Russia rejects Easter truce proposal, US meets to protect Ukraine in Germany
According to the Guardian newspaper, the Government Russia rejected a similar offer earlier this week after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an armistice through Easter April 24 to facilitate humanitarian aid operations and evacuation corridors. for the safety of civilians trying to evacuate from a war zone.
“The four-day period of Easter should be a time to unite to save lives and promote further dialogue to end suffering in Ukraine,” Guterres said.
Explaining Moscow’s decision to refuse the armistice, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said that Kiev’s proposal was “insincere” and that it would give Ukrainian fighters more time to arm themselves. Page.
US hosts talks to protect Ukraine in Germany
The Pentagon has confirmed that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold defense talks with allies in Germany next week, focusing on the crisis. Ukraine.
According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, Austin will meet with representatives of allied countries at Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany on April 26. The goal is “to bring together stakeholders from around the world for a series of talks on Ukraine’s latest defense needs and to ensure that Ukraine’s long-term sovereignty and security is respected.” and develop”.
Mr. Kirby did not disclose how many US allies will attend the event.
Ukraine needs 7 billion USD/month to maintain the economy
World Bank President David Malpass said that Ukraine’s material damage since the beginning of the war with Russia in late February is nearly $60 billion. Malpass told a World Bank conference on financial assistance to Ukraine that initial estimates of the damage were relatively narrow and did not include the growing economic costs of the ongoing war.
Speaking via online video connection before the leaders of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the country needs financial support of up to 7 billion VND. USD per month to keep the economy afloat amid the heavy economic damage caused by military offensive campaign caused by Russia.
Mr. Zelensky accused Russian soldiers of deliberately destroying infrastructure serving the daily life of Ukrainians such as train stations, food depots, bread factories, petrol stations, etc. The head of Kiev noted that in addition to 7 billion USD / month to maintain the economy, Ukraine will also need hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild after the war.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, who directly attended the conference, added that the GDP of this Eastern European country could decrease by 30% – 50%, with total direct and indirect losses amounting to $560 billion until now. That figure is estimated to be more than three times the size of Ukraine’s economy, at $155.5 billion in 2020, according to World Bank data.
Reuters quoted the Ukrainian president as asking the world community to immediately remove Russia from international financial institutions, including the World Bank and IMF. Zelensky also said that all countries “must immediately be ready to sever all ties with Russia”.
He also suggested that countries that have imposed sanctions and frozen Russian assets use the money to help rebuild post-war Ukraine and pay for the losses other countries have suffered.
At the meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also said that Russia should bear part of the cost of rebuilding Ukraine. But, she warned, using Russia’s central bank reserves confiscated in the US for Ukraine’s recovery would be a “major step” that would require discussions and agreements with other countries. international partners.
Tuan Anh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vietnamnet.vn – Read the original article here
