Dusseldorf, New York The ambassadors of the 27 EU countries want to discuss new sanctions against Russia and Belarus today. This is reported by the Reuters news agency and refers to three people familiar with the plans. After that, three Belarusian banks and other Russian oligarchs and members of parliament should be on the sanctions list and the export of technology in the maritime sector should be banned.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that gaps in the sanctions regime were to be closed in order to prevent conditions from being circumvented. After the blow to the Russian financial system, this also includes tighter control of cryptocurrencies.
In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, there is hope for the suffering people in some embattled cities. After a cease-fire, a first convoy of vehicles carrying residents of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine set off on Tuesday, the country’s foreign ministry announced on Twitter.
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The city’s residents are to be driven by buses and cars to the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, 170 kilometers away.
However, according to the Ukrainian government, Russian forces are said to have fired on an evacuation route for the besieged port city of Mariupol, thereby violating an agreed ceasefire.
>>Read more: diary from the Ukraine – “War and death have come close to us”
Eight trucks and 30 buses are ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol and bring civilians to safety in Zaporizhia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said. on Twitter with. He demanded: “The pressure on Russia must be increased so that it honors its commitments.”
The Russian military announced a ceasefire in Ukraine on Tuesday morning and opened “humanitarian corridors” in five cities. This also includes the capital Kyiv, the cities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv and the port city of Mariupol.
The situation in the city on the Azov Sea is considered particularly critical for 13 days. According to the Red Cross, 200,000 people are waiting there to get out of the city via various routes. It would be the fourth attempt to bring the residents to safety. In some of the planned escape corridors, the Ukrainian side criticizes that people should be taken to Russia.
Zelensky ready for talks on Donbass and Crimea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to hold talks on the status of the separatist areas in the east of the country and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea annexed by Russia.
On Monday evening (local time) on US broadcaster ABC, Zelensky made it clear that he would not respond to demands from Moscow to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” and Russian rule over Crimea. “I’m ready for a dialogue. But we are not ready for surrender.”
The Ukrainian President also said: “We can discuss and find a compromise on how these areas can continue.” It is important to pay attention to how the people there who want to be part of Ukraine are doing. It is a much more complicated issue than just recognition. “This is another ultimatum and we do not recognize ultimatums.”
Zelensky again called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct negotiations. “What President Putin needs to do is start a conversation, a dialogue, instead of continuing to live in an information bubble without oxygen.” Zelensky acknowledged that Russia has air sovereignty over Ukraine. He again called for a no-fly zone. It’s about preventing rocket fire on civilian facilities.
Zelensky accuses Russia of escape corridors
With regard to NATO, Selenski said he was disappointed. The alliance is not ready to accept Ukraine as a member. “The alliance is afraid of controversial issues and a dispute with Russia.” He indicated that he would not join. Ukraine is not a country that begs for something on its knees. Since the constitution was changed in 2019, joining NATO has been the declared goal of the former Soviet republic.
Despite the advance of Russian troops, Zelensky wants to stay in the capital Kyiv until the end of the war. “I don’t hide and I don’t fear anyone. I’ll stay as long as it takes to win this war,” Zelensky said in a video message released Tuesday. Every day of struggle creates “better conditions” for Ukraine.
>> Read here the current developments in the Ukraine war in our news blog
millions on the run
More than two million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. Most people went to Poland, as well as Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia, said a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to the UN Organization for Migration (IOM), these included a good 100,000 people from third countries. Before the start of the war, Ukraine had a population of more than 44 million.
In the meantime, more than two million people are said to have left Ukraine.
(Photo: dpa)
Russian troops are said to have continued to launch heavy attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure on Monday. Russia has captured five settlements on the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, the Defense Ministry said in Moscow.
The residents of the towns “will be given humanitarian aid,” it said. In addition, fighter jets and bombers destroyed 26 other military objects, the ministry said. These include two command posts, a radar station and five ammunition depots. Russia insists the troops are not attacking civilian targets, only military ones.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, a Russian general was killed in fighting for the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Accordingly, it is Major General Vitaly Gerasimov.
The 45-year-old fought with Russian troops in Syria and Chechnya and took part in the occupation of Crimea in 2014, it said. Russia initially did not comment. The information was not independently verified.
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian armed forces inflicted heavy losses on the attackers. Some Russian units lost up to 50 percent of their personnel in battles for Konotop and Ochtyrka in the north-east of the country. “The moral and psychological state of the enemy remains extremely low,” the General Staff claimed in Kyiv.
Russian soldiers would desert in droves. The General Staff accused the Russian troops of flying even heavier airstrikes on Ukrainian cities. The information provided by the two warring parties could not be verified independently.
According to the government, the first escape corridors for civilians from embattled cities have been opened in Ukraine.
(Photo: Getty Images)
In Russia itself there is still resistance, but it is being fought with repressive measures. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, accuses the Russian government of the arbitrary arrest of 12,700 participants in anti-war rallies.
She has criticized laws that restrict civil and political rights and criminalize non-violent protest. In particular, Bachelet opposes laws criminalizing “discrediting” the army.
Ukraine: billions in damage to transport infrastructure
The Ukrainian government estimates the damage to the country’s transport system from the Russian attack to date at more than ten billion dollars (about 9.2 billion euros). Bridges, railways and airports are affected, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov, according to the online newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda.
He is convinced that most of the damage could be repaired in two years at the latest. Kubrakow probably also counts on foreign aid. “This war is not ours,” he said. Ukraine defends the interests of the entire civilized world. “We will not restore the country on our own.”
>> Read about this: 1.5 million people flee Ukraine – Europe’s biggest refugee tragedy since 1945
Foreign Minister of Ukraine confirms planned meeting with Lavrov
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba confirmed the plan for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov soon. “Currently the 10th (March) is planned,” he said in a video message. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had previously said both sides were expected in Antalya on March 10.
On Tuesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping spoke via video link about the Ukraine war. Scholz and Macron had sought talks with Xi Jinping to advance diplomatic efforts to end the war.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi made it clear on Monday that the People’s Republic stands behind its “strategic partner” Russia.
On Tuesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping spoke via video link about the Ukraine war.
(Photo: AP)
According to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Ukraine can hope to win the war against Russia, or at least reach a stalemate. “The Ukrainian people, if they continue as they are, can wear down the Russian forces enough for victory or at least a stalemate,” Wallace told Times Radio on Tuesday. The prerequisite is the right equipment. A great advantage of the Ukrainians is that they fight knowing that the law is on their side.
The conflict shows that young people in Ukraine and across Europe believe in their values, said the conservative politician. This “moral component” makes it very difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to succeed with the invasion.
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US Democrats and World Bank prepare billions in aid package for Ukraine
US Senate Democrats are preparing a more than $12 billion humanitarian and military assistance package for Ukraine.
The funds would benefit refugees and displaced persons, as well as medical care, food security and arms transfers to Ukraine, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The package should be decided later this week as part of the budget.
The World Bank approved a package to help Ukraine that should bring the country $723 million (€665 million) in new loans and aid. The World Bank said the quick payout will help the government fund welfare payments and pay health care workers and pensions. This is just “the first of many steps” to help Ukraine.
With agency material.
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