SQUAWK BOX, FRIDAY 18TH MARCH, 2022

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dials up the pressure on China ahead of talks between Presidents Biden and Xi, slamming Beijing for refusing to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine. Nato, meanwhile continues to reinforce its Eastern flank. We are live at an Estonian military base, where the Russian threat seems to have galvanised the alliance. Moscow avoids defaulting on its dollar- denominated interest bond repayments with JPMorgan reportedly processing the funds. In other market news, the VIX slumps to a one-month low which in turn helps U.S. markets turn positive for the week – their first in six – while crude prices surge past the $100-mark once again. Chinese President Xi vows to help ease the economic pain caused by his zero-Covid policy despite daily cases rising to their worst level since the start of the outbreak in the country. And in France, President Emmanuel Macron kicks off his re-election campaign by casting himself as a war-time leader.