New EU sanctions on Russia to target Sberbank, says commission chief
Upcoming European Union sanctions against Russia will target banks, especially Sberbank, as well as oil, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a German newspaper.
Bild am Sonntag, in an interview published on Sunday, asked him to name the key points of a planned sixth round of sanctions.
“We take a closer look at the banking sector, in particular Sberbank, which accounts for 37% of the Russian banking sector. And, of course, there are energy issues,” she said.
The EU has so far spared Russia’s biggest bank from previous rounds of sanctions because it is, together with Gazprombank, one of the main payment channels for Russian oil and gas, which EU countries have purchased despite the conflict in Ukraine. Read more
She also said the EU was working on “smart mechanisms” so oil could also be included in upcoming sanctions.
“The top priority is to cut Putin’s income,” she said.
EU commits an additional $52 million to help Ukraine
The European Union is allocating an additional 50 million euros ($52 million) to support humanitarian projects in Ukraine and Moldova, it announced in a statement on Sunday.
The money will go towards emergency medical services, access to clean water and sanitation, and support against gender-based violence, the EU said.
“With millions of people on the move or trapped in active war zones, the needs in Ukraine are already huge,” said Janez Lenarčič, the EU commissioner for crisis management. “Now we must prepare for a further increase in Russia’s ruthless attacks on Ukraine, especially in the east.
He added that the funding “would help people in hard-to-reach areas who are cut off from access to health care, water and electricity, and those who have been forced to flee and leave behind”.
Ukraine asks the G7 for 50 billion dollars to cover its budget deficit
Ukraine has asked G7 countries for $50 billion in financial support and is also considering issuing 0% coupon bonds to help it cover a war-related budget shortfall over the next six months, the president’s economic adviser Oleh Ustenko said on Sunday.
Speaking on national television, Ustenko said these options are being actively discussed.
Anguish, fury and grief: a woman recounts a rape by a Russian soldier
BUCHA, Ukraine — Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office says many women have accused occupying Russian soldiers of rape. It’s one of their stories.
Olena told NBC News that she was first injured by shrapnel and then kidnapped by Russian soldiers who assaulted her.
“I didn’t even try to shout, because there was no one around,” Olena said, shaking her head. “I thought whatever happens, happens.”
Read the full story here.
Missile attack damages infrastructure in Brovary, near kyiv, mayor says
A missile attack in the early hours of Sunday damaged infrastructure in the town of Brovary, near the Ukrainian capital of kyiv, Brovary mayor Igor Sapozhko said in an online post.
There were no details on the extent of the destruction and potential casualties.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the information.
Full Austrian Chancellor: Putin ‘believes he is winning the war’ in Ukraine
Four high-rise buildings bombed in Severodonetsk
Four high-rise buildings were shelled overnight in the city of Severodonetsk, according to the region’s governor.
Along with the four bombed buildings, a house was destroyed in Novodruzhesk, Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, said on Sunday.
No information on possible victims was immediately available.
The latest attack in Severodonetsk comes after two senior US defense officials said Russia could soon begin the next phase of its military campaign.
In recent days, missile strikes and shelling – some of which were reportedly deadly – have hit areas such as Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv in the east, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine and Mykolaiv and Kherson South.
Attacks continue in eastern Ukraine where new Russian offensive expected, UK says
Russian forces are continuing to redeploy combat and support equipment from Belarus to eastern Ukraine, where a new offensive is expected, the UK Ministry of Defense said.
Early on Sunday, Russian forces shelled four high-rise buildings in the eastern city of Severodonetsk, regional leaders said, one of several attacks in the area in recent days.
Despite a shift in operational focus to the east, Russia’s ultimate goal remained unchanged, the ministry said in its daily update.
“He pledged to force Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation and assert its own regional dominance,” the ministry said.
Four staff of chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen injured in attack
7h ago / 07:43 UTC
Four staff members of a World Central Kitchen operation in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv were injured in a Russian attack on a partner restaurant, the nonprofit’s CEO said on Saturday.
In a video posted on social media sites, WCK leader Nate Mook said the four must be “OK” and that he was going to visit them in a hospital later today. At least one person unaffiliated with the kitchen was killed in the attack, he said.
Speaking with mangled structures in the background, Mook said a Russian missile hit the kitchen of a local restaurant that WCK was using as part of a partnership.
The organization was prepare about 250,000 meals a day for Ukrainians in the liberated areas and at border crossings. This effort is part of celebrity chef and WCK founder José Andrés’ ongoing mission to bring food to areas of the world stricken by tragedy, disaster and war.
According to The Associated Press, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 injured by missile fire in his city on Saturday. NBC News has not independently confirmed the WCK missile strike.
Mook described the injured workers in heroic terms, saying, “Coming to work, cooking, for people who are hungry, is a huge act of bravery.
Comments are closed.