Ukraine Latest: Russia Ousting German Diplomats in Tit-for-Tat

(Bloomberg) — General Mark Milley, America’s top uniformed military officer, says there’s “no silver bullet” the US and its allies can give to Ukraine to ensure it defeats Russia. Milley spoke Friday alongside US defense chief Lloyd Austin, who said Ukraine’s most pressing need is for ground-based air defenses. The pair held a meeting of military donors to Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. 

A shipment of Russian fertilizer held in Latvia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has departed for Kenya, a potential boost to UN efforts to extend the safe-transit deal for Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports.  

Russia will expel “more than 20” German diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to what Moscow called a recent “massive expulsion” of Russian diplomats from Germany, its foreign ministry spokeswoman said. 

Key Developments

(All times CET)   

France to Help Ukraine Restore Transport Infrastructure (6 p.m.)

France will increase cooperation with Ukraine to supply bridges and support the national railway operator Ukrzaliznytsya, said Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. Agreements have been reached to supply railway tracks and new locomotives. 

The countries signed a memorandum of understanding and will also cooperate in the areas of public transport, logistics, aerial and sea transport and road construction, with a focus on environmentally clean technologies. 

EU Set to Propose Banning Many Goods From Transiting Via Russia (4:30 p.m.)

The European Union is set to propose a ban on many goods transiting through Russia as the bloc attempts to tighten the screws on the enforcement of sanctions imposed over the past year. 

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The transit ban would extend to numerous technologies and other goods, including several types of vehicles, but not all items would be barred from traveling via Russia en route to third countries, according to people familiar with the proposals.

Read more: EU Set to Propose Banning Many Goods From Transiting Via Russia

Brazil’s Lula Urges Russia, Ukraine to Talk (2:58 p.m.)

Brazil wants Russia and Ukraine to sit and talk, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said at a press conference in Lisbon, his latest commentary after saying a week ago that the US should stop “encouraging war.” 

“I never made the two countries equal because I know what an invasion is, I know what territorial integrity is,” Lula said. “All of us in Brazil think that Russia was wrong and we have already condemned it. But now I think we need to stop the war. And to stop the war there has to be someone who talks.”

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The war “isn’t doing good to humanity” with Europe facing problems with energy, fertilizers, food and Brazil, as a fertilizer importer, also harmed, he said. “I don’t want to please anyone, I want to build a way of putting the two at the table.”

Russia to Expel ‘More Than 20’ German Diplomats (2 p.m.)

Russia will cut staff limits for German diplomatic missions and expel “more than 20” diplomats in a tit-for-tat move following what Moscow called the recent “massive expulsion” of Russian diplomats from Germany, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the defense ministry’s TV channel, Zvezda. Germany’s Bild tabloid put the number of explusions at 34 out of about 90. 

“Russia has decided on the ‘mirror’ expulsion of German diplomats from Russia, as well as on significantly limiting the maximum number of employees of German diplomatic missions in our country,” the ministry said earlier in a statement. 

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According to the statement, Germany’s ambassador, Geza Andreas von Geyr, was informed about the plan on April 5. Over 20 Russians were expelled in Berlin’s recent action, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported. 

Minister Urges G-7 to Help De-Mine Farmland (12:42 p.m.)

Ukraine needs international help to demine its farmland, said Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi, according to a government website. 

Solskyi addressed Group of Seven agriculture ministers meeting this weekend in Miyazaki, Japan, via video link. Only 57,000 hectares (140,000 acres) agriculture lands has been inspected for mines. leaving some 470,000 hectare that need to be cleaned and checked, he said – even as Ukraine’s spring planting season moves ahead.  

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Some 124 civilians including six children have been killed by landmines do date, Ruslan Berehulya, the defense ministry official responsible for national demining effort, said on television. Potentially mine-contaminated areas cover 174,000 square kilometers including sea territories. 

Latvia Allows Russian Russian Fertilizer to Leave Riga for Kenya (11 a.m.)

Latvia allowed a shipment of Russian fertilizer to leave Riga, part of an effort by the UN World Food Program to ease disruptions of grain and minerals supplies. The cargo has been held since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago. 

The WFP cargo departed for Kenya on Friday, the first of some 200,000 tons of Russian fertilizer owned by companies subject to EU sanctions and stored in Latvia, the Baltic nation’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. 

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While fertilizers are exempt from sanctions against Russia, Latvia has been reluctant to unblock shipments. The move may help UN efforts to extend the safe-transit deal that allows exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports. Russia has threatened to pull out of the agreement in mid-May if issues regarding its own grain and fertilizer exports aren’t resolved.   

Russian Bloggers Say Kyiv Troops Now on Dnipro East Bank: ISW (10:30 a.m.)  

