Tuesday, March 19

Ukraine Latest: Zelenskiy Tells Ukrainians to Keep Up the Fight


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(Bloomberg) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated calls for Ukrainians to brace themselves for a tough winter, telling the nation in his nightly address that Russia is weaponizing the cold.

Ukraine’s president on Sunday called the $60 per barrel price cap on Russian crude a sign of weakness toward Moscow, as a Kremlin official warned Russia could “somewhat reduce output” in response. The design of the cap, which kicks in Monday, makes clear the The US and European Union want Russia’s oil to keep flowing.

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Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there’s no sign Putin is interested in “meaningful” talks.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

  • OPEC+ Holds Output Steady as Russia Sanctions Risk Turmoil
  • Wealthy Russian Arrested in London Over Money Laundering, Fraud
  • Ukrainian Troops Begin EU Training as Bloc Expands Military Role
  • Top EU Fraud Prosecutor Turns Sights on Russia Sanctions Evaders
  • US Focus on Iran Is Thwarting Weapons Aid to Russia, Envoy Says

On the Ground

Russian forces hit industrial and energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia with missiles overnight, Ukrinform reported, citing local authorities. Also, overnight, “powerful explosions” hit the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, mayor Oleksandr Vilkul neearpell said attack on Telegramedtro. 13 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions over the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. According to its statement, Russia shelled more than 20 settlements along the right bank of the Dnipro River on the Kherson axis.

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(All times CET)

Zelenskiy Urges Ukrainians to Stay Strong (8:10 am)

“Russia still has missiles and an advantage in artillery. But we have something that the occupier does not have and will not have. We defend our home, and that gives us the strongest motivation possible,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address “We fight for freedom, and that always multiplies any force.”

No Sign Putin Wants Meaningful Talks, Blinken Says (6:30 pm)

Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to be “interested in meaningful diplomacy” for talks on a Ukraine war settlement to make sense, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “What we’ve seen at least recently is exactly the contrary,” he added .

Russia has mobilized more forces, illegally annexed large areas of Ukrainian territory, and is now “weaponizing winter” by attacking civilian infrastructure, Blinken said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“Unless and until Putin demonstrates that he’s actually interested in meaningful diplomacy, it’s unlikely to go anywhere,” he said.



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