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Over 8 Million Ukrainians Are Now Refugees; Kyiv May Negotiate on Crimea

Audmilla, from Kupiansk gets medical attention from Dr. Olena Kurena Médecins Sans Frontières, ( Doctors Without Borders ) at a mobile clinic on September 22, 2022 in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine.
Paula Bronstein | Getty Images

This has been CNBC's live blog covering updates on the war in Ukraine. [Follow the latest updates here.]

Kyiv has disclosed a rare willingness to negotiate with Russia — depending on the outcome of its spring offensive, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview.

The discussions would focus on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, and would take place if Ukrainian forces reach Crimea's "administrative border," the official said.

Swedish investigators examining last year's Nord Stream pipeline blast say it remains unclear who was behind the sabotage, but that work on the case is continuing "unconditionally."

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is in China for a three-day state visit, during which he hopes to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine, among other things.

Damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure exceeds more than $10 billion, report says

Utility man on the platform of a cherry picker truck repairs electricity on January 15, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Utility man on the platform of a cherry picker truck repairs electricity on January 15, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine.

The damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure due to Russia's invasion exceeds more than $10 billion, the United Nations and World Bank said in a joint assessment.

The international organizations wrote that the damage to Ukraine's power, gas and heating infrastructure has left over 12 million people with no or limited electricity. Additionally, there are disruptions to water supply and heating systems.

Russia has previously denied that its forces target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

— Amanda Macias

WHO records more than 900 attacks on vital health services in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been at least 912 attacks on vital health services in the country, the World Health Organization's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care estimates.

The organization reports that health-care facilities were damaged 814 times, ambulances were targeted in 110 cases and at least 240 attacks affected crucial medical supplies. The group also estimated that attacks on health services led to at least 101 deaths and 136 injuries.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it targets civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and apartment buildings.

— Amanda Macias

Blinken discusses extending the Black Sea Grain deal with UN Secretary General

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency ahead of UN's 77th session of the General Assembly in New York, United States on September 14, 2022.
Lokman Vural Elibol | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency ahead of UN's 77th session of the General Assembly in New York, United States on September 14, 2022.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and reopened three key Ukrainian ports. The agreement is set to expire next month.

The two also discussed ways to support Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing war of aggression.

— Amanda Macias

More than 8.1 million Ukrainians have become refugees from Russia’s war, UN estimates

Evacuees from Mariupol area get settled at a refugee camp in the settlement of Bezymennoye during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the Donetsk region, Ukraine March 8, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
Evacuees from Mariupol area get settled at a refugee camp in the settlement of Bezymennoye during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the Donetsk region, Ukraine March 8, 2022.

More than 8.1 million Ukrainians have become refugees and moved to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February of last year, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.

More than 5 million of those people have applied for temporary resident status in neighboring Western European countries, according to data collected by the agency.

"The escalation of the international armed conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance," the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.

— Amanda Macias

Russian forces are looting art from Ukraine museums on a World War II scale, evidence suggests

Russian service members work on demining the territory of Azovstal steel plant during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022. 
Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
Russian service members work on demining the territory of Azovstal steel plant during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022. 

New evidence suggests that Russian forces are looting art from Ukrainian museums on a scale not seen in Europe since the Nazi's plunder during the Second World War.

"They are trying to erase Ukrainian identity, just the way the Nazis did," Chris Marinello, art restitution lawyer and the founder of a stolen and looted art recovery firm, told NBC News.

"He seeks to eliminate the physical markers of Ukraine's distinctive culture so as to conform to his warped view that there is no such culture," he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Read the full story on NBC NEWS.

— Amanda Macias

One ship departs under Black Sea Grain Initiative as extension deadline looms

Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

One ship carrying 65,897 metric tons of corn left Ukraine's port of Chornomorsk and is destined for China.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade, and three key Ukrainian ports reopened. The agreement was extended last month for 120 days and is set to expire next month.

So far, more than 720 ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports since the deal launched.

— Amanda Macias

EU chief says she urged Xi Jinping to reach out to Zelenskyy

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) arrives for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 6, 2023.
Laurent Fievet | Afp | Getty Images
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) arrives for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 6, 2023.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Beijing for talks on security and trade along with France's Emmanuel Macron, said she urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to "reach out" to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Xi reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right," she said in a press conference.

She also joined Macron in urging China to use its friendly relations with Russia to help mediate talks with Ukraine, and said China had a responsibility as a U.N. Security Council member to "promote a just peace, one that respects Ukraine's sovereign and territorial integrity, one of the cornerstones of the U.N. charter."

Any move by China to provide military equipment to Russia directly or indirectly would "significantly harm" the EU's relationship with China and be a "violation of international law," she added.

