The Bank of Russia moved up its next interest-rate meeting by more than two weeks to Thursday as currency controls and high commodity prices have fueled the ruble’s surge against the dollar.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Kremlin should pull back its troops to their positions before the Feb. 24 invasion to show it is ready to resume diplomatic talks. Russian missiles hit several cities in Ukraine’s east overnight as its military is amassing forces for an offensive near the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Russia pledged to reopen Mariupol’s port to foreign vessels as Estonia and Lithuania push for European nations to send warships into the Black Sea to protect freighters carrying grain. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said NATO is unlikely to help secure safe passage for agricultural shipments, while a Russian official said his country is ready for dialog over the blocked shipments.
