>> this is dw news live from berlin. more united than ever. that is the message from joe biden on nato as the war in ukraine enters its second month. the united states and its allies are determined to help ukrainians resist moscow pasta assault. he also said that russia should be kicked out of the g20. on the counterattack, ukraine's

navies had it destroyed a russian landing ship. north korea test buyers in intercontinental ballistic missile that lands in japanese territorial waters and tokyo says it may be a new type of missile and called the firing an unacceptable act of violence. welcome to the program. the eu, g7 and nato are all meeting not only to send a united message to the kremlin but to impose and strengthen penalties on russia for its attack on the sovereign nation.

biden says about her should be removed from the g20 and asked ukraine to attend the groups meetings. he says his country is ready to help europe resettle 100,000 refugees with a package of $100 billion. biden reiterated that nato is more ready than ever. >> he was banking on nato being split. it was clear to me he did not think we could sustain this cohesion. nato has never been more united than it is today. putin is getting the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into ukraine. >> terry, good to see you. biden says nato is more united than ever. the alliance has made it clear that he will not directly

intervene militarily. >> that is right. nothing has changed on that. president biden says nato achieved all its goals in the beginning and that is to impose harsh economic sanctions to build up his own eastern flank and help ukraine militarily and financially. as you said, that does not involve putting any nato soldiers inside ukraine. it has not even meant getting fighter jets to kyiv. they testing united. president biden was very bullish on that. >> in terms of china, he also spoke of china. do you have a message for beijing? >> he spoke with president xi about a week ago and made clear to him -- biden said it wasn't a threat but i made sure he understood that his goals to draw closer economically to the

eu and the united states would be put in jeopardy if it were to support russia. he said he made that absolutely crystal clear and that ursula would be delivering that message to china again in the coming days. president biden putting china on the spot to say that we know russia is asking you for support and we are telling you that is a very bad idea. >> let's listen to what they had to say. >> nato leaders agreed to reset the terms for the longer term. to face a new security reality. on land we will have substantially more forces in the eastern port with more pre-positioned equipment and supplies.

in the air we will deploy more jets and strengthen our integrated air and missile defense. at sea, we will have carrier strike groups, submarines and significant numbers of combat ships on the persistent basis. >> most during its flank there. what do you make of that statement? >> that is right. at first listened people might think this is just more of the same. what nato has been doing since even before the invasion of ukraine. the alliance has decided it will make longer-term plans for these courses to stay there. there isn't an agreement with russia and that there would be permanent basing of troops along

russia's border. they are looking at making this reinforcement is permanent. >> let's talk about using chemical, biological or using these weapons and ukraine. nato said this would change things but what with the alliance do then? >> that is right. secretary-general stoltenberg said this would be a big change in the war. not only would be a catastrophe from ukraine, nobody wants to see more than that but with a chemical attack, that does not stop at ukraine's borders. in fact, we heard today nato has activated for the first time ever a task force on chemical, biological and radiological weapons and it is looking at how to reinforce countermeasures and its own allies in such an attack

occurs. that is an historic event that happened today. >> the president also provided that warning and today he renewed appeals for further weapons from nato. he is asking for 1% of nato weapons. how did nato react? questionable stoltenberg was asked directly as was boris johnson how they would respond to this very specific request. neither of them had an answer. nato is not providing weapons to ukraine as individual allies. stoltenberg saidhatountries had made announcements in is meeting today tt they would not be providing for the equipment to ukraine. some of that equipment would also be to counter possible chemical weapons attacks. they will be medication and other gear needed for this.

russia's invasion of ukraine has bogged down. the ground offensive stalled in several places, the russian military has been increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure. despite the huge number of ukrainians suffering, the military has so far been able to keep russian forces at bay against all odds. >> flames and smoke. lines for humanitarian aid stretching in front of bombed out apartment blocks and the heavy struck city of variable -- mariupol.

