March 31, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.

Wimbledon will accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players for this year's tournament if they agree to compete as neutral athletes and comply with "appropriate conditions," organizers announced Friday in a statement.

Russians and Belarusians were banned from competing at Wimbledon in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wimbledon is the third grand slam event in the calendar year.

The ban resulted in the men's and women's professional tours -- the ATP and WTA -- and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) stripping Wimbledon of its ranking points.

Entry conditions for this year's event, one of tennis' four majors, include prohibiting "expressions of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine," while players who receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian state will not be allowed to compete, including those receiving sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by them.

President Joe Biden called for the release of arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Friday — his first public comments on the matter since Gershkovich was accused of espionage by Russian authorities Thursday. Vice President Kamala Harris added to the conversation, saying Friday she is “deeply concerned” about Gershkovich.

The Biden Administration's calls are among others urging Russia to also free him. The leaders of more than 30 news organizations around the world signed a letter Thursday to the Russian ambassador to the US demanding Gershkovich's release.

If you're just now catching up, here's what you should know:

Belarus and nuclear weapons: Senior Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak rejected Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s calls for an immediate ceasefire while Russian forces continue to occupy Ukrainian territory. On Friday, Lukashenko accused the West of "preparing to invade" Belarus from Poland, and welcomed Moscow’s move to station Russian tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus, saying the weapons are needed to safeguard the country. Lukashenko said he has intensified talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about deploying both tactical and strategic – more powerful – nuclear weapons to deal with threats from Ukraine’s western allies who he claims are planning a coup against him.

Russia's new foreign policy doctrine: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday listed the United States as the main security threat to Russia and "the just development of mankind" in a decree on a new version of the Russian Foreign Policy Concept.

Aid to Ukraine: The International Monetary Fund board has approved a new 48-month extended arrangement of about $15.6 billion for Ukraine, the fund said in a statement Friday. The loan is part of a support package for Ukraine that totals $115 billion and allows for the immediate disbursement of around $2.7 billion. And while the US is not providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, it instead is looking at other options to give the Ukrainian military a longer reach on the battlefield, according to Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley. 

The family of Paul Whelan, an American the US says is wrongfully detained in Russia, is concerned for his well-being after he didn't make his usual daily call to his parents, his brother told CNN’s Paula Newton Friday.

"Normally our parents are able to speak to him on an almost daily basis. He (is) allowed a 15-minute phone call once a day, and so he speaks to our parents just to stay up to date on what's going on at home and share what's going on with him and if he has any problems. He was unable to call yesterday; that's unexpected. He was supposed to be able to speak to the US embassy consular staff yesterday, and that didn't happen, either. So we're a little bit concerned that there may be something else going on," David Whelan told CNN.

On the detention of another American: The Whelan family issued a statement Thursday, saying they were sorry to hear about the arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who works for the Wall Street Journal.

David Whelan spoke out against a Wall Street Journal editorial calling for retaliation for the reporter's arrest.

"I think retaliation is wrong, and I was very disappointed to see the Wall Street Journal's editorial board suggest that we should expel the Russian ambassador. The one thing you shouldn't do, is do anything that would cause the Russians to reduce the consular support," he said.

He also pointed to a similarity between his brother's case and Gershkovich's arrest, saying the two are part of Russia’s attempt to get a concession from the US.

"To the extent that they're using this for extortion — to get a concession from the US government — that may make it simpler," Whelan added.

He said he worries the US is struggling to deter these types of detentions.

The US is not providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, but is instead looking at other options to give the Ukrainian military a longer reach on the battlefield, according to Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley. 

The top US general said the US has “relatively few” ATACMS, and the military has to maintain its own levels of critical weapons in its inventories. But the military is considering other possibilities, Milley said in an interview with Defense One on Friday.  

“The range of the ATACMS is longer, but there’s other systems that can get to that range,” Milley said. “There’s UAVs, for example, that could do it. The Brits have a couple systems. So those are some things we’re looking at to give them a little bit more legs.”

He noted it’s a policy decision, and he would not take anything on or off the table for the future.

The ATACMS missile has a range of approximately 200 miles, far greater than any system the US has provided to Ukraine so far. 

In terms of weapons inventory, the US is also reviewing its estimates for how much munitions the military would need in a great power war after seeing how quickly Ukrainians are using up munitions, Milley said. The US currently has “sufficient ammunition in our inventory today to do what we need to do,” he said, but the defense industrial base will be working to expand its capacity over several years.

“[I]f you're involved in a significant great power war,” Milley said, “it's best not to underestimate how much munitions you're going to need.”

