US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russian officials have still not granted American diplomats access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovitch, a violation of diplomatic norms he said would further erode Russia’s international reputation following its invasion of Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russian officials have still not granted American diplomats access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovitch, a violation of diplomatic norms he said would further erode Russia’s international reputation following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia expanded penalties for those who evade the military draft under a new package of legal changes that critics said may presage further call-ups for President Vladimir Putin’s war.
The International Monetary Fund warned of the potential risks to Asia if “geofragmentation” due to global tensions continues.
Key Developments
- Russian Windfall Plunges by $51 Billion as Energy Cash Dries Up
- Russia’s Diving Oil Exports Suggest Output Cut Beginning to Bite
- Asia Risks Losing Most From Rising ‘Geofragmentation,’ IMF Warns
- US to ‘Turn Over Every Rock’ to Track Leaked Papers, Austin Says
- Hungary Envoy Seals Energy Deals in Moscow Despite EU Stance
(All times CET)
South Korea to Provide Artillery to US to Aid Ukraine: DongA (8:25 a.m.)
The South Korean government signed an agreement to provide 500,000 155mm artillery shells to the US, which will free American reserves to send shells to Ukraine, according to the newspaper DongA Ilbo.
The lending process allows South Korea to maintain the principle of not directly providing lethal weapons to Ukraine while acknowledging repeated requests for assistance from the US, according to the newspaper.
Asia at Risk from ‘Geofragmentation,’ IMF Warns (8:44 a.m.)
Asia faces the biggest potential fallout from rising geopolitical tensions, according to a senior regional official at the International Monetary Fund, after China held military drills around Taiwan.
“Geofragmentation risks have risen quite sharply over the last five years, and have been accentuated by the war in Ukraine,” Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. “If those risks rise, then Asia risks to lose the most among all the regions in the world.”
Blinken Assails Russia Over Access to Detained Reporter (8:44 a.m.)
Blinken told reporters that the detained Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovitch, still hasn’t had access to American diplomats.
“It sends a very strong message to people around the world to beware of even setting foot there lest they be arbitrarily detained,” Blinken said at a briefing on Tuesday.
Austin Vows to Find Source of Leaked Documents (8:44 a.m.)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US won’t stop until it finds out how a trove of classified documents on Ukraine, Israel and other nations appeared online, in his first public remarks about the embarrassing leak.
“We take this very seriously,” Austin told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. “And we will continue to investigate, and turn over every rock, until we find the source of this and the extent of it.”
Austin said he was first briefed on April 6 about what he called “reports of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified material” compiled by the Defense Department. In the days since, the Justice Department has opened an investigation and the US has sought to reassure allies about its ability to keep secrets safe.
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