From left, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. The French, German, Italian and Romanian leaders vowed to back Kyiv's bid to become an official candidate to join the European Union. Ludovic Marin/AP
As Thursday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
NATO allies want to beef up deterrence along its eastern flank so Russia doesn't plan further aggression in the region. Meeting with member countries' defense chiefs in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for .. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-jens-stoltenberg-nato-b2e087a113f0fe50249ccd6087cee435 .. more air, sea and cyber defenses, plus prepositioned equipment and weapons. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. and its allies would place more equipment in Eastern Europe and put troops on higher alert. Baltic countries urged for more troops to be stationed there, too. Sponsor Message
Sri Lanka Higher fuel and food prices from the war exacerbated Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Annual inflation hit 29.8% in April. The government suspended payments on foreign debt and sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. China and India are both competing for influence in the debt-ridden country. | More ›
Lebanon In the first month of the war, the price of sunflower oil surged 83% and the price of wheat jumped 47%. The cost of a basic food basket more than tripled compared to a year earlier. (April 2) | More ›
Ethiopia Fertilizer prices jumped 200% in March. (March 26) | More ›
Egypt Most of the country’s wheat imports come from Ukraine and Russia, prompting a ban on exports of flour, wheat, pasta and lentils to protect reserves. The government also fixed the price of commercially sold bread. | More ›
Peru The war’s impact on food, fertilizer and fuel costs has exacerbated the political crisis in Peru. Demonstrations swept the country in protest of high prices. (April 8) | More ›
Eritrea Almost all of the country’s wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine, whose supplies have been disrupted by the war. | More ›
India The world’s second-largest producer of wheat has boosted exports of grain across the globe to offset supply disruptions from Ukraine and Russia. | More ›
Egypt The central bank devalued the Egyptian pound and investors raised concerns. The country relies on Russia and Ukraine for wheat imports and tourism. (March 21) | More ›
Bangladesh The garment industry, the engine of this economy, is facing disruptions from fashion brands exiting Russia, turmoil in shipping and rising energy prices. The government launched a food subsidy program as prices for staples spiked. (March 20) | More ›
Brazil Farmers in this global agricultural powerhouse are anxious about shortages and soaring prices of fertilizer. Brazil is the world’s biggest importer of fertilizer, and Russia accounts for over a fifth of those imports. (March 5) | More ›
Kenya Fuel prices rose to the highest in more than a decade. (April 14) | More ›
Syria Worried about shortages and higher prices, the government prepared to ration reserves of staples such as wheat, sugar and cooking oil. (Feb. 27) | More ›
Italy Italy faces the highest inflation in three decades as energy prices rise. | More ›
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