While Russian troops have already arrived in Kiev, Russia has said it is willing to hold talks with Ukraine. The Kremlin has reported that President Vladimir Putin is ready to authorize negotiations with Ukraine on a possible “neutral status” for the country. Putin also appealed to the Ukrainian military to “take power” by overthrowing President Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage, calling them a “gang of neo-Nazis and drug addicts”.
Meanwhile, the markets today saw the strong recovery of the ruble and the Moscow Stock Exchange, with the RTS index at almost + 24%, while the MOEX Russia marks around + 18%, extending the gains after Moscow transmitted the offer of talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, an ally of the Russians. The Russian markets, returning from declines up to -50% on the eve, were already on the rise today after the sanctions announced by the US and the EU were not drastic, in particular by avoiding the most feared action, namely to exclude Russia from the banking network SWIFT international. In addition, exemptions have been granted for energy exports.