Russia

Arriving by car, the pontiff met for a half-hour with the ambassador. Yesterday, Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin called for a negotiation to “spare the world from the folly and horrors of war.” Due to knee pain, the pope will not be in Florence on Sunday for the meeting of bishops and mayors of the Mediterranean.

Bartholomew yesterday spoke with Epiphanius, metropolitan of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine recognised by Constantinople. He called on the God of love and peace to enlighten Russian leaders to realise the tragic consequences of their decisions and actions, which might even trigger a world war.

China is ready to buy Russian wheat without phytosanitary restrictions. However, it will take much more to mitigate the impact of punitive Western financial restrictions. Meanwhile, China continues to avoid describing Russian aggression as an "invasion". For Australia, China’s position is “unacceptable”.

The leader of the Russian Orthodo church calls for assistance to refugees and the needy, for mutual understanding between the conflicting parties. For Putin, however, the attack was inevitable: the defence of Russian values from Western aggression.

65.2% share the position of the autocephalous Church, which supports the government in Kiev. Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) has so far avoided commenting on the issue, and as early as 2014 had distanced himself from the annexation of Crimea

Like in the case of Crimea, China will not recognise the two breakaway republics in Ukraine’s Donbass region. It cannot make up for Russian gas supplies to Europe. Beijing is still reluctant to follow the Kremlin in its de-dollarisation efforts. For the Chinese, the rich markets of the United States and Europe are too important.

Message of peace from the Metropolitan of Donetsk and Mariupol in the face of the risk of war between Moscow and Kiev. Ilarion appeals that the "united, hard-working and Orthodox" Donbass be spared. Monasteries should prepare to welcome the needy. The faithful must extend a hand to their neighbour.

Dmitry Trapeznikov has been appointed deputy premier of the Republic of Kalmykia. A former Shakhtar Donetsk ultras leader, he has been at the top of the separatist republic in Ukraine's Donbass. Protected by Putin's circle, the opposition criticises him for his poor qualities as an administrator.

Kremlin-controlled fund refuses loan to Lukashenko regime. Belarus has maturing debts of $3.3 billion. The Belarusian dictator fuels Russian-Ukrainian tensions to secure Putin's protection.

The conflict between Moscow and Kiev reignites every century in a 'family fight', as the young Nikolai Gogol described it in the extraordinary novella 'Taras Bulba', coming from the Ukrainian countryside and taken under the protective wing of the great imperial poets in St Petersburg. The dream of Christians and all men of good will is that it is the pacifying embrace between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill will avert conflict.

Yet another trial for Putin's main opponent. The court meets in the prison camp where he is held; the detained blogger's lawyer excluded. The regime wants to keep the case out of the spotlight amid the crisis with Ukraine and the West: another sign of the "final state" of the Putin regime.

South Korean missionary groups active in Russia are the first target. A UN official who handles asylum requests in Moscow is another one. North Korea’s crackdown follows the arrest of one of its soldiers at its consulate in Vladivostok. In violation of UN sanctions, some 20,000 North Koreans are reportedly working in Russia.