Take a look at the latest developments in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
According to CCTV news, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a notice saying that the Russian military used sea-based and space-based precision guidance weapons on the morning of April 3 to destroy an oil refinery and three facilities storing fuel and lubricants near the Ukrainian city of Odessa. The facility supplies fuel to Ukrainian troops in the direction of Nikolaev. Earlier, the city of Odessa, a city on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, said through social media that the city had been hit by air strikes by Russian armed forces and that some of the incoming missiles had been intercepted. The attack caused fires in several areas of the city.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Russian media quoted Baris, chairman of Latvian gas transport company Conexus Baltic Grid, as saying on April 2 that since April, Russia's natural gas supply to the three Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia has been interrupted, and the baltic countries have not received Russian gas since April.
On March 31, local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that from April 1, companies from non-friendly countries should first open ruble accounts in Russian banks, and then pay for the russian gas purchased through this account. At present, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Scholz have both expressed their refusal to use ruble settlement. According to CCTV News, after Russia issued a "ruble settlement order" for natural gas exports, Germans who were worried about the gas supply were cut off began to snap up and hoard firewood. The latest data shows that U.S. LNG exports are at record.
In terms of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, according to CCTV news, in response to the Ukrainian negotiator Arahamiya's hint that the Ukrainian-Russian president may meet, Mezinski, head of the Russian delegation to the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, said that Arahamia's attitude on the preparation of the draft treaty for the summit meeting between the two countries is too optimistic.
Mezinski: Ukraine's treatment of its neutrality and non-nuclear status has become more realistic
On April 3, local time, Mezinski, head of the Russian delegation to the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, said that Ukraine has become more realistic in dealing with its neutral status and nuclear-weapon-free status. The draft treaty is not ready to be submitted to the senior leadership of both sides, and the review of the text of the treaty at the level of experts and heads of delegation will resume on the 4th.
Mezinski said: Alahamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said yesterday that the Russian side accepts the Ukrainian side's position except for the Crimean issue. But in fact, the issues agreed upon by the two sides include Ukraine's neutral, nuclear-weapon-free and non-aligned status; the refusal of foreign countries to establish military bases, garrison troops and deploy any form of large-scale offensive weapons in Ukraine; the prohibition of research and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction; the need to consult with security states, including Russia, before holding military exercises; and the establishment of an international security assurance system for a neutral Ukraine, all of which russia has advocated since 2014.
"We understand that Arahamiya's statements are aimed at Ukrainians, and if he calls these Ukrainian positions, then we have no objections." Mezzensky reiterated that Russia's position on Donbass and Crimea remains unchanged. He noted that Ukrainian diplomatic and military experts were far behind in the validation of the agreed text of the articles, and that Arahmia's position on the readiness of the draft treaty to be submitted to the summit meeting of the two countries was therefore too optimistic.
On April 2, local time, Alahamia, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and chairman of the parliamentary caucus of Ukraine's "Servant of the People", said that Russia had "verbally accepted other provisions other than the Crimean issue" for the draft proposed by Ukraine in Istanbul. Arahamiya revealed that the Russian side believes that the draft document is perfect enough to "be used as a direct consultation between Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin."
EU: A new round of sanctions is being considered against Russia
On April 2, local time, the European Commission's commissioner in charge of economic affairs, Gentiloni, said that the United States and the European Union are currently forming a joint working group to prevent sanctioned Russian companies and individuals from transferring assets through other channels, thereby circumventing sanctions. He also noted that the recent U.S. proposal to impose new restrictions on technology and supply chains related to russia's military industry is also a path the EU could follow, and the European Commission is expected to formally propose a new round of sanctions next week. However, he said that "these new measures will not affect Russia's energy sector".
The city of Odessa was hit by Russian air raids and fires broke out in many parts of the city
On April 3, local time, the city government of Odessa, a city along Ukraine's Black Sea coast, said through social media that the city was attacked by Russian armed forces, and some incoming missiles had been intercepted. The attack caused fires in several areas of the city. The Odessa Municipality calls on residents to be quiet and not to panic.
At 4:25 a.m. on the same day, an air defense siren was issued from the Odessa region and the capital, and the alarm was lifted at 6:43 a.m.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a notice saying that the Russian military used sea- and air-based precision guidance weapons on the morning of April 3 to destroy an oil refinery and three facilities for storing fuel and lubricants near the Ukrainian city of Odessa. The facility supplies fuel to Ukrainian troops in the direction of Nikolaev.
Worried about energy prospects Germans hoard firewood for wintering
According to CCTV news, under the background of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the price of natural gas in Europe has continued to rise. After Russia issued a "ruble settlement order" for gas exports, Germans who were worried about the gas supply were out of supply began to snap up and hoard firewood.
At a firewood production plant in Berlin, a large number of local residents came to buy firewood. It is understood that these firewood are mainly used to prepare for heating in the next winter. As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues and gas prices climb in Europe, Germans fear a possible tight gas supply next winter.
