Ukraine is on the agenda as European officials head to China
French President Macron and US President Biden discuss common desire to “engage China” to accelerate end of Ukraine war
From CNN’s Pierre Bairin in Paris and Larry Register in Atlanta
Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day trip to China, he spoke with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, according to the Elysée Palace.
In a readout, Elysée Palace said the two heads of state discussed their common desire to engage China to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine and to participate in building a lasting peace in the region.
They also jointly expressed their wish to obtain from China a contribution to the global North/South solidarity effort and to build with China a common agenda on climate and biodiversity, according to the readout.
Macron will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon local time.
Ukraine is on the agenda as European officials head to China. Catch up on the latest news
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will accompany French President Emmanuel Macron to China on Wednesday where Russia’s war in Ukraine is expected to discussed.
Ukraine will be an “important topic” of von der Leyen’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, she said in a tweet.
“How China continues to interact with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward,” von der Leyen said in Brussels last week.
Here’s what else you need to know:
- Finland joined NATO: Finish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto took part in the country’s first NATO rmeeting in Brussels Tuesday, following Finland’s accession ceremony earlier in the day. Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, doubling the military alliance’s border with Russia in a blow to President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion of Ukraine. Prior to Tuesday, five NATO members shared in Russia’s land border. The Nordic nation ditched decades of neutrality when it announced its intention to join NATO last year, after Moscow launched its war in Ukraine.
- Suspect arrested in St. Petersburg explosion: 26-year-old Daria Trepova was formally placed under arrest Tuesday in connection with an explosion that killed a prominent Russian military blogger at a cafe in St. Petersburg. Investigators alleged that Trepova, acting at the behest of Ukraine, brought a “statuette filled with explosives to a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg and handed it over to military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky.” The explosion left more than 30 people injured. The Russian investigative committee have requested Trepova remain in detention until June 2. Her case is ongoing at the Basmanny court of Moscow.
- US journalist still detained in Russia: As US officials begin to consider ways to secure the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, some are concerned about a prisoner swap in this case, incentivizing the taking of American journalists, one US official said. Gershkovich is being held in a pre-trial detention center at the notorious Lefortovo prison until May 29. He faces up to 20 years in prison on espionage charges. The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied the spying accusations against Gershkovich. Gershkovich filed an appeal against his arrest, but no hearing date has been set. Prisoner swaps led to the release of the last two Americans who were wrongfully detained in Russia.
Former US President Clinton suggested Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Kyiv still had nuclear weapons
From CNN’s Jennifer Hauser
Former US President Bill Clinton said he regrets persuading Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s. In an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE Tuesday, he suggested Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Kyiv still had nuclear weapons.
“I feel a personal stake because I got them [Ukraine] to agree to give up their nuclear weapons. And none of them believe that Russia would have pulled this stunt if Ukraine still had their weapons,” Clinton told RTE.
In January 1994 Clinton signed a tripartite agreement with then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk which provided for the transfer of all nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine to Russia for dismantlement, according to the US State Department. It was an effort to remove the weapons that remained on its territory following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In December 1994, Ukraine acceded to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state and the US, Russia and the UK provided security assurances to Ukraine and the START I Treaty entered into force, according to the White House.
“I knew that President Putin did not support the agreement President Yeltsin made never to interfere with Ukraine’s territorial boundaries – an agreement he made because he wanted Ukraine to give up their nuclear weapons,” Clinton told RTE.
“President Putin broke it and first took Crimea. And I feel terrible about it because Ukraine is a very important country,” he said, adding “I think what Mr. Putin did was very wrong.”
Some context: NATO has not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture since Putin announced late last month Moscow’s plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, NATO’s secretary general said Monday. However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has claimed that Belarusian aircraft have been upgraded to be able to carry out nuclear strikes, in response to NATO’s imminent expansion.
Lawyers get access to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter
From CNN’s Tim Lister
The Wall Street Journal said that its reporter Evan Gershkovich has been able to meet with his lawyers Tuesday.
