Ukrainian authorities urge people living in the east to evacuate

Ukrainian authorities urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate now, ahead of an impending Russian offensive, while there is still time.

“Later, people will come under fire,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, “and we won’t be able to do anything to help them.”

A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence estimates, said it will take Russia's battle-damaged forces as much as a month to regroup for a major push on eastern Ukraine.

Red Cross leads convoy of more than 1,000 people despite being unable to reach Mariupol

The Red Cross said they led a convoy of more than 1,000 civilians to Zaporizhzhia despite being unable to reach Mariupol due to the security situation.

"Our team tried days and nights for five days to reach Mariupol, under extremely difficult security conditions," said Pascal Hundt, Ukraine office director for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hundt said they had to pass checkpoints day and night but unfortunately were unable to reach the city "because of the security conditions in and around Mariupol."

"We went back to Berdyansk and on the way we started collecting people that were coming out of Mariupol," he said.

Hundt said that busses and cars joined the convoy because they saw the Red Cross.

"The more we were moving back towards our initial position in Zaporizhzhia, the more cars were joining the convoy. And ultimately, when we crossed the border, there were more than a thousand people with us."

(with AP)

Russia blocking humanitarian access to hide 'thousands' of victims, Zelenskyy alleges

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday accused Russia of blocking humanitarian access to Mariupol to hide the "thousands" of victims in the port city that's still being shelled in southeastern Ukraine. 

"I think one of the main reasons why we can't get humanitarian aid into Mariupol is that until everything has been 'cleaned up' by the Russian soldiers, they are afraid the world will see what's going on there," Zelenskyy said in an interview with a Turkish television channel.

These are "not tens but thousands of people killed and thousands injured", he added.

"We know how many (Ukrainian) soldiers died there and how many were injured, but we don't know how many civilians."

"But, in any case, they (the Russians) will not be able to hide everything (...). Such a number, it is impossible to hide," he said.

(AFP)

Mariupol mayor puts the number of dead at over 5,000

The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol says over 5,000 civilians have been killed during the monthlong Russian blockade.

Vadym Boichenko said Wednesday that 210 of the dead were children. He said the Russian forces bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death.

Boichenko said that more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed by the Russian shelling.

The Russian military has besieged the strategic Sea of Azov port, cutting food, water and energy supplies and pummelling it with artillery and air raids.

Capturing the city would allow Russia to secure a continuous land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

(AP)

UK charges guard at Berlin embassy with spying for Russia

A security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin has been extradited from Germany and charged with spying for Russia, UK police said Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police force said David Ballantyne Smith, 57, was sent back to Britain on Wednesday. He faces nine charges under the Official Secrets Act related to “the collection and communication of information useful to the Russian state.”

Smith is due to appear in a London court on Thursday,

Police said the alleged offences took place between October 2020 and August 2021, when Smith was arrested by German police at his home in Potsdam, southwest of Berlin.

(AP)

'There's nothing less happening than major war crimes,' Biden says

US President Joe Biden denounced the killing of civilians in the suburbs of Kyiv as "major war crimes" in a speech on Wednesday.

"Civilians executed in cold blood, bodies dumped into mass graves. A sense of brutality and inhumanity left for all the world to see unapologetically," Biden said.

"There's nothing less happening than major war crimes. Responsible nations have to come together to hold these perpetrators accountable."

(with AFP)

EU countries yet to reach agreement on fresh sanctions against Russia 

EU member states are still trying to overcome their differences as they look to approve a fifth round of sanctions against Russia.

The measures proposed by the European Commission yesterday include a ban on coal imports and the closure of European ports to Russian ships.

But according to diplomatic sources, some member states that are more dependent than others on coal, are asking for a three months phase out for existing contracts, rather than an immediate embargo.

For Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, a Greek MEP from the EPP Group, the impact of sanctions in Europe should also be taken into account when considering any punitive measures against Moscow.

