Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden has actually informed Poland’s President Andrzej Duda that “your freedom is ours,” echoing of among Poland’s informal slogans. He ensured Duda that the U.S. and other NATO allies would concern their help if Russia must assault.

The 2 collected Saturday on Biden’s last day in Europe to discuss their shared effort to end the war in surrounding Ukraine.

Biden called the “collective defense” contract of the Western military alliance a “sacred commitment,” and stated that the unity of NATO was of the utmost value. He likewise acknowledged that Poland was bearing the force of the humanitarian crisis, with more than 2 countless the 3.5 million individuals running away Ukraine going into the nation. He stated the other NATO allies need to do more. The U.S. has actually promised to accept as much as 100,000 refugees.

Duda stated that the relations in between the 2 countries are thriving, in spite of the challenging times.

— Associated Press

President Biden in a conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda worried the value of unity amongst NATO countries throughout the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

“I’m confident that Vladimir Putin was counting on being able to divide NATO,” Biden stated, and “to be able to separate the eastern flank from the west, to be able to separate nations based on past histories. But he hasn’t been able to do it.”

Biden went on to state that NATO nations must follow Poland’s lead in accepting Ukrainian refugees, consisting of the U.S. He compared the refugee crisis to the circumstance at the southern border in the U.S.

“And also we do acknowledge that Poland is taking on a significant responsibility, that I don’t think should just be Poland’s; it should be all of NATO’s responsibility. The fact that so many, so many Ukrainians seeking refuge in the country of Poland. We understand that because we have at our southern border thousands of people a day, literally not figuratively, trying to get into the United States. But we believe, that we, the United States, should do our part relative to Ukraine as well by opening our borders to another 100,000 people,” Biden stated.

Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, states the business will never ever work with President Vladimir Putin once again.

Still, Pouyanne stated TotalEnergies will not cross out its oil and gas properties inRussia Instead it will no longer offer capital for brand-new jobs in the nation and not restore its Russian gasoil and unrefined supply agreements.

Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble, Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, stated he was not prepared to cross out the business’s properties in Russia as it would successfully suggest providing to Putin “for free.”

“What do we do with the existing assets? … I am not ready to give them for zero to Russian people, to Russian oligarchs … because by the way, it would be contrary of the sanctions,” he stated on a CNBC-moderated panel at the Doha Forum in Qatar.

“These assets are there, I will not give them for free to Mr. Putin. Because this is what it means, leaving today.”

—Annie Nova

Russian forces have actually taken control of the town of Slavutych in Ukraine, where employees at the Chornobyl nuclear plant live, Reuters reported, mentioning the guv of Kyiv area.

Governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk stated some citizens had actually unfurled a big Ukrainian flag in demonstration, yelling “Glory to Ukraine!” Russian soldiers fired into the air and tossed stun grenades into the crowd to attempt and distribute the demonstration.

“The inhabitants are carrying out heroic civil resistance to the invader,” governmental consultant Oleksiy Arestovych stated in a telecasted address, Reuters reported.

Officials from Russia did not right away respond to Reuters for remark about Slavutych.

— Terri Cullen

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani informs CNBC that the financial results of the Ukraine-Russia crisis are being probed the world– and might lead some nations to move far from prices oil in dollars.

“Honestly speaking, look at what happens and the dynamics around us right now. I’m sure there are a lot of other countries who are unhappy with what’s happened and the consequences of the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, especially the economic consequences,” he informed CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the Doha Forum.

“And they are going to look and check out a parallel system [of pricing oil] … going to hedge, a minimum of, for them financially,” he included. “So as we are living through a transition, this transition will not be only a political transition but it is an economic transition as well.”

He included that Qatar was “stepping up” and holding talks with European nations about increasing gas materials.

It comes as European nations look for to diversify their energy supply far from Russia– especially gas. The EU imported 45% of its gas from Russia in 2015, according to the International Energy Agency.

“We are stepping up and helping some European partners who are starting to suffer from some gas shortages … with the limited amount that we have,” he stated, worrying that most of its gas agreements are long-lasting.

— Katrina Bishop

Ukraine’s minister of defense and minister of foreign affairs have actually consulted with their U.S. equivalents in Warsaw, Poland.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken consulted with Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba stated on Twitter that the “special 2+2 format allows us to seek practical decisions in both political and defense spheres in order to fortify Ukraine’s ability to fight back Russian aggression.”

— Katrina Bishop

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk stated on nationwide tv that 100,000 individuals still require to be left from the besieged city of Mariupol.