the sun was shining in kyiv and no bombs were falling for the moment as soldiers and civilians reflected on a month before. >> ukrainians have united as never before. this makes me very happy. the russians made a big mistake coming after our country, after our land. it is our homeland. >> morale is as high as on the first day and it will remain so until the last day, victory day. we remain determines. >> ukraine has proven his resilience but sustained bombardment, bodies in the streets and life in bomb shelters with limited or no power or heat are bound to take their toll on even the bravest. >> i feel hopelessness. one does not know what to do

next. i tried to keep calm and hope that everything will be over. and all will be fine as it was before. and see the smiles were to people's faces and our chances to enjoy life returned to us. >> a month ago, no one knew how long ukraine could hold out against russia and despite the toll to human life and infrastructure and the sheer size of the russian war machine, the underdog is still standing. >> our correspondent is in kyiv and sent us this assessment. >> we just returned. we have been away for a week in the western part of the country and the mood has changed slightly here. we see more shops open. for example, hairdressers are open. they used to be closed. most are still closed. you can see more people on the

street, more traffic. it feels like the city is making its way back to normalcy in very small steps. it is of course still a city in an extra ordinary situation. you can still hear shelling in daytime and night from the outskirts. the ukrainians have driven the russians a bit further away from the city. that is -- that is what we hear. but the fighting is close enough that you can hear it if you are in the city center. but this seems to be the trend. the russian troops have tried to capture kyiv. everybody understands or estimates that was a top priority, to capture kyiv quickly and decapitate the government. they are now -- they have always

been able to make gains within three weeks or so. we have also seen se sign that they are digging trenches now that this is movement toward a war of attrition rather than an invasion or an advance and that is obviously something that gives people hear the hope that the russians and ukraine -- ukraine might be able to drive the russians out in the end or to create a situation, terry has said this before. the russians will understand they cannot achieve their goal in negotiations. they could not be convinced to leave the country. it is not where we are. it is nothing people expect to happen in the next few weeks or so but it is something that could be a possible outcome in the longer term. it is very careful but some optimism here. >> look at some of the other

developments. a reporter working for an independent russian website has been field in kyiv. the insider says she died when russian forces show to the suburb where she had been filming damage. at least five journalists have died since russian troops invaded four weeks ago. the head of the committee of the red cross has held talks with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. he told russia a must abide by international laws on humanitarian conduct in war. there are also plans to discuss the issue of prisoners of war with defense officials. the german parliament is debating a relief package announced by the government in response to spiraling energy costs triggered by russia's invasion of ukraine. the measures include a three-month production, fuel tax and a discount on public transport.

the world health organization says about half a million refugees who fled ukraine will need treatment for mental health disorders. the who is stressing the need for immediate support as a refugee crisis grows with many struggling as the families are torn apart. across the country bordering ukraine have become a haven for millions of people fleeing the war. they arrive in poland and mold of a safety. natalia has escaped the shelling that left her husband behind. quick sweep fled when they started bombing. that is why they decided to leave her home. 500 meters away from us, there was a rocket explosion. very scary. that is why we decided to leave. >> many families have been separated by the fighting. >> i took of us can fled with my daughter. but relatives are too scared.

my older daughter with her child is too scared. how could they manage? he is only four years old. but we don't know where to go now. >> the conflict has created the worst refugee crisis since the second world war. authorities are doing what they can to help new arrivals. most children here are without their fathers. the world health organization says arrivals are not only suffering from a range of physical health problems but also psychological distress. >> the need for psychosocial support -- people have been suffering. children are displaced from the family. there is this tremendous mental health stress, number one. number two, this is what we call

radical diseases. people with high blood pressure. with diabetes whose treatment has been interrupted -- first and foremost, covid-19. >> several eu states are not taking ukrainians and but while these refugees have reached physical safety, many would need a lot of support to help heal the mental scars left by what they experienced. >> let's bring in max zander standing by at the polish ukrainian border. we know that poland has already taken in more than 2 million ukrainian refugees so far. how is the situation unfolding where you are one month into this war? >> the situation here on the ground in poland and the border region is involving pretty much everything that is happening on