"We are faced with an unconscionable war and we need to exert the maximum amount of pressure," Asimakopoulou told Euronews. "That means sanctions and more sanctions, and whatever it takes.

"At the same time, we have to remember that we are also responsible for our security, our energy sufficiency and security, and our food security. So we cannot jeopardise that."

Read the full story here.

UN to vote Thursday on suspending Russia from rights council

The UN General Assembly will vote on Thursday on whether to suspend Russia from the UN’s premiere human rights body.

The move was initiated by the United States in response to the discovery of hundreds of bodies after Russian troops withdrew from towns near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, sparking calls for its forces to be tried for war crimes.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the call for Russia to be stripped of its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council in the wake of videos and photos of streets in the town of Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians. The videos and reporting from the town have sparked global revulsion and calls for tougher sanctions on Russia, which has vehemently denied responsibility.

“We believe that the members of the Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine, and we believe that Russia needs to be held accountable,” Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday. “Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce.”

(AP)

New US sanctions target Putin's adult daughters

The US on Wednesday announced that it is sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters as part of a new batch of penalties on the country’s political and economic system in retaliation for its “war crimes” in Ukraine.

The US is also imposing toughened “full blocking sanctions” on Russia’s Sberbank and Alfa Bank, two of its largest financial institutions, as well as some Russian state-owned enterprises. President Joe Biden is also signing an executive order to ban new US investment in Russia.

In addition to Putin’s adult daughters, the new sanctions also target the family of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The US actions are set to be imposed in concert with toughened sanctions by its European allies.

(AP)

UK imposes fifth round of sanctions on Russia

The UK will sanction Russia's largest bank and end all new UK outward investment in the country as part of new sanctions, the foreign, commonwealth and development office announced on Wednesday.

UK investment in Russia was worth over £11 billion (€13.2 billion) in 2020, the government said.

In addition, the UK will end all imports of Russian coal and oil by end of 2022, the government said.

This is the fifth package of measures announced by the United Kingdom since the beginning of the war.

"Our latest wave of measures will bring an end to the UK’s imports of Russian energy and sanction yet more individuals and businesses, decimating Putin’s war machine," said UK foreign secretary Liz Truss.

They will also target an additional eight oligarchs.
 

Bucha claims a 'crude and cynical provocation', says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called the discovery of civilian bodies in the city of Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian forces a "crude and cynical provocation" by Ukrainian authorities.

This is Putin's first reaction to the case, which has sparked international outrage and sparked Kyiv to accuse Moscow of war crimes and genocide.

In a call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin referred in particular to "the crude and cynical provocation on the part of the Kyiv regime in the city of Bucha," according to a Kremlin statement.

Biden approves further US transfer of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine

President Joe Biden approved a €91.5 million ($100m) transfer of Javelin anti-armour missiles to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to an administration official.

The transfer brings the total US military assistance for Ukraine to €2.19 billion ($2.4bn) since Biden took office last January.

The White House announced late Tuesday that Biden approved the assistance funded as part of a broader aid for Ukraine approved by Congress last month after Russia’s invasion.

The administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that it was for a transfer of the Javelin missiles, which the Ukrainian military has requested to combat Russian armour.

Orban 'suggests ceasefire' in talks with Putin

Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Wednesday that he had held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he is close, and had offered him a meeting with the leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany.

"I proposed to President Putin to declare an immediate ceasefire," he told reporters, adding that he had offered to come to Budapest for talks with the leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany. "He said yes, but with conditions."

(AFP)

EU spending '35 times more' on Russian fuel than Ukraine arms donations — Borrell

"Zelenskyy needs less applause and more help," the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell has said in a speech to the European Parliament.

Speaking in Spanish, the EU's top foreign affairs representative told MEPs that the Ukrainian president "needs us to tell him less often that he is a hero and give him more weapons to fight".

