Russia and Ukraine still poles apart after talks

Kyiv has said it will not cede any territory. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Talks in Turkey today between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine — the most high-level interaction since the war began — show clearly there is still just one decision maker in Moscow on what happens now. That’s Vladimir Putin. Speaking after the 1.5 hour meeting, Dmytro Kuleba said he pressed Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to agree to a humanitarian corridor to let people leave the besieged eastern city of Mariupol, where a maternity hospital was shelled yesterday. Lavrov, he said, told him he’d take that back to Moscow rather than making any promises. “The broad narrative he conveyed to me is that they will continue their aggression until Ukraine meets their demands, and the least of these demands is surrender,” Kuleba told reporters. Key reading: - [Ukraine and Russia Fail to Make Progress in Talks to Halt War]( - [Russian Prowess Questioned as Troops Bogged Down in Ukraine]( - [U.S. Hits China for Pushing Russia’s ‘Preposterous’ Lab Theory]( - [Ukraine Aid Package Passes House as Lawmakers Say More Needed]( - Follow the latest with our [rolling coverage]( Lavrov in turn said Moscow wanted “serious” talks with Ukraine, but in Belarus, which borders both countries and is a Russian ally that provided a staging post for troops to invade Ukraine. Ukraine has said throughout it’s willing to talk, but if getting progress even on a temporary pause in fighting is this difficult, a full deescalation looks even harder. Putin clearly intends to link everything to his overall demands being met. They have been, variously, the full demilitarization of Ukraine, the removal of the government there, Ukraine’s recognition of separatist territories as independent and it agreeing to “neutrality.” Areas of Russian occupied Ukrainian territory and locations of reported attacks. Sources: Bloomberg, Institute for the Study of War with AEI’s Critical Threats Project Kyiv has said it will not cede any territory. It is asking for even more backing from NATO in terms of weapons, a no-fly zone (which NATO won’t support) and European Union membership. Which is the opposite of ... neutral. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for a direct meeting with Putin, saying only the two leaders can halt the war. And in that regard he might be right. The problem is, Putin shows no great interest in doing so. — [Rosalind Mathieson]( Ukrainian soldiers and emergency workers yesterday near the maternity hospital in Mariupol that was damaged by shelling. Photographer: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Sign up [here]( for the Special Daily Brief: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and share this newsletter with others too. They can sign up [here](. Global Headlines Strict monitoring | Washington will vigorously [enforce]( export controls on Russia and will be on guard against Chinese semiconductor companies that might try to evade them, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told [Jenny Leonard]( in an interview at the White House. It will be difficult, she said, “but we have a plan and we’re serious about it.” Web isolation | Russia’s internet is more [restricted]( than ever since the invasion, with the government blocking Facebook and Twitter and companies such as TikTok, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Oracle curtailing operations. [Jillian Deutsch]( and [Ivan Levingston]( explain that the Ukraine invasion may mark the tipping point in the Balkanization of the global internet. - Russians are trying to get around the restrictions by turning to internet services that [cloak]( their location. Perilous journey | While most people fleeing Ukraine are met with compassion, people of color have found themselves repeatedly pushed back, forced out of evacuation trains and [threatened]( with violence when they did try to board. As [Olivia Konotey-Ahulu]( reports, these so-called third country nationals — who’d be studying or working in Ukraine — also face uncertainty about whether they’ll find refuge in Europe. A Nigerian student cries after Ukrainian police refused to let him board a train to Poland after six days of being turned away in Lviv on Feb. 28. Photographer: Ethan Swope/Bloomberg Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [Will Russians Choose Truth or Lies About Ukraine?: Andreas Kluth]( - [The Web of Russia Sanctions Can Snarl China Too: Shuli Ren]( - [Russia Brain Drain Will Be Hard for Putin to Stop: Stephen Mihm]( Manufacturing squeeze | Makers of products as diverse as clothes hangers and electronics are feeling the pressure of surging energy and commodities prices [triggered]( by the war. [Enda Curran]( outlines how the warnings from Asia, the world’s biggest manufacturing region, underscore the troubles facing factory managers already grappling with supply snarls from the Covid-19 pandemic. Explainers you can use - [How Russia Pushed Finland and Sweden Toward NATO]( - [Why Colombia’s Election Has Voters Looking Left]( - [Putin’s War Hobbles Work on Covid Pill in Lab Near Front Lines]( Big shift | Conservative Yoon Suk-yeol’s narrow win in the South Korean presidential election could mean big policy [shifts]( for Asia’s fourth-largest economy. As [Jon Herskovitz]( reports, Yoon has promised investment and support for nuclear power and called for a tougher approach toward China and North Korea. Bloomberg TV and Radio air Balance of Power with [David Westin]( weekdays from 12 to 1pm ET, with a second hour on Bloomberg Radio from 1 to 2pm ET. You can watch and listen on Bloomberg channels and online [here]( or check out prior episodes and guest clips [here](. News to Note - The U.K. government added seven more prominent Russians to its sanctions list, [freezing]( their assets, including Oleg Deripaska and Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is set to [sweep]( to victory in India’s most populous state, signaling his support base remains strong. - Hong Kong won’t resume international travel until it [contains]( its record-setting Covid-19 outbreak, indicating that any reprieve for residents stuck outside the city is months away. - The U.S is willing to [relax]( economic pressure on Venezuela depending on the outcome of upcoming talks between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition. - An analysis of excess [deaths]( in South Africa shows that one in 200 people may have died from the coronavirus in the country. And finally ... Dubai catapulted itself from sleepy trade backwater to glitzy playground for the rich over the past 40 years. But its status as a global financial hub also has a darker side, with the Emirate becoming a sanctuary for wealthy [exiles]( facing allegations of wrongdoing. That’s come under increasing scrutiny just as international allies sanction some Russian assets after the invasion of Ukraine. Luxury villas on the waterside of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg Like Balance of Power? [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022