US futures dip amid fresh warnings about Russia-Ukraine tension; Oil prices rise more than 1%

The major futures indexes of the US market recorded a decline in the first trading on Sunday evening (20), following the tensions in Ukraine, with some developments over the weekend. At 20:20 (Brazilian time), S&P 500 futures are down 0.54% at 4,320 points, Dow Jones Futures is down 0.29% at 33,909 points, while Nasdaq Futures is down more expressively from 0.93%. at 13,866 points.

Meanwhile, major oil contracts recorded gains, after ending last week without a specific trend, but with petroleum From the United States of America interrupt Eight weeks of gains as the prospect of higher Iranian oil exports overshadowed fears of possible supply disruptions as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

However, geopolitical tension prevails on commodity prices on Sunday, with the West Texas Intermediate crude contract due in March up 1.84% to $92.75 a barrel, while Brent crude for April rose 1.27% to $94.73 a barrel.

The weekend was one of rising tensions over Ukraine and Russia, as there were indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin would order an invasion of the neighboring country before the end of the Winter Olympics, which ended on Sunday.

In addition to Russia and Belarus have expanded military exercises Which was scheduled to expire on Sunday, the Belarusian defense minister said. The move further intensified pressure on Ukraine, where Western leaders warned of an imminent Russian attack.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the decision to extend the exercises came due to military activity near the borders of Russia and Belarus and the escalation of the situation in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

NATO claims that Russia has up to 30,000 soldiers in Belarus and could use them as part of an invasion force to attack Ukraine, located in the south of the country. Moscow denies such an intention. The Kremlin did not comment on the exercises in Belarus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West’s repeated warnings that Russia was about to invade Ukraine were provocative and could have serious consequences, without providing details.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with the BBC that evidence suggested Russia was planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”.

Tensions escalate

Tensions in recent days have centered on the eastern part of Ukraine that was captured by Russian-backed rebels in 2014, the same year Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. More than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the east.

Linear bombing incidents That division of government forces and separatists, sporadically in the past, has risen sharply in the past week. On Sunday, a Reuters reporter heard explosions in the city center of Donetsk in the eastern Donbass region, which is controlled by the separatists. Heavy shelling was heard in other areas of the region.

According to sources who met with Bloomberg, the United States informed allies that any Russian invasion of Ukraine could target several cities outside the capital, Kiev. The people, all of whom were Western officials who spoke on condition of anonymity who spoke about such sensitive matters, said the cities that could come under attack include Kharkiv in the northeast and Odessa and Kherson in the south. They did not provide details of the intelligence they said confirmed these accounts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern part of the country. He added that Ukraine supports peace negotiations within the Tripartite Contact Group (TCG), in which the country participates, along with Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Amid this escalating scenario of tension, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said NJBiden, President of the United States, ready to meet With Putin “at any time and in any form” and stressed that “diplomacy is possible as long as the tanks are not really moving.”

David Martin, a national security correspondent for CBS News, said that the US intelligence service had information that Russian leaders had been ordered to proceed with the invasion of Ukraine.

“Not only [os militares russos] Getting closer and closer to the border [com a Ucrânia]in attacking positions, such as commanders on the ground making specific plans for how to maneuver their sectors of the battlefield.

US Vice President Kamala Harris said that the Americans are sharing intelligence about the conflict between the two countries with their allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to make decisions on financial sanctions against the government of Vladimir Putin.

At the Munich Security Conference, Germany, Harris reported that the announcement of sanctions against the Russians in the event of an invasion of Ukraine had been decided together. We think Putin has made up his mind. Point. But I also say that as part of our partnership in the context of the coalition, we share information, of course, because we want to make sure we’re all working with the same information to make critical decisions, like sanctions.”

According to Biden’s deputy, “Europe is on the brink of a potential war.” Each country has its own individual priorities and concerns about its economy and security. It is about dissuading Russia from invading a sovereign country. “We all know what a war in Europe looks like and what it would mean for each of those countries,” he added.

However, the Biden government rejected this Sunday Sanctions imposed on Russia before the Russian invasion of UkraineDespite the growing criticism from Kiev and local competitors.

Amidst the escalating tensions, there is an expectation of upcoming developments. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone on Sunday with his Russian counterparts Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a bid to ease tensions between the two countries.

Macron and Putin agreed on the need to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis and a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where some 40,000 people have fled from Donbass to Russia’s Rostov region.

According to the Elysee Palace, Putin agreed to hold a tripartite conversation between Russia, Ukraine and members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). According to Reuters, the relevant meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday (21).

(with Reuters and Ansa Brasil)

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