Monday Briefing: Kyiv apartment block shelled but Ukraine peace talks begin with some hopes intact

The Reuters Daily Briefing Monday, March 14, 2022 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Ukraine and Russia report rare progress at peace talks, India considers buying discounted Russian oil, and there are fears of a food crisis as fertilizer prices soar Today's biggest stories Rescuers work to get a woman out of a residential building that was struck in Kyiv, March 14, 2022 RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AT WAR Ukraine said it had begun "hard" talks on a ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees with Russia, despite the fatal shelling of a residential building in Kyiv. Both sides reported rare progress at the weekend after earlier rounds have primarily focused on ceasefires to get aid to towns and cities under siege by Russian forces and evacuate civilians; those truces have frequently failed. People fleeing what until recently had been the relative safety of western Ukraine joined thousands crossing into eastern Europe after Russia stepped up attacks, prompting fears of an even larger exodus. One of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies said Russia's military operation in Ukraine had not all gone as quickly as the Kremlin had wanted, the strongest public acknowledgement yet from Moscow that things were not going to plan. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan plans to meet China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome today and will stress the economic penalties Beijing will face if it helps Russia in its war in Ukraine, U.S. officials say. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, March 11, 2022 BUSINESS & MARKETS Tentative hopes of progress in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia lifted European shares and Wall Street equity futures, despite a sharp slide in Chinese stock markets on the back of renewed COVID lockdowns. Oil prices fell by around $5 a barrel. Deutsche Bank reversed course and said it would pull out of Russia completely while the London Stock Exchange suspended all its services in the country. Russia's finance ministry said it had approved a temporary procedure for repaying foreign currency debt, but warned that payments would be made in roubles if sanctions prevent banks from honoring debts in the currency of issue. India is considering taking up a Russian offer to buy its crude oil and other commodities at discounted prices with payment via a rupee-rouble transaction, two Indian officials said. A global food crisis looms unless the war in Ukraine is stopped because fertilizer prices are soaring so fast that many farmers can no longer afford soil nutrients, Russian fertilizer and coal billionaire Andrei Melnichenko said. View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq, March 13, 2022 AROUND THE WORLD Iran attacked Iraq's northern city of Erbil with a dozen ballistic missiles in an unprecedented assault on the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region that appeared to target the United States and its allies. The U.S. needs to make a decision to wrap up a deal to salvage Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said amid fears that arduous talks in Vienna might collapse. The South Korean government believes North Korea could test an intercontinental ballistic missile as soon as this week, domestic media said. Tension on the Korean peninsula has been rising amid growing signs that Pyongyang could soon follow through on its threats to restart such tests, breaking a self-imposed 2017 moratorium China has reported more local symptomatic COVID-19 cases so far this year than it recorded in all of 2021, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant triggers outbreaks from Shanghai to Shenzhen. China's pandemic playbook is running low on pages, says Breakingviews columnist Yawen Chen. The war in Ukraine has opened a new front in the U.S. Republican Party's civil war, with party primary candidates vying to run in the November midterm elections attacking each other for past comments praising Putin. Australia and the Netherlands said they had begun joint legal action against Russia at the International Civil Aviation Organisation over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 eight years ago. Quote of the day "These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it's not now." NFL great Tom Brady ends retirement Video of the day Paddle boarding underground Competition at stand-up paddle board events is fierce given the sport's rising popularity, but competing on Europe's biggest underground lake adds another level of difficulty. And finally… 'The Power of the Dog' and 'Dune' triumph at BAFTAs Dark Western 'The Power of the Dog' scooped the top two honors at the British awards, winning best film and director for Jane Campion, while sci-fi epic 'Dune' picked up the most prizes. More from Reuters COVID The Great Reboot Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036