Putin, Ramaphosa Speak After US Arms Sale Claim

(Bloomberg) – China will send a special envoy to Kiev on Monday. This is the first high-level visit by the Chinese government since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine nearly 15 months ago.

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China’s Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will also visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia on the trip, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. He was appointed last month after Chinese President Xi Jinping called Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the war began.

Officials in Kiev said Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops to retake areas around the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops had withdrawn to build a new, “cheaper” line of defense.

Important Developments

• China will send special envoys to Ukraine and Russia starting Monday

• Erdogan’s rival accuses the Russians of interfering in the Turkish vote

• How an aging armada and mysterious traders keep Russian oil afloat

• South Africa is investigating US claims that it supplied arms to Russia

• Negotiations for a grain deal with Ukraine are ending, although the pact’s extension is still in question

• Ukraine leads gains by Russian forces near contested Bakhmut

(All times CET)

Ukraine Seizes Part of Russian-Controlled Zaporizh Valley (17:44)

Ukraine will seize a Russian-controlled stake in Zaporizhstal, one of the country’s biggest steel producers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation on Friday.

“We are blocking the influence a terrorist state had on this company through various offshore individuals,” Zelenskiy said.

Putin and Ramaphosa speak after South Africa arms sale news (5:04 p.m.)

The Russian president spoke with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, the Kremlin said, adding that Vladimir Putin supports the idea of ​​involving a group of African leaders in discussing prospects for a solution to the war in Ukraine.

The story goes on

The Kremlin report on Thursday did not mention that the US had claimed that South Africa had supplied arms and ammunition to Russia despite Pretoria’s neutral stance on Ukraine. The lawsuit helped send the rand to a record low against the US dollar amid fears it would damage trade relations with the US.

Separately, the South African government has subpoenaed US Ambassador Reuben Brigety after he accused Pretoria of supplying arms to Russia, while South Africa’s foreign minister intends to raise the matter with her US counterpart, Antony Blinken.

Read more: The high cost of friendship with Russia

Russia’s current account surplus recovers in April (4:53 p.m.)

Russia’s current account surplus widened in April month-on-month as oil prices recovered somewhat, but inflows so far this year have lagged well behind the floods that helped prop up the economy in 2022.

The current account surplus – roughly the difference between exports and imports – has more than doubled to $6.8 billion since March, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the Bank of Russia. According to the Finance Ministry, the average price of Russia’s Ural crude — a key export item — rose 23% last month from March.

Zelenskiy and Sunak speak after UK rocket donation (4pm)

The President of Ukraine spoke to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a day after Britain announced it would donate Storm Shadow long-range precision missiles to Kiev.

“Leaders discussed the importance of the international community maintaining the level of support it has provided to Ukraine to date, particularly as the country prepares to step up its military operations,” one said Message from Sunak’s office.

Ukraine anticipates wins near contested Bakhmut (2:27pm)

Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops to regain territory in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, Kiev officials said, as Russia conceded a spate of attacks along the frontline.

Kremlin troops around Bakhmut, which has been besieged in brutal fighting for nearly a year, have retreated by as much as 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in some areas over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said on Friday opposite Rada TV. It was not clear whether the increased action around Bakhmut was part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops had withdrawn near a reservoir north of Bakhmut to establish a new line of defense on “more favorable terms”.

Zelenskiy does not address “apolitical” content of Eurovision songs (2 p.m.)

The President of Ukraine will not speak at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, England, after organizers rejected an application by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak at the popular event, the Associated Press reported.

The European Broadcasting Union, an assembly of national public service broadcasters that hosts the annual competition, said in a statement on its website that Zelenskyy’s participation would violate “the non-political nature of the event,” which is estimated to attract over 150 million viewers.

Read more: How the Eurovision Song Contest’s Silly Songfest met the war in Ukraine: QuickTake

Sergii Nykyforov, a Zelenskyi spokesman, denied in a Facebook post that the president’s office had asked the organizers to comment on the event. The Ukrainian entrant won the 2022 competition, which would normally mean Kiev would host this year’s event; The United Kingdom stepped in to host Ukraine.

Germany orders Leopard tanks worth up to $3.2 billion (12:52 p.m.)

Berlin is ready to order 18 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to replace the units sent to Ukraine, with an option for 105 more. The total costs amount to approximately 2.9 billion euros (3.2 billion US dollars).

The budget committee in the German Bundestag is expected to approve the first decision, worth around 525 million euros, later this month, people familiar with the plan said.

The order is the latest in a broader push to modernize Germany’s armed forces, sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Read more: Germany orders Leopard tanks worth up to 3.2 billion US dollars

Ukraine must be EU and NATO member for peace, says Estonia (12:14 p.m.)

The only way to achieve lasting peace is to end the gray areas in Europe and allow Ukraine to join the EU and NATO, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told a news conference in Tallinn on Friday.

Ukraine needs a positive message about its future at the NATO summit in July, she said. The EU must push ahead with the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for reconstruction, Kallas said. The Estonian leader also called for the establishment of a special tribunal to judge the Russian invasion.

Türkiye expresses optimism about grain deal (10 a.m.)

Talks between Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey on extending Ukraine’s grain export agreement are aimed at a solution, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

The optimistic comment comes despite Russia’s insistence that the deal will end on May 18 unless its calls for progress in removing barriers to its own food and fertilizer supplies are met.

Pope May Meet Zelenskyy This Weekend (9:48am)

According to the Associated Press, which quoted a Vatican official, Pope Francis could meet Zelenskyy this weekend. The pope called for an end to the war and expressed his solidarity with the Ukrainians.

Selenskyj was also expected in Germany from Saturday evening. Italian media reported Thursday, citing sources they did not name, that he may be in Rome earlier that day to meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Pope. According to the ANSA news agency, the Ukrainian President could also meet with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella.

Meeting the pope “is a possibility,” the Vatican official told the AP on condition of anonymity.

Russia announces end of grain deal if there are no guarantees by May 18: Tass (9:48)

The Black Sea Initiative, which has allowed Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain and other foodstuffs, will end if Russia does not receive guarantees by May 18 that its demands will be met, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said, according to TASS Talks in Istanbul.

Russia is opposed to constant extensions of the Black Sea Grains Agreement, insisting that agreements with the Russian side involving Moscow’s own grain and fertilizer shipments have not been fulfilled.

After this week’s discussions, no decision has yet been made on a new meeting on the deal at Deputy Minister level.

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