Ukraine resistance stalls Putin’s victory drive: Weekend Reads

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Ukraine’s resolve. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Russian forces have targeted the eastern region of Donbas and the southern port of Mariupol after their failure to capture the capital, Kyiv, as President Vladimir Putin said [peace]( talks with Ukraine are “at a dead end.” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed his country’s resolve Thursday as the war reached its 50th day, saying “they didn’t know how brave Ukrainians are.” Kyiv’s allies in Europe moved [beyond]( diplomacy and sanctions with a new focus on urgently providing weapons. U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian forces had committed [“genocide”]( in Ukraine, stoking political pressure to intervene without forcing Washington to do anything. In France, incumbent Emmanuel Macron was leading his rival Marine Le Pen in a tight race ahead of the run-off presidential [election]( set for April 24. Residents of a high-tech area in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai [fought]( with police over plans to open quarantine facilities near them, highlighting the anger over the government’s handling of its worst Covid-19 outbreak since Wuhan in early 2020. Delve into our coverage of the war in Ukraine and these other top political stories in this edition of Weekend Reads. A pedestrian walks past anti-tank obstacles shortly before a curfew in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Thursday. Photographer: Ed Jones /AFP/Getty Images Sign up [here]( for the Special Daily Brief: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images. Russian Troops Risk Repeating Blunders If They Try for May 9 Win Ukraine’s allies see a two-week window to spirit in heavier weapons like tanks before Putin unleashes an offensive designed to declare victory by the May 9 anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. [Marc Champion]( and [John Follain]( outline the [obstacles]( Russia faces. - Moscow [appointed]( a new commander for its operations in Ukraine as it refocuses its war effort in the east. Ukrainians Return to Wreckage, Booby Traps and Fresh Laundry Some Ukrainians who fled their homes early in the invasion are [venturing]( back to see what’s left of their lives and whether they can start to rebuild, [Volodymyr Verbyany]( and [Aliaksandr Kudrytski]( report. People board a train to Kyiv at the Przemysl station in Poland on Sunday. Photographer: Christoph Soeder/picture alliance/Getty Images Russia’s Sunken Warship Dents Its Pride and Capabilities The loss of the flagship vessel of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet goes beyond wounded pride, [robbing]( the military of important protection and capabilities as the war in Ukraine enters a crucial phase. The outcome is an embarrassment for Russia and a win for Ukraine. Medvedev, a former Russian president, made the comments in a post on Telegram after reports that Sweden and Finland are considering [joining]( the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as tensions fueled by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine spread. Putin’s Ruble Standoff With Europe Risks De Facto Gas Embargo The European Union and Russia are in danger of [triggering]( a de facto embargo on Russian gas after a preliminary finding by the bloc’s lawyers that the mechanism Putin is demanding for payment in rubles would breach sanctions. [Richard Bravo]( and [Alberto Nardelli]( explain how damaging a cutoff could be for the EU and for Russia. - Amid growing pressure in the EU to boycott Russian oil, India is becoming a huge buyer of crude from Moscow and in some cases is [selling]( refined fuel on to Europe. Xi Moves to Stop Shanghai Covid Rage From Sweeping Across China President Xi Jinping faces the [challenge]( of quelling escalating anger in Shanghai before it spreads across China, creating a wider crisis of confidence in the Communist Party. [Colum Murphy]( and [Krystal Chia]( report on some of the most anti-government criticism in years on the country’s tightly controlled social media. - Many of Shanghai’s 25 million residents are resorting to [bartering]( with neighbors for basic necessities. Macron Brought Jobs to Lens But Le Pen’s Taking the Votes Macron should be [popular]( in the city of Lens, where employment is up and poverty is down. Yet, as [William Horobin]( writes, people aren’t talking about his successes — their prime concern is the cost of living as prices rise, an issue his far-right nemesis Le Pen has focused on resolutely. - Macron said he would support a pay cap for chief executive officers in a bid to [woo]( left-wing voters. - Le Pen’s warm relations with the Kremlin are coming under more [scrutiny]( as she tries to defeat Macron. Le Pen meets Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow in 2017. Photographer: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images Derided by Khan as U.S. Puppet, New Pakistan PM Bets on Centrism To ousted leader Imran Khan, Pakistan’s new prime minister is simply a “slave of America” who conspired with the U.S. to remove his government and reorient the nation’s foreign policy. Yet as [Ismail Dilawar]( and [Kamran Haider]( reveal, those close to Shehbaz Sharif say he’s adept at [balancing]( ties between powerful actors. Sri Lanka Will Default on Foreign Debt to Save Cash for Food The authorities in Colombo [halted]( foreign debt payments to preserve its dwindling dollar stockpile for essential food and fuel imports. [Anusha Ondaatjie](, [Asantha Sirimanne]( and [Lilian Karunungan]( report that the announcement followed mounting calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign. - Sri Lanka needs between $3 billion to $4 billion this year to pull itself out of an [unprecedented]( economic crisis, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said. Police use water cannons to disperse demonstrators protesting against the economic crisis near the Parliament building in Colombo on April 8. Photographer: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [Deadliest Weapon in Ukraine Is a Cell Phone: James Stavridis]( - [Ukraine Is Draining America’s Arsenal of Democracy: Hal Brands]( - [France Shows Every System Is Rigged in Its Own Way: John Authers]( - [The Looking-Glass World of Hong Kong Democracy: Matthew Brooker]( - [The Great Chinese White Elephant of Sri Lanka: Andy Mukherjee]( China Is Just One of the Headaches Facing Australia’s Next PM The center-right Liberal National coalition government is focusing on a strong economy as it tries to win a fourth straight term in a May 21 vote, yet it’s far [behind]( the opposition Labor Party in opinion polls. [Ben Westcott]( lays out the top five priorities for the country’s next leader. Bolsonaro-Versus-Lula Matchup Gets Early Test in Poor Northeast After a turbulent four-year term, Jair Bolsonaro is [trailing]( his likely challenger, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in polls for Brazil’s presidential election. [Daniel Carvalho]( reports from the impoverished northeast of the country that if the controversial incumbent can turn the tide in his favor, it’ll be because of his populist handouts for Brazil’s poorest families. A child sitting outside a house in the Salgueiro region in Pernambuco state on Feb. 16. Photographer: Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg Explainers you can use - [What’s Genocide? Does the War in Ukraine Count?]( - [Why France’s Macron Needs Every Vote to Beat Le PenÂ]( - [What Led to the Downfall of Pakistan’s Prime Minister]( - [How War and Sanctions Have Sparked Ruble Volatility]( - [Why Japan Will Struggle to Do Without Russian Energy]( And finally … The cyclones and tropical storms that battered southern Africa this year were made more [severe]( by climate change, according to 22 scientists collaborating under the World Weather Attribution initiative. Their study, [Antony Sguazzin]( writes, adds to evidence that Africa, with the smallest greenhouse-gas footprint of any continent, is suffering the most from global warming. People wade through flood waters afte Cyclone Idai on March 24, 2019, in Buzi, Mozambique. Photographer: Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images Europe Like Balance of Power? [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022