WORLD BRIEFING: April 1, 2024

Speaking to tens of thousands of followers in St. Peter’s Square, and millions more across the globe, Pope Francis gave a solemn accounting of a world in crisis Sunday, using the pulpit of his Easter address to renew calls for a cease-fire in Gaza while drawing attention to other conflicts, from Ukraine to Haiti, heightened risks of famine, the threat of climate change and the plight of migrants. In Ukraine, the pope has drawn sharp criticism for his suggestion that Russia was provoked into action by NATO. This month, in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RSI, he picked up on a word used by his interviewer to suggest there was strength in raising a “white flag” by those who are “defeated.” On Sunday, the pope called for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine and for an end to hostilities. He spun a picture of a world in crisis, expressing grief for the violence in Haiti, the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar and strife in Africa. He warned of returning ethnic tensions in the Western Balkans. “May ethnic, cultural and confessional differences not be a cause of division, but rather a source of enrichment for all of Europe and for the world as a whole,” he said - Washington Post

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to enroll 150,000 conscripts into the military, a document posted on the Kremlin's website showed on Sunday. All men in Russia are required to serve one year of compulsory military service. According to Statista, Russia has approximately 1.32 million active military personnel and two million reserve military personnel. The Defense Ministry had previously assured conscripts they would not be sent to the front in Ukraine as they cannot legally be deployed to fight outside Russia. However, on Sunday, the ministry also published a document releasing soldiers who had completed their basic training from service. These trained soldiers have the option to volunteer for service in Ukraine, but many feel pressured to sign up. Last year, Russia raised the maximum conscription age by three years, widening the pool of men who can be called up to serve. Now, all men up to 30 can be called up - DW

Turkey's main opposition party has declared victory in high-stakes elections in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara. Ekrem Imamoglu, who first became opposition mayor in Istanbul in 2019, said "the picture pleases us greatly". A year after Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a third term as president, he had made it his goal to win back the city where he grew up and became mayor. But the night belonged to the main opposition as it closed in on victory. Significantly, the secular CHP was also on course to win in many of Turkey's other big cities, including Izmir and Bursa, Adana and the resort of Antalya. The outcome was a significant blow for the man who has led Turkey for the past 21 years. This was the first time since he came to power that his AK Party was defeated across the country at the ballot box. - BBC

U.S. House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) on Sunday predicted additional funding for Ukraine will have “overwhelming support” in Congress, as sharp divisions amid lawmakers have left aid for the nation in limbo. Turner, during an interview with CBS News’s “Face The Nation,” said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has “made clear” he supports Ukraine and indicated it would be a priority when Congress returns from its holiday recess. “The Speaker has made very clear statements that when we get back, it’s the next top agenda, after having just passed all the bills that fund the federal government,” Turner said Sunday. “I believe this is going to have overwhelming support in Congress, and we’ll put a bill on the president’s desk.” - Yahoo News

Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu has confirmed France will deliver hundreds of old armoured vehicles and new surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine for its war against Russia. In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, Lecornu said that President Emmanuel Macron – following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy – had asked him to prepare a new aid package, which will include old but still functional French equipment. "The Ukrainian army needs to defend a very long front line, which requires armoured vehicles; this is absolutely crucial for troop mobility and is part of the Ukrainian requests," he told the newspaper. He said France was looking at providing hundreds of VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé) front-line troop carriers in 2024 and early 2025. France's army is gradually replacing its thousands of VABs, which first went into operation in the late 1970s, with a new multi-role troop carrier. Lecornu added that France was also preparing to release a new batch of Aster 30 surface-to-air missilesfor the SAMP/T system provided to Kyiv. The Aster 30 can intercept warplanes, drones and cruise missiles within a range of 120 km. “Ukraine has an urgent need for better ground-air defence ... Russia is intensifying its strikes, in particular on civilians and civil infrastructure," he said - RFI.