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Wed, Jun 15 202212:32 AM EDT

Wheat grain pours from a machine into a storage silo on Monday, July 8, 2013. Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to address a growing global food crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden said, according to Reuters.

Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to address a growing global food crisis, President Joe Biden said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent blockade of the Black Sea port has stalled the export of Ukrainian grain, ratcheting up the cost of grain.

"I'm working closely with our European partners to get 20 million tons of grain locked in Ukraine out onto the market to help bring down food prices," Biden said. "[The grain] can't get out through the Black Sea because it'll get blown out of the water."

Ukraine and Russia have laid sea mines since the war started. About 84 foreign ships, many with grain cargoes onboard, are stuck in Ukrainian ports, Reuters reported.

Biden also said the U.S. is planning to export Ukrainian grain by rail, but noted that Ukrainian track gauges are different from those in Europe and the grain will have to be transferred to different trains at the border.

"So we're going to build silos temporary silos on the borders of Ukraine, including in Poland, so we can transfer it from those cars into those silos, into cars in Europe, and get it out to the ocean, and get it across the world" Biden said, adding that the plan was taking time.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 202210:48 PM EDT

The BBC logo is seen at BBC Broadcasting House on January 17, 2022. Russia has banned dozens of British defense officials, journalists, and media representatives from entering the country, Reuters reported, citing the defense ministry.

Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Russia has banned dozens of British defense officials, journalists, and media representatives from entering the country, according to Reuters.

The move is in response to Western sanctions and the "spreading of false information about Russia," Reuters said citing the defense ministry.

Among those banned are about 20 defense personnel, and 29 journalists and members of media organizations such as BBC, the Guardian and Times newspapers, the report said.

"The British journalists included in the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbas," the ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Moscow has permanently banned hundreds of Americans and Canadians from entering the country, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 20229:50 PM EDT

Smoke rises during shelling in the city of Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine on May 21, 2022. Russian troops control about 80% of Severodonetsk, the last city now partially held by Ukraine in Luhansk, and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, the Associated Press reported, citing an official.

Aris Messinis | Afp | Getty Images

Russian troops control about 80% of Severodonetsk and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of the last city in Luhansk that's partially held by Ukraine, according to the Associated Press which cited the governor of Luhansk.

Ukrainian forces have been pushed to the industrial outskirts of the city because of the "scorched earth method and heavy artillery the Russians are using", the AP said, citing Governor Serhiy Haidai.

Haidai said that a mass evacuation of civilians now was "simply not possible" due to the persistent bombing and fighting.

However, he added that there was still an opportunity to get civilians out of the city because Russian soldiers have not completely blocked off the city yet.

"There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents," he told the AP.

Out of a pre-war population of 100,000, only 12,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, the news agency reported.

More than 500 civilians are sheltering in the Azot chemical plant, which is being attacked by Russian troops, Haidai said.

The Russian defense ministry has said it will open a "humanitarian corridor" on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian civilians sheltering in the plant to leave the complex.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 20224:58 PM EDT

A woman holds a child next to Russian soldiers in a street of Mariupol on April 12, 2022, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, while Russia's President makes a defiant case for the war on Russia's neighbour. - *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.*

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The UN has determined that nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's children have been displaced since the start of Russia's war.

"I would say every single child in Ukraine, their lives have been touched by this war. They've either lost a family member or they have either witnessed trauma themselves," explained Afshan Khan, the regional director for the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, to reporters at the United Nations.

"With two-thirds of the children in the country on the move, we cannot say that a single child's life has not been touched," added Khan, who recently completed a UN mission trip to cities in Ukraine.

"Now the question is how severely are these kids impacted? What have they witnessed in terms of killing or maiming of their family members or whether they've fled or their home has been destroyed, whether they've lost friends? These are all things that for a child without adequate support is a recurring nightmare," she said.

Khan also said that the staggering number of schools destroyed by Russian strikes in Ukraine presents another grim challenge for child development.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20224:00 PM EDT

Local residents look at the russian military tank destroyed during Russia's invasion in Ukraine, in Sloboda village, Chernihiv area, Ukraine May 08, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Coordinated global sanctions may not immediately affect the Kremlin's ability to finance its defense industrial base or its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian economy expert Richard Connolly said.

"The Russian state's ability to finance the war and its military remain pretty robust," said Connolly, director of the Eastern Advisory Group and a fellow at the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies.

"Even in the event that Moscow has to run a budget deficit. It's got plenty of fiscal room to do this. It has an extremely low debt level, it doesn't need to borrow abroad, it can borrow from domestic sources of cash," he explained. "And at the moment, it has this very positive cash flow. So for as long as the political will is there in the Kremlin and for as long as export prices remain high, I don't see any immediate financial constraints confronting the Kremlin."