He went on to give this stark statistic comparing the bloc's contributions of weapons to Ukraine since the start of the war, to Europe's dependence on Russian energy:

"We have given Ukraine €1 billion. That may sound like a lot, but €1 billion is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he supplies to us. Since the war began we have given them €35 billion  compare that with the 1 billion we have given them to arm the Ukrainians."

Russia 'using mobile crematoriums' to hide Mariupol atrocities 

Russian "killers are covering their tracks" in Mariupol, the city council claims in a statement published on Telegram, saying "Russian mobile crematoria have started operating" in the besieged city.

It quotes eyewitnesses as saying that "special brigades" are collecting and burning "the bodies of Mariupol residents murdered and killed as a result of the Russian invasion".

Claiming that Russia's top military commanders ordered the destruction of evidence, the council says the real number of fatalities could far exceed last week's cautious estimates of 5,000 deaths and run into "tens of thousands of civilians".

It argues that this explains Russia's reluctance to allow in Turkish and other initiatives to evacuate Mariupol. 

"The world has not seen the scale of the tragedy in Mariupol since the Nazi concentration camps. The racists turned our whole city into a death camp. Unfortunately, the eerie analogy is gaining more and more confirmation. This is no longer Chechnya or Aleppo. This is the new Auschwitz," the statement says.

Ukraine's foreign minister warns the West

Netherlands blocks 14 yachts from leaving country due to sanctions

The Dutch government said on Wednesday it is currently preventing 14 yachts -including 12 that were under construction - from leaving the country due to sanctions on Russia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the statement in a letter to parliament, updating lawmakers on the enforcement of sanctions after criticism that the Netherlands had lagged behind other European countries in enforcement and seizures.

Wednesday's letter said that while no "superyachts" are anchored in Dutch territories, including Caribbean islands like St. Maarten, the 12 yachts under construction for Russian owners "cannot at this moment be delivered due to the current export measures" and their ownership structures are being investigated.

(Reuters)

Luhansk civilians urged to leave area 'while it is safe'

Authorities in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk urged civilians on Wednesday to evacuate "while it is safe," warning that Russian bombardments could cut off escape routes.

Ukraine has said Russian troops that invaded on Feb. 24 are regrouping and preparing for a new offensive in the Donbas area, which includes Luhansk.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in online comments that Ukraine aimed to open 11 humanitarian corridors on Wednesday to evacuate civilians.

"We will take everyone out if the Russians allow us to get to the meeting places (for evacuation). Because, as you can see, they don't always observe ceasefires," the Luhansk region governor, Serhiy Gaidai, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"I appeal to every resident of the Luhansk region - evacuate while it is safe ... While there are buses and trains - take this opportunity. "

(Reuters)

Zelenskyy accuses Moscow of weaponising hunger

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of using hunger as a weapon of war by deliberately targeting Ukraine’s essential food supplies.

In an address to Irish lawmakers Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Russian forces “are destroying things that are sustaining livelihoods” including food storage depots, blocking ports so Ukraine could not export food and “putting mines into the fields.”

“For them hunger is also a weapon, a weapon against us ordinary people,” he said, accusing Russia of “deliberately provoking a food crisis” in Ukraine, a major global producer of staples including wheat and sunflower oil.

He said it would have international ramifications, because “there will be a shortage of food and the prices will go up, and this is reality for the millions of people who are hungry, and it will be more difficult for them to feed their families.”

Zelenskyy spoke by video to a joint session of Ireland’s two houses of parliament, the latest in a string of international addresses he has used to rally support for Ukraine.

(AP)

Hungary summons Ukraine ambassador in ongoing war of words

Hungary’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador on Wednesday after days of the two countries’ officials trading barbs over Hungary’s position on the war.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote in a social media post on Wednesday that “we condemn military aggression, we stand by Ukraine’s sovereignty,” but that “this is not our war, so we want to and will stay out of it.”

Hungary’s government has refused to supply weapons to Ukraine or allow their transfer across the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, and has fought against applying sanctions on Russian energy imports.

