Russia continues pullout from northern Ukraine: Weekend Reads

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy warns of hard battles ahead. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Russian forces continued pulling out from northern Ukraine as they build up in the east and south, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling the [withdrawal]( “slow but noticeable” in an early-morning video address from Kyiv. “I emphasize once again: hard battles lie ahead.” The U.S. defense department is [sending]( $300 million in additional military and medical assistance to Ukraine, including the Switchblade dive-bombing drone. European Union leaders said they told China in a virtual summit they expect Beijing to help [end]( Russia’s war in Ukraine and not to interfere with international sanctions imposed on Moscow. President Xi Jinping said Beijing finds the situation in Ukraine “deeply regrettable.” In China, Shanghai’s 25 million residents are almost all under some form of [lockdown]( as the financial hub struggles to contain the coronavirus’s highly contagious omicron variant. Dig into our coverage of the war and other top political stories of the week. — [Karl Maier]( A destroyed tank likely belonging to pro-Russian forces in Mariupol on March 23. Photographer: SOPA Images/LightRocket Sign up [here]( for the Special Daily Brief: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images. Chemical Weapons a High Risk, Low Gain Ukraine Option for Putin Ukrainian TV stations have been broadcasting messages explaining what to do in the event of a [chemical]( weapons attack. But as [Marc Champion]( explains, it probably isn’t in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest to deploy them now. - Russia’s move to “fundamentally cut back” its military operations in northern Ukraine is likely a [tactical]( decision. - See our visual [guide]( to the invasion. Russians Support Putin’s Ukraine War as Kremlin Muzzles Dissent Domestic support for Putin has [surged]( following his invasion of Ukraine, according to the country’s leading independent pollster, even as a Kremlin crackdown on protest raises questions about public willingness to express opposition to the war. Biden Embraces Oil as Ukraine War Overwhelms His Climate Agenda In his strongest endorsement of oil, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered a [massive]( release of emergency crude. [Jennifer A. Dlouhy]( and [Josh Wingrove]( write that he’s gambling his climate-saving credentials on lowering gasoline prices before the November midterm elections. - The plan to [tackle]( record gasoline prices may stifle domestic crude drilling just when it’s needed most. - Russia aims to keep [supplying]( gas to European customers even as it demands they shift to payment in rubles, easing fears the change could lead to disruptions from the continent’s biggest supplier. For all the hardships on Russian consumers and the financial chokehold on the government from sanctions, Bloomberg Economics expects Russia will [earn]( almost $321 billion from energy exports this year, up more than a third from 2021. Lavrov was speaking yesterday in New Delhi where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said Moscow [“appreciates”]( India’s neutral position on the war. Two European Strongmen Bid to Keep Power in the Shadow of War Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic are bidding to keep their [grip]( on power in elections that have put a spotlight on their close ties to Putin. [Misha Savic]( and [Zoltan Simon]( explain how the war in Ukraine has overshadowed the votes. Biden’s Bid to Salvage New-Deal Dream Hinges on Manchin — Again​ Biden’s Build Back Better plan rivaled the ambition of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Depression-era New Deal, with a price tag of $3.5 trillion. ​​​​​​[Erik Wasson](, [Nancy Cook]( and [Laura Davison]( outline how its demise [boils]( down to a miscalculation in the White House’s handling of Joe Manchin, the often unpredictable Democratic senator from West Virginia. Biden in the Oval Office of the White House. Photographer: Al Drago/The New York Times Falsehoods Aired on Spanish Radio Delude Voters Before Midterms Spanish-language media in the U.S. is being targeted with [misinformation]( about voter fraud, the pandemic, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Maria Curi]( writes how the practice may threaten the Democrats’ chances in the upcoming congressional elections. China Crushed Covid. But Covid Zero Could Crush China Beijing’s Covid Zero strategy has saved lives while keeping the economy on track, but a new wave of virus cases is [highlighting]( the growing costs and is starting to shift the policy debate. How China moves forward will have huge consequences for a population of more than 1.4 billion and a world economy reeling from the war in Ukraine. - The Communist Party’s Politburo [gave]( little away on its plans to tackle Covid-19, the economic slowdown or the conflict in Ukraine with a mysteriously brief statement after its latest meeting. Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - To Save Democracy We Need a Few Good Dictators: Robert D. Kaplan]( - [Even in War, OPEC Wants Russia as an Oil Ally: Javier Blas]( - [How China Can Make Its Economy Sanctions-Proof: Nancy Qian]( - [Tunisia’s Authoritarian Turn Mustn’t Go Unanswered: Bobby Ghosh]( - [Golden Passports and Citizenship in a Time of War: Andreas Kluth]( How a U.S. Remittance Windfall Saved Small Towns in Mexico Remittances from workers outside Mexico, mainly in the U.S., are providing a lifeline for communities starved of aid during the country’s worst economic [contraction]( in almost a century. [Maya Averbuch]( reports on how the transfers help make up for lost jobs and cover medical costs and even fund longer-term investments. Chemical Giant’s Dumping on Busy Tuscan Beach Draws Scrutiny Rosignano Solvay, a town in Tuscany, Italy, that’s named for the company that built it, has been a [dumping]( ground for more than a century for millions of tons of milky white industrial discharge that have transformed its beaches — and the seabed beyond. [Elisa Martinuzzi]( and [Vernon Silver]( reveal that prosecutors have known for years that the plant’s soda-ash unit exceeded legal limits for mercury, a neurotoxic heavy metal. The drainage canal from the Solvay plant onto the beach in Rosignano. Photographer: Francesco Mazzei/Bloomberg Explainers you can use - [How War, Oil and Ships Are Building a Hunger Crisis]( - [Why Supply Chains Are Entering Third Year of Chaos]( - [Why Pakistan’s Leader Is Facing the Risk of Ouster]( - [How the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Works]( - [What Senate’s 50-50 Split Means for Biden Court Pick]( Mysterious Bill Gates Photo Highlights Imran Khan’s Army Crisis A photo released by Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, of a luncheon with Bill Gates last month showing a ghost-like figure in one of the seats [raised]( questions about whether the image was doctored.[Faseeh Mangi]( explains how a picture that erased the country’s new spy chief signals a fraught relationship with the army days before a vote of confidence in Khan. And finally ... Since the Russian invasion began, one striking aspect has come to the fore: the critical [role]( played by Ukraine’s railway system. The extensive network of freight and passenger lines is at once a life-saving humanitarian resource, a tool of diplomacy — and a potent weapon of self-defense. A conductor at the Lviv train station on March 2. Night trains run without lights because of the risk of air attacks. Photographer: Europa Press News/Europa Press 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