Twenty-third day of war in Ukraine and the attacks do not abate, especially by air. According to the Pentagon, in more than three weeks of conflict, Moscow has launched “more than a thousand missiles”. And the “genocide”, as defined by Ukraine, continues in the city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for days: 20,000 dead. Bombs also continue to fall on Kiev, while an American civilian, James Whitney Hill, born in 1954, originally from Minnesota, was killed in Chernihiv.
Meanwhile, for Thursday 18 March, a phone call is scheduled between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping: during the telephone conversation, the US president will warn that any support for the war in Moscow “will have a cost” . According to the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, the Russian president is not giving in and out of desperation could use “terrorist tactics” such as “false flag” attacks with chemical weapons. Meanwhile, Kiev hopes for an agreement within ten days, an agreement which, as anticipated by the Financial Times, could unfold in 15 points. Reassurances came from the Ukrainian chief negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak: “It could take from a few days to a week and a half to resolve the controversial issues.” Also proposed “a new alliance to secure Europe” with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Berlin and Ankara.
On the economic front, however, the New York Stock Exchange maintains momentum despite the Fed’s rate adjustment. International financial institutions have pledged to coordinate their responses to support Ukraine and neighboring countries: “Trade disruptions and inflation damages the poorest and most vulnerable ». And while the OECD warned that a point of GDP will be lost globally, the governor of Bank of Italy, Ignazio Visco explained that “the conflict has changed the scenario” and for this reason there may be “risks of gas rationing and a stop to production”.
Follow the updates hour by hour
00.14 – Further away imminent risk of Russian debt default
The possibility of an impending Russian debt default appeared to diminish yesterday following statements from Moscow and news of a payment to JPMorgan Chase, however a rating agency has warned that the risk of non-payment exists. The Russian government faced a March 16 deadline to pay $ 117 million in interest on two dollar-denominated bonds, an obligation that seemed unenforceable following a wave of Western sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian finance ministry confirmed that the payment order worth $ 117.2 million “has been executed”.
00.07 – Operating 8 out of 9 humanitarian corridors, also in Mariupol
Eight of the nine humanitarian corridors agreed for today in Ukraine have worked, allowing the evacuation of civilians, including from the city of Mariupol, from which more than 2,000 people have left. This was stated by the Ukrainian minister responsible for operations, Iryna Vershchuk, quoted by the CNN. The minister said around 800 private vehicles left Mariupol and crossed Russian-controlled territory reaching the city of Zaporizhzhia in the evening. Only one of the corridors, the one from Kharkiv to Vovchansk, near the Russian border, could not be opened due to Russian bombing, according to Vershchuk.
Yesterday’s news and updates