A widely-followed Russian military blogger wrote this week that Ukrainian forces have established positions on the east, or left, bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, the Institute for the Study of War said in an update. The assertion hasn’t been confirmed by Ukraine.  

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The milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces are now able to cross the Dnipro River during the day whereas they previously conducted such crossings only at night, the US-based military analysts said. A second blogger wrote that Kyiv’s troops now have a small bridgehead on an unspecified island in the Dnipro River delta close to the east bank. 

One of the bloggers speculated that Ukrainian forces may be conducting river crossings as a distraction ahead of Kyiv’s potential upcoming counteroffensive.  

Poland Leads Push on Ukraine Farm Product Import Ban (10:30 a.m.) 

Eastern Europe is looking to widen recently-imposed bans on the domestic sale of Ukraine’s grains to other agricultural products from their war-torn neighbor, including sunflower oil, meat, eggs, milk, and soft fruits.

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The agriculture ministers of Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria will meet on Monday to discuss further steps, Poland’s Robert Telus said Saturday. They already sent letter to European Commission asking for more action to protect local markets, days after EU gave its initial nod for local bans for grain, he said. 

Read more: Poland Leads Push to Widen Ukrainian Farm Product Import Ban

Turkey Remains Biggest Obstacle to Swedish NATO Entry (10 a.m.)

Turkey, rather than Hungary, is the main impediment to Sweden’s accession to NATO, Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto told YLE TV1. Asked which of the two countries represents the bigger hurdle, Niinisto said “I believe it’s Turkey,” adding that “the chain is pretty clear.”   

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Niinisto also said a decision by the Swedish parliament on passing the country’s new anti-terror law, and whether that elicits a positive response from Turkey, will be key. Finland became a member of NATO this month after Turkey lifted its block on the membership of Russia’s neighbor, leaving Sweden waiting. 

Read more: Why Turkey Is Still Blocking Sweden’s NATO Accession: QuickTake

Milley Says ‘No Silver Bullet’ for Ukraine (7:30 a.m.)

America’s top uniformed military officer said there’s no “silver bullet” the US and its allies can give Ukraine to ensure it defeats Russia, even as the Ukrainian troops prepare to train on the M1 Abrams battle tank. 

“I do think the M1 tank, when it’s delivered, will make a difference,” General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in Ramstein, Germany. “There’s no silver bullet.”

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Milley spoke alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who said that Ukraine’s most pressing need is for ground-based air defenses. Ukraine has requested fighter jets to aid in its fight against Russia, a request the US has so far resisted. 

Read more:  Milley Says There’s No Silver Bullet for Ukraine Against Russia

Holtec to Help Build 20 Small Module Reactors in Ukraine (7 a.m.)

Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear operator, and Holtec International have agreed on cooperation to build small modular reactors SMR-160 in Ukraine, Energoatom said on Facebook. 

Up to 20 small module reactors will be built in Ukraine to help decentralize power generation and compensate for generating capacities destroyed by Russian strikes over recent months. The first pilot project is planned to be completed in 2029.

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Italy Freezes Assets of Russian Who Dodged US Sanctions Charges (7 a.m.)

Italy froze the financial assets of Artem Uss, a politically connected Russian who escaped from house arrest in Milan while awaiting extradition on US charges of sanctions evasion and money laundering.

The Finance Ministry in Rome late Friday approved a decree freezing the assets, which include a stake in a company, a villa and a bank account.

Read more: Italy Freezes Assets of Russian Who Dodged US Sanctions Charges

US Expands Hunt for Russia Sanctions Evaders to Distant Places (3:20 p.m.)

The US Justice Department is looking for new ways to cut off Russian sanctions evasion by focusing on overseas investment advisers, hedge funds, law firms and private equity managers that have previously escaped scrutiny.

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“People who are sitting in banks where they don’t care about US sanctions or money laundering or frankly fraud concerns, fit the bill when I say we are prioritizing facilitators,” Andrew Adams, head of the department’s Task Force Kleptocapture, told Bloomberg in an interview. 

His remarks can be seen as a warning shot about the expanding US campaign to flush out sanctions evaders. They also underscore a perennial problem: law enforcement has struggled to crimp the ability of wealthy Russians and companies to conceal their money. 

Russia Accidentally Strikes City Near Ukraine Border (8:30 a.m.)

A Russian warplane accidentally fired on the city of Belgorod, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, Tass reported, citing the defense ministry. 

“As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod, there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition,” Tass reported, citing the defense ministry. 

An unspecified number of buildings were damaged, the state-run Tass news service reported, citing the ministry. Local authorities reported at least three injuries. The regional governor said on Telegram said the bomb left a 20-meter-wide (66 feet) crater on a main street.