The International Monetary Fund board has approved a new 48-month extended arrangement of about $15.6 billion for Ukraine, the fund said in a statement Friday. The loan is part of a support package for Ukraine that totals $115 billion and allows for the immediate disbursement of around $2.7 billion.

"The overarching goals of the authorities’ program are to sustain economic and financial stability at a time of exceptionally high uncertainty, restore debt sustainability on a forward-looking basis in both a baseline and downside scenario, and promote reforms that support Ukraine’s recovery on the path toward EU accession in the post-war period," according to the statement. “The program, together with financing assurances from the G7, EU and other donors, is designed to solve Ukraine’s balance of payment problem and restore medium term external viability.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the IMF, including Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, for approving the loan to Kyiv.

“Together we support the [Ukrainian] economy. And we are moving forward to victory,” he said in a tweet.

IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath complimented Ukrainian authorities for their work managing the country’s finances despite the "devastating economic and social impact" of Russia's full-scale invasion. 

“Activity contracted sharply last year, a large swathe of the country’s capital stock has been destroyed, and poverty is on the rise,” Gopinath said. “The authorities have nevertheless managed to maintain overall macroeconomic and financial stability, thanks to skillful policymaking and substantial external support.”

Gopinath admitted the risks of the program were “exceptionally high,” but she said Ukraine’s track record was a mitigating factor. 

“The authorities’ track record of undertaking ambitious policies when warranted, their readiness to undertake contingency measures, and the frequent reviews in the first phase of the program are risk mitigating factors,” she said. “The program has been appropriately designed to resolve Ukraine’s balance of payments problem and restore medium-term external viability in both a baseline and downside scenario.”

Russia’s stated plan to place nuclear weapons in Belarus is proof that talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping earlier this month failed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.

Though China had appeared to position itself as a peace broker between Russia and Ukraine in the weeks leading up to Xi’s three-day state visit to Moscow, the meetings between the two leaders did not yield a meaningful breakthrough on resolving the conflict.

“The signal that Russia wants to place their nuclear weapons in Belarus tells me that the meeting with China was unsuccessful, it’s failed,” Zelensky told reporters during a visit to Bucha.

The Ukrainian president also said Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has “lost any importance,” claiming he “doesn’t decide anything about what kind of weapons are based in his country.”

Some background: Putin announced last week that Moscow will construct a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, completing it by the start of July. Lukashenko welcomed the move in a national address Friday, adding that Russia could also station strategic nuclear weapons in his country.

The mentioning of strategic nukes, which can decimate entire cities, is an escalation in rhetoric from Lukashenko. Russia has not publicly announced any plans to send strategic nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Global reaction: While there is no guarantee Putin will follow through on his plans for Belarus, any nuclear signaling by Putin causes concern in the West.

Ukraine, NATO and the European Union's top diplomat have condemned the plan. The US has downplayed the move, saying there are no indications Russia will use nuclear weapons.

The nuclear announcement comes as Putin faces mounting problems elsewhere. Read CNN analysis on the decision here.

CNN's Andrew Carey, Ivana Kottasová, Lindsay Isaac and Anna Chernova contributed to this report.

Commander in Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Russia’s actions during the occupation of Bucha will always be remembered in Ukraine’s “national memory.”

“Bucha. A suburb of the capital. An important hub of the entire Kyiv defense area. A symbol of Ukrainian resistance,” Ukraine’s top general wrote on Facebook on the one-year anniversary of Bucha being taken back from Russian troops. “33 days of occupation, more than 9 thousand recorded Russian war crimes.”

The general said Ukraine’s efforts to liberate the Kyiv suburb showed the world that the country would not give up.

“The joint actions of the Defense Forces, volunteers, and locals have succeeded in driving out the enemy,” he said. “The de-occupation of the Kyiv region has demonstrated to the world that Ukrainians will not give up a single piece of their land.”

“We remember the Heroes who laid down their lives for the sake of Ukraine's future,” he added.

US President Joe Biden's administration is still working to secure a meeting with detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia's Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

US officials have described Russia's espionage allegations against the journalist as "ridiculous" and "absolutely ludicrous."

"We have not been able to achieve consular access and nobody from our embassy has been able to meet with him," John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, told CNN's Bianna Golodryga on Friday. "We are continuing to work on that, of course, and will until we can get that consular access to ascertain for ourselves how he's doing."

The US has previously warned US citizens against traveling to Russia. Kirby emphasized Friday that those recommendations apply even to journalists working in the country.

"This is not the time for Americans to be in Russia. If you're in Russia now — whether it's on business or leisure, whatever kind of travel — you need to leave now," Kirby said. "This is not a good place for you to be in Russia, even if you are a working journalist. Russia is a hostile environment for American citizens right now. And it's time to go if you're there."