President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia insisted on Tuesday that his war in Ukraine would succeed and that peace talks had reached a “dead end,” making clear that he had no intention of pulling back from a military campaign that has left cities in ruins, forced millions to flee their homes and raised disturbing accounts of atrocities committed by Russian soldiers.
Mr. Putin’s defiant remarks — including a claim that atrocities documented in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha were “fake” — came as Russia pours more military vehicles, artillery and troops into eastern Ukraine. Moscow’s forces have accelerated their strikes on civilian infrastructure as they seek to undermine the Ukrainians’ ability to resupply and support their forces. …
President Vladimir V. Putin described Western unity in support of Ukraine as nothing but evidence of Europe’s status as America’s “poodle.” European leaders pushing sanctions against Russia, he predicted, would suffer economic backlash at home while failing to influence what happens in Moscow. “They always miscalculate, not understanding that in difficult conditions, the Russian people always unite,” Mr. Putin said. …
President Vladimir V. Putin repeated his view that Russia, Belarus and Ukraine represented three parts of “one people,” and that Russia had been forced to invade Ukraine. “What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy,” Mr. Putin said in a news conference alongside President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus. “They just didn’t leave us a choice. There was no choice.”
China’s officials and state media are increasingly parroting Russian propaganda organs on the war in Ukraine, undercutting U.S. and European diplomatic efforts, even after the killings in Bucha.
… China’s attacks on the United States and the NATO alliance, for example, now closely hew to those in Russian state media blaming the West for the war.
At times, even the wording — in English for global audiences — is almost identical. …
China’s efforts have made it clear that the White House’s warning did little to influence Beijing. China’s propagandists have instead intensified their efforts, amplifying not only the Kremlin’s broad views about the war but also some of the most blatant lies about its conduct. …
Since their country invaded Ukraine, Russian tech workers have left by the thousands. They appear intent on rebuilding their lives and businesses in other countries.
… By March 22, a Russian tech industry trade group estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 tech workers had left the country and that an additional 70,000 to 100,000 would soon follow. They are part of a much larger exodus of workers from Russia, but their departure could have an even more lasting impact on the country’s economy.
The exodus will fundamentally change the Russian tech industry, according to interviews with more than two dozen people who are part of the tightknit community of Russian tech workers around the world, including many who left the country in recent weeks. An industry once seen as a rising force in the Russian economy is losing vast swaths of its workers. It is losing many of the bright young minds building companies for the future. …
The recent exodus reverses 10 to 15 years of momentum in the Russian tech industry, said Konstantin Sonin, an economist at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, who immigrated from Russia to the United States. “It is now like the ’90s, when whomever was able to move moved out of the country,” he said.
Tech is a small part of the Russian economy compared with the energy and metals industries, but it has been growing rapidly. The loss of many young, educated, forward-looking people could have economic ramifications for years to come, economists said. …
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen on Wednesday urged China to persuade Russia to end its war in Ukraine and warned that staying on the sidelines could jeopardize China’s standing in the global economy.
The comments came amid growing frustration from the United States and its allies that China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Instead the two countries have solidified a “special relationship.” The United States has been watching with concern to see if China will help Russia evade sanctions and stabilize its economy.
“Going forward, it will be increasingly difficult to separate economic issues from broader considerations of national interest, including national security,” Ms. Yellen said in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a think tank. “The world’s attitude towards China and its willingness to embrace further economic integration may well be affected by China’s reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia.”
Ms. Yellen added that Russia’s actions were at odds with China’s longstanding public commitments to sovereignty and territorial integrity and called on China to use its influence with Russia to end the war. …
In a rapid response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in the face of Moscow’s warnings to NATO to stop its enlargement, Finland and Sweden are seriously debating applications for membership in the alliance and are widely expected to join.
The accession of both countries would be another example of the counterproductive results of the invasion ordered by Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin. Instead of crushing Ukrainian nationalism, he has enhanced it. Instead of weakening the trans-Atlantic alliance, he has solidified it. Instead of dividing NATO and blocking its growth, he has united it. …
In Helsinki on Wednesday, Finland issued a formal “white paper” on the “fundamental changes in the security environment,” designed to inform parliamentary debate on the issue. Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland said a decision would be made “within weeks.”
Standing beside her at a news conference in Stockholm, her Swedish counterpart, Magdalena Andersson, said, “There are of course pros and cons with being a member of NATO, as there are pros and cons of other security choices.” But she added, “I see no point in delaying this analysis or the process” over whether to join. …
NY Times (April 14): Russia said there would be “no more talk of a nuclear-free Baltics” if Sweden and Finland decided to join NATO. Former President Dmitri A. Medvedev, who is now a senior security official, said Moscow would be compelled to “seriously strengthen” its ground and air defense forces in the area, and potentially deploy nuclear-equipped warships “at arm’s length” from the two countries.
Putin insisted on Tuesday that peace talks had reached a “dead end,”
NYT – April 12
China’s Echoes of Russia’s Alternate Reality Intensify Around the World
NY Times – April 11
Russian Tech Industry Faces ‘Brain Drain’ as Workers Flee
NY Times – April 13
Janet Yellen Calls on China to Push Russia to End Ukraine War.
NY Times – April 13
Putin’s war delivers a boost to NATO, with Finland and Sweden expected to join
NY Times – April 13
NY Times (April 14): Russia said there would be “no more talk of a nuclear-free Baltics” if Sweden and Finland decided to join NATO. Former President Dmitri A. Medvedev, who is now a senior security official, said Moscow would be compelled to “seriously strengthen” its ground and air defense forces in the area, and potentially deploy nuclear-equipped warships “at arm’s length” from the two countries.