US lawmakers probe Credit Suisse on compliance with Russia sanctions
U.S. lawmakers are probing Credit Suisse Group AG's compliance with sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and have asked the Swiss bank to provide all relevant documentation.
Credit Suisse was asked to hand over documents related to the financing of yachts and private jets owned by potentially sanctioned individuals, according to a letter sent by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Reform to the bank's chief executive, Thomas Gottstein, on Monday.
The probe comes after the Financial Times reported earlier this month that Credit Suisse had asked hedge funds and other investors to destroy documents relating to its richest clients' yachts and private jets, in an attempt to stop information leaking about loans to oligarchs who were later sanctioned.
11:32 PM
UK to strengthen economic pressure on Russia, PM Johnson tells Zelensky
Britain will strengthen economic pressure on Russia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call ahead of peace talks over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"President Zelensky provided an update on negotiations and the two leaders agreed to coordinate closely in the days ahead," Johnson's office said in a readout of the call.
"The Prime Minister reiterated the UK would maintain and strengthen economic pressure on Putin's regime."
11:18 PM
US deploys 6 Navy aircraft to bolster NATO
The US Pentagon says it is deploying six Navy aircraft that specialise in electronic warfare and about 240 Navy personnel to bolster NATO defenses in Eastern Europe.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says the EA-18G “Growler” aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state were scheduled to arrive Monday at Spangdahlem air base in Germany, where they will be stationed.
They are not intended for use in Ukraine, he said.
11:15 PM
Moscow Exchange to extend trading options for foreign stocks on Tuesday
Moscow Exchange will resume trading foreign stocks on the main trading session for the first time since late February, and will extend the trading time for corporate bonds on Tuesday, the central bank said on Monday.
The Russian market is gradually reopening and returning to normal after a suspension caused by sweeping Western sanctions that followed the beginning of what Russia calls "a special operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
10:34 PM
UN chief says he's in 'very close contact' with India, others on mediation efforts towards ending Ukraine war
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he has been in "very close contact" with India and other countries including Turkey, China and Israel on mediation efforts towards bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24.
"I've been in close contact with several countries that have been talking to the parties at the highest level in order to explore the different forms of mediation leading to a political solution. I've been in very close contact with our Turkish friends, with Qatar, with Israel, with India, China but also France, Germany. And it is my belief that all these efforts are essential in order to create the conditions to allow for, finally, this war to come to an end,” Guterres told reporters here.
Ukraine must not be sold short in peace talks with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be seen to benefit from the invasion, British foreign minister Liz Truss said on Monday.
"We need to ensure that any future talks don't end up selling Ukraine out, or repeating the mistakes of the past," Truss told lawmakers.
"We remember the uneasy settlement of 2014 which failed to give Ukraine lasting security. Putin just came back for more.
That is why we cannot allow him to win from this appalling aggression."
9:48 PM
Russia says it destroyed ammunition depots in Ukraine's Zhytomyr region
Russia's defence ministry on Monday said its troops had destroyed large ammunition depots in Ukraine's Zhytomyr region that it said were being used to supply Ukrainian troops defending the suburbs of the capital, Kyiv.
The ministry said it had hit 41 Ukrainian military sites in the last 24 hours.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
9:44 PM
Zelensky hints at openness to compromise on eastern Ukraine
Ukraine is prepared to declare its neutrality and consider a compromise on contested areas in the country's east, President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of another round of talks set for Tuesday on stopping the fighting. But he said only a face-to-face meeting with Russia's leader can end the war.
While hinting at possible concessions, Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine's priority is ensuring its sovereignty and its “territorial integrity” — preventing Russia from carving up the country, something Ukraine and the West say could now be Moscow's goal.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining the Western NATO alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat.
9:33 PM
Russian foreign minister Lavrov may visit India within a week
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is likely to visit India in the next one week and the key focus is expected to be discussions on a payment system for New Delhi's procurement of oil and military hardware from Moscow, people familiar with the developments said on Monday.
It would be the highest-level visit from Russia to India after Moscow launched its military offensive against Ukraine on February 24.
There has been no official word on the proposed visit either by the Ministry of External Affairs or by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
9:28 PM
Ukrainian forces retake town south of Sumy from Russia, says US official
The United States assesses that Ukrainian forces have retaken the town of Trostyanets, south of Sumy, from Russian forces, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.
"The Ukrainians are continuing to try to take back ground," the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
9:15 PM
UN to explore possibility of humanitarian truce in Ukraine
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he has directed the world body's aid chief "to explore with the parties involved" the possibility of a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine.
Guterres also appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire "to allow for progress in serious political negotiations, aimed at reaching a peace agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Charter."
9:07 PM
Ukraine's Zelensky speaks to Germany's Scholz, says pressure on Russia must continue
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had discussed the progress of peace talks with Russia in a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"Pressure on Russia must continue, sanctions must be intensified," Zelensky said on Twitter.
8:36 PM
Nearly 5,000 people killed in siege of Ukraine's Mariupol: Mayor's office
Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol since Russian forces laid siege to it, a spokesperson for the city mayor said on Monday.
The spokesperson quoted data from the mayor's office that said about 90% of buildings in Mariupol had been damaged and about 40% had been destroyed.
7:58 PM
Russian shares slump as all trading resumes
Russian shares have slumped as its stock market resumed trading of all companies after a month-long halt following the invasion of Ukraine.
The benchmark MOEX index slid 2.2 per cent on Monday after the Moscow Exchange reopened for all of its several hundred listed companies, but with restrictions still in place to limit volatility.
The last full trading session in Moscow was on February 25, a day after the index tumbled by a third when President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Prices whipsawed last week when the exchange tentatively reopened for two days of limited trading, with investors allowed to trade only 33 of the MOEX index's 50 companies.
7:51 PM
Putin does not appear ready to compromise on Ukraine, says US official
Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear ready to make compromises to end the war in Ukraine, a senior US official said on Monday as Ukraine and Russia were preparing for their first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks.
"Everything I have seen is he is not willing to compromise at this point," the senior US State Department official told Reuters on condition of anonymity after Ukraine's president sketched out a potential way to end the crisis over the weekend.
Live news updates: Ukrainian and Russian negotiators will begin peace talks in Istanbul later on Monday, a senior Turkish official said, without elaborating. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call on Sunday for Istanbul to host the talks, which Ankara hopes will lead to a ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned against an escalation of “words or actions,” a day after US president Joe Biden said the Russia's Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”. The comments “narrow the window of opportunity for normalizing dialogue, so much needed now, with the current US administration,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response.
A group representing employees of state-owned banks will join central trade unions in a nationwide strike Monday and Tuesday to protest against the government’s economic policies.
The unions, after a meeting of their joint platform, on March 22 announced the strike against "the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies". The All India Bank Employees Association will support the strike to protest against the government's plan for privatisation of state-owned lenders and the Banking Laws Amendment Bill 2021.
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