That position has prompted criticisms of Hungary’s government by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy, who on Monday said in an address on Ukrainian television that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would need to choose between Moscow and “the other world” of the West.

Orban, who won a landslide victory in Hungarian elections on Sunday, in a victory speech depicted Zelenskyy as one of the opponents he and his right-wing party had defeated.

On Tuesday, Szijjarto called on Ukrainian leaders to “stop insulting Hungary and to take note of the will of the Hungarian people.”

(AP)

Cyprus sends 'largest ever' humanitarian aid batch to Ukraine

Cyprus’ foreign minister says a second batch of food, medicine and other articles dispatched to Ukraine is the most humanitarian aid the east Mediterranean island nation has ever sent abroad.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said Wednesday the batch weighing 215 metric tons was on its way to the war-torn country through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. He valued it at more than €2 million. It includes items such as tents and sleeping bags.

Citizens’ Commissioner Panayiotis Sentonas told state broadcaster CyBC that contributions came from ordinary citizens, private businesses, the Cyprus Red Cross and the government.

(AP)

Greece to expel 12 Russians

Greece has joined a list of European countries expelling Russian diplomats, with the foreign ministry announcing on Wednesday it had declared 12 diplomats unwelcome.

The ministry said it had declared 12 members of Russian diplomatic and consular missions accredited to Greece as “personae non gratae,” and that the Russian ambassador had been informed.

It did not specify which diplomats were being expelled or state a reason, beyond citing that the move was carried out in accordance with international treaties.

(AP)

China calls for inquiry into 'deeply disturbing' Bucha reports

China says the reports and images of civilian deaths in the Ukrainian town of Bucha are “deeply disturbing” and is calling for an investigation.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Wednesday that China supports all initiatives and measures “conducive to alleviating the humanitarian crisis” in the country and is “ready to continue to work together with the international community to prevent any harm to civilians.”

The killings in Bucha may serve to put further pressure on Beijing over its largely pro-Russian stance and attempts to guide public opinion over the war.

China has called for talks while refusing to criticize Russia over its invasion. It opposes economic sanctions on Moscow and blames Washington and NATO for provoking the war and fueling the conflict by sending arms to Ukraine.

Zhao’s remarks echo those the previous day of China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, who called for an investigation, describing the reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha as “deeply disturbing.”

(AP)

Intel suspends 'all business operations' in Russia

Intel says it is suspending all its business operations in Russia, becoming the latest foreign company to leave because of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“Effective immediately, we have suspended all business operations in Russia,” the US chipmaker said.

The company had already suspended shipments to customers in Russia and neighboring ally Belarus after the war broke out.

Intel said it’s working to support its 1,200 employees in Russia and has put in place “business continuity measures” to reduce disruption to its global operations, though it didn’t provide details.

“Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace,” it said in a statement.

(AP)

Baerbock blasts Russian disinformation

Germany’s foreign minister has accused Russia of spreading disinformation to justify its war in Ukraine.

Annalena Baerbock said Wednesday that “as Russian tanks destroy Ukrainian cities, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is censoring news, restricting social media, spreading disinformation and punishing those who dare to speak the truth.”

She said the aim was “both clear and cynical: to demoralise the courageous people of Ukraine while keeping Russians in the dark.”

Baerbock spoke in a video message to a conference on disinformation organised by her ministry at which participants also cited examples of Russian efforts to stoke resentment in Europe against refugees from Ukraine.

(AP)

The volunteers saving Ukraine’s animals from the horrors of war

EU's Michel backs asylum for Russian deserters

European Council President Charles Michel says EU member countries should think about ways of offering asylum to Russian soldiers willing to desert Ukraine battlefields.

Michel, who represents the bloc’s governments, on Wednesday expressed his “outrage at crimes against humanity, against innocent civilians in Bucha and in many other cities”, in a speech to the European Parliament.

