LIVE UPDATES
begin quote from:
UK says Russia’s gains in eastern Ukraine have been ‘slow and costly’; Putin blames West for food, energy crisis
This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on for over 100 days, an effort the Kremlin still calls a “special military operation.”
While Russian forces may have advanced in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said those gains have been “slow and costly” as part of Moscow’s “strategy of attrition.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations continues its work to release grain trapped in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The agency estimates 1.5 billion people are in need of the food and fertilizer stuck behind Russia’s blockade, emphasizing resuming exports is essential for preventing another crisis.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, blames “short-sighted” Western policy for the state of global food and energy markets. He also pushed off blame, saying the food crisis began with the coronavirus pandemic and not Russia’s “special military operation.”
Ukraine plans to restart football leagues starting in August
Ukraine plans to resume competitive football in the country in August despite being under attack by Russia after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave approval.
Andriy Pavelko, the president of Ukraine’s football federation, revealed details to The Associated Press about his talks with Zelenskyy and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about finding a safe way of playing men’s and women’s matches on home soil.
Ukraine was forced to abandon its leagues in February when Russia began its invasion. But as Russian forces have been redeployed to the east and south, fighting has subsided in the area near the capital Kyiv and elsewhere.
There is optimism sport can resume to lift the spirits of the nation, which is trying to qualify for the World Cup on Sunday by winning away at Wales.
— Associated Press
Moscow expects big jump in profits from energy exports in 2022
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western sanctions would have no effect on the country’s oil exports and predicted a big jump in profits from energy shipments this year.
“Considering the price level that has been established as a result of the West’s policies, we have suffered no budgetary losses,” the foreign ministry quoted him as telling a Bosnian Serb television station.
“On the contrary, this year we will significantly increase the profits from the export of our energy resources.”
On Monday, European Union leaders agreed in principle to cut 90% of oil imports from Russia by the end of this year to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
“Oil, generally speaking, is not subject to politics, there is a demand for it ... we have alternative sales markets, where we are already increasing sales,” said Lavrov.
— Reuters
Backed from the frontlines, Ukraine tries to seal a World Cup spot
Far from battlefields and Russian invaders, the Ukrainian footballers exempted from military service are trying to complete the mission to lead their country to the World Cup.
When they prepare to face Wales on Sunday in a playoff final, they will have a little extra inspiration in their Cardiff locker room from a flag sent by soldiers on the frontline.
Since Wednesday when Ukraine beat Scotland in a playoff semifinal, the players have continued to exchange messages with friends who have been defending their homeland in a war that has passed 100 days.
“We all hope that very soon Ukraine will be liberated and will return to being an independent country,” Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Karavayev said through a translator in the Welsh capital.
“This is a great positive stimulus and brings positive emotions because everyone believes and sees how the whole world is united around us.”
The Dynamo Kyiv player has family still in the southern city of Kherson, which was captured early in the war by Russia.
“They cannot watch the match because there is no connection and internet,” Karavayev said. “But they communicate by messages and they read the news.”
Keeping Ukraine high in the headlines can be partly achieved by the men qualifying for a first World Cup since 2006. But it might take time for their compatriots on the frontlines to discover the result in Wales.
“It is a really hard situation in Ukraine and not everyone has the chance to watch football,” coach Oleksandr Petrakov said through a translator. “I don’t communicate with any soldiers but the team writes to soldiers and even received a flag from the war which they promised to hang in the dressing room.”
— Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment