(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said she believes the US will maintain financial support for the government in Kyiv even if Republicans take control of the US House of Representatives following the midterm elections.
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“I think the US will support until we get victory,” Svyrydenko said in an interview with Bloomberg. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy warned last month that his party would not write a “blank check” for Ukraine if it wins a majority in Tuesday’s elections, and President Joe Biden expressed concern that Republicans would slash Ukraine aid if they won.
Meanwhile, the rise of outspoken hardliners in the Kremlin is alarming insiders fearful that Russian President Vladimir Putin will heed their calls for even more confrontation abroad and sweeping repression at home.
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Key Developments
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Ukraine Expects Republicans to Keep US Aid Flowing If They Win
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Russia and US to Resume Nuclear Talks as War in Ukraine Rages On
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On the Ground
Russia launched major attacks overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones, five of which were shot down, local authorities said on Telegram, adding that four people were injured in the city of Dnipro. Ukrainian forces repelled Russian assaults near 14 settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions over the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said in its morning update. Bakhmut and Avdiyivka in the east suffered the most sustained attacks, military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said on television. Russian troops are deploying a wide variety of artillery there and are suffering significant losses, he said.
(All times CET)
Russia Tries Dialing Down Nuclear Tensions (10 a.m.)
Russian diplomats tried to ease concerns around the potential deployment of nuclear weapons, clarifying that their use against conventional forces would only occur if the existence of their nation was threatened.
The note circulated among International Atomic Energy Agency diplomats in Vienna was the second Kremlin attempt this month to clarify its atomic doctrine. Fears rose in reason months that Russia could resort to the use of tactical nuclear warheads amid conventional military setbacks in Ukraine.
While Russia’s nuclear strategy allows it to “hypothetically resort to nuclear weapons,” an attack would be launched only in response to first use by another country of if the “very existence of the state is in jeopardy,” according to the document. “The most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers.”
DTEK Needs ‘Billions’ of Dollars to Fix Power Grid (9:45 am)
Ukraine’s biggest private power producer, DTEK, said it’s running out of equipment to fix power stations damaged by Russian missile attacks.
“We need millions of dollars-worth of equipment for immediate fixes and billions for the long-term, deep repairs of the grid,” Chief Executive Officer Maxim Timchenko said in an interview at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt. “We appeal to countries and companies to help us.” DTEK has had to halt power exports to the rest of Europe to focus on maintaining domestic supplies, he said.
NATO Summit Set for Vilnius in July (9:30 a.m.)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the next meeting of the alliance’s heads of state and government will be held July 11-12 in Vilnius, close to Lithuania’s border with Russia’s ally Belarus.
The summit “will be an opportunity for allied heads of state and government to agree further steps to strengthen our deterrence and defense and review significant increases in defense spending, as well as to continue our support for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
Grid Operator Plans Emergency Power Cuts (8:45 a.m.)
Ukraine’s grid operator NPC Ukrenergo plans electricity cutoffs lasting several hours across the country Wednesday, the company said on Telegram.
The widest restrictions in power supply are planned in the capital Kyiv and its surrounding region, as well as in Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad. Emergency blackouts are not yet expected yet, according to Ukrenergo.
Russian Mogul’s Superyacht Due in Cape Town (8:40 a.m.)
Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov’s $500 million superyacht Nord is due to arrive in Cape Town after sailing more than 7,000 nautical miles from Hong Kong, seeking safe harbor from sanctions that have led to the seizure of more than a dozen vessels.
The Nord has challenged the effectiveness of Western attempts to clamp down on Russian billionaires. Mordashov, the country’s third-wealthiest citizen and the biggest shareholder in steelmaker Severstal PJSC, was sanctioned by the European Union, the UK and US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hong Kong and South Africa both said they wouldn’t enforce those sanctions.
Griner Heading to Russian Penal Colony (8:30 a.m.)
WNBA star Brittney Griner, whose appeal against a nine-year sentence was rejected by a Moscow court last month, is being moved to a penal colony, her lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement. Under Russian regulations, her location will only be disclosed once she arrives at the prison and notification takes up to two weeks to be received, they said.
The US has continued to follow up with Russia through all available channels on alternative potential ways to secure Griner’s release, despite Moscow’s “lack of good faith negotiation” on an earlier offer from Washington to try to resolve the situation, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. President Biden has directed officials to prevail on Russia to improve conditions Griner may face in the penal colony, she said.
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