Ukraine war: EU countries approve new Russia sanctions – including coal embargo

Created: 04/08/2022, 04:50

By: Karolin Schäfer, Stefan Krieger

In the Ukraine war, the West decides on further far-reaching sanctions against Russia.

• The USA* and the EU* issue new sanctions against Russia* due to the attack on Ukraine*.

• The new sanctions in the Ukraine conflict* mainly affect the close circle of leaders around Russia's President Vladimir Putin*.

  Moscow*.

• While Finland is confiscating art objects worth millions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz* (SPD*) is considering a new law that will simplify the implementation of sanctions against Russia.

+++ 8.50 p.m .:

The 27 EU countries have launched the fifth major package of sanctions against Russia.

On Thursday evening, the permanent representatives of the member states approved the EU Commission's proposals for an import ban on coal, wood and vodka as well as numerous other punitive measures.

This was confirmed by several diplomats from the German Press Agency in Brussels.

+++ 16.05:

The European Parliament calls for an immediate and complete embargo on all imports of oil, coal, gas and nuclear fuel from Russia.

The corresponding resolution received a clear majority of 513 to 22 votes.

This is reported by the European Parliament in a statement.

According to the wishes of the European Parliament, the sanctions against Russia are to be combined with a plan on how the EU can become independent in the long term when it comes to energy policy.

If Russia resumes its aggression against Ukraine and restores the country's “independence”, the embargo is to be lifted.

Sanctions against Russia - EU countries announce further steps

+++ 1:45 p.m .:

Austria declared four Russian diplomats “personae non gratae” and expelled them because they carried out activities that “do not correspond to their diplomatic status,” the Austrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The EU Parliament calls for a complete energy embargo against Russia.

© Frederick Florin/afp

They must leave the country by April 12 at the latest, the statement said.

Three of the diplomats are employees of the Russian embassy in Vienna and the other employee of the Russian consulate in Salzburg, the ministry said.

Several European nations have expelled Russian diplomats in the past week, including Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden.

The expulsion of Russian diplomats is a "short-sighted move" that "will inevitably lead to retaliation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

Sanctions over Ukraine war: US calls for Russia's exclusion from G20

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Due to the attack on Ukraine, Russia is increasingly isolated internationally.

Now the Russian Federation is also to be excluded from the G20 group.

According to the Reuters news agency, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asked for it.

Yelen announced that the US would boycott "a whole series of G20 meetings" if representatives from Russia attend them.

The behavior of the Russian soldiers in the Ukraine war, especially in the Bucha massacre, was "reprehensible" and represented an "unacceptable affront to the rule-based world order".

Sanctions against Russia: Finland confiscates art loans

+++ 8:55 a.m .:

Finnish customs confiscated art objects on their way to Russia.

There are three shiploads in total.

This was announced by the Finnish authorities.

The art objects were on loan from Russia to museums in Japan and Italy.

They were confiscated due to the sanctions against Russia as a result of the Ukraine war.

The value of the objects amounts to around 46 million euros.

This was confirmed to the Washington Post by Sami Rakshit, Director of Finnish Customs.

Rakshit did not provide any information about how many art objects it is exactly.

“It is important that the sanctions are effectively enforced.

It's part of our normal routine," Rakshit told the Washington Post.

New sanctions against Russia – US supplies arms to Ukraine for 100 million dollars

Update from Thursday, April 7th, 2022, 7:00 a.m.:

The USA wants to support Ukraine in particular with further anti-tank weapons of the Javelin type.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that $100 million (91.3 million euros) that the US government had approved for further arms deliveries are to be used for this purpose.

Talks are also being held with the Ukrainians about the delivery of more Switchblade drones.

100 of them have already been sent.

The Switchblades are mini-drones that can circle the ground for a long time to lurk and attack a target.

Then they destroy themselves.

New sanctions against Russia – import ban on Russian gas “as soon as possible”

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In addition to the US government, the British government has also imposed new sanctions on Russia.

Among other things, the assets of Russia's largest credit institution Sberbank and the Credit Bank of Moscow in Great Britain are frozen.

In addition, British investments in Russia are to be banned, the Foreign Ministry said in London.

Other banks are also affected by sanctions.*

Decisions were also made in London about Russian energy supplies.

The import of Russian coal and Russian oil is to be phased out at the end of the year.

An import stop for gas from Russia should take place “as soon as possible”, the ministry said.

Russian iron and steel products are to be subject to an import ban.

New sanctions against Russia - Putin's daughters on the list

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In view of the ongoing Ukraine war and the atrocities in Bucha, northwest of Kiev, the US government is imposing new sanctions against Russia.