the other side of the break are in ukraine. sooner or later it will have an effect on what is going on here right now. but at the moment it seems that various points here in the region, be at the train station in china which is the first point of entry for many ukrainian refugees fleeing by train or the border crossings, more places like this one right here, this seems to be a situation that has become a lot more calm over the last couple of days. this is a former warehouse. a vacant warehouse that now serves for registration of passengers who come to ukraine. there are ngos on the ground helping out. you can also get some medical attention.

the donations would not be collected by volunteers and ngos. a lot of groups there pitching in. but it seems that there is not a lot of traffic here right now. this is day two of the numbers having gone down. they have gone down by threefold. at the moment this is a much needed rest for some volunteers. we spoke to the infrastructure here on the ground. sooner or later, the situation could change if the russian military makes significant gains in ukraine. this could mean a lot more people could come. >> the polish prime minister has said the european union needs to crush russia with sanctions. poland has floated the idea of a nato peacekeeping in -- force in ukraine. is there a sense that poland is not fully satisfied?

>> we heard strong words from the polish government. let's not forget that poland is a frontline country. there is a war raging on their doorstep. everything that happens in ukraine in terms of the war will be felt here. people fleeing from ukraine come to poland. poland has very much to do with what is going on there. we have a sense that there is some fear that poland could face further consequences in one way or another. it is very outspoken for a strong measures. you said rightly so. zelensky is asking for a peacekeeping mission. he is going to be asking for

more sanctions. how much of this is realistic is unclear but the bottom line is that the polish government is concerned. >> max zander at the polish ukrainian border. thank you for this. now to the other stories we are sharing. they are still searching for the second black box. 132 people.

>> this is what japan is calling an unacceptable act of violence. japanese defense officials may say it is a new type of continental missile. they landed some 150 km off japan's west coast in the territorial waters. this is at the institute of korean studies. thank you for taking the time to speak to dw.

this is the biggest test ever. why have they taken the step now? >> even though they have not lost a long-range missile since 2017, it has been watching short and intermediate ranged missiles. north korea is one step closer to hitting the continental united states as well as destabilizing the region. >> we heard the japanese prime minister considering possible sanctions. what could further penalties imposed on north korea look like? >> japan has its own form of sancons that includes also to

patriate japanese citizens. >> there are some critics that sa this could lead to escalation. what do you think? >> i think south kore's sponse is on par with how it is responding to these big missile tests, these big tests. south korea needs to show that it is ady and wling and able to counter any sort of north korean threat. i think that we are not seen a rad escalation right now but rather arief and finite response to the test. >> south korea has a new president. at kindf relationship are you expecting to see between the two countri? >> the outgoing president was

characterized by very soft engagement. they have pledged a much harder stance. in line with many conservatives in south korea. i think we are already seeing a continued hard-line approach to noh korea and the prospects for continued tests are most likely going -- much more likely going forward. >> thank you for your sights. >> a major moment for women's equality in football. she said she is satisfied with the response to her hiatus and agreed to rejoin the new region team for the first time in five years. she was the first ever female winner of the trophy and 2019 while playing for the french

club lyons. her international focus has one -- was one of greater respect including updated locker rooms. they are being hosted by other aid organizations. as bombs fell, they are happy to train. >> having fled eastern ukraine, they arrived in germany just last week. fc has opened its arms to provide a facility with football training which is at least some sort of distraction. >> it was very difficult to leave the patient -- leave the places where you used to be every day. it was hard to leave behind relatives, all the close ones. but the club leadership is doing

everything possible so that they can train in peace. they try to keep us away from all kinds of bad news. sometimes they succeed. >> they were originally on their way to the airport to fly to a training camp in turkey when several rockets hit their city on the day the russian invasion started. >> to be here in safety while your family is under siege is very difficult. we were so worried about our families. we can still reach them, they were hiding in bomb shelters. unfortunately, rockets are flying. >> the hosts are trying to help the team temporarily settled their minds and bodies in a new city. for now, this team has no opposition but one singular goal, to get home to peace.

