AGI – US President Joe Biden answered “yes” to a question from reporters who asked him if he was ready for a trip to Ukraine. After announcing that the United States was considering whether or not to send an official to Kyiv, Biden said, “We’re making a decision now. Thank you.” “Who do you intend to send?” asked a reporter. Biden replied: Are you ready to go? “Yes – answered the journalist, who then asked the president: And you?” Biden replied ah: “Yes.”
The New York Times revealed that the European Union is working on a draft Russian oil embargo. A phased procurement ban is being studied in Brussels to give Germany and other countries time to regulate alternative suppliers. President Zelensky accused Germany and Hungary of obstructing efforts to reach a ban on energy exports, from which Russia would earn about $326 billion this year. Russian President Putin ordered the construction of new gas pipelines in Siberia and launched the challenge: “We will export our energy to Asia.”
The Russian Defense Ministry, citing RIA Novosti, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, sank while being towed to port during a storm that followed an explosion and fire.
The Verkhovna Rada called on the world to recognize the “genocide”. French President Emmanuela Macron chose not to use the word “genocide” for what is happening in Ukraine, arguing that “verbal escalation does not help Ukraine”. He explained, speaking from Havre in the northwest, that “the word genocide has a meaning” and “must be qualified by jurists, not politicians.” Macron then had two phone calls with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he assured the Ukrainian president that France stands with Kyiv to end the conflict.
12:45
Kyiv: Russian fire on buses of refugees; 7 dead
Seven people were killed and 27 others injured in a Russian attack on buses to evacuate civilians in the village of Borova in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. This was reported by the Prosecutor’s Office. “On April 14, the Russian army fired on evacuation buses carrying civilians to the village of Borova in the Izyum region. Preliminary data indicate that seven people were killed and 27 wounded,” the statement said.
12:08
Moscow threatens consequences with Finland and Sweden in NATO
Moscow warns that there will be “consequences” if Finland or Sweden join NATO. These countries “must understand the consequences that may arise for our bilateral relations and for the European security architecture as a whole,” said a note from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
11:01
The New York Times: The European Union is working to stop Russian oil after the vote in France
The European Union is working on a Russian oil embargo, to be implemented gradually over months to allow various countries to organize alternative supplies, but that will not happen before the French presidential run-off so as not to harm Emmanuel Macron. The New York Times reported this, explaining that higher gasoline prices would risk hitting the Elysee’s tenant and strengthening his opponent, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
10:46
Moscow: control of the Ilich Steel Plant in Mariupol
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had taken control of the Ilich Steel Plant in Mariupol. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the factory was occupied by “a group of Russian military units and militias of the Donetsk Republic”.
10:04
Moscow: Up to 30 “Polish mercenaries” killed
A group of “Polish mercenaries” numbering up to 30 people was “liquidated” in the Kharkiv region. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
09:34
Moscow: An arms factory near Kyiv was hit
09:23
For Moscow, attacks on Kyiv will increase
The number and range of missile attacks on targets in Kyiv will increase in response to attacks by Ukrainian forces against Russian territory. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow
09:12
Di Maio: “We need to resume dialogue between Moscow and Kiev”
“De-escalation must be stopped and dialogue between Ukraine and Russia resumed.” This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, on Radio 24, stressing that Italy was ready to act as a guarantor.
09:00
Di Maio: Genocide? “Atrocities are there for all to see.”
“Obviously we don’t have the elements to verify whether it was genocide or not, but the atrocities are there for all to see and we were among the first countries in the world to ask the International Criminal Court to verify war crimes and identify those responsible.” This was stated by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Radio 24.
08:43
London: The sinking of “Moskva” will change the picture in the Black Sea
The sinking of the missile cruiser Moskva, which was preceded on March 24 by the sinking of another Russian ship of the Alligator class, “likely to prompt Russia to review its position in the Black Sea”: British intelligence wrote in its update of the war in Ukraine. And the bulletin again stated that “Russia has suffered damage to two major ships since the start of the invasion.” “The missile cruiser Moskva – according to British intelligence – played a key role as a command ship and air defense.”
04:25
Moscow: After the explosion of ammunition on board the ship sank
Russian flagship in the Black Sea It sank after an explosion and fire Ukraine claimed it was a successful missile strike, while the Kremlin accused Kyiv of targeting its own citizens through the cross-border incursion. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the explosion of the ship was the result of an explosion of ammunition She added that the damage from the blast caused her to “lose her balance” as she was towed to port. “Due to the stormy seas, the ship sank,” the Russian news agency TASS said, quoting the ministry. On the Ukrainian side, Odessa military spokesman Sergey Prachuk said that the ship was hit by the Neptune national cruise missile. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said he was unable to verify either version, but stressed that the sinking of the Moskva dealt a “major blow” to the Black Sea Fleet.
02:02
The CIA chief said: “Putin is desperate, he can use nuclear weapons.”
Russia’s setbacks during its invasion of Ukraine may prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to use tactical or low-yield nuclear weapons. This was stated by Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns. “Given the desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks they have faced militarily to date, none of us can take lightly the threat of tactical or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Burns warned in a statement. In the Atlanta speech, he added, however, that there were no specific indications that Moscow was preparing for an attack of this kind. “Obviously we are very concerned. I know the president Biden is deeply concerned about avoiding a third world war, avoiding the threshold at which nuclear conflict becomes possible“.