Biden and Xi to hold call as U.S. steps up pressure on China
U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday as Washington raises concerns over China’s growing ties with Russia.
The direct talks, which are the first between the two leaders since November, will be held at 9 a.m. ET. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden “will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs.”
Beijing has so far avoided direct condemnation of the Russian invasion and has criticized the wide-ranging sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West. Some U.S. lawmakers have raised the idea of sanctioning China as well if it is found to be supporting Russia’s war effort.
“China opposes all forms of unilateral sanctions and ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ by the U.S.,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news briefing on Wednesday. “We will resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.”
“If the U.S. insists on having its own way, China will definitely take strong countermeasures,” he added.
India reportedly bought 3 million barrels of oil from Russia
India has reportedly bought 3 million barrels of crude oil from Russia, according to the Associated Press.
Eighty-five percent of oil in India is imported, and the country is under strain to meet demand domestically. Russia reportedly offered India a discounted price of 20 percent below global benchmark prices, according to the AP.
“India imports most of its oil requirements. We are exploring all possibilities in the global energy market. I don’t think Russia has been a major oil supplier to India,” Minister of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi told Associated Press reporters about the sale.
Countries including the U.S. have called on India to suspend trade relations with Moscow and to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, India abstained from a United Nations vote censuring Russia.
“Think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time. Support for Russian leadership is support for an invasion which has a devastating impact,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said after earlier reports of India buying discounted oil.
Australia imposes new sanctions, targets two Russian oligarchs
The Australian government has imposed sanctions on 11 Russian organizations, as well as two billionaires with business links to the country, officials said.
The Russian National Wealth Fund and the Russian Ministry of Finance join the list of the Russian banks sanctioned by Australia, Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a written statement Friday.
Billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg also join the list of more than 40 oligarchs and their immediate family members targeted by sanctions and travel bans, Payne said. Deripaska, an industrialist, was one of the seven prominent oligarchs whose assets were frozen and movement restricted last week by the U.K. government over the ongoing conflict.
“We will continue to move with partners on coordinated sanctions, and to constrain funds for President Putin’s unlawful war,” Payne said.
Several missiles hit near Lviv airport, mayor says
Several missiles destroyed buildings at an aircraft repair facility near the airport in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, the mayor said. There were no immediate report of casualties.
The missiles did not strike the airport itself, the mayor said Friday through his Telegram channel.
The information was preliminary, and more details were not immediately clear. NBC News has not independently confirmed the attack.
The mayor said rescuers and other personnel were headed to the site, but that there was no work being done at the repair facility at the time of the attack.
An air alarm was sounded in Lviv at about 6:08 a.m., and at about 6:25 a.m. three explosions were heard on the outskirts of the city.
Lviv is in western Ukraine, around 40 miles from the border with Poland. Russia recently launched a series of strikes in the western part of the country, including a missile attack early Sunday that killed 35 people.
90 percent of Mariupol is destroyed, Ukraine defense ministry says
The southern port city Mariupol has been 90 percent destroyed amid incessant shelling and advances by Russian troops, Ukraine’s defense ministry said Friday.
The besieged city is bearing the brunt of Russian strikes with no electricity, gas or heat with temperatures dropping to 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ministry has accused Russia of keeping the residents hostage by blocking agreed-upon humanitarian corridors in the city, with people struggling to find safe shelters.
This week, a Mariupol theater where people were seeking shelter was hit by a Russian airstrike. Satellite images from the U.S. government-linked technology firm Maxar appeared to show the word “CHILDREN” written outside the building in large white letters.
It was unclear how many people were in the building, but officials said Thursday that the shelter held up.
Two dead, more than 20 homes destroyed in Luhansk region, officials say
At least two people were killed, four others were injured, and more than 20 homes were destroyed in Russian attacks in the Luhansk region overnight, the local administration said Friday.
The homes were destroyed in attacks against the cities of Severodonetsk and Rubizhne, which are near each other in the eastern region of Luhansk, the Luhansk Regional Administration said.
NBC News has not independently confirmed the attack.
The administration said Russian artillery fire and other weapons were used against civilian areas Thursday night into Friday local time. Russia has denied targeting civilians.
The latest developments on the war between Russia and Ukraine
If you’re catching up from yesterday, here are the latest developments:
- The House passed legislation Thursday that would suspend normal trade relations with Russia, a move designed to further isolate Moscow’s economy in response to President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. The measure passed 424-8, with all opposition coming from Republicans.
- American basketball star Brittney Griner, who is being detained in Russia, is doing OK and has regularly seen her legal team, a person close to the situation said. Griner’s detention was extended until May 19, Russian state media TASS reported Thursday.
- Russia’s U.N. ambassador says he is not asking for a vote Friday on its resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, which has been sharply criticized by Western countries for making no mention of Russia’s responsibility for the war against its smaller neighbor.