Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Ukraine forces moots retreat in east –
Ukrainian troops are considering a tactical retreat from the eastern city of Severodonetsk, which is being shelled “24 hours a day” by Russian forces.
“It is possible that we will have to retreat” to better fortified positions, regional governor Sergiy Gaiday says in an interview on television channel 1+1.
But he vows there will be no surrender of one of the last major centres of resistance to Russian rule in the Lugansk region of Donbas.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says his troops have “fully liberated” all residential areas but have yet to capture Severodonetsk’s industrial zone.
– Hundreds holed up in chemical factory: report –
Some 800 civilians trapped by the fighting have taken refuge in the Azot chemical factory, according to a lawyer for a Ukrainian tycoon whose company owns the facility.
The lawyer for Dmytro Firtash describes a scenario similar to the port city of Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were holed up for weeks in a giant steelworks alongside Ukrainian troops.
The lawyer says those inside the plant include around 200 employees who remained behind to secure “highly explosive chemicals”, as well as 600 city residents.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to confirm the report.
– Blockade of Ukraine ports could kill ‘millions’: Italy –
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio warns that “millions” of people could die of hunger unless Russia unblocks exports of Ukrainian grain to ease global shortages.
“I want to say clearly, we expect clear and concrete signals from Russia, because blocking grain exports means holding hostage and condemning to death millions of children, women and men,” he says after a virtual meeting with Turkey and Lebanon among other countries, alongside G7 president Germany and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.
– Turkey backs Russian demand on grain exports –
Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu backs Russia’s calls to lift sanctions on the country’s farm exports in return for unblocking Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Like Ukraine, Russia is a major wheat supplier but its exports have been hit by sanctions.
At a press conference with visiting Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Cavusoglu, who is trying to negotiate safe passage for Ukraine’s agricultural exports, says Moscow’s demand for “the removal of obstacles standing in the way of Russia’s exports” is “legitimate”.
Lavrov says Russia is ready to work with Turkey to escort ships to safety but that Ukraine needs to demine its ports first — a demand Kyiv has rejected, citing the threat from Russia’s navy.
A spokesman for authorities in Odessa, Sergiy Bratchuk, warns “the moment we clear access to the port of Odessa, the Russian fleet will be there”.
– Merkel defends Russia legacy –
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel says she has “nothing to apologise for” as her years-long policy of detente towards Russian President Vladimir Putin comes under fire.
“Diplomacy isn’t wrong just because it hasn’t worked,” the 67-year-old says in her first major interview since stepping down six months ago, carried on the Phoenix news channel.
– OECD, World Bank warn of economic pain –
The OECD slashes its global growth forecast and predicts a spike in inflation caused by the war in Ukraine.
The Paris-based body says it expects global GDP to grow by three percent, down from the 4.5 percent estimated in December, and that inflation in its 38 member states will reach 8.5 percent, the highest level since 1988.
“The world is set to pay a hefty price for Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the OECD’s chief economist Laurence Boone says.
The World Bank warns the global economy risks falling into a harmful period of 1970s-style “stagflation”.
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