Russia will be hit with new sanctions worth billions of pounds, after Ukraine’s president urged Western leaders to punish Moscow over alleged war crimes.
The US is set to unveil a new package of sanctions later today, including a ban on new investment in Russia and tougher measures against Moscow’s financial institutions and state-owned enterprises.
Meanwhile, EU leaders will meet to approve plans to ban the purchase of Russian coal and stop Russian ships from entering European ports.
The measures come after international condemnation over the treatment of Ukrainians in the town of Bucha, where more than 300 bodies have been discovered, including some with their hands tied behind their backs.
Key developments:
- Ukraine’s president to address Irish parliament later today
- NATO foreign ministers to discuss further support for Ukraine
- France’s president agrees to give technical support for investigation into alleged war crimes
Hours after telling the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Russia wants to turn Ukrainians into “silent slaves”, Ukraine’s president warned Western leaders that they faced a “crucial moment”.
In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said new sanctions imposed on Russia “must be commensurate with the gravity of the occupiers’ war crimes” and that citizens across Europe and the West wanted strong action from their leaders.
“We are preparing a new package of powerful sanctions against Russia for everything it has done to our people,” he said.
“Now is a crucial moment, especially for Western leaders. And this is no longer about how our people will evaluate the new sanctions and what I will say about them.
“This is about how decisions on sanctions will be assessed in Western societies themselves. After what the world saw in Bucha, sanctions against Russia must be commensurate with the gravity of the occupiers’ war…
Source : skynews
