On Wednesday, May 21, 2018, this is the situation:
Fighting
- Donald Trump, the president of the United States, stated to reporters that he is not concerned about reports that Russia is deploying its forces along Finland’s border. No, he said, “I don’t worry about that at all,” adding that both Finland and Norway “were going to be very safe.”
- After Estonia tried and failed to seize a Russian tanker last week in violation of international sanctions, Moscow accused NATO of “aggressive actions.”
Diplomacy
- Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, confirmed that Vladimir Putin and the Vatican are willing to hold peace talks in Ukraine.
- Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, stated that he anticipates Putin to release a peace plan in the coming days, which would indicate his commitment to ending the conflict.
- Rubio said Moscow will provide “just broad terms that would allow us to move toward a ceasefire,” and that would also enable us to engage in in-depth negotiations to end the conflict.
- In a social media post, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, claimed that Russia is only “trying to buy time to keep its war and occupation.”
- A man allegedly assisted Russian foreign intelligence services in putting together a possible assassination attempt against Zelenskyy was indicted in Poland.
Economy
- With the intention to disrupt “Putin’s war machine” and its supply chain, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against 100 additional Russian targets. Additionally, Russia’s 18th sanctions package was announced by the European Union.
- Sergii Marchenko, the Ukrainian finance minister, was invited by Canada to a G7 finance ministers meeting this week in Banff, Alberta.
- Marchenko demanded further lifting of the $60-per-barrel price cap that many nations, including G7 members, have imposed on Russia on the sidelines of the meeting.
- A significant G7 summit in June, which will likely address the reconstruction of Ukraine, is scheduled for the day before the meeting.
Source: Aljazeera
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