He called on Russian soldiers to disobey orders: “If you want no part in killing your Ukrainian brothers and sisters, if you don’t want to be a criminal, drop your weapons, stop fighting, leave the battlefield,” he said.

Endorsing an idea previously circulated by some EU lawmakers, Michel added that granting asylum to Russian deserters is “a valuable idea that should be pursued.”

(with AP)

Read the full story here:

EU countries should give asylum to Russian deserters: Charles Michel

euronewsHe said granting asylum to Russian deserters is “a valuable idea that should be pursued". #EuropeNews

Driver dies as car rams Russian Embassy gate in Romania

A car crashed into the gate of the Russian Embassy in the Romanian capital early Wednesday, bursting into flames and killing the driver, police said.

The sedan rammed into the gate at about 6 a.m. Wednesday but did not enter the Bucharest embassy compound. Video of the aftermath showed the car engulfed in flames as security personnel ran through the area.

According to police, firefighters who arrived at the scene were able to put the fire out but the driver died at the scene. There was no immediate information on a possible motive or other details.

The Russian embassy said no employees were injured and expressed condolences to the driver's family.

“There is no doubt that he committed this act under the influence of an explosion of anti-Russian hysteria in connection with a staged provocation in the city of Bucha,” its statement said.

Romania, which shares a long land border with Ukraine, has taken in more than 600,000 refugees since Russia invaded its neighbour.

Since the war started February 24, protesters have gathered outside Russia’s embassy in the capital to call an end to the Russian aggression.

On Tuesday, Romania ordered 10 diplomats from the embassy expelled following a string of expulsions of Russian officials across the 27-nation European Union.

Romania’s Foreign Ministry said the actions of 10 embassy workers, who have been declared persona non grata, “contravene the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relationships.”

The incident comes days after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Romania’s parliament Monday, when he labelled the slaying of civilians in the town of Bucha a “war crime” and called for tougher sanctions against Russia.

Before Zelenskyy's address, Romania's President of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said that the “horrible images” that emerged after Russian troops withdrew from Bucha have "overwhelmed and revolted us all.”

(AP)

'There are 160,000 people still trapped in Mariupol'

British defence officials say 160,000 people remain trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol, where Russian airstrikes and heavy fighting are continuing.

The Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update Wednesday that those in the city have “no light, communication, medicine, heat or water.” It accused Russian forces of deliberately preventing humanitarian access, “likely to pressure defenders to surrender.”

Repeated attempts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to get a humanitarian convoy into the southern port city have failed. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian forces stopped buses accompanied by Red Cross workers from travelling to Mariupol, which had a pre-war population of about 400,000. She said Russian troops allowed 1,496 civilians to leave the Sea of Azov port on Tuesday.

Pope Francis kisses Ukrainian flag

Pope Francis has kissed a battered Ukrainian flag that was brought to him from the Ukrainian city of Bucha and called again for an end to the war.

Francis welcomed a half-dozen Ukrainian children up to the stage of the Vatican audience hall at the end of his Wednesday general audience and gave them each a giant chocolate Easter egg. He urged prayers for them and for all Ukrainians.

He told the crowd: “These children had to flee to arrive in a safe place. This is the fruit of war.”

The pontiff held up a grimy Ukrainian flag that he said had arrived the previous day at the Vatican from Bucha, where evidence has emerged of what appears to be intentional killings of civilians during the city’s occupation by Russian troops.

Kissing it, he said: “This flag comes from the war, from that martyred city Bucha ... Let us not forget them. Let us not forget the people of Ukraine.”

'No compromises on Ukraine’s territorial integrity' — Kyiv negotiator

President Zelenskyy said further face-to-face talks with Russia would be a challenge in light of the revelations of atrocities in Bucha.

Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian lawmaker in the Verkhovna Rada who is part of Kyiv's negotiating team, told Euronews there would be "no compromises on Ukraine's territorial integrity".

He also told Euronews Tonight of the recent attempted poisoning of peace negotiators.