It follows Mayor Vadym Boichenko stated street battling continued in the town hall.

In a tv interview previously in the day, Boichenko stated that he ‘d spoken with the French ambassador about choices for leaving civilians from the city.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated Friday that he wanted to get Russia on board with a humanitarian operation, along with Greece and Turkey, to assist leave civilians fromMariupol

— Katrina Bishop

As the dispute enters its 2nd month, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to make a significant address from Poland, which borders Ukraine.

“He will speak to the stakes of this moment, the urgency of the challenge that lies ahead, what the conflict in Ukraine means for the world, and why it is so important that the free world sustain unity and resolve in the face of Russian aggression,” stated Jake Sullivan, Biden’s nationwide security consultant, informed NBC.

Biden is anticipated to consult with refugees in Poland ahead of the speech; he nation has actually invited over 2 million individuals running away the dispute in Ukraine.

— Katrina Bishop

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has actually spoken at the Doha Forum conference’s opening event, advising energy producing nations such as Qatar to trek their output.

Speaking through video link, he stated: “I ask you to increase output of energy so everyone in Russia understands that no one can use energy as blackmail,” according to a translation.

It comes as nations around the globe look for to minimize their energy reliance on Russia– a leading manufacturer and worldwide exporter of oil and gas.

Posting on his validated Telegram channel after the address, Zelenskyy stated it was just a matter of time prior to European nations stopped acquiring Russian oil and gas.

“The responsible states, in particular the State of Qatar, are reliable and reputable suppliers of energy resources. And they can contribute to stabilizing the situation in Europe. There is much that can be done to restore justice,” he stated, according to a translation.

On Friday, the U.S. stated it will want to offer a minimum of 15 billion cubic meters more of liquified gas to Europe this year, with the volumes anticipated to increase moving forward.

U.S. President Joe Biden explained the contract as a “groundbreaking” brand-new effort created to “increase energy security, economic security and national security.”

The U.K. Ministry of Defence stated Russia promises to focus its weapons on metropolitan locations.

“Russian forces are proving reluctant to engage in large scale urban infantry operations, rather preferring to rely on the indiscriminate use of air and artillery bombardments in an attempt to demoralise defending forces,” the ministry stated in its day-to-day intelligence upgrade.

It stated, nevertheless, this technique will likely come “at the cost of further civilian casualties” as Moscow seeks to “limit its own already considerable losses.”

The ministry stated Russia’s attack continues in a variety of Ukrainian cities, consisting of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.

— Christine Wang

Russian forces seem focusing on efforts in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, a U.S. Department of Defense authorities stated Friday.

“That’s where still there remains a lot of heavy fighting and we think they are trying to not only secure some sort of more substantial gains there as a potential negotiating tactic at the table, but also to cut off Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country,” the authorities stated.

While airstrikes on Kyiv continue, the Pentagon authorities stated Russian forces presently do not seem pursuing a ground offensive in Ukraine’s capital city.

The authorities likewise stated the Pentagon has actually seen Russian troop motions in Georgia, which they stated might show supports might be sent out into Ukraine.

Reports of military motions in Ukraine continue to be challenging to verify as the circumstance throughout the nation stays fluid and modifications quickly.

The authorities likewise verified Ukrainian forces ruined a Russian ship in Berdyansk previously in the week, however decreased to state what weapons were utilized, in order to secure functional security. The authorities likewise stated the department does not understand the number of Russians were onboard when the ship was struck or the number of casualties there were.

— Christine Wang

U.S. President Joe Biden stopped near Rzeszow, Poland to thank the U.S. Army 82 nd Airborne Division ahead of his conference with the nation’s President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.

“We’re in the midst of a fight between democracy and oligarchs,” Biden stated.

“What’s at stake here is not just what we’re doing in Ukraine to try to help the Ukrainian people and try to keep the massacre from continuing,” Biden stated. “Beyond that is what are your kids and grandkids going to look like in terms of their freedom.”

“What you’re engaging in is much bigger than whether or not you can alleviate the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine. We’re in a new phase, we’re at an inflection point,” he stated. Biden included that the world will not be the exact same in 10 or 15 years and the concern is: “Who’s going to prevail,” democracy or autocracy.

“You are the finest fighting force in the history of the world,” Biden stated.

In resolving the soldiers, Biden invoked his boy Beau Biden, an attorney and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps who served in Iraq and Kosovo.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people like my son, like all of you. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Biden stated.

— Dawn Kopecki, Getty Images/Reuters