In addition, with the hot sale of firewood, heating stoves that can burn firewood are also sought after in Germany. Heating stove suppliers say it's hard to keep up with orders due to limited supply.
According to the data, Germany's gas demand in 2021 is about 100 billion cubic meters, of which about one-third is industrial gas. Russian gas, which accounted for 55 percent of Germany's total natural gas imports in 2021, fell in the first quarter of this year but still accounted for 40 percent. The German government has previously said that Germany's natural gas storage rate has now dropped to 25%, and although it has not yet encountered a supply bottleneck, natural gas consumers such as enterprises and households should still "save gas as much as possible from now on."
Russian media said that Russia's gas supply to the three Baltic countries has been interrupted
Russian media quoted Barlis, chairman of Latvian gas transport company Conexus Baltic Grid, as saying on April 2 that since April, Russia's natural gas supply to the three Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia has been interrupted, and the three Baltic countries have not received Russian gas since April. In a statement issued on April 2, lithuania's ministry of energy said that since April, lithuania's gas pipeline system has never received gas from Russia again.
According to CCTV news, on April 2, local time, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy said that it would no longer import natural gas from Russia.
Profiting from the conflict U.S. LNG exports are record
The latest preliminary data provided by The United States' Refinitor Company shows that in the past March, U.S. LNG exports increased by nearly 16% month-on-month, a record high. Among them, natural gas exports to Europe account for the majority.
U.S. LNG exports were about 7.43 million tonnes in March, up from 6.4 million tonnes in February. Europe has been the largest destination for U.S. LNG exports for four consecutive months, accounting for about 65 percent of exports.
EU countries were previously highly dependent on Russian energy, with about 40 percent of imported natural gas and about 30 percent of imported crude oil coming from Russia. On March 25, the European Union and the United States unveiled an energy cooperation plan that will expand U.S. exports of LNG to the EU. The two sides said in a joint statement that the cooperation plan will work to help the EU market obtain at least 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas this year, which is expected to increase in the future. At present, European gas stocks have fallen to about a quarter, and the European Commission recommends that by November 1 this year, gas stocks should reach 80%.
At present, energy prices in Europe are soaring, posing a serious threat to energy security. But analysts believe that switching to U.S. LNG imports will cost Europe dearly. Mick Wallace, a member of the European Parliament, has recently publicly stated that even if Europe's energy dependence on Russia is to be changed, it should not be simply replaced by dependence on the United States, and he angrily accused the United States of natural gas as "dirty".
In addition, according to CCTV News, former British diplomat Alastair Crook said in an interview with Russia Today that "in the absence of an alternative Russian energy plan, EU sanctions on Russia will hurt itself more." He pointed out that it is not so much Russia that the EU sanctions itself. Under double-digit inflation, gas and electricity prices in Europe will skyrocket, and life for Europeans will be very difficult. Crook also said that under the current circumstances, the EU is unlikely to get enough energy from elsewhere to completely replace Russia's energy supply. He criticized that Europeans never seriously considered the possible strategic consequences of their actions.
Ukrainian government sector expects economy to shrink by 40% this year
On April 2, local time, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine issued a statement saying that affected by the conflict, the Ukrainian economy has been hit hard, according to preliminary estimates, Ukraine's GDP in the first quarter of this year fell by 16% compared with the same period last year, and it is expected that the GDP for the whole year may fall by 40%.
According to World Bank statistics, Ukraine's GDP in 2020 is $155.5 billion, or about 0.14% of the global economy. According to Ukrainian government data, gdp in 2021 will be about $195 billion.
Ukrainian agriculture, an important industry, has also been hit. Known as the "granary of Europe", Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and wheat. Previously, Ukraine accounted for 12 percent of global wheat exports, 15 percent for corn and 50 percent for sunflower oil.
Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture said Ukraine was losing $1.5 billion a month at this stage due to the actual stagnation of operations at the country's main export ports. To address this problem, Ukraine is negotiating with Romania and intends to export agricultural products through the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanţa. This statement has been confirmed by the Romanian side.
At the same time, Ukraine is seeking to increase grain exports to Poland, Romania and Slovakia by truck or rail.
The Russian Prime Minister signed an order allocating 20 billion rubles to provide loans to Russian industrial enterprises
On the 3rd local time, Russian Prime Minister Mishustin signed an order to allocate 20 billion rubles to provide loans for Russian industrial enterprises that can produce and replace similar foreign imports.
The Mexican government announced a moratorium on gasoline subsidies in about 40 cities along the U.S.-Mexico border
On April 2, local time, the Mexican government announced the suspension of gasoline subsidies for about 40 cities in 6 states close to the US-Mexico land border from 2 to 8, including Tijuana, the busiest land port city on the US-Mexico border.
It is reported that after the Mexican government announces the suspension of gasoline subsidies, oil prices in The Mexican border cities will rise and be the same as those in the United States. Border cities, including Nuevo Laredo, saw a large number of cars lining up to refuel, and many vehicles from the United States were transiting to Mexico, hoping to fill up their tanks before Mexican oil prices rose.