In a statement, the Journal said:
“Evan’s lawyers were able to meet with him in prison today. They said Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We stand with Evan and continue to call for his immediate release.”
The Journal’s statement, from editor-in-chief Emma Tucker and Almar Latour, the CEO of Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, said that Gershkovich “was doing what journalists do – asking questions and providing an eyewitness account in the region to help keep the world well informed.”
“His imprisonment is wholly unjustified and an attack on a free press. We are doing everything in our power to bring Evan home safely and will not rest until he is reunited with his family.”
EU chief speaks with Ukraine’s Zelensky ahead of China visit
From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel in London
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday ahead of her visit to China on Wednesday.
Ukraine will be an “important topic” of her meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, von der Leyen said in a tweet.
“The EU wants a just peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she wrote.
China’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine will be a “determining factor” for European Union’s relations with Beijing going forward, von der Leyen said last week.
The EU chief will accompany French President Emmanuel Macron to China on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s Zelensky invited to NATO summit in July, alliance’s chief indicates
From CNN’s Alex Hardie in London
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has indicated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the alliance’s summit taking place in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius in July.
“A strong independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area, and we look forward to meeting President Zelensky at our Vilnius summit in July,” Stoltenberg said.
He made the remark in Brussels on Tuesday, following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission – the body responsible for the relationship between Ukraine and the alliance.
Ukrainians will start training on US Abrams tanks soon, defense official says
From CNN’s Haley Britzky
Training for Ukrainians on US M1A1 Abrams tanks has not yet started, but will begin “relatively soon,” a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday.
“Abrams training has not yet begun…We are still working on the equipment procurement so we haven’t we have not yet begun the training, but I would expect that that will happen relatively soon,” the official said during a background briefing.
In total, the official said the US has trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian troops since the beginning of Russia’s invasion more than a year ago. The US plans to send 31 M1A1 tanks to Ukraine — the size of a Ukrainian tank battalion.
The US agreed to send the tanks in January after a sudden reversal on its stated policy that Abrams were too complex and difficult to maintain for Ukrainian forces in the middle of a war.
The Biden administration relented under pressure from Germany, which said that it would only approve the transfer of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if the US agreed to send Abrams tanks as well.
But the US cautioned that delivering tanks to Ukraine would take time. “We just don’t have these tanks available in excess in our US stocks,” Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said shortly after the US announcement.
Turkey welcomes new NATO ally Finland as it continues to block Sweden from joining alliance
From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel and Ivana Kottasová in London
Turkey on Tuesday welcomed Finland as a new NATO member as Ankara continues to block Helsinki’s Scandinavian neighbor Stockholm from joining the transatlantic military alliance.
“I would like to welcome Finland as a new ally. With Finland, now our alliance is much more stronger,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in Brussels, speaking alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier Tuesday as the minister handed ratification document to the American diplomat.
The Turkish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of Finland’s membership on Thursday, clearing the last hurdle in the accession process.
Both Finland and Sweden requested to join the military alliance in May last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finland takes part in first NATO meeting since accession
From CNN’s Jessie Gretener in London
Finish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto took part in country’s first NATO round table meeting in Brussels Tuesday, following Finland’s accession ceremony earlier in the day.
Haavisto was seen smiling and shaking hands with other NATO leaders, before taking a seat between Estonia and France.
The alliance’s chief, Jens Stoltenberg, opened the meeting by saying, “Let me start by welcoming Finland as the newest member of our alliance.”
Stoltenberg’s comments were met by a long round of applause, with Haavisto smiling and mouthing the words, “Thank you.”
“Mr Haavisto you have attended many meetings, but this is the first time you sit down there between France and Estonia. It is really a great privilege to have you now as a full-fledged member,” Stoltenberg said, adding, “and as we stated so clearly outside, soon we will also have Sweden as a full-fledged member of our alliance.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-04-05-23/index.html
