Ukrainian Official Says Humanitarian Corridors at Risk Ahead of Talks With Russia

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said humanitarian corridors won’t open today (RFE/RL) due to the risk of Russian “provocations.” Russia continued to attack cities across Ukraine over the weekend, with air strikes targeting the western city of Lviv (RFE/RL). Envoys from both countries arrive in Turkey today for fresh talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is ready to discuss adopting neutral status (NYT).

Yesterday, U.S. officials walked back U.S. President Joe Biden’s statement (NYT) that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” saying Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia. Meanwhile, the Kremlin ordered local news outlets not to publish (WaPo) four Russian journalists’ interview with Zelenskyy, but some foreign Russian-language media published it anyway.

Analysis

“Good to see [Biden] walking back comments & making clear regime change [is] not US policy. As [former Israeli Prime Minister] Yitzhak Rabin pointed out, ‘you don’t make peace with friends; you can only make peace with enemies.’ And for now, ending the war in Ukraine & avoiding escalation must be our priorities,” CFR President Richard Haass tweets.

“On the Russian side, we’ve seen some indications that Moscow is no longer pushing for regime change in Kyiv (i.e., the ridiculous demand for ‘de-Nazification’), but that’s about it. The two sides are still far apart, and a deal isn’t likely to come soon,” the Atlantic Council’s Emma Ashford tells Foreign Policy.

CFR offers background and real-time analysis on the war in Ukraine.

Pacific Rim

China Announces Largest Lockdown Since Start of Pandemic

Shanghai, a financial hub with twenty-five million residents, will undergo a two-phase lockdown (Nikkei) over a period of nine days.

U.S./Philippines: The countries began annual joint military exercises (AP) that will run until April 8.

South and Central Asia

Taliban Target International Media in New Broadcasting Ban

Deutsche Welle said some of its local-language programming will no longer be rebroadcast (dpa, AFP) by Afghan partners, while the BBC said its news bulletins in Pashto, Persian, and Uzbek will be taken off the air in Afghanistan.

For Foreign Affairs, Dipali Mukhopadhyay writes that the Taliban have not moderated.

India: Unions began a two-day strike (Hindu) against government labor reforms. Around two hundred million workers are expected to participate.

Middle East and North Africa

Israel Hosts Summit With U.S., Four Arab Nations

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the summit, which started yesterday and was attended by envoys from the United States, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will become a regular forum (Haaretz) focused on “building a new regional architecture” and countering Iran.

In this webinar, Vali Nasr discusses the future of U.S.-Middle East relations.

UAE: The country’s energy minister said Russia “is an important member” (Bloomberg) of OPEC+, the grouping of oil-producing countries allied with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and that the group should remain separate from politics. Western leaders have urged OPEC+ to break ties with Moscow.

This Backgrounder looks at OPEC in a changing world.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Zimbabwe Opposition Party Triumphs in Congressional Elections

The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change won nineteen (Daily Maverick) of twenty-eight contested parliamentary seats in a vote seen as a dry run for 2023 general elections.

CAR: Peace talks in the Central African Republic (CAR) ended today without making progress (AFP). The country has been embroiled in civil war since 2013.

Europe

Malta’s Labour Party Wins Third Term in Power

The landslide victory extends the party’s rule (Politico) for another five years.

Americas

El Salvador Declares State of Emergency Over Record Homicides

Sixty-two people were killed (CNN) in cities across El Salvador on Saturday, the country’s single bloodiest day since its civil war ended thirty years ago.

Uruguay: In a referendum yesterday, Uruguayans voted by a slim margin to maintain 135 articles (MercoPress) of President Luis Lacalle Pou’s flagship legislative reforms.

United States

Biden to Ask Congress to Include New Wealth Tax in Budget

The tax would require households (NYT) worth over $100 million to pay a 20 percent tax on their income and unrealized gains in the value of liquid assets such as stocks.

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