— Jenni Reid

Portraits of Ukrainian servicemen on Bakhmut frontline

Ukrainian soldiers pose amid the Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk region, Ukraine on March 29, 2023

Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
A Ukrainian soldier takes a rest amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier takes a rest amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Ukrainian soldiers pose on a tank amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers pose on a tank amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers pose amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023.
Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. 
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. 

— Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Swedish prosecutor says state-sponsored group most likely behind Nord Stream blast

A state-linked group is the most likely culprit behind the Nord Stream pipeline explosion that took place last September, Swedish investigators believe.

"The clear main scenario" is that a state-sponsored actor was responsible for the sabotage act, and the type of explosive deployed ruled out "a large portion of actors," Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist told Reuters. But, he added, an independent group was still "theoretically possible."

Confirming who was behind the blast "likely will be difficult given the circumstances," Ljungqvist said earlier on Thursday.

The Nord Stream pipeline that connects Russia and Germany and was previously a vital source of gas from Russia to Europe suffered a massive explosion last September, as sanctions were being imposed on Russian energy over the invasion of Ukraine.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines of Bakhmut

Life on the frontlines as Ukrainian soldiers hold a fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, April 5, 2023, as the Russia-Ukraine war continues.

Ukrainian soldier leaves a trench in his fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, 5 April 2023, as Russia-Ukraine war continues.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldier leaves a trench in his fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, 5 April 2023, as Russia-Ukraine war continues.
A Ukrainian soldier walks in his fighting position amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier walks in his fighting position amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
A Ukrainian soldier camouflages artillery in his fighting position amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier camouflages artillery in his fighting position amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
Ukrainian soldier orients artillery at his fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, 5 April 2023, as Russia-Ukraine war continues.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldier orients artillery at his fighting position in the direction of Bakhmut, 5 April 2023, as Russia-Ukraine war continues.
Ukrainian soldiers try to pull down an artillery gun amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers try to pull down an artillery gun amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
A Ukrainian soldier is seen on an artillery gun amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.
Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier is seen on an artillery gun amid Russia-Ukraine war in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 5, 2023.

— Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Macron tells China's Xi: 'I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason'

Chinas President Xi Jinping (L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron attend the official welcoming ceremony in Beijing on April 6, 2023. 
Ludovic Marin | AFP | Getty Images
Chinas President Xi Jinping (L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron attend the official welcoming ceremony in Beijing on April 6, 2023. 

French President Emmanuel Macron is in Beijing on a three-day state visit to China in an effort to strengthen EU-China trade ties and discuss China's support for Russia, among other things.

Macron is trying to encourage Chinese Premier Xi Jinping away from backing Russia in its war in Ukraine, and asked him to use his influence to help improve the situation.

"The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to stability. I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table," Macron told Xi, according to Reuters.

The visit comes roughly two weeks after Xi's visit to Moscow, during which close ties between Russia and China were affirmed and no progress was made toward a peace settlement in Ukraine. Relations between China and the EU, meanwhile, have been described as being at an all-time low.

— Natasha Turak

Wagner boss says Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut 'not going anywhere'

(EDITORS NOTE: The tank number has been blurred) A Ukrainian tank performs during firing practice amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. 
Muhammed Enes Yildirim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
(EDITORS NOTE: The tank number has been blurred) A Ukrainian tank performs during firing practice amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. 

The head of Russian private military organization Wagner Group admitted that Ukrainian forces don't show any sign of giving up in the war-ravaged city of Bakhmut, which has been almost entirely destroyed over months of heavy fighting.

"It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere," Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin wrote on his Telegram account, according to a Google translation.

In previous weeks, Russian military officials claimed to have nearly surrounded Ukraine's forces, which Kyiv denied. Prigozhin's comments follow remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, which hinted at a potential change in positioning in the event of full encirclement.

"For me, the most important thing is not to lose our military, and if there is a moment of even hotter events and the danger that we may lose personnel due to encirclement, there will be appropriate correct decisions on the spot," Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Zelenskyy has so far refused to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut, as surrendering the city would give Russian forces access to much more of the country's east. Bakhmut has been described as a "meat grinder," with huge casualties suffered on both sides.

— Natasha Turak

At least five killed in Donetsk shelling, Ukraine broadcaster says

A view shows a pair of glasses with blood on them, in the aftermath of deadly shelling of residential buildings, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, April 2, 2023. 
Violeta Santos Moura | Reuters
A view shows a pair of glasses with blood on them, in the aftermath of deadly shelling of residential buildings, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, April 2, 2023. 

At least five people were killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne reported.