>> you are watching dw news. here is a recap of the main story. joe biden has said that nato has never been more united and is determined to continue to help ukraine resist russia's invasion. you are watching dw news. after a short break, we will be here to walk you through the day. thank you for being here with us.

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>> this is "live from paris." these are the headlines -- nato and g7 leaders meet in brussels to discuss russia's invasion of ukraine. resident biden is there and says the west has never been so united. one month on, pressure's invasion is showing few signs of progress. ukrainian forces have re-taking of territory around kyiv. following a plea from the ukrainian president, a french carmaker suspends operations at its moscow plant and leaves behind assets worth billions of euros.

welcome back. we begin in brussels where there has been an unprecedented series of summits today amongst the g7, nato, and european leaders. this is in response to pressure's invasion of ukraine which has now entered its second month. western leaders gathered in brussels agreed to strengthen their forces in europe, increased military forces in ukraine and tighten sanctions on russia. this is president joe biden's first trip outside the u.s. since the war began. speaking in brussels, he said president vladimir putin had failed to divide the west. quite the opposite in fact. >> putin was banking on nato being split.

in early conversations in december and january, it was clear to me he did not think he could sustain this cohesion. nato has never been more united than it is today. putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into ukraine. we built that same unity with our -- with the european union and with the leading democracies of the g7. >> president joe biden speaking there in brussels. following on from the nato g7 leaders summit, french president emmanuel macron said that western powers are ready to wrap up sanctions against russia if necessary but stressed the need to avoid an escalation of conflict. >> the position of allied forces has not changed. we will continue to provide legal and defensive weapons and to do so in the most efficient way possible without crossing the red line that would make us

co-belligerent. another point i want to stress during the summit is the need to avoid escalation. >> the french president speaking there. let's get some more analysis. we speak now to the vice president and head of local -- global sec, a think tank in brussels. an epic day of meetings and summits in brusls. what has beenchieved in your opinion? >> as presidenbiden said, the unity of the west and thenity of nato have been preserved and that is already somethi. besides all the other achievements in terms of ukraine pushing back against russia, i think something very important has happened.

i think nato is now beginning to plan for what happens in case russia escalates with chemical weapons, for example, or escalates by directly attacking the supply lines of nato member states for the ukrainian military. i think that is very important. these are things whose results are not publicly discussed, but this is going on behind the scenes and that is very important. >> what sort of form could an >> the escalation from russia's side would, for ample, b the e of chemical weapons agains ukraine, ukrainian civilns. planning this, and if you go by the experience of the last couple of weeks, it is precisely -- which russia is preparing to

do itself, so there is a real threat there. if u.s. intelligence says russia might be preparing to do so, we'd better take this seriously. that is the big lesson of february 2022. of course, weed to have unity among nato member states, what to do in this case and what counter reaction to react in case russia escalates in such a way, and there will be some kind of escalation from nato's side, but as i said, it would be counterproductive to openly talk about this at the moment. >> russia has, has it not, dangled the nuclear threat under the noses of western leaders and people in ukraine? what is the point of that and what should we read into it? >> putin isltimately a bully.

e russian term of the street onlyf his teenage years was [speaking foreign language] he has that approach. henows ectly where it hurts and how to scale it, and he ows public opinion in most western countries is extremely sensitive to the threat of nuclear war, so, yes, he dangles that threat in front of our eyes. i do not think he is suicidal, and i do think he is indeed trying to bully us, but we should not let ourselves be the lead. -- we should not let ourselves be bullied. >> what more can we do to support ukraine without crossing lines, or do you think we have done as much as it is possible to do without crossing lines? have we done everything we can? >> no, i don't think so.

