Politico’s Update on the War in Ukraine

Politico’s update on the war in Ukraine:

WAR IN UKRAINE

— U.S. officials still believe “a large Russian military convoy headed toward Kyiv is ‘stalled,’” CNN’s Ellie Kaufman reports . “The official said the U.S. has ‘no reason to doubt Ukrainian claims’ that they have ‘contributed’ to the convoy being stalled by attacking it, the official said.”

— A diplomatic solution appears unlikely: “Barring some unexpected development, U.S. and European officials said they see no possibility for any diplomatic resolution to head off what they expect to be a brutal assault on key parts of Ukraine,” NBC’s Carol Lee, Courtney Kube and Josh Lederman report . “The only way to do so would be if Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN decided to de-escalate by agreeing to a cease-fire and beginning to leave Ukraine, a U.S. official said.”

To wit: “Russian President Putin told France’s [EMMANUEL] MACRON [that] Russia will ‘continue military interventions and go all the way,’ an Elysee Palace source told reporters,” per CNN’s @jimsciutto.

— NYT explainer: “One Week After Russia’s Invasion, Here’s How the War Is Evolving”

— WaPo explainer: “How Putin tried — and failed — to protect the ruble from sanctions”

— WSJ video explainer: “What the War in Ukraine Looks Like on Russian State Media”

— “A besieged Ukraine has adopted a gruesome tactic in hopes of stoking anti-government rage inside Russia: posting photos and videos of captured and killed Russian soldiers on the Web for anyone to see,” write WaPo’s Drew Harwell and Mary Ilyushina. On the one hand:“Ukrainian officials have argued that the chilling images will alert Russians to a devastating war effort the Kremlin has sought to conceal.” But here’s the problem: “the tactic also could be interpreted as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which say governments must ‘at all times’ protect prisoners of war from ‘insults and public curiosity.’”

— The conflict has thrown the Pentagon for a loop. Instead of releasing its long-term defense plans, DoD is “delaying and revisiting its National Defense Strategy,” Connor O’Brien, Paul McLeary and Lee Hudson report. “Though the administration will continue to view China as its No. 1 threat, people familiar with the process say the Ukraine crisis will mean a larger emphasis on Russia in the strategy.”

— Even during the Cold War, U.S. and Russian diplomats could hash out agreements on pressing issues. But in the wake of Russia’s latest aggression, AP’s Matthew Lee and Vladimir Isachenkov explore the question: “Is U.S.-Russian diplomacy effectively dead?”

— The supply chain effect: The ongoing war has “shut down small but important industry suppliers, shutting plants far away from the conflict zone, while sanctions and severed trade routes are hindering car and parts shipments to and from Russia, once seen as a growth market,” WSJ’s William Boston writes.

— The International Cat Federation — which dubs itself the “United Nations of Cat Federations” — has banned Russian cats from its competitions, WaPo’s Jennifer Hassan writes.