"At night, Russian troops fired mortars at Bilopillya in Sumy oblast, people in the community were left without electricity," the outlet wrote on its official Telegram channel.

"As a result of Russian shelling yesterday in Donetsk region, five people were killed and nine others were injured. A man who was injured in yesterday's shelling of Beryslav in the Kherson region died in the hospital."

CNBC was not able to independently verify the information.

— Natasha Turak

Moscow likely fired Russian general over poor performance in eastern fighting

Moscow fired a Russian colonel-general, following his poor performance in the fighting taking place in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defence wrote in its daily intelligence update. Reports of the dismissal have surfaced in Russian media and social media.

"The Russian MoD has highly likely dismissed Colonel-General Rustam Muradov as commander of the Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) in Ukraine. The EGF under Muradov has suffered exceptionally heavy casualties in recent months as its poorly conceived assaults repeatedly failed to capture the Donetsk Oblast town of Vuhledar," the U.K. ministry wrote on Twitter.

The operations "attracted intense public criticism from across the spectrum of Russian commentators — including Muradov's own troops," the posts said, adding that he is the "most senior military dismissal of 2023 so far."

— Natasha Turak

Source of Nord Stream sabotage remains unclear, Swedish prosecutor says

Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 27, 2022.
Swedish Coast Guard | Getty Images
Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 27, 2022.

Swedish authorities investigating the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage have still not found any evidence pointing to who carried out the blast, Sweden's prosecuting authority said.

"We are working unconditionally and turning over every stone and leaving nothing to chance," prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement cited by Reuters.

"Our hope is to be able to confirm who has committed this crime, but it should be noted that it likely will be difficult given the circumstances."

The Nord Stream pipeline that connects Russia and Germany and was previously a vital source of gas from Russia to Europe suffered a massive explosion last September, as sanctions were being imposed on Russian energy over the invasion of Ukraine.

— Natasha Turak

Kyiv may be willing to negotiate on Crimea depending on outcome of spring offensive

The hotel Gornoye Solntse, reportedly one of around 500 properties in the Crimean peninsula, including some belonging to senior Ukrainian politicians and business figures that were nationalized by local Russian-installed authorities, in Alupka, Crimea, on Feb. 8, 2023.
Alexey Pavlishak | Reuters
The hotel Gornoye Solntse, reportedly one of around 500 properties in the Crimean peninsula, including some belonging to senior Ukrainian politicians and business figures that were nationalized by local Russian-installed authorities, in Alupka, Crimea, on Feb. 8, 2023.

Ukraine would be willing to discuss the status of the Crimean peninsula if its army reaches Crimea's borders, a top official said.

"If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open [a] diplomatic page to discuss this issue," Andriy Sybiha, deputy head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, told the Financial Times in an interview.

"It doesn't mean that we exclude the way of liberation [of Crimea] by our army," he said.

The FT report added that Sybiha's comments "may relieve western officials who are sceptical about Ukraine's ability to reclaim the peninsula and worry that any attempt to do so militarily could lead Vladimir Putin to escalate his war, possibly with nuclear weapons."

Kyiv has so far rejected any negotiations until Russian forces withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, which belongs to Ukraine under international law and which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

The FT report described Sybiha as a "veteran diplomat" who has long been at Zelenskyy's side. Sybiha said "the president and his aides were now talking specifically about Crimea, as Ukraine's army gets closer to launching its counteroffensive to regain territory," the FT wrote.

— Natasha Turak

EU Chamber of Commerce in China says Beijing support for Russia could affect trade relations with Europe

If Beijing further supports Russia in its war against Ukraine, that could affect trade relations between Europe and China, said Jens Eskelund, vice president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, will be in Beijing alongside France's President Emmanuel Macron this week.

"I think both of the leaders will impress upon the Chinese leadership that right now everything is being viewed through the lens of Ukraine," he told CNBC "Squawk Box Asia."

"It should not be underestimated — the potential impact it could have also on European-China trade — if we see further expressions of support from China for Russia in its aggression against Ukraine. This point will be made clear."

— Sumathi Bala

No indication that China is providing Russia with lethal weapons, White House says

White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby takes questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 10, 2023. 
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby takes questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 10, 2023. 

The White House said it has seen no indication that China has agreed to provide Russia with lethal weapons for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

"We haven't seen any indication that they've provided lethal weapon capabilities to Mr. Putin. And look for us, it's actions, not words," National security council spokesman John Kirby said on a call with reporters.

"We're just gonna keep watching it and monitoring it," he said, declining to speculate on any potential U.S. retaliation if Beijing provided support to Russia.

— Amanda Macias

Read CNBC's previous live coverage here:

Putin blames U.S. for Ukraine crisis; Zelenskyy makes another rare visit abroad

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