What was initially suspected is now certain, as the German Press Agency (dpa) announced.

As the White House announced, the sanctions will target two Russian banks and the adult children of Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Sanctions against Russia for 'acts not far removed from genocide'

+++ 3.10 p.m .:

In addition to the EU countries and the USA*, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson* has now announced new sanctions against Russia.

As a reason, Johnson said on Wednesday (06.04.2022) that the events in the Ukrainian city of Bucha "did not appear far from genocide".

The sanctions by Great Britain* would be imposed in consultation with international partners.

Ukraine war: sanctions against Russian oligarchs should be easier to implement

Scholz described the question of whether the German state had “all the necessary instruments” at its disposal to “act actively in the way we would like to” with the sanctions as “entirely justified”.

The answer to that is “no”.

For this reason, a task force has already been set up to enforce sanctions against Russia.

Recently, for example, the fact that it was unknown or impossible to prove which real estate and other assets the oligarchs actually owned in Germany was criticized.

Sanctions against Russia: list emerged - Putin's daughters targeted

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Because of the war crimes in Ukraine, the West is increasing the pressure on Russia.

On Wednesday (April 6th, 2022), the EU states discussed the proposal to stop imports of Russian coal and other punitive measures.

An oil embargo is considered a possible next step in Brussels.

The USA are planning an investment ban in the next package of sanctions.

Sanctions against Russia: Elite around Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin affected

Update from April 6th, 2022, 11.30 a.m .:

The new sanctions against Russia should primarily affect the elite around Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.

According to a document obtained by the Financial Times, the list of people affected by US sanctions includes:

• Herman Gref:

  Head of Russia's state-owned Sberbank.

• Oleg Deripaska:

  aluminum oligarch.

• Aleksander Shulgin:

  CEO of e-commerce platform Ozon.

• Boris Rotenberg:

  Close business partner of the Kremlin.

• Said Kerimov:

  Main shareholders of Russia's largest gold mine, Polyus.

Sanctions against Russia: Putin's daughters are targeted

First report:

Washington DC – On Wednesday (April 6th, 2022) the USA will pass new sanctions against Russia in coordination with the states of the G7 and the EU.

This is reported by the US broadcaster CNN.

The portal refers to the information provided by a US government representative.

The sweeping package of sanctions, the statement said, "will impose significant costs on Russia and push the country further into economic, financial and technological isolation."

Sanctions against Russia: Putin's children are also affected

According to the government representative, the sanctions against Russia are intended to ban all new investments in Russia, further tighten the measures adopted so far against financial institutions and state-owned companies in Russia and include new sanctions against Russian government officials and their family members.

According to CNN, a government official familiar with the plans said the US could impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's two adult daughters as early as Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden's administration is also considering expanding sanctions against Sberbank, Russia's largest financial institution, and Alfa Bank, another major lender, the official said.

Sanctions against Russia: Volodymyr Zelenskyj pushes the pace

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* had again called for sanctions against Russia to be tightened after the atrocities in Bucha.

Punitive measures should be imposed against the Russian Federation that are appropriate to the severity of the "war crimes" committed by the Russian military in Ukraine, said Zelenskyy in his nightly video message, which was published on Telegram on Wednesday night.

Sanctions against Russia: New Zealand expands measures

The New Zealand government is also expanding sanctions against Russia in response to atrocities against civilians in Ukraine.

Among other things, import duties of 35 percent would be levied on all Russian imports, said Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on Wednesday.

In addition, the existing export bans are to be extended to products that are closely linked to strategic Russian industries.

"The images and reports of atrocities committed against civilians in Bucha and other regions of Ukraine are abominable and reprehensible," the minister stressed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had already imposed the first sanctions shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine, including targeted bans on the entry of Russian government officials and the export of goods to the Russian military.

A month ago, the country was hit with more targeted sanctions, including those targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, members of his government, Russian oligarchs and senior Russian military leaders.

Sanctions against Russia: German industry supports sanctions plans

Meanwhile, German industry supports the sanctions course of the German government and the European Union against Russia.

"The atrocities in Bucha call for a decisive, unequivocal response from the West," Siegfried Russwurm, President of the Federation of German Industries, told the German Press Agency in Berlin.

“A complete, pan-European embargo on Russian coal goes well beyond the reduction in Russian coal deliveries that companies have already implemented.

The implementation is not easy and has its price, but the decision is more than understandable against the background of the escalation of violence.”

The EU Commission had presented a proposal for a comprehensive package of new Russia sanctions.

According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it includes a ban on the import of coal from Russia, a port ban on Russian ships and other trade restrictions.

The 27 EU countries must now decide whether the sanctions will be imposed as proposed.

(skr/kas with dpa)