Chinese Envoy Begins Visit to Kyiv, Moscow

Li Hui, Chinese special representative for Eurasian affairs, is Beijing’s highest-ranking official (Reuters) to visit Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began last February. Beijing said the trip aims to discuss a “political settlement” to the war, but it is unclear whether Li will meet (Bloomberg) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Li, a former ambassador to Moscow, is due to spend two days in Ukraine before traveling on to Poland, France, Germany, and Russia.

As Li’s visit began, Russian attacks triggered air raid sirens across Kyiv. Ukrainian military officials said that Ukrainian forces intercepted eighteen Russian missiles (Reuters) that were fired overnight, including six hypersonic missiles.

Analysis

“It is not possible to reach any settlement with only one round of shuttle diplomacy,” Renmin University of China’s Wang Yiwei tells Bloomberg. “[The visit will] help to put China-Europe relations back on a right track.”

“Although China wields great influence in the Kremlin, it does not exert control,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Alexander Gabuev writes for Foreign Affairs. “Russia’s size and power may give the Kremlin a false sense of security as it locks itself into an asymmetrical relationship with Beijing.”

Pacific Rim

Nikkei: North Korean Hacker Groups Stole Millions of Dollars in Cryptocurrency From Japan

Hacker groups linked to North Korea have stolen $721 million (Nikkei) from Japan since 2017, a U.K.-based compliance group found. Experts convened by the UN Security Council have warned that Pyongyang uses stolen cryptocurrency to support its nuclear and missile programs.

South and Central Asia

Washington Says It Is Urging India to Work Against Attacks on Religious Minorities

An unnamed U.S. official told reporters that the U.S. government had directly appealed to Indian officials (The Wire) to reduce attacks on religious minorities in the country. The Indian government previously criticized a U.S. State Department report (Times Now) on threats to religious freedom in India and other countries, saying it was biased and politically motivated.

Bangladesh: The country is experiencing its worst power shortages (Al Jazeera) in months after Cyclone Mocha made landfall over the weekend.

Middle East and North Africa

UAE Invites Syria’s Assad to Attend COP28 Climate Summit

The invitation by the United Arab Emirates comes as Arab countries mend previously strained ties with Syria. The event would be the first global summit (CNN) attended by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011.

This In Brief discusses who benefits from Arab countries’ normalization of ties with Syria.

Middle East/North Africa: A new report by researchers at Brown University estimates that some 4.5 million people died (WaPo) because of post-9/11 wars in which the United States played a role, most of which took place in the region. The estimate takes into account “indirect deaths” caused by economic collapse and the destruction of healthcare infrastructure.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sudan’s Military Chief Orders Freeze on Financial Assets of Opponent

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered the freeze (AP) on accounts linked to the rival military faction known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Burhan replaced Sudan’s Central Bank governor over the weekend.

For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin explores the prospects for peace in Sudan.

South Africa/Russia: South Africa’s army chief met his Russian counterpart (AP) in Moscow yesterday to discuss military cooperation, Russia’s defense ministry said. The meeting comes nearly a week after South Africa denied U.S. claims that it had shipped arms to Russia.

Europe

Russian Oil Exports Rise to Record Post-Invasion Level

Russia exported 8.3 million barrels per day (FT) in April. Moscow is increasingly able to circumvent Western sanctions by shipping to non-Western countries such as China and India, the International Energy Agency said. European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said yesterday that the EU should prevent India (FT) from reselling refined Russian oil in Europe.

This In Brief looks at one year of sanctions against Russia.

Europe: European leaders will meet today in Iceland for the two-day Council of Europe summit. They are set to discuss (Reuters) Russia’s abuses in Ukraine, Turkey’s jailing of a philanthropist, and the United Kingdom’s efforts to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Americas

In Jamaica, UN Chief Calls for International Response to Haiti Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the “tragic situation” in Haiti demands a stronger international response, as it presents a threat to regional security (UN News). Haiti’s prime minister has previously called for an international security force (CNN) to help address surging gang violence in the country.

Guatemala: The newspaper El Periódico, known for its anti-corruption investigations, ceased publication (WaPo) yesterday amid a wave of repression of press freedom in Central America.

United States

Washington Publishes Data on Nuclear Warheads, Calls on Moscow to Follow

Such data-sharing is part of the New START nuclear treaty (AFP), from which Russia suspended its participation in March. Washington described its decision as voluntary and called on Russia to reciprocate.

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