EU to increase energy sanctions against Russia
The European Union is considering a ban on all coal imports from Russia in what would be the first sanctions targeting Moscow’s lucrative energy income for its war in Ukraine.
The EU is determined to increase sanctions against Russia amid emerging evidence emerges of mass slayings of Ukrainian civilians by invading Russian forces, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday. Le Maire said there is a “total determination” from all 27 European Union countries for more severe sanctions targeting oil and coal. Europe’s dependence on Russian oil, natural gas and coal had left energy sanctions off the table amid fears the entire continent could plunge into recession.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to address U.N. Security Council on Tuesday amid a growing global chorus condemning Russia for its brutal tactics in Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, addressing a mayors forum organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, urged countries to halt all business with Russia “because every euro, every cent, they receive from Russians – or what you send to Russia – has the blood of Ukrainians on it.”
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Latest developments
►Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev dismissed the report of civilian deaths as propaganda, claiming Ukrainian forces killed their own people “in a bid to dehumanize Russia and tarnish its image as much as possible.”
► E.U. Commission: President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy this week.
► The war will have a worldwide economic impact far beyond Europe: a World Bank report released Tuesday predicted slowing growth and rising poverty in Asia during the coming months due to disruptions to supplies of commodities, financial strains, and higher prices.
►The Ukrainian government says 18 journalists have been killed and 13 wounded in the country since the war began. In addition, eight have been abducted or taken prisoner and three are missing.
Zelenskyy to address UN Security Council today
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to emphasize the discovery of the bodies of more than 400 civilians that were found in Kyiv-area towns recently retaken from Russian forces when he pleads for more arms and stiffer sanctions before the U.N. Security Council. Germany and France have already reacted by expelling dozens of Russian diplomats, suggesting they were spies. Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin should be tried for war crimes.
The U.N. body will also receive a briefing from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday. U.N. officials are trying to arrange a cease-fire.
“It’s very difficult to conduct negotiations when you see what they did (in Bucha),” Zelenskyy said, adding that “dead people have been found in barrels, basements, strangled, tortured” in the suburb and elsewhere.
EU targets coal, oil, but not natural gas
European Commission President Ursula von der…
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