Russia’s shrinking gas exports
Evidence is mounting that Russia’s natural gas export industry has fallen apart since the country invaded Ukraine. New estimates suggest that Russia’s pipeline exports could drop by half this year compared with last year.
The problems are not limited to gas delivered by pipeline. The E.U. is also threatening to curtail imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia, which were the Russian industry’s only bright spot last year. And last year was an especially bad year.
Russia will most likely see gains in gas sales to China and Turkey, but China is just a fraction of the market that Europe used to be. Russia has fared surprisingly well despite Western embargoes but has had to sell at a discount. Looking ahead, Russia will also struggle to find new buyers: Most of its fuel moves through pipelines, which are geographically fixed, unlike liquefied natural gas, which can be transported like oil on ships.
Alternative sources: Europe has worked to reduce its dependence on Russian energy by cutting demand and finding alternatives. Norway is now its largest natural gas supplier. Europe has also come to rely on liquefied natural gas from the U.S.
Other news about the war:
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Ukraine’s forces say they need heavy arms to turn the tide of a grinding war, as casualties mount on the front lines before an expected counteroffensive.
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Brittney Griner, the U.S. basketball star, spoke with reporters for the first time since her release from a Russian prison: “No one should be in those conditions.”
Fighters control parts of Khartoum
Parts of Sudan’s capital have been taken over by a paramilitary force. The civilians who remain are enduring a cautious coexistence as negotiations for an end to the war, which began almost two weeks ago, fail to make progress.
Residents say the fighters, the Rapid Support Forces, seemed to control much of Khartoum’s city center and surrounding districts, as well as parts of its twin city, Omdurman. They describe negotiating with fighters at roadblocks and grudgingly sharing food and water. Some fighters have moved into abandoned homes.
Diplomats have been scrambling to negotiate a longer truce, but they have not yet succeeded. The White House urged U.S. citizens to leave Sudan within the next 48 hours “because the situation could deteriorate at any moment.”
Sudan’s military: Troops are positioned farther out. They control entries and exits to and from Khartoum and use warplanes to carry out strikes on R.S.F. targets.
Macron honors a Haitian hero
In a first for a French leader, President Emmanuel Macron paid official tribute to Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, at the prison where he died. But in his speech, delivered yesterday on the 175th anniversary of France’s abolition of slavery, Macron said nothing about the lingering effects of slavery.
Macron spoke at the French prison where Louverture died 220 years ago, after being tricked, kidnapped and taken to France. Macron called him a hero who embodied the values of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. “Toussaint Louverture strove to give life to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,” he said.
But Macron glossed over the racism and colonial oppression that led to Louverture’s imprisonment. He barely referred to contemporary Haiti, which is plagued by gang violence. And he did not mention the ransom that France extorted from Haiti to compensate former slave owners, which has since hobbled its economic development.
Legacy: Louverture was a leader of the slave rebellion that prompted France to end slavery across all its colonies in 1794. But Napoleon fought Haiti and reimposed slavery until 1848.
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Around the World
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SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC
Only two things can end Manchester City’s Premier League dominance: The club is on track for a fifth title in six years, and that success could continue for a long time.
What went wrong with soccer’s most expensive defender? Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has slid down the pecking order and is now fighting for his future. What happened?
After his Formula One exile, a former star rebuilds for a potential return: Five years ago, Daniel Ricciardo stood among the elite racers in the sport. But after a break from the track, his perspective has shifted.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Your coronation thoughts
Next Saturday, we’re sending a special coronation edition of this newsletter: a guide to the weekend’s events and the future of the monarchy. And we want to know how you feel about Britain’s royal family.
We’re asking readers to look back over the decades and consider the royal moments that stood out. Perhaps it was Elizabeth grieving alone at Philip’s funeral, the infamous Oprah interview, or something more personal.
We’d like to know: How did that moment change how you feel about the royals? If you’d like to participate, you can fill out the form here.
