Politics

  Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Vladimir Putin is engaging in “extreme blackmail” that requires a “swift, firm, united reaction” after the Russian president put his country’s nuclear forces on high alert. Draghi said that Putin’s warning last week that those who obstruct Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would face “consequences that you have never encountered in your history” ...

  Bloomberg Burkina Faso’s military leader on Tuesday signed off on a return to democracy within three years following a coup in January. A civilian prime minister will lead a 24-member cabinet during the transition, according to the charter adopted following a meeting in the capital, Ouagadougou. Interim President Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the prime minister and the speaker of ...

Bloomberg The head of Ukraine’s nuclear-power utility called on international monitors to intervene to ensure the safety of the country’s 15 atomic reactors as an advancing Russian invasion nears Europe’s largest nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency will convene an emergency session on Wednesday in Vienna to assess the situation. The watchdog has been warning for days that the ...

  Bloomberg Sanctions leveled on Russia will ultimately cause more damage to the US and its allies, a research group that advises Chinese President Xi Jinping said, as Beijing weighs how much backing to give its close diplomatic partner. Russia has largely adapted to dealing with punitive financial measures since 2014, when it was penalized for seizing Crimea, Ma Xue, ...

Bloomberg A Ukrainian delegation led by the defense minister began talks with Russian officials on the fifth day of an invasion that’s triggered a flurry of sanctions against Moscow and sent Russian markets into a tailspin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has voiced skepticism that the talks, taking place on the country’s border with Belarus, would yield results but said he ...

  Bloomberg President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to the European Union to fast-track membership for Ukraine. But despite support from several member states, the process is an arduous one and typically stretches out for years. “I am sure it is fair. I am sure we deserve this,” Zelenskiy told reporters Monday at a briefing at the presidential palace. “I am sure ...

  Bloomberg North Korea said it conducted an “important” test for a reconnaissance satellite over the weekend, launching its first rocket with ballistic missile capability in a month as global attention is focused on Ukraine. Its official Korean Central News Agency said Monday the launch that took place a day earlier helped test high-definition photography and data-transmission systems and attitude ...

  Bloomberg Two Ukrainian facilities containing nuclear waste suffered damage amid Russia’s now four-day-old invasion, international monitors reported. Missiles hit a radioactive waste-disposal site in Kyiv, and an electrical transformer was damaged in a similar depot in Kharkiv, according to an email from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Inspectors are still awaiting radiation measurements from local authorities to determine the ...

Bloomberg As China holds off in publicly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a rare debate has emerged on Chinese social media over the military action by a close diplomatic partner. Images of global anti-war protests — including in Russia— circulated on China’s Twitter-like Weibo over the weekend, as Putin’s forces shelled Ukrainian cities. Articles mocking Russia’s limited ...

Bloomberg Russia’s plans for Ukraine face rapidly rising costs due to delays caused by tougher-than-expected resistance from forces on the ground, even as its military retains overwhelming advantages. A person familiar with Russian planning said the military would have hoped for faster progress. The Kremlin has declined to comment on details of the military operation, and its Defense Ministry says ...