i think ukraine needs a steady flow of antitank and anti-air weapons. i'm afraid that some nato member states might actually have to start passing on weapons from their own arsenals. otherwise, ukraine will run out of ammo. the same is, by the way, true for conventional ammunition. artillery tanks and so on. the same is also true for fuel. ukraine needs a broad range of products. some of them lethal, others just supplies, in order to keep up the military successes that ukraine actually has achieved in the last couple of days. >> you mentioned those successes. do you think this is a temporary

set of successes, or do you think russia has totally underestimated its enemy, totally overestimated its own potential? fire losses have been much greater than we know about and much greater clearly than they had imagined. where do we go to from here? do you think we will be seeing more ukrainian successes or perhaps fewer of them? >> well, the jury out. i would say the geek community, the experts on military affairs are divided on this. part of them believes indeed that ukrainians with the right amount of western health can keep up the pressure and push back the russians and push putin into a real military defeat. the other half would say -- believes that between april 1 and mid april, russia would mobilize reserves. this has to do with the conscription system in the russian military. they have also tried to have

some of the conscripts leaving the military sign up for service, so there might the a next russian offensive mid april. i would side with the first group. i would say that at this point, with 40,000 out of originally 160 thousand, 170,000, 180,000 soldiers disabled because they were either killed, they were injured, or they have deserted to the ukrainian side or have been taken prisoner -- this is a sizable amount of the original force. russia does not have enough troops to replace those soldiers, so i think that there will be an attempt at a second offensive, but i think with the right kind of western help, ukraine has great chances to beat them back as well and make this a real military disaster

for russia. >> thank you so much. great speaking to you. one month to the day since the invasion began, russia's military campaign in ukraine has been showing few signs of progress. at least asked civilians, however, are reported to have been killed today and more than a dozen others injured following strikes on the eastern city of kharkiv. meanwhile on the southern city of mariupol, russia is continued is seizure of the city where 100,000 have been trapped with limited food and no power. russia has had considerable losses in its ranks and is likely to boost numbers by deploying reservists and mercenaries.

ukraine's resistance has been unexpectedly fierce. according to the pentagon, the russian army has retreated to more than 30 kilometers east of kyiv. the russian force also remained blocked 10 kilometers from the city of chernihiv. they also faced stiff resistance in the city of kearny have. it seems ukrainian forces have made impressive gains during the last 24 hours. te us more. >> we have this pentagon confirmation of russian forces being pushed back in the easterly direction. that is one othe directions from which they have been trying to advancen kyiv. in the northwesterly direction, ukrainian forces say they have a sickly taken a satellite town just outside kyiv, but we cannot independently confirm that. it seems as though the battle was going on very intensely today. you could hear the shooting from

the center of kyiv, so those areas are still in doubt, but certainly, russians have not been able to advance any further in that direction. also about 60 kilometers to the west of kyiv, a town had fallen to the russians but was retaken by ukrainian forces but has reportedly since then been pretty heavily shelled. even in places where ukrainians take territory back from russians, it is not necessarily over. ukrainian forces holding the line in a much more impressive way than really anyone was predicting. >> it has been a month since the invasion began. when you speak to ukrainians and listen to the radio and read online publications and so on, what is the overall feeling about how people regard their progress against the invading army? >> ukrainians' morale is really high. they are really impressed by the

performance of their army. president zelenskyy today making his address to nato saying, don't you dare ever again tell us that our forces are not up to the level of nato, and that is something that absolutely resonates with ukrainians who are very, very proud. on the other hand, there is still a huge amount of air and trauma in the country and ukrainians wonder how long their armed forces can keep it up, if the west will be providing enough armed forces and munitions for them. above all, every day brings news of civilians suffering in this war. a couple of examples that do not normally make the top headlines, for example today, a city in the northeast of ukraine was shelled again.

