Ukraine war live updates: Lethal attacks in Zaporizhzhia while Xi praises China-Russia relations

Overnight, airstrikes in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine killed civilians while Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to crowds in Beijing at the Belt and Road Initiative Forum.

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, is said to have praised ties between China & Russia as they look to further strengthen their partnership.

Russia and Ukraine both blamed the other for the deaths in Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian government blamed "racist terrorists" while a Russian official stationed in Zaporizhzhia said that the destruction was the result of "clumsy action" by Ukrainian forces.

According to reports, Russia and United Arab Emirates will meet Wednesday with the U.N. Security Council to discuss the Israel/Hamas conflict.

3 Min Ago

Xi praises China and Russia ties at Putin meeting

Xinhua, the state-owned news agency, reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping praised China and Russia relations during his talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The article stated that "the mutual political trust between the two nations [is] continually deepening."

"The two countries maintained close and effective coordination in their strategic planning, and the bilateral trade volume reached a historic high. This is progressing towards the goal of $200 billion U.S. dollar set by both sides, Xi stated."

Xi welcomed Putin when he arrived at Beijing on Tuesday to attend China's Belt and Road Summit, before the Russian president addressed a live crowd Wednesday.

Putin told 1,000 delegates from over 130 nations that he agrees with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said the Belt and Road concept "fits logically into multilateral efforts" for increasing global cooperation.

Hannah Ward-Glenton, Lee Ying Shan

5 Min Ago

Ukraine and Russia both blame each other for deadly airstrikes on Zaporizhzhia

According to both reports, an airstrike on Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine resulted in the deaths of two people and two injuries.

Officials in Ukraine blamed the Kremlin, but a Moscow-installed representative in Russian-controlled areas of the city claimed that Ukraine was to blame.

According to a Google Translation, "Tonight in the time frame from 01:33 until 01:48 racist terrorist forces have launched six rocket attacks on territory of Zaporizhia," wrote Yuriy MALASKO, head of Zaporizhzhia's Regional Military Administration on Telegram.

The attack caused damage to eight apartments and forced the evacuation of most residents.

According to Google's translation, "A rocket was fired at an apartment in the center of Kiev as a result the clumsy air defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces." This statement came from Russian official Vladimir Rogov on Telegram.

CNBC could not independently verify these reports.

Biden wants to ask for $100 billion, which would include funding for Israel and Ukraine

NBC News reported that two people who were familiar with the discussion said President Joe Biden plans to request $100 billion of supplemental funding in the next few days. The money would be used for Israel, Taiwan and the Ukraine, as well as border security in the United States.

A source told us that the details of the package are not finalized, and they could change. After returning from his Middle East tour, the president will likely send his request to legislators by the end this week.

15 Hours Ago

Putin is optimistic about the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline from China

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said to his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khulelsukh that he thought the Power of Siberia 2 project would progress at a good pace. The pipeline will bring Russian gas from Mongolia to China.

Russia increased its energy supplies to China. China is the second largest oil consumer in the world after the United States. The west has imposed economic sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

The company already provides natural gas to China through the Power of Siberia pipe, and is hoping to seal a major agreement to supply another 50 billion cubic meters (bcms) of gas per year via Power of Siberia 2 in a new deal. The talks were long and painful, as key issues such as price of gas remained elusive.

Everyone is in agreement with the project. All parties are willing to participate and work. Implementation is the key. "I think we'll move at a good speed," Putin said to the Mongolian President in Beijing where they were attending a conference about China's Belt and Road Initiative.

The Kremlin said that it did not expect any oil and gas deals to be clinched by Putin during his visit this week, or in his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In late 2019, the Power of Siberia Pipeline began supplying natural gas to China.

The company has a contract for 30 years worth $400 billion, which will see it supply 38 bcm per year by 2025.

Reuters