stuff that will be destroyed, but you also waste your country’s resources. and wealth, but there are limits,” he said.

——Sophie Kidlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly instructed Russia’s security service, the FSB, to identify and punish anti-Kremlin “traitors” who carry out cross-border attacks against Russia, saying they have “committed crimes against Russia.”

At a meeting of Russia’s FSB board of directors on Tuesday, Putin discussed recent attempts by several Russian rebel groups — Listed by Moscow as a “sabotage and terrorist organization” — Crossing the Ukrainian border into Russian territory.

“When I talk about these traitors, I ask… (Russia’s FSB) not to forget who they are and to say their names,” Putin said, according to comments reported by TASS and translated by Google.

Russian border officials reported last week that rebel groups carried out Cross-border attacks on Belgorod and Kursk border areas But the Russian Defense Ministry said it had repelled the attempt to invade Russian territory. Ukraine says some Russian anti-war armed groups have acted independently.

“No matter where they are, we will punish them without a statute of limitations,” said Putin, a former KGB officer and predecessor of Russia’s Federal Security Service. Putin has maintained close relations with the security services during his 24 years in power. .

— Holly Elliot