Read the article and watch the interview here:

'No compromises' on Ukrainian territorial integrity, negotiator says

Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian MP who is part of Kyiv's negotiating team spoke to Euronews about Kyiv's expectations from the talks with Moscow.

Macron 'pledges support for war crimes probe' — Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to provide technical and expert support for an investigation into crimes committed by Russian troops in Bucha and elsewhere.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he also asked Macron to help the people trapped in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.

In an interview with Turkey’s Haberturk television in Kyiv, Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to hide its actions in Mariupol and didn’t want humanitarian aid to enter the city “until they clean it all up.”

Zelenskyy said he also expects European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to visit Kyiv soon.

(AP)

Explosions and missile strike reported in western Ukraine

Explosions were heard on Tuesday evening in the small town of Radekhiv, 70 kilometres from Lviv in western Ukraine and about 50 kilometres from the Polish border, according to a local official. The population was called upon to take shelter.
A large city close to the Polish border, Lviv has become a city of refuge for displaced people.
Meanwhile a regional official in western Ukraine says a Russian missile hit fertilizer tanks, polluting ground water.
Ternopil region Governor Volodymyr Trush said Tuesday that the Russian missile strike destroyed six reservoirs filled with fertilizers, resulting in an ammonia leak into ground water and the Ikva River.
Authorities are advising residents not to use water wells and stop fishing and officials have organised drinking water deliveries. Trush said the environmental situation was expected to stabilise in a few days.

(with AFP)

Zelenskyy and NATO warn of Russian offensive in east and south 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces still are trying to push deep into Ukraine in the east, but the Ukrainian army is holding them back.

In his daily night-time video address to the nation late Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was aware that Russia was gathering up reinforcements for another offensive.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is outnumbered both in troops and equipment.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday that in pulling back from the capital, Vladimir Putin's military is regrouping its forces in order to deploy them to eastern and southern Ukraine for a “crucial phase of the war."

Russia's stated goal currently is control of the Donbas, the largely Russian-speaking industrial region in the east that includes the shattered port city of Mariupol.

“Moscow is not giving up its ambitions in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

(with AP)

Gas dependence again the thorny issue as EU plans new sanctions

The EU is drawing up a fifth round of economic sanctions on Russia to maintain pressure on Putin and his government.

The sanctions will target Russian coal exports in the first move to hit Moscow's energy sector.

But yet again, the question of gas appeared to be off the table.

Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, told Euronews that the EU is gradually moving towards the US position in tightening sanctions.

Read the article and watch the interview here:

Russian gas 'most important to cut off' as EU introduces new sanctions

In an interview with Euronews, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research Vicky Pryce says gas is a key import that needs to be halted.

US sanctions to include 'ban on new investment' in Russia

The U.S. and its European allies will impose stiff new sanctions, including a ban on new investments in Russia on Wednesday, a U.S. official says, in retaliation for Russia’s “war crimes” in Ukraine.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement.

The joint action will include a ban on new investment in Russia, toughened sanctions on its financial institutions and government-owned enterprises, and more sanctions on Russian government officials and their family members.

The official said they would further Russia’s economic, financial and technological “isolation” from the rest of the world as a penalty for its attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

(AP)

Zelenskyy liaises with Western leaders over new sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday that he and Western leaders have discussed a new round of sanctions against Russia.

“After what the world saw in Bucha, the sanctions against Russia must be commensurate with the gravity of the war crimes committed by the occupiers,” Zelenskyy said in his daily night-time video address to the nation.

In coordination with the European Union and Group of Seven nations, the U.S. will roll out more sanctions against Russia on Wednesday. That reportedly will include a ban on all new investment in the country.

Also, the EU’s executive branch has proposed a ban on coal imports from Russia in what would be the first time the 27-nation bloc has sanctioned the country’s lucrative energy industry over the war.

The coal imports amount to an estimated 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) per year.

(AP)

Good morning, this is Alasdair Sandford with Wednesday's live updates on the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion.