Tuesday Briefing: 'No handshake' as Ukraine and Russia delegations meet for peace talks

The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, March 29, 2022 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Abramovich attends Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul, Biden's budget raises taxes on the wealthy, and Tesla adds to a wave of megacap stock splits Today's biggest stories Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses Russian and Ukrainian negotiators before their face-to-face talks in Istanbul, March 29, 2022 RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AT WAR Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks, with Ukraine seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty as its forces have pushed Russians back from Kyiv. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed delegations from both sides at an Istanbul palace, saying "stopping this tragedy" was up to them. Ukrainian television reported the talks had begun with "a cold welcome" and no handshake. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was in the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul where the talks took place, though it was not immediately clear in what role Nearly 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol since Russian forces laid siege to it, a spokesperson for the mayor said. U.S. President Joe Biden, his aides and Western allies are scrambling to explain his remark that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could not remain in power because they do not want to escalate conflict between Washington and Moscow, officials said. Russian soldiers who seized the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster drove their armored vehicles without radiation protection through a highly toxic zone called the 'Red Forest', kicking up clouds of radioactive dust, workers at the site said. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now People line up at a COVID testing site outside a hospital in Shanghai, China, March 29, 2022 WORLD A sub-variant of the highly transmissible Omicron version of coronavirus known as BA.2 is now dominant worldwide, prompting surges in many countries in Europe and Asia and raising concern over the potential for a new wave in the United States. Here's what we know about BA.2. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a propaganda campaign to increase popular support for the country's ideology of self-reliance amid "the worst difficulties," state media KCNA said. North Korea faces mounting economic woes amid sanctions over its weapons programs, natural disasters and COVID lockdowns that sharply cut trade with China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates in Morocco today in a bid to ease disagreements over oil, Iran and the Ukraine crisis. A Singapore court rejected an appeal against the execution of a Malaysian convicted of drugs smuggling, dismissing an argument put forward by his legal team that he should be spared because he was mentally impaired. Britain's Queen Elizabeth joined members of the royal family and other dignitaries at a memorial service in honor of her husband Prince Philip, her first public appearance in five months. U.S. A U.S. judge ruled that former President Donald Trump "more likely than not" committed a felony by trying to pressure his vice president to obstruct Congress and overturn his election defeat. The congressional panel investigating the deadly attack on the Capitol may seek to interview Virginia Thomas, a Republican activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a source familiar with the matter said. President Joe Biden submitted a $5.79 trillion budget plan to Congress that calls for record peacetime military spending and further aid for Ukraine, while raising taxes for billionaires and companies and lowering government deficits. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a Republican-backed bill that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for many young students, drawing swift criticism from companies, Democrats and advocacy groups. An alleged member of a group of Islamic State militants that beheaded American hostages in Iraq and Syria, nicknamed 'The Beatles' for their British accents, faces a U.S. criminal trial beginning today. MARKETS Global markets veered in different directions, with shares climbing to five-week highs, recession warnings growing in the government bond markets and Japan’s yen headed for its worst month since 2016. As a bleak first quarter draws to a close, crypto seems to have the wind in its sails. It has pushed through the $2 trillion barrier and is proving surprisingly resilient amid global chaos. U.S. sanctions against Russia should hasten a move by some countries to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar, which could also soften demand for Treasuries just as the Federal Reserve, the largest holder of U.S. debt, looks to cut its bond holdings. Tesla's announcement that it will seek shareholder approval to increase its share count in order to enable a stock split adds to a recent wave of megacap companies splitting their shares in a bid to attract more investors. Shares in Barclays fell as much as 6%, after one of its top investors offloaded stock roughly equivalent to a 3% stake in the lender. The sale comes as Barclays grapples with a fresh compliance and risk mis-step, after it disclosed an estimated $590 million loss due to overselling structured products in the United States. Quote of the day "I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be" Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for slap Video of the day Ukraine crisis further squeezes Tunisians Wheat shortages and increasing global fuel prices following the war in Ukraine have left thousands of Tunisians under further strain, in a country already struggling with political deadlock and a public finance crisis. And finally… In detecting alien life on a faraway planet, methane may be the key Evidence for life beyond Earth is unlikely to be as dramatic as an alien spaceship landing. It is more likely to come from telescope observations of a faraway planet bearing atmospheric chemicals suggestive of biological activity. 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