New EU sanctions against Russia – The night at a glance

Brussels/Kyiv After days of wrangling, the European Union has agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia – the ninth. The banking sector is one of the areas affected. On the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday evening, the Permanent Representatives Committee unanimously approved plans that include new punitive measures against Russian banks and additional trade restrictions.

A day-long dispute about possible undesirable side effects of sanctions had previously been settled. Together with countries such as France and the Netherlands, Germany had called for certain rules to be changed as part of the new sanctions package in order to avoid disrupting trade in agricultural products and fertilizers.

Other countries, such as Poland and Lithuania, have argued that reports of agricultural exports allegedly being blocked by sanctions are “Russian propaganda” intended to weaken EU sanctions. Both sides finally accepted a compromise. According to diplomats, he takes into account the demands to guarantee food security.

In addition to trade and financial sanctions, the ninth package of sanctions since late February includes a list of almost 200 people and entities. Asset freezes and EU entry bans are imposed on them. The EU has already sanctioned more than 1,200 individuals and 118 organizations for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The list with the new names is to be published in the EU Official Journal shortly after the conclusion of the written decision-making process that is still required. According to earlier information from the EU Commission, the Russian army, individual officers, members of the State Duma and governors should be among them.

“The list thus includes people who play a key role in Russia’s brutal deliberate rocket attacks against civilians, in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia and in the theft of Ukrainian agricultural products,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the presentation of the package.

Price cap for gas is coming

After months of dispute, the EU also wants to make its decision on a European gas price cap next week. At the summit in Brussels, the heads of state and government agreed that work on this would be completed at a meeting of energy ministers this Monday. At the beginning of the week, Germany in particular held up an agreement due to concerns about security of supply.

Zelensky: Red Cross worker killed in Kherson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of killing a volunteer worker at a Red Cross station in the shelling of the city of Kherson. “The woman who died was a paramedic, a volunteer,” said the head of state in a video address on Thursday evening. The recently liberated port city in southern Ukraine was shot at 16 times by the Russian side on Thursday alone.

In addition, the northern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv has again become the target of Russian artillery attacks, while fighting continues in Donbass. “The occupiers throw everything and everyone on the offensive. You cannot defeat our army. So they physically destroy every town and village so that there are no buildings, not even walls, that can be used for any kind of defense,” Zelensky said.

Selenski renewed call for weapons aid

Zelensky urged the EU states to supply modern tanks and anti-aircraft defenses for the defensive struggle against Russia. In a video address at the Brussels summit on Thursday, he also asked leaders for large-scale gas and electricity supplies to compensate for the destruction of infrastructure by Russian attacks.

“I’m asking you to show leadership,” Zelensky said. “The one who will be the first to deliver modern tanks will open up the possibility of supplies from all over the world and will be remembered as one of the greatest defenders of freedom of our time.” There is no rational reason why Ukraine cannot deliver the tanks at this time should get. The same applies to long-range artillery and missile systems, which could hasten the end of Russian aggression. “All of this would mean a direct saving of millions of lives.”

Ukrainian army chief demands 300 tanks and 500 howitzers for victory

The Ukrainian supreme commander, Valeriy Zalushnyi, also requested new weapons for a victory over the Russian army. “I need 300 main battle tanks, 600 to 700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers,” said the 49-year-old in an interview with the British magazine “The Economist”.

This would make it possible to push the Russian troops back to the positions before the invasion on February 24, said Zalushny. However, he is currently receiving less funding than he needs. Larger operations are thus impossible, but a new one is being worked out. “She’s on her way,” the general assured.

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:

At the same time, Zalushnyj expects a new major Russian offensive in the coming year. “In the worst case, at the end of January,” he said. The Russians would train around 200,000 fresh soldiers for this. The Ukrainian army, for its part, is also preparing its own reserves for this purpose. He cannot yet say whether the offensive will begin in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass, in the south, or from the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus to the north, aimed directly at Kyiv. Nevertheless, sooner or later the Ukrainian capital will be a target again. “I have no doubt that they will attack Kyiv again,” Zalushnyi said.

Russia warns US against delivering Patriot missiles

Russia once again warned the United States against supplying “Patriot” anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine. If such reports are confirmed, it would be “another provocative step” by the United States, State Department spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow on Thursday. The USA would thus allow itself to be drawn deeper and deeper into the conflict – “with all the ensuing consequences”. Zakharova also announced that “Patriot” missiles would be targeted by the Russian army as a priority target.

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