15 buildings damaged. an evacuation train carrying people from the east who thought that they had made it out came under fire. there are no reports of casualties, but quite a bit of trauma for the people on that plane. the home of a nuclear plant is surrounded. ukrainians are still very much coming under attack from the russians on a number of fronts. it is not just counterattacks. every day, a whole list of things to be sad about and to be worried about. the whole experience i think is hugely traumatic for ukrainians and that probably trumps the pride that there is in the sense of national unity of the whole country coming together and outperforming what anyone expected. one resident ofyiv i spoke to

today told me she was now absolutely certain the city would not fall to the russians. she would not have said that for weeks ago. >> thank you very much indeed for your update. one month into the invasion, moscow's forces are struggling to reach the strategic what city of odessa, but residents are busily making reparations in the event of an attack by nato forces. the city has an important asset, which is a network of underground catacombs, which were last put to use during the second world war. [err siren] >> it is a well known sound in odessa. the siren announces a bombing is imminent and warns the population to take shelter. these inhabitants take refuge 20 meters below in the city's catacombs, encompassing 2500 kilometers of tunnels. this is alexander.

he is helping organize this new underground life. >> this type of shelter can withstand a bomb as powerful as one ton. that is what the russians are using in mariupol at the moment. >> during the day, it is mainly women and children who take shelter here. >> we are all scared. who would not be? we all just want to stay alive. >> since the start of the russian offensive, volunteers like alexander have been delivering supplies and updates for the people to stay up-to-date. >> as you can see, we have prepared beds so that everyone can sleep. we have insulated the walls in case we have to stay for a long time. hopefully that won't happen. >> in more recent days, the strikes by russian ships on edessa have done little to quell people's anxiety.

>> on sunday, we heard the explosions. we were not close to the shelter, but we ran here. here we feel safer. you cannot hear what is going on outside, and the kids don't panic. >> what scares me is that it lasts a very long time. >> in the event of a large-scale attack, authorities are hoping the depth of the catacombs can save their population's lives. >> every day, the number rises, and the united nations says 3.7 million people have fled ukraine since the russian invasion began exactly a month ago and that half of the country's children are now displaced. an estimated 6.5 million people are now internally displaced, so it means the lives of more than 10 million people have been upended by this invasion. the majority of those who have left the country crossed first

into poland. today, the united states says it will accept up to 100,000 ukrainian refugees. meanwhile, the european union says it will discuss ways to share the cost burden. u.s. president joe biden has got another national security headache, which is the fact that north korea has resumed major weapons testing. pyongyang conducted what is thought to be its largest ever intercontinental ballistic test marking an end to the moratorium on ballistic missile testing. britain's prince william and his wife kate are on a weeklong tour of former british caribbean colonies. during britain's rule of jamaica, hundreds of african slaves were for -- forced to work on plantations under brutal

conditions. >> stopping short of an apology, prince william expressed his sorrow for the evils of slavery. >> i strongly agree with my father, the prince of wales, who said in barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history. i want to express my profound sorrow. slavery was of horrid and should never have happened. >> william and his wife kate are in jamaica as part of their weeklong tour of former british caribbean colonies. while the royal couple has met sports stars and visited hospitals, their trip has sparked protests over britain's colonial era role in the slave trade. activists are demanding reparations for slavery. >> this is the year of

independence. we have not forgotten, and we demand an apology and reparations. >> on wednesday, jamaica's prime minister told william and kate at the country is seeking to become a republic. >> jamaica is a country that is very proud of our history. we are moving on, and we mean to achieve our true ambitions. >> since gaining its independence, jamaica has remained part of the british commonwealth with queen elizabeth asked head of state. should jamaica decide to sever ties with the monarchy, it would become only the second caribbean nation to do so. barbados formally declared itself a republic in november at