Connolly, who spoke on a panel hosted by Washington-based think tank CNAS, added that Russia historically maintains high defense equipment reserves.

"I'd be very surprised if they weren't high on the eve of the war and therefore, I would imagine that defense industrial enterprises will continue to produce in the months to come," he said. He also said that Russia has previously shown that it can source Western tech components used in its defense industry despite sanctions.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20222:57 PM EDT

A close up shot of Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury at practice and media availability during the 2021 WNBA Finals on October 11, 2021 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Michael Gonzales | National Basketball Association | Getty Images

A Russian court has extended WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention period by 18 days, Russian state media agency TASS reported, according to an NBC News translation.

Griner's arrest came days after Russian PresidentVladimir Putinordered an invasion of Ukraine, triggering international backlash and a slew of punishing sanctions. The 31-year-old Olympian has been accused of smuggling hashish oil, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.

Last month, the State Department determined that Griner was being wrongfully detained in Russia and called for her release.

Once a pretrial investigation on Griner has concluded, a trial date will be set. Previous requests from Griner to be transferred to house arrest have been denied.

NBC News has requested confirmation from the Russian court and is awaiting a response.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20221:57 PM EDT

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, reacts after scoring a point against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in New York.

Elise Amendola | AP

The U.S. Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.

U.S. Tennis Association CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the U.S. Open, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of "concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments."

Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag an arrangement that's been used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended June 5.

The U.S. Open starts on Aug. 29 in New York.

Associated Press

Tue, Jun 14 202212:38 PM EDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 16, 2022.

Sergei Guneev | Sputnik | Reuters

As the globe coordinates global sanctions against Moscow and a segment of Russian society opposes the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be at risk of losing his power.

"I would say there are very few signs that he's at risk of losing power anytime soon," explained Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, or CNAS.

Kendall-Taylor, a national security expert who specializes in Russia and authoritarian regimes, told a virtual audience at the CNAS National Security Conference that Putin's hold on power is nonetheless considerably weaker since the start of the war.

"I don't want to necessarily overstate public support for the war, because there is quite clearly a segment of society who opposes it," Kendall-Taylor said.

She added that in the scenario in which Putin was to die in office, another autocrat would likely replace him.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 202211:52 AM EDT

(R to L) Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi give a joint press statement at the Prime minsters office in Jerusalem on June 14, 2022.

Abir Sultan | AFP | Getty Images

European leaders visiting Israel expressed hope that natural gas supplies from the eastern Mediterranean could help reduce dependence on Russia as the Ukraine war drags on.

Israel has emerged as a gas exporter in recent years following major offshore discoveries and has signed an ambitious agreement with Greece and Cyprus to build a shared pipeline. New supplies could help Europe ramp up sanctions on Moscow.

"On the energy front, we will work together in using gas resources of the eastern Mediterranean and to develop renewable energy," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Naftali Bennett.

"We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas and accelerate energy transition toward the climate objectives we've given ourselves," he said.

Bennett said Israel was working to make natural gas available for Europe. His office said the two leaders also discussed shipping natural gas to Europe through Egypt.

Associated Press

Tue, Jun 14 202211:06 AM EDT

A sculpture titled "Balloon Monkey (Magenta)" by Jeff Koons, estimated to fetch a price of about 6,000,000 to 10,000,000, is shown in St James' Square adjacent to Christie's auction house in London.

The sculpture will be offered at an auction by Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk and his wife Olena Pinchuk on June 28 to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Art handlers wipe the surface of a sculpture titled 'Balloon Monkey (Magenta)' (2006-13) by Jeff Koons, estimated: 6,000,000-10,000,000, during a photo call in St James' Square adjacent to Christie's auction house in London, United Kingdom on June 14, 2022.

Wiktor Szymanowicz | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Tue, Jun 14 202210:12 AM EDT

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine.

John Moore | Getty Images

The United Nations has confirmed 4,432 civilian deaths and 5,499 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.

The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20228:13 AM EDT

Russia's defense ministry has said it will open a "humanitarian corridor" on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian civilians sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk a chance to leave the complex.

"Guided by humane principles, the Armed Forces of Russia and the formations of the Lugansk People's Republic are ready to carry out a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians," the ministry said, according to state news agency Interfax.

The corridor would be open from 8 a.m. Moscow time to 8 p.m., the ministry said.

Original post:
EU looks for natural gas alternative to Russia; fighting rages in Severodonetsk - CNBC