a ceremony attended by prince charles. >> let's get a check now of some of the top is in its news stories. let's begin with the triple summit of nato, g7, and the european union. the west united in their support for ukraine but still divided on the issue of boycotting russian energy. >> also of course, these leaders increasingly turning on china. u.s. president joe biden said that beijing understands its economic future is more closely tied to the west then to russia. he said he made it clear to chinese president xi jinping in a recent video call there would be consequences if beijing helped russia throughout this war. >> we had a long discussion in

the g7 with both the united states, which is the third largest producer of wheat in the world, as well as canada, which is also a major, major producer, and we talked about how we could increase and disseminate more rapidly food shortages. we talked about urging all european countries and everyone else to end trade restrictions and limitations on sending food abroad. >> the u.s. president also backed the idea of kicking russia out of the g20 group of economies as western countries ramp up pressure on moscow. the u.s. treasury department announced fresh sanctions on russia, targeting dozens of defense companies, the head of

russia's largest financial institution, as well as 358 of the 450 members of the russian parliament. meanwhile, europe remains divided over imposing an embargo on russian energy. russia supplies over 40% of e.u.'s gas and more than a quarter of its oil needs. countries that heavily rely on russian energy like germany are reluctant to pose an outright ban. eu leader ursula von der leyen voiced anger at russia's demand for oil and gas payments to be made in rubles, saying it amounts to a breach of contract and urged pressure to stop blackmailing europe with energy resources. she said that the bloc would

announce a new energy partnership with united states. >> we have decided to step up our support for ukraine to sharpen sanctions against russia, and to break free from russian fossil fuels. therefore, tomorrow, together with president biden, we will present a new chapter in our energy partnership. it is about additional energy from the united states for the european union, thus replacing the russian lng we had so far, an important step forward. >> renault has finally decided to suspend activities in russia. it announced late wednesday it was halting production at its moscow plant and considering what to do with its 68% stake in russia's biggest carmaker. the french firm has 45,000 employees in russia. it also downgraded its outlook for the year as the russian

market accounts for about 8% of its earnings. we have more on how workers and consumers have reacted to the news. >> banned from speaking to the press, renaud employees in moscow are cautious. >> [speaking foreign language] >> 80,000 vehicles are assembled each year, but that has come to a halt. renaud has expended its activity in russia. the country is the company's second-largest market, and its business there is worth billions of euros. across the nation, the french firm employees 45,000 people, mostly due to their russian partner. some employees in france are also concerned after the company downgraded its growth outlook for this year.

>> if i can no longer work, what will we do with pressure being the second-largest market? it brings questions. >> renaud is among a handful that continue to operate in russia despite an international outcry. in his virtual address to the french parliament wednesday, the ukrainian president urged french businesses to quit russia while the foreign minister called for global boycott of or no cars, french consumers were asked if they agreed. >> i think he wanted them to pull out. with what has happened, the board does not make any sense. >> in terms of solidarity, yes, but it is the russian people who pay the price. it is difficult because they did not ask to start this war. >> renaud's decision has been met with a veiled threat.

the government said it would discuss how to use the muska plant and make its decision by the end of the week. earlier this month, president putin endorsed a proposal by the country's ruling party to nationalize assets of firms that leave russia. wall street shares rose on the back of another strong u.s. jobs data, adding to optimism about a strong economic recovery. semiconductor chips and other tech shares let the games. a new report shows the number of new unemployment claims dropped to 187,000 last week, the lowest in 52 and a half years. shares in moscow jumped as trading partially resumed on russia's main stock market after a month's suspenon. the board has been closed since february 24 when russia invaded ukraine.

thursday's trading involved only about 30 of the country's largest firms. the moscow exchange will on in shares of smaller companies as well as corporate bonds and euro bonds according to the country's central bank. that is it for business news. >> thank indeed. i'll be back in two minutes. stay tuned.

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03/24/22 03/24/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> nobody -- maybe it will be baltic states, but even those countries from the border with russia, of those countries are not say.